Souls of Fire #1: Dawn of Black Moon Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/index.html Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and characters. The manga has precedence over material in the anime. This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without permission from the author. This story follows the story set forth by "The Geometry of Shattered Souls" and "The Geometry of Vanished Souls," both available at my web site. ---------------------------------------------------- The dark tenth planet of Earth's solar system floated silently in the sea of forever that made up outer space. The blackness absorbed all sunlight that managed to reach such a distance from the source, providing it with no color and no way for observers from space to see what lay on its surface. Astronomers speculate that this planet was in fact a rogue moon that once supported sentient life, and they were not far from the truth. The surface of Nemesis had been swept by the expeditions from Earth following the final battle against the forces of Black Moon-- descendants of exiles from Earth who used the tenth planet as their base of operations in the last war. The palaces and cities that dotted the surface of Nemesis were dark and deserted; all power was shut off long ago when the remnants of the Black Moon family were taken back to Earth for reintegration into society. The land was virtually untouched since the last of the expeditions passed through, and the planet was declared off-limits in fear that a new Black Moon Family could rise to threaten Earth. However, it was not the technologies and magicks left behind by the Black Moon that the people of Earth feared, but the hidden ruins of the civilization that previously inhabited the planet before them. In Black Moon lore they learned bits and pieces of a previous civilization that threatened Earth in a past time many centuries ago, and all that was left was the ruins. All attempts to ferret out these ruins were in vain, for it was also said that the ruins could only be found if they wanted to be found. As silly as it sounded, the scholarly members of society, having lived in the shadows of Crystal Tokyo for so long, could not discount such a possibility. After all, the ruins allowed Death Phantom to return to Earth with the Black Crystal. As thorough as the expeditions had been on Nemesis, they could not find the ruins or the hidden citadel that lay beneath the surface. It was this underground citadel that the Wiseman of Nemesis, also known as Death Phantom, made his home. The citadel not only served as a fortress and a place to hang your hat; it was a focal point from which the Black Crystal could focus its dark energies through the entire planet of Nemesis, utilizing it as a giant Black Crystal, if necessary. It was also this citadel that saved the dark planet from destruction in the last battle over Crystal Tokyo, forcing it back to its proper, yet erratic, orbit after the sorceries holding it in orbit over Earth were shattered. The citadel had many levels, but it was in the great hall at the center of the fortress where Wiseman and his seventeen minions stood, staring up at the false stars in the sky made possible through magic. The familiar stars were the same that made up the sky if the citadel were on the surface, but all the constellations were in different areas due to the positional difference between Earth and Nemesis. No sun or moon could be seen in the sky as they could be on Earth, which made the sky appear the more alien. Their home was Earth-- yet, it was no longer their home, for the seventeen were from the past; none of them belonged in the Thirtieth Century of Earth reckoning. "This," Wiseman said, finishing his grand speech, "is the current situation on Earth. It is this that your world has become: quiet, complacent, and peaceful, but utterly dull, vulnerable, and completely devoid of motivation." "If it's peaceful," someone said, "then there's no reason to fight, is there?" "You missed the point!" yelled another. "Progress cannot come if there's no reason TO progress!" "But if the universe is at peace, as Neo Queen Serenity says," countered the first, "then there's no need for that, either!" "Wrong, bucko," a third said. "Humanity wasn't created to strive for normalcy; we are proof enough of that!" "So what? You're sayin' we're special?" "No. Simply put, we're different." "Different's good." "Enough!" commanded Wiseman, his voice echoing throughout the great hall. The attentions of the seventeen were swept up easily. "The goals of Earth are not served if we destroy one another before the mission is accomplished. I'm not asking you to work together; I'm TELLING you to not destroy each other." "Sounds reasonable." "Yeah, just say everything but the word 'teamwork.' I'll buy that." "That's great'n all, but what're we supposed to be doing, anyway?" "I'm pleased you brought that up," lied Wiseman, although he was glad that someone beside him thought up the issue. "Each of you know someone living on Earth that could be of use to us. Since it's not feasible at this time to attack Earth's despotic queen, we must build up a power base." "But if we do go, won't we tip them off?" "Perhaps, but it is a risk that I've weighed, and that is acceptable," answered the sorcerer. "The element of surprise is useless if we have nothing to back it up with." "So how're we gettin' back to Earth, anyhow?" Wiseman gestured his hands over his crystal ball. Dark energies swirled within the globe, cracking black lightning within. A surge of power leaped out of the ball, splitting into seventeen directions and ending over each of the seventeen people. Each of the power surges solidified, floating down to each person like a feather. The solid form was a prism-like crystal, a different color of the spectrum for each person, with no two being alike. "What's this?" "These crystal prisms," explained Wiseman, "are keys that allow you to access the travel dimension. You may think of it as a form of teleportation. You can travel to any location you wish, but the limitation is range." "Then wouldn't Earth be too far away?" "In most circumstances, yes," he acknowledged. "For the previous expedition it was necessary to move the entirety of Nemesis into orbit of Earth in order for the prisms to work properly, but this task is unfeasible at the moment. Rather, I suggest any of you to propose a means to relieve this handicap." "This time I will use the Black Crystal to transport each of you to Earth," he continued. "Activate the prism once you wish to return and I will bring you back myself. However, I suggest you make the most of your time on Earth, for I do not plan on rending this service at all times." "Understood." "One-way ticket to Earth and back... big whoop." Wiseman levitated in place, weaving another spell with his crystal ball. "Now, go to Earth. Find any who are willing to aid our cause. Find anything that may be useful in the new expedition." The crystal prisms held by each of the seventeen glowed in unison, reacting to the crystal ball. An image of the Black Crystal appeared within the energy swirls of the ball, pulsating in its own energies. Lightning of midnight arced from the crystal ball to each of the seventeen prisms, dematerializing them and their owners into nothingness. With the seventeen warriors gone Wiseman stood up from his levitating position. The sky view above changed to a monitoring station-- a giant screen from which to observe the Earth, in much similar a way as one viewed a planetarium. Crystal Tokyo glistened in the moonlight, as it has always done, it seemed. The Black Crystal Shards had been removed from the city, and the damaged brought about by the tidal waves were nonexistent, since the gravitational field of Nemesis was no longer forcing an imbalance. He viewed the Crystal Palace in all its sickening greatness, standing over where the old Imperial Palace used to be. While the old palace still existed under the structure, it would never be seen by the casual eye again. The lush gardens, once green with splendor, were replaced by frozen crystal ice, the symbol of tyrannical order. What exists in rigid ice is an absolute order-- an order which Neo Queen Serenity and her Senshi impose on the people. "Neo Queen Serenity," the last of the Chaos Children said to himself. "The time of my return is at hand, as you always knew since then. I've seen the past, and I've seen the future-- and learned much between the two. It is not enough to know that you are foolish enough to believe your way is the only right, for when they come you'll never save your beloved civilization." --- Crystal Tokyo, Earth, 30th Century The first sight the first of the seventeen saw as soon as he materialized on Earth was the strange shine of the crystal. Walls, streets, poles, and structures of all kind were encased in transparent crystal-- all shiny and clean. Concrete lay behind a crystal wall, although it took little thought to imagine that it was actually encased in the crystal, as if the crystal grew over what was there before. The street poles, wooden as they were, were immortalized in pure clear crystal, just as the walls. Each imperfection in the wood was preserved for all time, never to be touched by the menace of termites or weather again. For that matter, the weather was, quite blandly, sunny with a few clouds here and there. The surroundings hardly appeared as if they suffered rain lately, if at all. Or any other weather condition, for that matter; everything looked clean and pristine. Somewhere, birds were chirping their morning song-- if it was indeed morning. For a moment the visitor wondered how the birds survived in such a barren crystalscape. He found his answer as soon as he stepped through one of the gates in the quiet neighborhood. Grass did indeed exist here, unmolested by the touch of the crystal growth; it seemed to stop where the wall ended and the grass began. Ants continued to crawl along the side of the wall as usual, but only at the corner due to the fact that the crystal was too slippery for them to climb on. Stray flowers grew here and there, but none truly a weed. He spotted a bee bumbling from one flower to the next, likely signifying the spring season. The trees that decorated the yard here and there appeared quite healthy as well, giving the visitor some hope that the world could survive in its crystal prison. Before he knew it the visitor was at the front steps of the home to which the yard belonged. Standing in front of the door sheepishly, he had no idea what kind of reaction the occupants would expect after seeing him for so long. He imagined they wouldn't recognize him, despite the fact that a relatively short time passed since Neo Queen Serenity woke up the sleeping Earth. He formed new images in his mind, of the occupants being aged many years beyond his own, showing signs of graying or even completely shriveled. Despite his hesitation, the visitor knocked on the door. The crystal-encased wood never made the same sound as if it were the wood alone-- the echo made by tapping on wood seemed hollow and distant. It echoed seemingly forever, resonating as fit for a crystal formation. Almost immediately the visitor got cold feet, trying to convince himself it was all a mistake to come back home. But it was too late to back out, because the front door slid open for him. "Good morning, may I help you?" asked the gentle voice belonging to the woman at the door, bowing respectfully. Although it seemed as if the woman hadn't recognized him, the visitor certainly did recognize her. She looked no different from the day he last remembered her back in 1999, the last day before the vast ecological disaster that befell the world. She wore her hair long and tied with a bow, allowing it to hang in front over her shoulder. She wore an apron to keep the dust and grime of housework chores off her modest dress, and wore a sweet smile to match. It was all these qualities and more that Ranma Saotome remembered of Kasumi Tendo. "K... Kasumi?" the martial artist said nervously. "It's me, Ranma." --- Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, Nerima District, Crystal Tokyo Ukyo Kuonji was surprised at the amount of business her restaurant, Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, was getting despite her absence from the shop for years on end. The kunoichi Konatsu appeared very skilled in the chef's eyes even though he appeared to have not aged one year since she last saw him. Utilizing cooking techniques she taught him over the years they've been together Konatsu apparently kept the restaurant open in Ukyo's absence in honor of her memory. The customers, some of which she recognized from before, were still very eager to eat a well-cooked meal. "I'm proud of you," Ukyo couldn't help saying, making the ninja-turned-chef blush. "You did all this for me?" Konatsu nodded, pausing in his busy work to give his undivided attention to the store's owner. "It was the least I could do. I was worried about you when you disappeared after everybody woke up." "Funny, that," the okonomiyaki chef snorted, although the kunoichi seemed not to notice. "I've been gone for how long and nobody's aged a bit." "I noticed that as well," Konatsu replied. He paused to take another order from the next customer, then proceeded to cook again. "It seems to have something to do with whatever purifying magic the queen used back then." "Back when?" Ukyo asked, not knowing what Konatsu was referring to. --- Nekohanten, Nerima District, Crystal Tokyo "Back when the world was awakened by Neo Queen Serenity," Cologne explained to Mousse and Shampoo, who had only recently reentered the old woman's life, "there was chaos and confusion spreading throughout the world. All turmoil was turned inward, not toward the fellow man, but toward the single spire of alien power that existed at the time: Crystal Tokyo. As we were at the epicenter of the madness we knew of the troubles first because the queen and her senshi were always here." "And THEY won?!" Mousse realized in disbelief. "The world against four girls in sailor suits?!" "They were not to be underestimated," continued the old Amazon. "Backed by the power of their queen and their Silver Crystal what became known as The Rebellion was soon quelled. An ultimatum was passed, whereby all of humanity must submit to the purifying light of the Silver Crystal to remove sin from themselves. At the time the first of those visited by Neo Queen Serenity almost unanimously refused. Since the queen refused to force them to live under her New Order, they were exiled from Earth. After that, not surprisingly, very few people refused her demand." "That's terrible," Shampoo said, shaking her head. "However, during her grand tour of the world, the inhabitants of Crystal Tokyo were forgotten in the great purification," Cologne said, nodding. "Elements living in Crystal Tokyo knew they had little time to act before the queen returned to get them, so they staged a rebellion of their own. It, too, failed." "So you're saying everyone had to get 'purified' or leave the planet?" Mousse asked. "It was a terrible time, to be assured," confirmed Cologne. "Although I must say that I feel no more or less different than before." Mousse raised his fists in anger. "There's no way some magic disco ball is going to make an old hag like you any better!!" He hardly expected the attack to come from Shampoo, as the old woman hardly made a move to attack him at all. Wiping her hands of the mess, she asked, "Great- grandmother, what happen when you were purified?" --- Unryu Farm, Japan "It was a warm feeling," Akari said, describing her experience in the light of the Silver Crystal. "I felt so... clean... and pure. It was an experience like no other, and I feel that way every day." Ryoga Hibiki said nothing, staring at the cup of tea in front of him on the table. The steam rose and escaped into the air, like so much hopes and dreams. He had no idea what drove him to come to the farm, back to the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He had no idea what the others were thinking, and had no idea what he was supposed to think, either. "Ryoga," Akari said, concern in her voice, "what's the matter?" "It's nothing," he lied, albeit poorly. "I've waited all these years for you to return," she proclaimed, making the martial artist feel even more nervous. "I've kept my heart and soul pure until the day we met again, and today is that day!" She edged uncomfortably close to him. Akari, Ryoga thought, you're so sweet and innocent, and perfect! What's a guy like me, being shanghai'ed by a crazy old man with ideas of destroying such a perfect world, have to deserve someone like you? --- Kuno Estate, Nerima District, Crystal Tokyo Tatewaki wasted no time listening to the prattle of his father, pushing his way past him and through the halls of the estate. Kodachi trailed behind, sparing a single glance at her fallen father before continuing on. The two Kuno siblings made their way into the lower depths of the estate, to the underground dojo and training facility. Separating at an intersection, Tatewaki entered a chamber to which he alone held the key. Flipping on the light switch the glistening artificial light bounced off the myriad blades placed on display on the walls and in display cases organized about the room. Looking at the blades only briefly Tatewaki stopped when he came to one sword in particular. Reaching out his arm he grasped the weapon in his hand, feeling a surge of power which felt invigorating. Likewise in her own personal chambers Kodachi danced about in a playful, thoughtless manner on the mats laid out throughout the entire room. As she passed by each section of wall the gymnast grabbed the tools of her trade-- rhythmic gymnastics tools. The pile in the center of the room grew as Kodachi danced about in her selective process, throwing balls here, clubs there, and hoops over them. She came to a stop in her dance when she selected her first ribbon, running its length between her fingers lovingly. The Kuno siblings met once again back in the hall, their weapons of choice chosen. "Though it does not pain me to see our Dad in such a benevolent manner," Tatewaki said to his sister, "it disturbs the order of nature that he be changed in such a sorcerous manner!" "The bewitching creature calling herself Neo Queen Serenity," Kodachi added, "may be nothing more than my common enemy, that sorcerous pig-tailed girl that dared to steal Ranma-darling from me in the past!" Tatewaki eyed his sister suspiciously. "I will forgive your undeserving insult this once, for we have a common foe." He unsheathed his sword, the light glinting off the etched dragon near the base of the blade. "For when thy opponent be Tatewaki Kuno, defeat is the only outcome!" --- Mishima Heavy Industries, Crystal Tokyo It seemed a simple matter for Ayame Mishima, and her partner, Shion Kagami, to get into the headquarters of her family's business. However, family strings proved quite useless as the entirety of Mishima Heavy Industries, one of the largest weapons firms in Japan, was closed, bankrupt, and worst of all, deserted. The high-rise office looked as if nobody had worked there in days, when in fact the company shut down many years ago-- all thanks to the crystal growth stemming from the Crystal Palace. Shion Kagami looked around the empty office, adjusting the rim of his glasses out of nervous habit. "Doesn't look like we're getting too much help from your uncle." Ayame said nothing to her sometime partner and hacker. She lead him to the president's office on the top floor, pushing it open easily as it was unlocked. "If Uncle were here to see this he'd have a fit." "You don't know that he's not still around," Shion pointed out. "When we visited Chika she had no idea what happened to him." "That worthless sister of yours...." "She's quite capable," he pointed out. "Whatever," shrugged Ayame, moving around the spartan office to the one piece of furniture still available: a single desk bolted to the floor. "If she didn't want to help us, that's fine by me. She could've at least tried to find out what happened to my family." "She doesn't want to throw away what she has," Shion said in defense. "Besides, don't you think your mom and dad are still at home?" "Why bother with them?" asked the young Mishima, ducking under the desk. "All they're going to do is yell at me for being gone all this time! Then they'll want me to go back to rhythmic gymnastics or do ballet or whatever bullshit that good girls do. As far as I'm concerned they're only hobbies; THIS HERE is my life!" Finding the hidden switch she was looking for, Ayame pushed it. Shion jumped in surprise when one of the office walls pulled back to reveal an express elevator. "I guess I should've expected something like that." Ayame smirked to herself, unfolding a clean white lab coat she found in one of the drawers. Putting it on she lead the hacker to the elevator, and keyed in her unique identification number into the keypad within. No sooner had the doors shut the express elevator was already on its way down. Shion started estimating how many floors they were going down until he gave up at ground level. When the elevator car came to a stop the two exited, entering a dark chamber with dimmed lights on the walls here and there. Shion whistled. "This is Mishima's central computer core?" "You got it," Ayame answered, stepping up to the large, central monitor. Raising her voice, she called, "Ayame Mishima, Frozen Ferret, KD-0079." A few moments later the lights of the core lit up, powering on after many years of dormancy. Shion wringed his hands in anticipation, already wondering how much good he could do with the sophisticated equipment in this room alone. "At least it worked, vulture," Ayame snorted, looking at Shion with contempt. "Hey!" complained the hacker. "All the money I have couldn't have gotten me a mainframe like this! And besides, what're you going to do with all of it, anyway?" As if to answer his question a face appeared on the large monitor. The image appeared garbled enough that neither Ayame nor Shion could tell who was speaking, but when he spoke they knew who it was for certain. "My dear niece Ayame," Mishima said. The CEO of Mishima Heavy Industries sounded as if he were under some kind of pressure. "As of this recording you are the only member of our proud family who has gone missing since the disaster in 1999. I'm leaving this for you in case you do return-- in any case it'll be beyond my life." "Uncle...." Ayame whispered, wondering if he took his own life. "By now I'm certain you've seen what has become of this Earth," the old man continued. "Frankly, when we realized we were next after the United Nations failed to stop Queen Serenity, we knew our days were numbered, just as theirs were. You wouldn't be looking at this if you'd been purified by the light of the Silver Crystal." "I haven't gathered a lot of info on that Silver Crystal," Shion admitted. "It's probably one of those things we've got to look into before we act." "You will find that among the hidden holdings of our business is an intact production facility, hidden deep under the ground," Mishima said, a slight glint of hope in his voice. "We've cached as much of our equipment as we could there-- those that our clients couldn't hide or utilize before the war ended. Somehow, I hope you can make use of those." "I will, Uncle," promised Ayame. There was a brief pause in the recording. "I'm sorry to say that we'll never see each other again, Ayame. I'm going off with the rest of our top executives and taking the Dokir serum; hopefully they'll change my appearance as well. I can only guess what's happening to those people that refuse to submit to Serenity's rule, so all I have left is to live in fear and shame. Farewell, and good luck." Ayame and Shion stood in the core silently, allowing the words to sink in. It was Shion who broke the silence. "Okay, so the old man wiped his mind; who else did that, too?" "It's probably in the database somewhere," guessed young Mishima, fighting off any sense of remorse in her body. "Everything should be in the database." Cracking his knuckles, Shion rushed to the nearest terminal. It was, however, encased in the same crystal growth as the rest of the building. He slammed his fists down on the keyboard in frustration, jumping in surprise when the keys depressed within. "I guess they still work the same old way," the hacker said, shrugging. "Well, then, let's see what Old Man Mishima left us." --- Cult of Orochi Fortress, Japan The old stomping grounds looked quite the same as it did when Higure Furui was last at the Orochi Cult's underground compound. Pushing open the heavy iron gate that sealed the entrance on the cliffside the former Orochi assassin entered the cavern, descending at a steep angle. The rock walls, supported by petrified wooden beams, seemed rather narrow to Higure as he nearly caught his robe afire by one of the torches hanging on the wall. He stopped at what appeared to be more cavern, but Higure knew better; through his sixth sense he could faintly detect a strong, killing ward set from the inside. Whipping out his white feather fan the Shinto wizard muttered an incantation, lavender sparks trailing behind each wave of the fan. The death ward blinked for a moment, then died. Higure continued down the tunnel in this manner, removing four wards in total before reaching the compound proper. The first chamber was an expansive hall, lit dimly only by myriad of ordinary candles-- candles that burned forever. The center of the hall was decorated with the purple circle symbol of Orochi with an infinity symbol painted in the middle. No acolyte was there to greet the former assassin, to his disappointment, but he pressed on ahead. After the entrance hall, directly opposing the tunnel entrance was the altar chamber. The heavy iron door remained open at all times save for emergencies, and Higure was glad there wasn't a true emergency. Walking on a purple velvet carpet that stretched all the way to the altar the wizard cast glances back and forth to the darkness, and the eight candles that lit it. On each side of the carpet were four candles, each with a stone slab before it-- one representing each of the exhalted Eight Assassins of Orochi, the most deadly warriors of the cult. It was tradition to blow out a candle and lay the corpse of a fallen assassin on the slab in order for Orochi, their dark god, to take them to his domain in the next plane. Higure was glad to see that none of the candles were put out, but it meant little if the current assassins could not deal with the present situation. For the first time he noticed another man in the chamber, sitting in front of the Altar of Orochi in silent meditation. This man, unlike most of the other Orochi acolytes, dressed similarly to a Buddhist monk of the bygone ages. His staff, topped with a gold figure decorated with eight gold rings hanging from each side, rest to his left, within arm's reach. Although the man hardly looked threatening, Higure knew this man, the current leader of the Eight Assassins. "I see you've returned," Shang Long said without turning around. Higure chuckled to himself, remembering that, since he was blind, the monk's sense of hearing was vastly enhanced. "The spirits told you of my return?" "Nay," answered the assassin leader. "The state of this Earth is grim indeed; the spirit realm, and the gods, are no longer able to communicate with us." "I see," Higure said, nodding. "So the Kami Plane has indeed been sealed off." "We have been out of contact with great Orochi for many years, ever since the Purification," explained Shang Long. "When the purge of humanity began I decided to take the cult into hiding-- to wait for the queen to make a mistake. Without Orochi to guide us, without his power, the acolytes have become chaotic. They are content for now, but with your arrival it heralds the start of the next age." "I understand little of what you speak of," Higure admitted, "although I am not surprised that you knew of my return." "Surrounding you and seventeen others," the monk explained, "are powerful energies-- energies that could help shape the future of this Earth. With this knowledge in hand I took to studying and meditating upon the matter, to find my place in the scheme. But I will play but a minor role in the coming events, as it has been determined that the eighteen warriors from beyond the darkness will arrive to test humanity." "You are likely correct. There are eighteen of us at the moment, including our most generous host. I put his motivation in suspect, but at the moment it does coincide with my own goals." "We are not the only pocket resistance," Shang Long pointed out. "We have remained hidden so long because of our lack of activity; others have likely done the same. It would do you well to find more of these such groups and make allies of them. The Sailor Senshi of Crystal Tokyo are far stronger than they appear." "Yes, I have heard of them," the Shinto wizard said. "I doubt they will pose much of a problem." "Be warned, Higure; since the Orochi power has been denied to us your-- our power-- has been diminished greatly. You will not be able to access the greater arcane magicks as you used before." Higure nodded in understanding. --- Shrine of the Four Gods, Japan Shizuka Minazuki found the quiet totally unsettling. Looking at the head of the boa constrictor wrapped around her body and right arm, she said, "Looks like there's nothing left, right, Thanatos?" The snake's only reply was a flick of its forked tongue; of course he couldn't answer, the priestess thought. It was a force of habit Shizuka could never drop ever since getting Thanatos when he was at a young age. They stood together at the center of the symmetrical Shrine of the Four Gods, sectioned off into four areas, one for each god: Genbu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Seiryu. The area appeared untouched, however, as the plants seemed well-trimmed for a place that was abandoned many years ago. It was the quiet that bothered Shizuka the most. She waited patiently, but it was hardly long before Hokuto Takemasa, Cinder, and Miranda Kusao emerged from the shrines they searched. "Any luck?" she asked. Cinder shook his head, his dark cloak hiding all his features save two mechanical claws and a red, circular mechanical left eye. "The Suzaku shrine is empty," he reported, his voice digitally grating. "Same with the Seiryu shrine," Hokuto added. "Ditto for Byakko," Miranda, the crimson-eyed martial arts student of Cinder's, said. "I'm not surprised; the Genbu shrine was abandoned as well," Shizuka said, adding her input to the report. "I mean, it looks as if everybody just upped and left for some reason." "All the vestments and trinkets are intact, yeah," Miranda added. "Everything but the people." "It's worse, though," Hokuto voiced, worry in her tone. "I've tried to access the Shadow plane, but it's blocked off." "The seals of the Planar Gate are intact, but there are no apparent Guardians," Cinder said. "While the seals are in place there is no chance for us to access extraplanar powers." "Sypha's going to be pissed, that's for sure," Hokuto reminded the others. "Provided, of course, she didn't already figure this out herself." Shizuka nodded, producing a summoning talisman that read, "Tengu." "And that just bites, as these are useless to me at the moment. What am I supposed to do without my summoned beasts?" Miranda shrugged. "There's always the old-fashioned way of doing things." She threw a couple practice punches, followed by a cutting motion in the air. "Someone's sealed the Gate," Hokuto repeated, "and it's likely the key to our ultimate victory. Whoever is holding the Gate sealed is likely very powerful in their own right." "Somehow I suspect it may be the queen herself," Cinder reasoned. "If she can subdue the world all by herself, then surely she could hold the seal shut herself as well." "But there MUST be a way to bypass the seal!" Shizuka said in frustration. "Many others have attempted to break the seals when the Four Guardians were around, and some even succeeded. We need a way to do that ourselves." "There should be a way," Hokuto explained. "There is a reason why there were Four Guardians to protect the Planar Gate, after all. One person, no matter how powerful they are, cannot keep the four seals in place at once. Our plan should allow for some way to attack all the seals at the same time. The way we're going to do this, however, needs to be determined." --- Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo Matters of the state were rarely brought to the attention of Neo Queen Serenity unless they were of dire importance. Following the defeat of the Black Moon Family and their sinister advisor the ruler of Earth determined that leadership also needs the input of the people. To that end a sort of world parliament was created-- a pet project of King Endymion. While he was often away to iron out the details of the council Neo Queen Serenity was left alone with her daughter. And yet, she, too, was gone, off to train in the past with her previous incarnation, leaving the queen without the comfort of her family. But for the first time since the parliament's creation the queen was called to attend to a matter of the state, which was why she was seated in her throne, awaiting the guards to escort the messenger into the chamber. Standing nearby was Sailor Mercury, a trusted advisor and a clear thinker in many matters. The two hardly had to wait long as the guards entered with a man-- a scientist. "My name's Hideyoshi," the scientist said, introducing himself quickly. He appeared quite excited, judging from his speaking out of turn. The monarch decided to let it slide for the moment. "You are an astronomer, am I correct?" the queen asked, although she already knew the answer. Hideyoshi nodded vigorously. "Well, as you know-- well, maybe you don't-- I'm the head of the team that's studying Nemesis, the tenth planet?" "Go on." Serenity didn't like the sound of this news already. When the tenth planet was first discovered long ago very few paid it too much attention as the world was busy readjusting itself. The only saving grace of the black moon was the atmosphere-- it could support the same life as on Earth, given time. It seemed like a good idea at the time, exiling those people who refused to live under her rule to Nemesis in order to gradually terraform the black world, but when their descendents returned.... No, it was the fault of Death Phantom that the terraforming project went awry. At the time Neo Queen Serenity rejected the idea that he could have once been a man, but the expeditions to Nemesis produced a journal that proved otherwise, offering a detailed and somewhat skewed account of Wiseman's 'birth.' She had no doubt that one of Chaos's spawn somehow got into this man, but the thought that humanity could turn against her was still a scary prospect. But, as the spawn of Chaos did choose a man as its host, there was still hope that his humanity could be appealed to. The astronomer produced a printout from his coat pocket, and started to read it. "According to the calculations we made at the University, the gravitational field of the planet has shifted slightly. While this is normally no big cause for an alarm, I took the liberty of checking with the records taken just before the Black Moon War, and, if the fluctuations remain constant...." "Which means there is activity on Nemesis once more," interrupted Queen Serenity. The message was, of course, that magic was being used-- a great magic. She looked to Sailor Mercury. "It appears that our nemesis has returned to the planet Nemesis." Mercury nodded. Turning back to Hideyoshi, the queen said, "I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Keep up your studious work for the benefit of our world." Bowing respectfully, the guards escorted Hideyoshi out of the throne room. As soon as he was gone Neo Queen Serenity said, "It appears that Death Phantom has indeed returned as promised." "It won't matter too much," someone said, just entering the throne room of her own volition. Sailor Mars carried the airs of arrogance around her, a feeling somewhat natural considering the numerous fights she has been through. "We defeated foes like him before; Pharaoh 90 could not win three centuries ago. If Death Phantom wants to make a rematch of his own, let him!" "She's right," agreed Sailor Mercury. "We may be destined to fight the Chaos forces for years to come yet. All the same we must overcome these enemies as they come, or Earth will suffer." "But it may be different this time," reminded Neo Queen Serenity. "While we battled Pharaoh 90 for the second time the Earth was in no danger of being destroyed because of the Great Sleep. He had no one to hurt because of it; we forced him back to Tau Ceti without much problems." "And the last time we battled Death Phantom was a lifetime ago," continued the monarch. "When he appeared to us in 1999 he warned that he would return to the future to challenge us again. It appears that now is the time. I will not underestimate such a cunning opponent again." "Yeah, but we don't even know what that creep's up to," Mars pointed out. "Last time he manipulated everyone to turn against each other; we must be on guard for that." "What are you asking for?" asked Mercury, even though she knew what Mars had in mind. To the queen Mars said, "I'm going to see if I can divine something about the nature of Death Phantom's threat. I'll let you know if I come up with something." "Be wary, Sailor Mars," warned the monarch, "for Death Phantom surely knows us as well as we know him. I will be expecting some news." "Thank you," the senshi said sincerely. --- Iwata Prefecture, Japan Kanna Rajura knocked on the front door of the well- built suburban house, modeled in a Western style. She straightened herself out, reaching over her shoulder to make sure she can get her hands on her death scythe in a flash. The death scythe was specially designed to function as both a naginata and a scythe when necessary, although the naginata was often utilized to take advantage of Kanna's Whirling Spear Style. For a moment she wondered why she was standing there, but Kanna remembered: it was where the elusive David Kiivan was living, of course. His mother directed her in this direction after she dropped by his house, only to learn that he moved out. Thoughts flashed briefly of David, a foreigner living in Japan-- a good-looking guy, for that matter, and to which Kanna devoted her heart to. At least, she wanted it to be that way. The front door opened, and there was David Kiivan in all his blonde, muscular glory. He appeared no different than Kanna remembered, and apparently it was likewise for David. "Kanna?" he said in disbelief. "Kanna Rajura?" "Hello, Dave," Kanna said, unable to resist using the terrible one-liner. "I was just in the neighborhood and I decided to look you up." "Just in the neighborhood?" he repeated, chuckling. "Where've you been these past years?" "Long story," she assured him. "Aren't you going to ask me inside your lovely home?" Blustering for a moment, David stepped aside from the door, waving the girl in. "Come on in! There's a lot we need to discuss!" "I'm sure." Although she'd never been in a Western-style house before, Kanna wasn't taken in by the foreign culture, not surprised, awed, or calculating. It simply was there to her. She wanted to take off her shoes at the door, but David stopped her, shaking his head wordlessly. Understanding, Kanna stepped on the carpet with her dirty shoes, despite feeling a bit uncomfortable about it. The living room was adjoining to the doorway. Carpeted with an inexpensive rug the center held a small coffee table, blocked off by a large couch and a single-person chair made of the same material. An entertainment center was set up against one wall, decorated with a CD player, a large television set, and any number of gadgets. Kanna's suspicions rose when she noticed the picture frames standing on top of the entertainment center, but she was too far to discern who the pictures were of. "Have a seat," suggested David, waving his arms in the direction of the large couch. The warrior looked at the couch for a moment, then pulled her death scythe from her back. Quickly David was at her side, ready to grab the weapon. "Allow me!" But Kanna pulled the pole weapon back. "I'll just hang onto this, if you don't mind." When the American hardly looked convinced, she added quickly, "It's got sentimental value." "Ah," he said, nodding as if he understood. He took a seat of his own on the chair, and Kanna followed his lead on the couch. "So, how've you been?" David asked, striking up a conversation awkwardly. "I've felt better," Kanna answered. Adding a seductive undertone, she added, "But I'm willing to bet it can get much better soon...." "Well, I suppose so!" David agreed, although, to Kanna's disappointment, the thick-skulled moron didn't seem to pick up on her thoughts. "I haven't seen too much of Crystal Tokyo, or anything around it, for that matter," Kanna explained, "because, well, I've been gone." He nodded in understanding. "Travel does that to people. I mean, it's really great, how things have been going lately. Japan's pretty much the center of the world now." As if that were necessarily a good thing, Kanna thought. "I've heard that lots have changed, you know? Such as Kanzaki, Mishima, and Nanjo-- the three big Heavy Industries-- shut down." "Yep," confirmed David, sighing. "The weapons industries had to be shut down, and all the research that went into it as well. A shame that many lost their jobs there, but at least everyone can work these days. Some of the researchers, I hear, have gone into other fields." "I'd imagine that some of them didn't take their lay-offs well." The American shook his head. "Some of them took part in a small revolt here in the city; they're all gone now." "Gone?" "You know-- banished from Earth? Banished to the far-off planet... moon... whatever, Nemesis." Kanna said nothing, thinking back to what Wiseman told her back on Nemesis. While she took everything the old man said with a grain of salt, a lot of what he said, even the most extreme bits, were being reinforced by David, someone who wasn't good enough to lie in the first place. It occurred to her that perhaps the old man was playing both sides, but Kanna rejected that idea, taking into account that Wiseman sounded like he really did hate Neo Queen Serenity, and perhaps for a legitimate reason. "Supposedly," continued David, "their descendents-- I'm not sure how they got old and had kids so fast-- were the ones that attacked not long ago, but after they lost the queen ordered them reintegrated into society so they couldn't harm us anymore." "Their descendents, eh?" Kanna repeated, interested. "The way you talk it'd seem as if a hundred years has passed already!" But David seemed serious. "Maybe it had. I don't feel any older, really. I could stay twenty-four forever for all I know." Another blow, Kanna counted. So it WAS true that time has slowed down for Earth, but for what reason? "Oh, David!" she heard someone-- a woman-- shout from the next room. "Who're you talking to?" Although she had expected this to come, no measure could prepare Kanna Rajura for the confirmation of what she didn't want to see: Christy, another girl her age that showed interest in David. She appeared in the living room in all her blonde disgustingness, looking as youthful as Kanna remembered. "Christy!" David exclaimed, "you remember Kanna, right?" For the first time it seemed that the air-headed girl noticed the guest. "Oh, hello, Kanna. Nice to see you." "'Nice to see you,' huh?" Kanna said in a low tone, getting up from her seat to face the girl. "What've you been doing with David while I was gone?" She hardly needed to hear the girl's answer, as Kanna realized what the pictures on top of the entertainment center were: wedding pictures, displayed in all their tantalizing, terrible glory. Christy stared not at the fuming girl, but at the death scythe she held in her hand. "Oh dear... you know that weapons are illegal?" "So SUE ME!!" Kanna yelled, her anger boiling over the top. "HOW COULD YOU, you... you... self-serving BITCH!!" "Now, Kanna...." David said, rushing to Kanna's side to calm her down, but the girl pushed him away. When Christy looked back the way she came, the warrior knew what was next in her thoughts: get to the telephone, and get help. Raising her naginata, she shouted, "DON'T budge, or I'll REALLY hurt you." Freezing in her tracks, Christy did what she was told, fear in her eyes. "N... no wonder they call you the 'Crystal Spider,'" she said in contempt. "All looks, but poison underneath!" "Kanna," David said again, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!" Losing his composure easily, he quickly bolted back to his own seat, teeth chattering nervously. "Now," Kanna said calmly, "I'm going to be showing myself out, you hear?" Edging her way backward toward the front door slowly, she continued, "If you value your lives, you WON'T budge from your positions until five minutes after I'm gone. If you DO move, then you'll die. I really hope your 'benevolent' Queen Serenity allows people to die, otherwise you're going to be living rather painfully." Satisfied with herself, the Crystal Spider, true to her word, turned and walked out the door. She stared forward, never turning to look back and see if David or Christy moved from the view of the living room window. Crossing the street, she stopped just in front of the house opposite David's, and shouldered her death scythe. From around the corner she caught the glimpse of another. The newcomer tossed a small box-like device toward Kanna, who caught it easily. The device looked somewhat similar to a remote control as she extended the antenna attached to it, but it possessed only one large, red button on it. "I did what you asked," Pazuzu said, walking closer. The man was of similar age of Kanna, and dressed in a conspicuous black coat in a vain attempt to hide his own features. In the past Pazuzu was a fellow student at the Rajura Dojo, and he has since been doing odd jobs until Kanna approached him. "After this I'm washing my hands of the whole thing." "As I expect of you," replied the Crystal Spider. He pointed to the control. "Push once for each one in the link. I'll be seeing you around." Waving, Pazuzu took off the way whence he came, knowing that his old friend wanted to be alone. Kanna indeed wished to be alone, now that her last hope was shattered-- shattered in that house she looked at across the street. She had no doubt that the couple was too scared to move around, even if two minutes had not passed yet. "There's nothing left for me here," she decided. Lifting up the control, she jammed her thumb down on the button for the first time. She watched with a blank expression, devoid of emotion, as the master bedroom on the upper floor blew up in bright flares and flames. Kanna pushed the button a second time, blowing up the second explosive in the link hidden in an upstairs bathroom. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched the flames dance about, and Kanna pushed the button a third time, taking out the rest of the upstairs area. The fourth press destroyed the garage, and took all the car fuel with it. The fifth destroyed the dining room adjoining to the living room, and Kanna imagined that Christy and Davey were huddling, scared for their miserable lives. The sixth blast destroyed the downstairs bathroom, and the seventh took out the kitchen. Kanna knew there was only one set of explosives left-- the one wired under the living room, as she planned. She held out the remote control, pointing it toward the living room solemnly. And hesitated. She lowered her arm, and wiped away her tears on the sleeve of her dress. "I can't do it...." she said softly, dropping the control on the ground. Kanna reached for the purple crystal prism hanging from her sash, which matched perfectly with her own dress. Holding it tightly, she said, "I'm ready." No one saw the Crystal Spider's exit as her form dematerialized into blackness, then to nothingness. A short while later people from houses all around the neighborhood appeared to the sound of the explosions. From the house which Kanna was standing in front of a young boy ran out to the sidewalk, his eyes full of awe of the dancing flames. His attentions were soon caught by a shiny black remote control lying on the sidewalk. Picking it up, the boy, unable to resist, pushed the big red button. --- Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo "My Queen!" a guardsman yelled, rushing into the throne room with great haste. "My Queen, something terrible has happened!" Standing up from her throne, Neo Queen Serenity wished she didn't have to hear a second piece of bad news on the same day. "Speak quickly!" she commanded. "News arrived from Iwata Prefecture!" the guardsman said, trying to catch his breath. "Reports of explosions and a fire in the residential district!" "What?!" --- Wiseman's Citadel, Nemesis Kanna realized she wasn't the first to return to the citadel on Nemesis when she materialized in the great hall. "So you decided to come back, too?" Pantyhose Taro said, his arms folded. "Who would've thought that a girl with a lot going for her would decide to march on to fight!" "Oh, so you really DIDN'T have anything to do," Kanna bit back in reply. "How long did it take? A couple minutes?" Taro shook his head. "Everything seems wrong. I tried to find the old man, Happosai, but nobody knew where he was, or if he was even still alive. I went back home to China, and they said they'd gladly allow me to change my name." He looked upward at the star screen above. "And you know what, Kanna? I WANTED this all to happen, to be able to change my name to whatever I could! I could even get away with it, with the tearing-down of my tribal laws! I should've grasped it with all my heart and soul!" Looking back to Kanna, who hadn't said a word, he finished, "And the only thing that stopped me was one thing: I'd be living for the rest of my life in shame because I would know that I could not change my name within the bounds of the laws." "Then you, too, are doomed," the Crystal Spider realized, unwilling to offer her own reasons. Looking around, she asked, "Where's the others?" Taro shrugged. "Probably still down on Earth; not much you can do up here, really." "I had little to contribute down there," Kanna admitted, "but I'm guessing that the others are already thinking of our future. No matter what, I'm going to fight this Neo Queen Serenity." --- Hikawa Shrine, Crystal Tokyo Sailor Mars felt a premonition, one so shocking that she lost her concentration in front of the flame. "It can't be!" she cried, even though no one could hear her while she was alone with the flame. Getting up to her feet quickly, the Sailor soldier of fire dashed out of the shrine structure quickly. Eyes followed her path as she quickly made her way through the courtyard and down the front steps. She stopped at the foot of the steps, looking left and right, catching the source of the closest black energy she could see. Although it did not match the signature she felt while in front of the flame, this one-- a girl of about twenty years dressed in a priestess robe similar to one Mars used to wear back in the old days-- was just as powerful. Her top was dyed pink, and decorated with cherry blossom patterns that were made up not of the traditional five petals, but of eight, the significance of which Mars could not determine. "You sensed my battle aura," Shizuka Minazuki said evenly to the sailor-suited soldier. "You must really be one of the so-called Sailor Senshi; I've been looking for you!" "I sense an evil aura!" accused Sailor Mars, realizing there was a crowd gathering to view the confrontation. "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but if it's a fight you want...!" "Such bold words!" mocked the priestess, laughing to herself. "Bold words for some sleazy prostitute who thinks she's a defender of justice because her skirt's too short." Mars felt her blood boiling, realizing that the enemy was mocking her. Despite that, she announced, "I'm the pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Mars! In defense of Crystal Tokyo and its people, I'll punish you!" Shizuka burst into all-out laugher when Mars worked up a pose with her speech. "Am I supposed to take you seriously?" She turned aside, revealing to Mars that there were two sheathed swords tied to her waist. "As you can see, I'm the one that's armed. Too bad you freaks got rid of all the weapons!" Unsheathing both blades quickly, holding them underhanded, the priestess of Genbu charged. Mars had no idea what to do when she saw the swords appear, but when Shizuka attacked she jumped straight up in the air, producing a paper talisman used for binding evil spirits. "Time to let out all that hot air of YOURS!" she cried, throwing the talisman down on the attacker. Unused to the non-attacking opponent's style, Shizuka had no time to react when the talisman struck her on the forehead. In unison the voices of those observing the battle gasped, just as Sailor Mars landed down behind Shizuka. Turning around, Mars expected, as usual, that her talisman put an end to the violent girl's reckless attacks. But to her shock Shizuka turned around, a smirk on her face. She ripped the talisman off her forehead as if it was only the annoying paper it was made of. "So," she said, "you're a priestess as well!" Laughing, Shizuka sheathed her swords, reaching up her sleeves for a talisman of her own. "If you're still actually using those, then there's no reason mine shouldn't work, either!" Tossing the talisman as if it were a rock, Shizuka shouted, "Go, beast Hydra! I summon thee!" But to the priestess's dismay and Mars's relief the talisman floated away in the air, like an ordinary piece of paper. "Looks like you don't have the fire!" taunted Mars, taking the verbal advantage for the first time. "Ah hell!" cursed the Genbu priestess. "That's just not fair!" "Now," Mars said rigidly, "are you going to come with me quietly, or should we do it the hard way?" "Hmm, hmmm," chuckled Shizuka, seemingly laughing at nothing, "just so I could become another one of your little re-educated people, eh?" Spinning around in a quick motion, the priestess whipped out a single- barrel, manual-loading shotgun in her hands. "I'll take it nice and hard!!" Mars leaped out of the way as the first shot rang by, until she realized that it might hit one of the onlookers. With a swift motion she threw off a quick firebolt in the direction of the bullet, smoking it into nothingness. But the delay was more than enough time for Shizuka to reload her weapon, and take aim. The two continued dancing about in this manner until both realized, at the same time, that Shizuka was going to lose eventually when she ran out of bullets. Taking that into consideration, the priestess of Genbu fired off one last shot, allowing Mars to destroy it, but instead of reloading the shotgun she threw a smoke bomb. Quickly smoke burst from the bomb, forcing Mars to cough and choke despite herself. She could barely hear the girl shout, "Airship, Priority One Extraction, NOW!!" A slight buzzing sound filled the air, but Mars was too busy coughing to notice where it was coming from. To her disappointment, when the smoke cleared, the sailor soldier could not see any sign of the black- hearted girl anywhere. "She's gone," Mars said to herself as she started back toward the Crystal Palace. "It's got to be the work of Death Phantom, as well as that premonition I had. But neither of those auras were like any I've fought before. Why didn't my talisman work on her?" They certainly were surrounded in the darkness, but they weren't really of the darkness, were they? she wondered silently. --- Tendo Residence, Nerima District, Crystal Tokyo Ranma felt betrayed after listening to Akane's words. Left alone in Akane's room Ranma sat standing against the desk while Akane sat on the edge of her bed. When Kasumi first recognized the martial artist she immediately called the attention of the other members of the Tendo household, especially Akane. The entire family shared a good meal while catching up on old news over the past years, but it was after the formalities were over that Ranma and Akane had their talk. "Ranma, what's the matter?" asked Akane, having finished relating the events leading to the conclusion of the Black Moon War. "Something doesn't seem right," Ranma said cryptically, folding his arms. "I mean, all this stuff about peace and harmony sounds great, y'know, but if someone'd at least left a defense Black Moon wouldn't have been so much a problem." "Maybe," conceded Akane, "but they only got through because the Silver Crystal was gone for a moment." "That's just it, Akane!" the martial artist shouted in frustration. "Am I supposed to cock up and bathe in her purifying crystal's light just to let a silly little trinket protect you?" "But you'll feel better about yourself!" she insisted. "The purification process is minimal; you'll still be you...." "And that's the other thing!" he interrupted. "In all the time I've been here you haven't hit me once yet!" As if an idea struck him, he shouted, "Uncute, unsexy, tomboy girl!" While the martial artist expected a good thrashing, he was sorely disappointed as Akane fumed with anger. "Cut it out!" "Like that!" Ranma pointed out. "You used to hit me when I insulted you like that." "You didn't mean it!" Akane insisted. "I can tell!" "And I guess, just because you're 'pure,' you've got this insight into me, huh?" "Sure! I mean, no, but I know what you're feeling. It's what I felt before the Purification." "Don't you get it, Akane? You sold out!" Rising from his seated position, Ranma turned to stare out the window. "You gave up your fighting to live contently and peacefully while someone else is left to protect you-- and that isn't even me! Heck, EVERYBODY gave up like that so only one person could protect them. Lot of good that did, huh, if Black Moon got through her power." "Why're you acting so selfish?" demanded Akane. "I'm not yours to protect." "The point is, Akane, you, and anyone else, can't protect themselves!" the martial artist yelled. "No one should have to rely on another-- not just a girl or her shiny rock. What happened to relying on each other?" "We still do!" she insisted. "Everyone works together to further scientific research and raise the standards of living. Everyone's got jobs and there aren't any poor people anymore." "At the cost of your freedoms! This curse I have is all the insight I need to know that! I can't even go swimmin' anymore without going as a girl. You got it all by giving in." "Why're you so obsessed with protecting me?" But Ranma froze in his tracks, suddenly realizing that perhaps Akane was baiting him into a corner. "Uh...." "Ranma, I need to hear you say it." There's no way, he thought, no way! How could she know what my feelings are for her when... no, she really does love me! But, it was so forward, open, even... that's not like her. What am I going to...? "Akane," he found himself saying, "I...." "Ranma, listen to me," Akane requested seriously. "I love you." Taken aback, Ranma halted in his tracks, frozen like a statue. "Because of that, I understand how hard it is of you to accept everything that's happened, since we never shared those moments together. I'm hoping that you too will understand, and you'll accept things the way they are." She offered a hand. "Come with me to the Crystal Palace, and you can be purified. You can do this if you love me." Ranma started to reach out for Akane's hand, but hesitated. Withdrawing it completely, he sunk his head low. "I'm sorry, Akane, but I'm not buyin' it." "Huh?!" Akane gasped in confusion. "I can't leave my life in the hands of another person, especially someone I don't know," he explained. "Neo Queen Serenity, as you describe her, may be a good person'n all, but... it's not right. If you do know me, you know I do things myself." "Ranma...." He reached into his pocket, feeling the cool warmth of the crystal prism of Wiseman's. "I can't rest easy until I'm certain that I can protect you. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you. And, I won't get myself 'purified....'" Taking a step back, Ranma tried to put a little distance between himself and Akane. He pulled out the crystal prism, holding it tightly in his fists, and felt it grow warmer. "...because I love you." He never saw Akane's reaction as reality faded from view, replaced by the blackness that enveloped him on the first trip between the planets Nemesis and Earth. Ranma silently pledged to himself that he would see to ensuring the future. --- Wiseman's Citadel, Nemesis The martial artist felt no better about the events surrounding him when he materialized in the great hall of the old man's citadel. "Took you long enough, Femme-boy," greeted Taro in his usual manner. "Shaddap, Pantyhose Taro," Ranma shot back bitterly. "Hey, hey!" Kanna cried, stepping between the two with arms extended. "Now isn't the time! The old man's going to say something!" Both Ranma and Taro stared at each other for a moment, each deciding it wasn't worth it, and looked up to face the floating Wiseman, levitating in the air where only air occupied before. For the first time Ranma looked around the hall, and notice that, other than Kanna and Taro, the only others of the group of seventeen that were present were Sypha, the Chinese sorcerer (or necromancer, as he called her disrespectfully), and Ryoga, to which he was surprised to see. "Hey, Ryoga," Ranma said to his fellow martial artist. "What's up? Why're you still here?" "Likely the same reason as your own," Ryoga replied, and Ranma chose not to press the point further. "So what's up?" Kanna asked Wiseman. "We will be utilizing an Earth-based fortress as planned," Wiseman replied. "Sypha can tell you the rest." "Of course," Sypha said, bowing respectfully to the old man. "We met up with Shion and Ayame when we came to Crystal Tokyo, and they've managed to find a hidden fortress Mishima Heavy Industries left behind when they went belly-up." "Leave it to Ayame," Kanna said evenly. "From there it'll be a simple matter to keep tabs on what goes on in Crystal Tokyo, or anywhere else, for that matter," continued the sorcerer. "They're still trying to inventory resources, but they've let the others know of its existence. Already it's been used as a safe haven." "Yeah, for what?" snorted Taro. "When I was last there Shizuka got herself into a little trouble," Sypha answered, amusement in her voice. "Seems she was the first to run into one of the Sailor Senshi, and she wasn't exactly impressed." "And yet the little girl had to run away?" continued Taro. "Hey, she's only just turned twenty, y'know," Ranma said in her defense. "That was centuries ago!" Ryoga shouted in a depressed tone. "We're out of place in a world like this!!" "This isn't the time," complained Ranma. "If Piggy's going to get all worked up," Taro said, "why don't we just point him over to the Crystal Palace and have him blow up the place?" "The FORTRESS," Wiseman said, grabbing everybody's attention, "WILL be completed and furnished properly. Shortly we will all travel back to Earth to oversee the final preparations." "You're coming with us?" guessed Kanna. "That is correct," replied the ancient sorcerer. "Now that the Sailor Senshi are aware of us, thanks to your... eager friend, the time to act is now. I've come much too far, from beyond the grave and time, to lose it at this early a stage." --- Mishima Heavy Industries, Crystal Tokyo Shizuka looked down on the glittering streets that made up the roads of Crystal Tokyo's industrial district from the top of the high-rise that served as Mishima Heavy Industries headquarters. The entire rooftop was flat, yet shining with the glistening reflected sunlight from above. The light clouds looked to be within arm's reach, the priestess thought, as she stared outward. Behind her was the airship she used to escape the encounter with Sailor Mars. A mechanical beast barely resembling a dragonfly, it was an airplane of sorts that looked more like a canoe with wings. Four flapping wings, just as a dragonfly's, rest folded up next to the body. While in flight the wings were extended outward and flapped like mad, producing an annoying buzzing sound, but miraculously keeping the airship in the air. The airship had no weapons to speak of, but according to Shion it responded intelligently to voice commands as well as manual input from a pilot. The priestess felt the tight squeeze of Thanatos on her left leg, feeling the boa constrictor climbing onto her. Without looking, she said, "It appears these Sailor Senshi are tougher than they look." Shizuka waited for a response, even though she knew one would never come-- at least, not from the snake. Reaching up her sleeve, she produced a summoning talisman, holding it between her index and middle fingers. She held it outward at arm's length, staring at the kanji that made up the talisman's power. "What am I, without my powers?" she asked Thanatos. "Back then I was too lazy to practice the sword, but it seems Miranda's right.... I've got to do things the old-fashioned way." Tossing the talisman into the air uselessly, Shizuka watched it get carried up by the wind. Blowing with the breeze in the high air the unspent talisman drifted away from her, making the priestess almost sorry she let it go. It began to drift downward, but the wind picked up, sending the useless paper up into the air and out of view. "I'll carve my own fate in this bizarre world," she resolved firmly, suddenly aware that the boa constrictor was coiling around her neck. "I'll fight, and keep on fighting, because it's the only thing I can do that's any good in this cra...!" Suddenly choking on her own words, the priestess grasped at the snake's slithering body where her neck was. "Hey!" she cried, "cut it out!" When the snake did not release his grip fast enough Shizuka began tugging at Thanatos's body with greater urgency, suddenly struggling for more air. In panic the boa constrictor clung onto the priestess tighter, further putting the two in deathlock, Shizuka falling forward in pain. Off the side of the building. In freefall, head first, the priestess released her desperate grip on the snake's body and instead grabbed his head, pulling it in front of her face. "NOW look what you made me do!!" --- Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo Alone in the council chambers with her four Sailor Senshi Neo Queen Serenity sat at the head of the rectangular crystal table that dominated the room, leaning on it with her elbows in thought. Seated to her left were Mercury and Mars, both of which were alerted to the crisis first-hand, while Venus and Jupiter, seated to the right of the queen, had to be called in from other duties. "Death Phantom has returned as promised," Neo Queen Serenity said, laying out the foundations of the emergency meeting. "He has returned to Nemesis as of late, and Mars has met one of his followers." "She looked and dressed like a priestess," Sailor Mars said, elaborating on the situation. "I tried using my spirit wards on her, but they didn't work." "But she shed an evil aura, right?" Jupiter asked. "Does that mean a priestess is immune to those kind of things?" Mars shook her head. "Definitely not. The talisman was designed to stun evil spirits, like the one her aura was giving off. So maybe it's a mask." "What's that?" asked Venus. "It means that she was hiding her true aura under one she wanted Mars to see," explained Mercury. "I don't understand why anyone would want to attract attention like that." "She wanted to meet her," Neo Queen Serenity realized. "These new people Death Phantom manipulated into his dark hand... they may be innocent compared to the Black Moon he corrupted before." "But where did they come from?" asked Mars, "and why are they showing up now? The entire Black Moon clan is living here on Earth now." The queen nodded. After the war brought about by Death Phantom's treachery ended Neo Queen Serenity ordered the current inhabitants of the black moon, the descendents of the exiles, to return to their living on Earth. While the Black Moon Family was suspicious of this, they were without their charismatic leader, Prince Diamond, or any of the other leaders-- all were killed or went missing during the war. Some of the holdouts felt shamed to be offered pity, since the one who killed their prince was showing mercy. A few others believed that Wiseman was not truly dead, and that he would return to avenge them all, while disbelieving the possibility that the prince's advisor would betray his own people. In the end all of them accepted purification for the chance to live on Earth, as their ancestors wished. Yet the reasoning behind accepting the exiles' descendants was threefold. One, Neo Queen Serenity felt those people could not be punished any more, and the healing had to start between Earth and Black Moon. Second, it gave scientists the chance to study the dark planet first-hand. It also left open the chance that colonization could begin, starting from Nemesis. Third, and more importantly, she wanted to make sure that no threat could spawn from Nemesis again, as the war proved to be exceedingly close. If there was one good thing that came out of the war, it was that Neo Queen Serenity recognized that all threats must be accounted for in advance. Mentally, she filed a reminder in her mind to order a watch put on the former Black Moon people, in case they were somehow aiding Death Phantom. "There may be an answer," Mercury offered. "I took the liberty of looking up on some of the Black Moon lore the Nemesis expeditions retrieved from the tenth planet, and I believe I've found something." "Like what?" Jupiter wondered. "There's mention of a warrior status," she continued. "Apparently in the original Nemesian civilization their self-sufficiency was what they prized most of themselves, and fighting was one of those things they valued. It seems that, out of the entire warrior population, seventeen are chosen by the ruler of Nemesis to be his Honor Guard... or, as the books put it, the Fenril Knights." "Fenril Knights?" echoed Mars. "Sounds like a play on the name of the Norse myth's Fenris wolf," Venus said. "It's a legend of a wolf that was supposed to kill the Midgard Dragon circling the World Tree, but got bit by the serpent, and turned evil." "If that has any indication," the queen considered, "then could the 'Midgard Dragon' be Death Phantom?" "I don't know," admitted Venus. "After that I just know that Midgard is supposed to be Earth." "The Fenril are supposed to rise up for war," Mercury added. "They died out with the original civilization when the Moon Kingdom crushed them along with their Black Crystal, but since the Black Crystal has returned it's not too far to guess the warriors have returned as well." "Could they be reincarnations of the original Fenril Knights?" asked the queen. "The same way we were reincarnated from the Moon Kingdom?" Mercury shrugged. "It's certainly possible, but I can't find any mention of reincarnation as part of the Nemesian culture. From what we know their warriors were willing to die for their master, and it was considered disrespectful to disturb the honored dead." "They could be new people," Venus suggested. "So wait a minute," Jupiter said, interrupting. "If Death Phantom really is following the Black Moon history as Mercury thinks, then there should be seventeen of them, right? Mars's only seen one, and that's the priestess. Where's the other sixteen?" "That's something we'll have to find out," Mars said with resolve. "We weren't ready for war before, but this time it'll be different. Death Phantom will wish he'd never come back." --- Mishima Heavy Industries, Crystal Tokyo None of the occupants of the core made any mention of the priestess's arrival when Shizuka entered, a limp Thanatos in her arms with a tight bandage wound around his head. Plopping the unconscious snake down on the terminal next to Shion's, Shizuka wiped her hands, and sighed. "Had a nice trip?" Shion asked without looking up. "Very funny," the priestess replied, too dry for humor. "So what did I miss?" The hacker whipped out a pen, and pointed to the monitor in front of him. The display, from what Shizuka could tell, was a list of some sort. "I think I found something very interesting here." "How about something more useful than the airships?" the priestess asked. "Like an actual weapon?" Shion shook his head. "Not yet; I've got to get past the multi-layered encryption schemes for the really top-top stuff. This's just the list of names of all the top minds of the three Industries. They must've banded together in their last hours." "Strange, that," Ayame said, looming over Shion without letting either he or Shizuka to notice. "In their desperation three rivals joined forces to put together this grand scheme. All just for me." "Weren't you going to be wed off to Kanzaki, too?" asked the hacker. "That's only speculation!" she insisted. Shizuka peered at the monitor closely. "I don't recognize any of these.... What does it mean, by marking them as 'stasis?'" Shion smiled, obviously amused by the priestess's sudden interest in his work. "Likely it means that all those guys are sleeping, waiting for the day to wake and work for us again." "So you're saying the eggheads are still around somewhere," Ayame guessed. "That's good; at least we won't have to develop new weapons ourselves." "Oh, but there's more!" Shion said with excitement. "Not only does it reveal the names, it also gives us a location. We should be able to get these guys up and on our side in no time." "I see you are making progress," an deep voice said from behind. Ayame jumped, surprised that someone snuck up on her for a change. "W... Wiseman?!" The hooded sorcerer hovered closer to Ayame. "Have the others been accounted for?" Fully turning her attentions toward the newcomer, allowing Shion to go about his business, she answered, "We haven't heard from some of them. They may still be out looking, or they're just waiting. Or something." --- 10th Street District, Crystal Tokyo Most people fled for their lives when the explosion erupted in the middle of the empty street, seemingly spontaneously. Those who did not have the sense to flee stared at the rising smoke in awe and curiosity, wondering what could have caused the explosion. Some speculated that it could be a freak explosion of a leftover Black Moon weapon, while others thought a utility box blew, but only one man knew the truth. Mousse folded his arms within the sleeves of his robe, and smiled from his vantage point on the rooftops. "Come and get me, Sailor Senshi," he yelled aloud, "come and face your greatest enemy yet!" ---------------------------------------- Author's Notes The first in this miniseries dealing with the conclusion of the story that began in "The Geometry of Shattered Souls" and continued in "The Geometry of Vanished Souls," both of which can be found on my web site. It pits the Souls characters with the "Wheel of Fire" cast, a Ranma 1/2 fanfic of my own. --Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html