Souls of Fire #6: Shade of Gray Ranma 1/2 VS Sailor 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. Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. 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. ---------------------------------------------------- "I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." -- "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handy Severely dwarfing Shampoo the ghost dragon Deathclaw stared down at the Chinese Amazon with his cold, pupiless eyes. Fear froze her in place, and all feeling left her body, yet she knew the engineer, Taydome, was still hiding behind her. Deathclaw peered at Shampoo carefully, his mammoth head bowing low so his right eye could study her. "It is not much, but you will have to do for now." What was it that made Deathclaw so fearsome? Shampoo raced to remember. Unfortunately for her, she was about to get the answer first-hand. The ghost dragon reared his head back, and extended a boney claw toward her. Ethereal lightning raced off his talons, skewering Shampoo through the heart. She lurched forward in pain, and barely noticed Taydome scramble even farther for safety. She stared down at her chest, and saw the red crystalline shape emerge from her body. It was then she remembered: Deathclaw could not hope to survive in the living world without a host. Shampoo screamed in terror as the ghost dragon forced himself into her soul. --- Infirmary, Crystal Palace "Neo Queen Serenity," Shizuka said, addressing the monarch of Earth, "it is to your advantage if you would allow me to leave the palace at once. I guarantee you won't like what's coming." "Deathclaw," she knew. "It was the one kami we could not destroy during the war." Serenity glanced toward Shizuka, and saw a certain paleness wash over her features. "He is bound strongly to this plane. Since we could not find out the reason in time we had to remove him from this plane, for surely the ghost dragon would inhabit one of our own bodies." "You figured it out," the priestess replied. "I'm Deathclaw's true host." "Why?" "Symbiosis," explained Shizuka. "Deathclaw requires a powerful host to remain in the living world. I require that which fulfills my corrupt soul. Unlike the others, who surely fear having their soul held by an undead monstrosity, I do benefit from the symbiosis. I can feel him coming now." --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries "Crap, what the hell is that?!" Shion cried, watching on the viewscreen as Deathclaw slammed his claws furiously against the Crystal Palace's energy shield. In the shockwaves of the attack the Mishima robots flew off in all directions, smashing and exploding as they crashed. "I don't believe this," Ayame said, shocked. "I never imagined the beast could be this powerful." She turned toward the mercenary. "Recall our people, we can't lose them to that thing." In an instant Mousse appeared in the control center. "You mind explaining to me what that thing is doing here?!" he demanded. "It almost killed me!!" "He appeared out of the rift Shampoo and Taydome made at the park," Kanna answered. "Deathclaw looks very, very mad." "So where's Shampoo?!" demanded the weapons master. --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace "Oh, that's great," Sailor Mars exclaimed, pointing toward the main viewscreen. "We traded an army of robots for that thing." The three Sailor Senshi watched as Deathclaw pounded the energy shield surrounding the palace with his bone fists, his ethereal body seemingly just as solid as the crystal that made up the buildings. Below the rampaging kami the Fenril robots scattered to preserve themselves from danger, but most were smashed from the shockwaves reflecting off the shield. The Fenril Knights themselves were scattering in all directions, and at least one of them vanished into thin air. "Don't you think we were better off when the robots were shooting at us?" wondered Jupiter. "That dragon could pound us all night if he wanted to, if he's found a host." "Face it, he wouldn't be hitting us this hard if he didn't have one already," Venus pointed out. "I don't know why he's after us like this... but the generators are being sucked dry. We'll run out in a matter of hours than days." Mars nodded. The Fenril robots were armed with gattling cannons, which required bullets, and bullets are in short supply on Earth. Assuming they had to manufacture the bullets themselves, and considering the lack of raw material, Mars hoped the Fenril could not keep up a constant attack. She was only partly right. What in the world was Ami doing? she wondered. --- Infirmary, Crystal Palace "It's all up to you," the priestess of Genbu said, folding her arms. "Let down the shield, and let me go, or Deathclaw can do it for you." Ranma watched the exchange curiously, her eyes turning from Shizuka to Neo Queen Serenity. There was an obvious danger from allowing Shizuka to leave in the middle of an attack, as there was no guarantee Shizuka would keep her word. On the other hand, she was right about Deathclaw; the shockwaves of the ghost dragon pummeling the shield could be felt within the palace as well as without. Either way, the martial artist knew she wasn't getting out this time. "Shizuka," the queen said, "if I allow you to leave the premises, you must promise not to destroy us in our moment of weakness. I know this is much to ask from the one you believe is a murderer, but trust begins when both sides take the first step together." "Very well, then," Shizuka answered, a slight hint of anxiousness in her voice. "I'll meet you outside the gates, if you please." The queen nodded in understanding. "Please do not take long." Ranma and Shizuka watched as the queen left, shutting the door behind her. Instantly Shizuka was on her feet, and gathering her scattered equipment, and finally slinging the fire buster over her shoulder. She turned and grabbed Ranma by the arms, pain betrayed in her eyes. "Ranma, listen to me," she said seriously. "You have to stay here, and find a way to beat them. I was going to do that myself, but I attract too much attention to myself. You don't... just stay as a girl for a while longer." "As if I had a choice," Ranma replied. She did not want to think of what the Sailor Senshi would do to her if they found out her secret. Shizuka reached into her pocket, producing a small transmitter, and pressed it into the martial artist's hand. "Keep this... when you need to make a quick getaway, just give it the priority one extraction signal, and the Dragonfly will come for you. Don't even think of doing it while the shield's up, or the Dragonfly'll never make it." Ranma nodded in understanding. "Look, don't do anything crazy, okay? You take care of yourself." Shizuka offered a quick smile despite herself. "Well, you know me... shit happens all the time." Quickly letting her go, the priestess quickly bolted out of the room, leaving Ranma alone to herself. "'Stay out of trouble' wouldn't have helped," she decided, shaking her head. "You're so reckless. Just don't die, okay?" --- Shizuka stepped outside the palace for the first time, her sandals clomping against the crystal surface that lead from the palace to the gate. Neo Queen Serenity stood near the gate, her back turned, staring at the rainbow energy rippling around the energy shield. For a moment the priestess thought to annihilate her enemy, but Deathclaw was calling. She stared upward, and for a second she and Deathclaw stared at each other, the one second being the only detectable cessation of the attack. She felt the torment of the host... Shampoo... her terror... through the ghost dragon's pupiless eyes. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Shizuka made her way to the gate, at Neo Queen Serenity's side. "I'm ready." It lasted only for a second, but to Shizuka it lasted forever. The moment the shield opened up Deathclaw's essence lanced out at Shizuka's heart. She barely noticed Shampoo's body drop from the air and land in the palace's lawn. She barely noticed Neo Queen Serenity's shocked surprise. She barely noticed her soul get clawed out of her heart. Time ceased to matter to Shizuka. --- "That cannot be!" Neo Queen Serenity gasped. She watched as Deathclaw extracted Shizuka's heart crystal, and shielded her eyes from the ethereal light. The heart crystal, jagged as it was, glowed with great intensity. As Deathclaw's essence merged with the crystal the queen saw it grow slowly, becoming more polished and symmetrical. As the last of Deathclaw merged with Shizuka's soul the brightness dimmed to nothingness, and a curtain of silence fell upon the palace. The entirety of the ghost dragon gone, Shizuka's heart crystal returned to its owner, and the priestess of Genbu collapsed on the ground. In all the confusion, the three Sailor Senshi appeared around the queen unnoticed. "What was that?" wondered Venus. "Why're the shields down?" demanded Mars. "And what happened to Deathclaw?" "There is not much time," Neo Queen Serenity interrupted. "Leave these two outside the gate, so we may turn the shield on once more." "Why...?" Jupiter was about to say. "Trust begins when both sides are willing to take the first step together," the queen answered. "Allow me to keep this promise." --- "Cool," Miranda Kusao said, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "The shield's down!" She stared at the bare wall, running with all her speed that her feet would carry her, and leaped. Only to slam face-first into the energy shield. Miranda was thrown back to the ground forcefully, but she got up herself despite the pain. "Dammit," she cursed, slamming her gloved fist on the pavement. "So close...!" --- Pantyhose Taro chuckled to himself as he watched Miranda bounce off the shield from the inside of the palace walls, folding his arms. "You foolish Rubber-bitch," he said, "you were always too slow to take advantage of opportunities like this." --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries When Kodachi and Miranda entered they were carrying the unconscious Shizuka and Shampoo in tow on makeshift stretchers. "Shampoo!" Mousse exclaimed. "Stop yellin'," complained Miranda. "She's out cold, and for a good long while, perhaps." "Well, that accounts for everybody," Ayame decided. She glanced toward Kanna. "Except for Pantyhose Taro." "He's likely within the palace walls," Kanna replied. "The prism isn't responding to the recall order...." "Or he ditched it," the leader pointed out. "Either way, he's not coming back." "You sure this is such a good idea?" asked Shion. "I mean, letting him go like that?" "We'll know for certain soon," replied Ayame. She turned toward Miranda. "Miranda, you're going to watch him." The martial artist planted a hand over her chest. "Me? You've got to be kidding." "No, I'm not." "You're just saying that so you can get rid of me," Miranda persisted. "Ever since you took over you've had it out for me, always throwing me with the most dangerous guy around. So how do I know you're not trying to kill me, too?" "If I wanted to kill you I could've done it a long time ago." "You can say that all you want, but I'm not dying for you." "This battle goes beyond our petty differences," Ayame assured her. "Right now, I don't give a crap about who you were before, because everything's different now. I've got no time to dwell on the past battles, I've got to look forward to the future battles, and so should you." Groaning, Miranda flexed her right fist. "Fine, I'll go...." "Don't let him know you're trailing him," the leader suggested. "Pantyhose Taro is a trained hunter; he can outsmart anyone hunting him, I bet." "What shall we do about them?" Kodachi asked, pointing back to Shampoo and Shizuka. "As they are those two are completely worthless." Mousse bent down to Shampoo's level, and checked for her pulse. "She's in a coma, I think... can't tell for certain. But her skin is cold to the touch." "She got infused with Deathclaw," Shion replied, getting up from his seat to stand over the two girls. He pointed toward Shizuka. "Deathclaw is in her now, but something's wrong. Before, she said it took her only five minutes to take control over the ghost dragon, but...." Mousse reached over Shampoo and checked the other girl's pulse. Shizuka's eyes flinched slightly even as they remained closed, and she gasped as if in pain. He looked up toward the mercenary. "Get Master Higure... he'll know." --- Inner Sanctum, Crystal Palace "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it," Neo Queen Serenity shared to the three Sailor Senshi. "That girl possesses a pure heart crystal." "Are you sure it's not a trick?" asked Jupiter. "I mean, how can these bad guys be as good as we are?" "I'm not surprised," Sailor Mars replied. "It's possible that we missed something completely obvious." "Why do you say that?" asked Venus. "The girl we captured... Shizuka... she has a good heart," the soldier of fire explained. "These people are no different than the Black Moon Family. They're not fighting because they want to hurt the Earth, they want to protect it. Their views conflict with our own, and they're fighting because we're the ones who don't want to understand." "How can that be?" asked the queen. "I don't know, but I've been thinking... ever since we've started fighting them the Fenril Knights have taken objection to being called that." She looked toward both Jupiter and Venus, both giving a nod. "Your Highness, we weren't going to bring this up until we knew for certain, but...." Mars struggled to find the right words. "Death Phantom left the Nemesian histories behind for us to find... on purpose," Neo Queen Serenity realized. "He knew we would learn of the old Nemesian civilization and of their seventeen champions, then chose seventeen people to match that description precisely. In effect, he tricked us into branding them enemies automatically." "He probably tricked them, too," Jupiter added. "I don't think they really have any idea why they're fighting in the first place." "So they just think they're fighting for a greater cause?" wondered Venus. She shook her head. "That's not it; they really do know what they're after, but it's not something Death Phantom should be after, either." "Shouldn't we ask Ami about this?" asked Mars. "No," replied the queen. "Tonight, I want all three of you to be on watch. There is something I must do tonight." "Do what?" "I agreed to meet with Death Phantom in the Crystal Garden, and for that, we must have the energy shield down." --- Although there was very few people wandering the halls of the palace Pantyhose Taro found it necessary to hide himself from view. Now that he was inside, Taro had a time limit on taking out Neo Queen Serenity, realizing the Sailor Senshi could find him at any moment, if they even suspected he was in the palace at all. Not only that, but his former allies had time on their side as well, for, with their ghost dragon and robots on their side, they could bring down the energy shield in no time flat. But none of them would get in the way of the queen, he vowed. No one would get a shot at the queen of Earth except Pantyhose Taro. --- Crystal Garden, Crystal Palace It was difficult to persuade the three Sailor Senshi to remain away from the interior garden of the palace, but Neo Queen Serenity knew that if Death Phantom was risking everything to enter the enemy's home by himself, she had to repay it in kind. She wandered the garden, styled after a traditional Japanese garden, designed to calm the mind and encourage thought. Serenity stared into the pond, where the koi swam about in one way or another, seemingly oblivious to the chaos engulfing the city around them. It did not take long for her to feel the wave of oppression, as Death Phantom's cowled face appeared in the reflection of the pond. "Death Phantom," she whispered calmly. "I see you have come, alone," the last Child of Chaos said flatly. "Excellent...." --- The old man?! Taro shouted mentally from his hiding place, spying on both Neo Queen Serenity and Wiseman from the bushes. What was he doing here? He strained his ears to listen. --- "Why have you come here?" asked the queen. "I believe you know the answer to that," Wiseman replied, levitating in a seated position, his crystal ball resting in his lap. "You want to ask me of your burning questions about the Fenril Knights." "Yet you were the one who called this meeting," Neo Queen Serenity pointed out. "Yet your curiosity is overwhelming. You wonder why your sworn enemy has chosen to risk himself by coming in the middle of the one place he risks destruction. You may be surprised to learn that it no longer concerns this shell." "What do you mean?" "Understand this, Serenity," Wiseman said, raising his voice an octave. "This body has been in constant exposure to the Black Crystal for far longer than any other human. In result, it has been bombarded by its magical energies the longest. Consider it a form of radiation. What this radiation does, however, is accelerate the projected evolutionary path of humanity, and therefore, I am the pinnacle of human evolution." "A skeleton?" the queen said in disbelief. She shook her head. "I cannot believe such a thing." "This shell you see before you is merely that: a shell, a discarded body of bleached bone that should have been lain to rest long ago." As to make his point clear Wiseman's robe collapsed over his skeletal body, crashing to the ground dead and lifeless. Neo Queen Serenity gasped in surprise, even when she knew Death Phantom was an energy being, but was surprised to see that the crystal ball alone remained levitating in the air. The image of a skull appeared within its swirling contents. "I understand," she said, her eyes drifting to the useless bones and rust cloak at her feet. "The final evolutionary path is a being of pure energy. It is no wonder it is the preferred form of you and your dark brethren." "A psychic entity of purely mental power," Wiseman agreed, the crystal ball glowing with each word. "I require nothing of the flesh, nor of any bodily function. Everything occurs to my will, to my thought, and to my mind." "And that is why we could not destroy you?" she asked. "Your energy form was not destroyed by the Silver Crystal's attack, but your physical form was." "And since my physical form was psychically linked to this being," the old man added, "you have severely affected me as well. It took much time in a timeless space to recover." "But I do not understand... what does this have to do with anything?" "Unlike many other brands of Silence you were threatened with in the past," Wiseman explained, "I intended to use the Black Crystal to accomplish my goal. Do you not understand what I wish to grant this younger race?" The queen lowered her head in consideration, then the thought came to her. "The Black Crystal's dark energy would have forced the evolution of Earth's population, under your conjecture. In effect you are Silencing the world by discarding the physical matter." "I pondered over the subject for a long time," the old wizard continued, "in a place beyond the reach of time, and it was there I determined that Earth was to take a special role in the cosmos. The Black Crystal had already demonstrated what lay in store for humanity." "But it is an artifact of evil energy," Serenity pointed out. "Why would it grant such a special boon? As an artifact of evil it could have granted you your evolution for the sole purpose of Silencing Earth." "I master the Black Crystal, not the other way around," Wiseman snapped angrily. "Such as you master your Silver Crystal... or do you infer that it does indeed control you?" Wisely, Neo Queen Serenity kept her mouth shut over that issue. "What need is there to force the human evolution? What right have you to do such a thing?" "The current fate humanity has been set toward is paving a road toward disaster; it is the road you pave." "I did nothing but fulfill the betterment of the human race!" she objected. "No one suffers any longer, nor is there reason for conflict." The crystal ball dimmed in intensity. "Earth is destined for conflict; it is there humanity thrives." "War?" the queen realized. "Is that the fate Earth has in store for it?" "Not the whole, but you are denying that part." "Too many bad things happen because of war." "There are some in the universe who are unwilling to settle differences with talks. It is no use to set all your bets in the hands of a few warriors-- your Sailor Senshi. The era of the Sailor Wars is over; it is irresponsible to deny this young race the ability to use force of arms. This world may be at peace, but it is that from beyond the stars which may be your undoing. Your Sailors Uranus and Neptune know that all too well." This caught Serenity's attention in full. "What did you do to them?" "They are on the way to Earth, but I had two of my followers intercept them before they could enter this galaxy," Wiseman explained. "You see, the longer we delay their arrival, the more time Earth has to prepare for the inevitable invasion." "Why?" "The invaders know of the state you left Earth in," he answered calmly. "At this point in time they have no reason to believe that Earth is a major threat, and thus they are taking their time in arrival. But, if they somehow know that we are preparing for their arrival...." "Who are they?" "When you collapsed the void between planes," Wiseman explained, "you generated a shockwave detected in the undercurrents of the universe. In attempting to destroy the mechanical plague that threatened this planet a thousand years before, you effectively put Earth right in their hands." Serenity's eyes sunk. "The Mekani planned to do that from the start, and we fell for it." "The Mekani scouts trapped on this world had no means to communicate with the rest of their Hive Entire, since they were stranded on this planet thousands of years ago through the efforts of both man and kami. The shockwave was meant to attract their brethren to this world and finish their mission: plunder, multiply, perfect, and survive." Neo Queen Serenity nodded, understanding the Mekani mission well. The mechanical plague, an apt name, had its sole purpose in the race's survival. In their grand plan they would travel from world to world, wipe out the planet's population, and plunder its natural resources, leaving the world a barren satellite. The locust-like metal monsters would move on to the next, adapting to their new surroundings every step of the way, until their never-ending goal was accomplished, all the while becoming more perfect and more dangerous to the next world. It was a fate worse than death. In effect, the battle a thousand years ago against the stranded advance party was a lose-lose war, and humanity was the loser. "The purpose of the Fenril Knights was to instill the fighting instinct in humanity," she realized. "You want them back the way they were before my ascension." "The solution to your present situation is clear," Wiseman declared. "They cannot be stopped." "Why? The wars are over; it is pointless to continue this fight. If the Mekani are coming as you say, then that is all the more reason to stop! If we put our faith in the Silver Crystal, surely it will protect us from the enemy." "Ah, but how do you intend on destroying an enemy that is aligned neither to the light nor the darkness?" asked Wiseman, seemingly amused by the situation. "Had I the means to wipe out the invasion hive I could have done so on my own with the Black Crystal." "How do you know if your Black Crystal has no energy in it?" asked Neo Queen Serenity. "So... you are aware of my weakness." "Even though you have captured my city you cannot harness the heart crystals under your power directly. They are protected by the power of my crystal." "Ah yes, your Silver Crystal. Do you expect to defeat the Mekani with it? How much of your precious energy are you willing to throw away annihilating a harvesting force?" "You're afraid of them," the queen realized. "You cannot defeat them yourself, and now you are asking me to destroy them for you?" She shook her head. "Is that your game?" "It seems you're getting too smart for your own good," the old man noted. "We fought so hard to make sure there would not be any reason to fight!" she cried. "Humanity should not have to know the horrors of battle, or of disease, hunger, death, or hate. We have done so much for them, and I cannot simply take it all away!" "And you would corrupt the Purity of this younger race with your own ideal," Wiseman countered. "There can be no room for your evil where love and justice prevail," the queen declared. "Humanity is Pure in its present state of peace and harmony. You and your dark brethren are not welcome in this universe." "I see," Wiseman said. "Then there is nothing more to say." "Perhaps," he added, the skull within the crystal turning away, "if you became as old as I, then you would understand these short-term trivialities are pointless to an immortal." The queen's face washed over with confusion, and the skull seemed to chuckle at the ironic remark. Slowly, the discarded cape and bones reemerged from the floor, resuming its former shape of the old man. "Or perhaps you need a little encouragement," he suggested cryptically, vanishing into the darkness. Neo Queen Serenity had little time to sigh when she felt another behind her. Screaming a war cry, Pantyhose Taro leaped from his hiding place, intent on destroying the queen of Earth. --- Miranda Kusao paused to consider her situation as she watched Neo Queen Serenity try to flee her attacker, making no move to fight back. She dodged each blow with great dexterity, and the martial artist had to admire her tenacity despite her pacifistic view. She had absolutely no trouble getting into the palace walls this time; a good stone throw was good enough to show her that the shield was indeed down. Certainly, the internal security beefed up the guards, but guards were no match for the high-tier martial artist. She knew well enough that the clock was running; the guards would be on to her at any minute, looking for her. The problem presented before her, however, was an interesting dilemma. She heard every word Neo Queen Serenity and Wiseman said, and had a considerably small amount of time to digest it. Now the key to the future was at Pantyhose Taro's mercy, because she refused to instigate battle any longer. On the one hand, Miranda could allow Taro to eliminate the queen, and allow Ayame to set up her own world order. After all, being called 'evil' wasn't exactly a flattering comment on her person. And of course she was the one who mercilessly slaughtered millions of 'evils' to build her glass planet. On the other hand, Wiseman did say that it was Neo Queen Serenity's path to guide humanity's future toward the vision Ayame shared... even if he was only goading her toward it at the time. The old man was practically asking for her help, in his own way, of course. And she didn't really like Pantyhose Bastard at all. She clenched her fists together, unsure as to which side she should be picking. --- "Why are you doing this?!" Neo Queen Serenity shrieked, feeling that she was running out of running room. The Fenril Knight threw more punches as he went. "I seem to recall that you're the one responsible for sending certain people to Nemesis!" he hissed. "You know, people you didn't like?" She fell down, tripping on her own feet, and the enemy martial artist was on top of her. "You see, I did some checking of the records... there was one person I was particularly interested in seeing again. You know... the one person that could change my name, by law of my people... Happosai!" The name did not ring any bells for the queen. "Old lecher, tough martial artist, certainly," he conceded. "But he named me, he gave me my name... and he was the only one who could change my name. And you removed him from Earth, banishing him to Nemesis, where he would grow old, die, and leave me to my fate." "No..." the queen uttered, closing her eyes in fear. Raising a fist high, he cried, "You sealed your fate when you sealed mine!!" Queen Serenity heard a high-pitched whine, and opened her eyes a crack to see that her attacker's arm had been cut, and he was stepping back in pain. "Pantyhose Taro," a new voice shouted, "it's time to die, traitor." --- Miranda leaped into action, throwing more of her ki discs and forcing Taro farther and farther away from Neo Queen Serenity. Standing with her back toward the world monarch she decided to protect, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder. "Your Highness, please take cover! I'll take care of him!" "Oh, which of us is the traitor?" Taro taunted, raising his arm back in the air, seemingly ignoring the pain. "You threw your lot with the Sailor Senshi!" "You heard as much as I, I wager," Miranda shouted back. "How could you... how could you choose the wrong path?" "You hate her just as much as I!!" The martial artist shook her head. "No, she's not my enemy. She was never my enemy. She, at least, is trying to do right. Heartless bastards like you, on the other hand, ARE my enemy!!" "Feh," Taro snorted. "So the rebel needs a cause? You'll regret that mistake!" Both warriors charged, Taro throwing fists that Miranda dodged, and Miranda throwing kicks which Taro dodged, neither gaining a significant advantage. She wheeled around quickly and slashed the air like a saw, but Taro leaped over the attack. Miranda threw herself into a back flip, throwing up her legs and creating a vacuum slice that grazed her opponent's other arm. But Taro hardly let that bother him, as he quickly reached out and grabbed Miranda's legs before she could finish her flip. He threw her over his shoulder, slamming her into the nearby pond and sending the koi flying. Pulling herself back up quickly Miranda threw several more energy discs, but Taro avoided them with ease. She kicked one koi flopping near her foot in frustration. "Coward!" Miranda cried. "Why don't you stand and fight?!" "Don't you ever believe you can beat a first-rate martial artist with second-rate skill!" Taro laughed. "You're no match for me!" "Try me!!" she shouted. Full of anger Miranda charged, throwing several spin kicks in rapid succession, forcing Taro to block them all. Taro continued to laugh, shrugging off each attack as if it was nothing. He caught her leg in the last attack, and Miranda realized she was in trouble. Swinging both her arms back she formed two more ki discs and swiped them at Taro, but he pushed her back at the last moment. Collapsing on the ground, flipped onto her stomach, Miranda stared at Taro's shoes. He kicked her once in the face, nearly blacking her out, and rolled her over on his foot. He bent low enough down to her that she could smell his breath. "Now, Rubber-bitch, it ends!" He raised his right fist, and spread it open to expose the palm. And the black Deathbuster star hidden beneath. "Go to Hell, Pantyhose Bastard," she hissed, spitting in his face, realizing it was all over. Ayame, I'm not dying for you, Miranda thought. I'm dying for planet Earth. Miranda let out a scream as black lightning arced from Taro's palm to her chest. She fought with all the energy she could, but the augmented black energy could not be denied, and Miranda saw her heart crystal being extracted. It's... it's... pretty.... she thought over the agonizing pain. The light of her own crystal twinkled against the night, but soon darkness engulfed it as it was drawn into the Deathbuster star. Collapsing to the ground limply Miranda felt spasms overcome her entire body, and it was all she could do to hang on to the last ebbs of life. She barely felt Taro disappear from sight, but soon another took his place. Neo Queen Serenity. "S... s..top... h..him...." she pleaded, her voice cracking under tears. "Sto...p... him...." --- She cradled the Fenril's head in her lap for what seemed like an eternity, watching as the girl's life left her eyes. The nameless girl twitched and spasm no more as her body died without the soul that sustained it, leaving a second heartless corpse in the hands of the Sailor Senshi. Tears streamed down her cheek as Neo Queen Serenity lowered her head. "It... it... is not... right...." Setting down the girl's head gently, the queen stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Stop him," the girl had said, a plea from one who was an enemy only moments before. "A good, pure heart," she whispered. "Shizuka was the first, you were the second... but neither of you are the last.... No more good people should have to sacrifice themselves because of what I did... no more...." She cast her eyes in the direction Pantyhose Taro fled, a new sense and determination in her eyes. Raising her hand in the air, she shouted, "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!!" --- "It is of no consequence," Wiseman decided, watching the events unfold in his crystal ball. "Each event can only work toward fulfilling my ultimate goal." "Perhaps history is not doomed to repeat itself." --- Taro pushed his way through the halls, knocking over all the guards as he went. If Miranda was sent after him, there was a good chance that Ayame was on to him now. No matter, there was nobody on this planet that could beat him! Producing the prism shard given to him by Wiseman long ago, Taro hurled it into a wall as he passed, cracking the smooth crystal surface. He made his way outside, congratulating himself that he had not met any of the Sailor Senshi on his way out. The wall was just there.... Vaulting over the wall, Taro congratulated himself as the energy field was not there to stop him. He broke off into a faster sprint through the streets. "Hold it right there!" For reasons beyond explanation Taro did so, as the voice seemed to hold command over him. His eyes darted about, searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?!" Looking up, he spotted a silhouette against the light of the moon. A Sailor Senshi. But it was not just any Sailor Senshi, it was the legendary Eternal Sailor Moon. "Stealing the pure heart crystal of one of your own allies, it's unthinkable! I stand for love and justice!" Taro's eyes narrowed. "'Love?' 'Justice?' What meaning have those to a sniveling bastard as you?" "I am Sailor Moon!" she declared. "In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" Throwing out his right palm black lightning lanced out from the Deathbuster star, but Sailor Moon was too fast to get hit by such an obvious attack. Grinding his teeth angrily, he barked, "Loony Queen! I am more than a match for your Sailor Senshi, what makes you think you're any stronger?!" His eyes quickly darted for a moving shadow. "You're too weak to defeat a true warrior as me! I know you're too caught up in your fantasy world to fight! Give up, and maybe I'll consider slaughtering you later!" "That heart crystal doesn't belong to you!" he heard her shout. Good, he thought, following the path of her voice. Keep talking. "It's not about who's stronger, or who's got more skill," Moon continued, "but who has the heart to do what is right." And he caught her in his sight standing on a wall, obviously scanning the street for a sign of himself. Quickly darting under the cover of the wall Taro lunged straight upward with an uppercut, catching the girl by surprise and sending her flying. "Hunter's moon," he scoffed. "You're mine!" He descended with another punch, but this time Sailor Moon rolled away, and Taro smashed in a piece of the crystal road. Lurching back, he waved his arm rapidly to dull the pain, then launched another wild swing, which she dodged easily. "Excellent," Taro said, "you're getting better!" She dodged another blow. "Why must we fight? Your name doesn't matter! It's who you are!" "My name is my LIFE!!" he screamed, throwing a quick gale punch, sending Sailor Moon flying back far. "Don't you DARE ridicule my life!!" He watched her slowly get up to her feet, and raised his right palm. "The time for talk is over; I'll finish this just like I finished that wuss Kusao!" Black lightning raced from Taro's palm, eager to draw out Sailor Moon's heart crystal, but a white shield of protection formed a bubble around her. The dark energy attack washed around the bubble harmlessly as Sailor Moon gathered her resolve. "Evil," she muttered. "He's pure evil...." Quietly, she slid her rod into her hand. "Now what?!" Taro yelped, panicked that his star was not working. "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" He wanted to make up an excuse about it, wanted to justify it in his mind, but the simple fact was Taro was unprepared for the attack, period. The blast came much too fast for the martial artist to react, and it was all he could do to brace himself for impact. --- Eternal Sailor Moon sighed wearily, scanning the streets for any sign of her opponent's body. Finding none, she realized her attack simply wasn't powerful enough to knock him out. "There'll be a next time," she vowed. "I can't sit back and watch while my friends fight, and my kingdom crumbles around me." She gazed toward the stars. "Death Phantom, you won this round, forcing me to fight again... but in the end it'll be your undoing." --- Ranma had no reason to intrude upon the Crystal Garden, but if someone stopped her she could always say that the commotion caught her curiosity. In fact, that would not be far from the truth. "Damn," she cursed quietly, walking around the prone body of Miranda, who looked as if she hadn't suffered for too long. It was plain and clear that she was dead, and although Ranma had no idea how she got inside she realized that it was probably the Sailor Senshi who did her in. No, Miranda wasn't the most approachable person on the planet, nor was she the nicest. She was a martial artist, pure and simple, driven by nothing but hate and revenge-- a focus so pure that it amazed Ranma that she could stay mad for such a long time, even over the most trivial of disputes. It was a certain tenacity, at that. A certain devotion to the art. Rage controlled so fine that she knew to find something worth fighting for. What she died for was unclear, but Ranma wasted no time, searching her body for one object in particular, knowing there was not much time left. She found it hidden on the inside of Miranda's left glove. Ranma quickly pulled out the black crystal prism, holding it up to the light. Finding no obvious imperfections with it she quickly pocketed it in her shirt. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, and finding nobody, Ranma stole her way back into the halls. Ranma stopped, a glint catching her eyes. She spied a second prism, embedded in the wall where the cracks were being filled in with the crystal growth. Ranma determined it was not too late to remove the extra prism, and pried it out before the growth could encase it. "Three," she counted silently. "What's this one doing in here, anyway?" --- Shizuka's Quarters, Mishima Heavy Industries Ami was glad for the time to sort her thoughts out as she sat watch over Shizuka, who was in a trance-like sleep state, lying on her bed in her room. Shion appeared in the rec room to summon Master Higure, and Ami and Hokuto both accompanied them to see what was up. Needless to say Ami was surprised that the priestess managed to get back somehow, but there seemed to be cause for concern. While Higure would not reveal the exact nature of the state Shizuka was in, he assured the others that she was trying to resolve an internal conflict. She volunteered to watch over her, while Mousse volunteered to watch over Shampoo, who seemed to be afflicted by whatever was affecting Shizuka. Ami felt a tug of coldness in her spine when she thought about it, but somehow she could not recall where she felt it before. It seemed too familiar, and it seemed a voice in her head was saying, "You." Certain no one was listening in, Ami got up from her seat and sat down on her knees next to Shizuka's bed. The priestess's expression appeared rather serene, but every once in a while her eyelids or lips would twitch, as if she was having a nightmare. "I don't know what's wrong with you, or what you're thinking about right now," she said, "but one thing I know, is that you can't stop fighting." Ami paused, finding it somewhat ironic that she was advocating a fight, abstract or not. "Don't give up; I'll find a way to make certain that you won't have to face any more hardships like this in the future...." Because I'm going to shut this operation down, she finished quietly. This conflict has gone on long enough, and too many good people are getting hurt over it. --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries "You sure it's such a good idea to let her watch Shizuka?" asked Kanna, carrying her dose of pessimism like a sledge hammer. I mean, how do we know Shizuka didn't turn traitor on us like Pantyhose Taro and Ryoga Hibiki did?" "You'll have to ask her that when she wakes up," Shion shouted over his shoulder from across the bowl, sitting back in his seat and flipping through a magazine. "That is, IF you think she's not diseased or something." "That's enough," declared Ayame from the center of the bowl. She turned her eyes toward Higure, who was standing next to her. "So what's the full story?" The old man nodded. "Yes... well." He coughed. "Had the others the ability to understand fully they would know that Deathclaw has been separated from his host for quite a long time...." "Estimating a thousand years," Shion agreed. "Deathclaw was effectively starving to death in his dimensional prison, a void where the Kami Plane once was. It is entirely possible the monster has gone mad from being by itself for so long." "As if it wasn't mad from being immortal?" Kanna jeered, folding her arms. "Also, Shizuka has not been in contact with her symbiote for an extended period of time, and therefore the two of them are... how shall I say... fighting each other over the last box of Cracker Jacks." "Swell," Ayame muttered, shaking her head. "So if she wakes up Deathclaw might be in charge...." "That's about the size of it, I guess," Kanna agreed. "In other words we can't rely on her anymore." The leader ran her hands up and down her face, utterly tired of all the problems she was dealing with. "I'd say this'd be a good time for Shampoo to overthrow me, but she's out, too. What happened to her?" "Apparently Deathclaw severely overpowered her psyche when he took her as temporary host," Higure explained. "I am uncertain as to how much this affects her, but she, too, may not wake up the same. IF she wakes up." "Can't count on her, either," Ayame decided. "And Ukyo, Sypha, and Cinder are on Nemesis... Ranma's still missing... Ryoga and Taro jumped ship...." She sighed. "I'm so running out of people it isn't even funny." "If you want I'll do field work myself," Kanna volunteered, standing up and scooping up her death scythe that was lying against the control panel. "I haven't been in a decent fight for... well... a good thousand years or so." Shion laughed. "I'll say." "Actually, you can do better," the leader replied. She raised her left wrist and pulled back her coat sleeve, checking her watch. "I think I'm going to take the next day or two off, so you want to be in charge for a while?" "Only so long as you take the job back later," Kanna answered. "I didn't train myself to lead." "Neither did I," Ayame said, chuckling as she turned to leave. "It just happens, and you just learn to deal with it." Silently the three watched as their leader walked out the doors, with her hands in her pockets, whistling a tune to herself. All three stared at each other for a moment, each wondering if Ayame was going to suddenly change her mind and come back. "Well," Kanna said, breaking the silence, "you know what this means." Shion nodded, smiling knowingly. "All expense paid employee vacation... for two days!" "Vacation?" Higure echoed, seemingly out of the loop going on between the two. "I thought Ayame left you to take care of business." "She did," the Crystal Spider replied slyly. "And now it's my order that each of us take a break. I could use a good dip at Atami about now." "If I can get Ami to take care of the snake for me, it's Vegas for me!" Shion declared. "You sure they still gamble there?" asked Kanna. "I thought gambling was illegal." Higure sighed. "I envy you young ones; you always know how to have a good time." --- Central Park, Crystal Tokyo Hokuto kept her cloak tight around herself, standing alone in the park and staring straight up at the tear in the dimensional fabric. Beyond the tear lay inky blackness that stretched forever, but that was only to the untrained eye; those such as she knew it was the shadow stream. The Mekani void-ripper had long since been removed from such an open area, and the technicians did a splendid job of cleaning up their mess. It was a wonder that the Sailor Senshi did not seal the tear while it was left unattended for so long; surely they could detect the residual energy emitted by the shadow stream. It was of no consequence to Hokuto, however, as she willed the liquid shadow to solidify around the edges of the tear, clamping the hole open by sheer will. With that business taken care of she concentrated on the long shadow she cast, and spread out her arms and cloak to make it bigger. Stretching her thoughts Hokuto willed her shadow to elongate, and at the edge a sharp spike of darkness emerged. She shaped it with her mind, transforming the rigid shape into a lashing tentacle, with a set of barbed spikes at its end, and thrashed it around like a morning star. Hokuto willed the tentacle's head to split in two, creating a double headed weapon, then allowed it to sink back into her shadow. "Yes," she whispered. "The realm of shadow has remained untainted in a thousand years. An untapped source of power, no one but I, a Shadow Weaver, can harness its power." She walked under the rift, satisfied that it would remain open without much effort on her part. On the other hand, the Sailor Senshi would have a devil of a time trying to pry out the solid shadow cap. Sinking into her own shadow, Hokuto muttered, "There can be no stopping our destinies...." --- Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, Darkhold Although the light of the sun was a distant memory to the rogue planet known as Nemesis, the local captive populace, if they were being forced to stay in Darkhold at all, viewed this time of the day as 'night,' as they regarded time reckoning on Earth days still. It seemed a little silly to the okonomiyaki chef that the one watching over these people was a simple shop- keeper, the only overseer on the planet at all. Many people believed, as they came and swapped stories when they came into the restaurant, that Black Moon renegades living in Darkhold's Palace of Solitude were watching their every move, while others thought the Fenril Knights were herding them like cattle in the city. Former Black Moon people also expressed their opinions, such that they saw that, while they regained the home of their ancestors, this place was where they truly considered home. In that regard the former Black Moon people were the ones who most readily adjusted to their new surroundings, and they turned out to be a more independent lot than Ukyo thought. One thing was for sure, they wouldn't help unless they were asked. Not a day passed before maintenance droids stared appearing again on the streets of Darkhold, much to the dismay and fear of the Crystal Tokyo residents. Fortunately, no one decided to open a riot session for the people, but, on the other hand, Ukyo had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. She considered contacting former Black Moon warriors, to recruit them to her watch, but thought better of it, realizing they willingly surrendered to Neo Queen Serenity. While they were indeed a people apart from humanity, none appeared to have the inclination to change anything. It was if someone sucked all their reputed zeal out of their bodies, and they were but a cinder of their previous flame. Cinder, she thought. Both he and Sypha were supposed to be fighting two outer-planet Sailor Senshi, but neither of them took the time to step into her restaurant, even for a social call. Neither warrior she had heard from for a long time, and while she hardly missed them Ukyo preferred to know what they were up to while they were within her territory. She produced her prism, and considered taking a trip down to Wiseman's hidden citadel, but thought better of it, as there was the off chance that she would share company with that dried-up old man. "Ukyo," she heard Konatsu say from the back room. "What should I do with these boxes?" The okonomiyaki chef laughed to herself, remembering that there was no real source of food on the planet, and yet, she was getting supplies in regular shipments from Earth. It was a good thing nobody figured out her 'trade secret' yet, but the people were too distracted with eating real food rather than living off the weird water. On the other hand, Cologne was getting suspicious. It was likely time to come up with a cover story. "Just leave it there, I'll take care of it later," Ukyo replied. Well, she decided, even if business was limited to a city, a monopoly on the food couldn't possibly hurt the restaurant's killer income. --- Observatory, Palace of Solitude If one stared into the night sky of Nemesis, be it on the dark side, or the slightly brighter sunny side, there was no mistake that a set of four comet-like objects were circling each other. Two of those comets were a distinct blood-red, similar to fireballs, while the other two were more whiter: one with a bluish hue, another with a greenish-hue. However, had any of the residents of Nemesis cared to view them in a telescope, they would have seen that it was four warriors fighting in the airless sea of space, each shrouded by a globe of shimmering energy. The fireball that was Cinder, engulfed in magical flame, rocketed and bounced off Sailor Uranus's energy field like a Ping-Pong ball, but always having enough power to rocket back for another pass. Steel clashed against steel quickly, as the fire master Cinder's steel claws clashed against Uranus's sword, neither gaining an apparent advantage over the other despite the dance Cinder was forced to undertake. Sypha, the second fireball, on the other hand, seemed to be having no such trouble with her nemesis, Sailor Neptune, as she forced her to defend against her instead. In an almost stationary position the black sorcerer lobbed black energy bolts against Neptune, and it was all she could do to either dodge or reflect the incoming attacks, as Sypha was offering no openings. Holding her crystal dragon pearl in her left claw she slung magical bolts with her right effortlessly, and each bolt in turn split into five different directions as they reached a point beyond the origin. It was an even battle, one whose outcome was entirely uncertain, but to Wiseman, it served as the greatest diversion of all. --- Nemesis Space, Near Nemesis "Whoever they are," Uranus muttered, just as her fireball opponent rocketed away for another angled pass, "they're good!" Neptune agreed. "Who would've thought that the enemy made it to this system before we did?" she said, her voice carrying to Uranus's energy field in an instant. "They couldn't have gotten here this fast." "There's something wrong," the other decided. "These machines are too good, but they're attacking in the exact same pattern: relentless hits. It's almost as if they're trying to keep us here." "Nemesis is down below," Neptune pointed out, dodging another dark energy blast. "If I'm not mistaken, there are lights on down there." Uranus risked a glance down at the black planet, which, by every right, should have been abandoned and lifeless. Yet, as Neptune said, lights were visible from one of the cities, and if she remembered correctly it was the capitol city. "Droids," she hissed, anger rising. "Queen Serenity couldn't subdue them all." "How can that be possible?" wondered Neptune. "I thought the invasion was thwarted." "If we'd been here, it would've!" Uranus deflected another blow from her enemy's steel claws. "If these are the kind of guys Crystal Tokyo had to face, no wonder it nearly fell!" --- Throughout the many centuries of living on Earth, Sypha found it far worth the effort to learn how to read lips. As her black magic was affording her much time to take such observations the sorcerer picked up on much of what Sailor Neptune was saying. The implications were obvious: they had no idea who consisted the population of Darkhold at the moment. Not only that, but Neptune hinted that they believe the Black Moon was still active. Excellent. It wasn't enough for the two of them to conceal their true power and capabilities to their enemies, they had to thoroughly humiliate the two girls in the process of achieving their objectives. Already her ancient mind began formulating a plan, and Sypha knew it would be one the two Sailor Senshi would regret dearly. --- Outskirts, Crystal Tokyo The word 'fugitive' was the last thing on his mind as Pantyhose Taro limped his way out of Crystal Tokyo's city limits. He was certain that the rest of the world was aware of the trouble going on in their world capitol, but it seemed strange to the martial artist that no one made a genuine effort to do something about it. Taro spied trailers in the horizon on the road, taking up what little space there was on the highway out. He had no doubt it was made up primarily of news crews and people who had nothing better to do than throw themselves in the way of danger. Taro hated those people equally. Realizing he would have to take the long way around them Taro walked to the edge of the highway and took to the wilderness, untainted in its greenery by the crystal sheen dominating the highway. He supported his aching right arm carefully, even though it was held in a makeshift sling out of pantyhose. Taro stared down at the Deathbuster star in his palm, seeing it continue to crackle with black electricity like a broken machine. In a sense, the star was a broken machine. Ever since Neo Queen Serenity, in her Sailor Senshi guise, blasted him with the enormous attack, the dark star was having trouble actually working. Had he the inclination to produce Miranda's heart crystal Taro did not have the means to draw it out. He felt it was still there, but the star would not respond to his mental command. Worst of all, he couldn't peel it off, and in result the excess sparking energy was numbing his hand, compounding on the pain the damn thing was sending up his arm. He wished his whole arm was numb, but cutting the circulation hardly helped at all. "All I need is a good place to hide out and rest for a while," he decided. Taro did not know how, but he knew the arm, and the star, would heal itself in time. A little time is all I need, and I'm coming back for you, Sailor Moon, he vowed in his mind. --- Shampoo's Quarters, Mishima Heavy Industries Waiting ate inside Mousse, and sleep would not come to him as he sat on a bar stool, squatting, at the end of Shampoo's bed, like an owl watching its prey. No position seemed comfortable to him, so the weapons master decided that it was better to remain in one uncomfortable position rather than try to stay in several, one after another. Shampoo had not tossed, nor turned, while in bed, and, other than the fact that she was breathing, anyone observing her would think she was dead. Mousse had no idea what was running through her mind at the moment, or if people in such unconsciousness thought that actively. But his patience paid off, and Mousse had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Shampoo's eyes burst open suddenly, as if waking from a nightmare, but she did not sit up in what usually followed such an awakening. In fact, she seemed perfectly calm despite her startled expression. "Shampoo!" he exclaimed joyously. He suddenly wished he kept his mouth shut, as the Amazon was instantly at his throat. She squeezed with one hand tightly, and Mousse struggled to catch a single breath. "Where are they?" she demanded in a low, vicious tone. "W... who?" Mousse managed to ask. "The ones who imprisoned me in the space of eternal nothingness," she replied cryptically. Her eyes seemed to glow faintly, but Mousse attributed it to the dim lighting. "I want the one they call Sailor Moon." Sailor Moon? Mousse thought. The name rang a bell, but the lack of oxygen was finally overcoming him. Frantically, he pointed toward his neck, trying to get Shampoo to understand what he was requesting. It seemed to work, and the Master of Hidden Weapons was on the floor, rubbing his neck, breathing heavily, trying to circulate the oxygen into his head. He barely felt Shampoo tap her foot expectantly, and Mousse knew it was no use to make her wait. "I thought Sailor Moon was a legend..." he began. "Oh, no, she's quite real," Shampoo corrected. "Right," he said, nodding. "She disappeared into the urban legends, as they say. People also say she will appear in Earth's hour of need...." "That time would be about now," the Amazon decided. "Then my revenge will be swift." "Shampoo," he dared to ask, "what's wrong with you?" He felt her foot in his face, and knew that Shampoo would never be the same after sharing a body with the ghost dragon. Mousse stared upward at the ceiling, and Shampoo stared down at him evilly. "Your concern is touching," she said sarcastically, "but it's useless. Deathclaw has opened my eyes, dear Mousse, and her heinous actions will not go unpunished! It will all begin, and end, with Death!" --- Shizuka's Quarters, Mishima Heavy Industries Ami was stirred awake when Shizuka cried out suddenly. She made her way to the unconscious priestess's side, and found that she was back in her slumber. Except this time, the girl's expression was that of fear, worry.... And pain. "What's going on?" she asked, although Ami hardly expected an answer out of the priestess. "Shizuka, please... you've got to let me help you." --- She had no idea when it happened, but Ami realized she was asleep. No longer sitting in Shizuka's uncomfortable room Ami stood within a vast plane of clear crystal, stretching on to an infinite distance and disappearing in the horizon. No features distinguished the land for all the eye could see.... Save one. A black monolith, seemingly made out of the same crystal, burst through the ground before her, and Ami cried out in surprise. The dark sheen with violet highlights reminded her of the blackness of Death Phantom's Black Crystal, and just as the comparison finished more crystal monoliths burst from the ground around the first. In the end it appeared to be half of the Black Crystal, with the other half apparently on the other side of the crystal floor. Black lightning crackled between each dark spire, flowing with great energy. "Isn't it pretty?" Ami turned to her right, and saw Shizuka there, standing with her right hand over her heart, staring up at the Black Crystal in a longing awe. Intuition told her this was not just a dream. "What are you doing here?" "Look at that, Mizuno," Shizuka directed, obviously meaning the Black Crystal. "The heart of the people, stuck between two worlds... the one we stand in, graced in light, and the one on the other side, graced in darkness. It's trying to become part of one: the light we stand in. I belong to the other." "You're wrong," Ami countered. "No human being by their very nature are aligned to the dark." The priestess laughed, and despite the lack of walls it echoed and reverberated throughout the entire world. She turned to face Ami, a twinge of amusement in her expression. "Is that what you want to believe?" she asked. "Do you think humanity is so innocent? Or do you think," and to Ami's surprise, a deep, masculine voice added to Shizuka's, "it is exempt from responsibility?" The girl's eyes flared for a second, and Ami took an involuntary step back. She knew the second voice well enough, and Ami wished she never heard it again. "Deathclaw!" "Why do you persist in your little game?" both voices asked at once, each using the same mouth to speak. "You've wasted your time, Sailor Mercury. Give up and go home, then tell your master that justice is not the only right in the world!" --- The Next Day Ami burst awake sweating, and realized that there was someone at the door. "Gee, sorry," Shion apologized. "Didn't think you'd be still asleep." She sat up in her chair, and turned toward the mercenary hacker. His reasoning seemed peculiar on its own. "Shion? What're you doing here?" His answer came in the form of the serpentine creature in his arms. "I need you to look after Thanatos for a while, okay? I've got little time to look after him, so while you're doing nothing I thought you could." Doing nothing, huh? "I'll be glad to." Satisfied, Shion lowered himself and dropped the boa constrictor of Shizuka's down on the floor, and the snake slithered the rest of the way inside. "Um, isn't there a pen for him?" asked Ami. Shion shook his head. "Nah, Shizuka doesn't keep her partners in cages, but you might want this." He reached down to the ground outside the room, and held a small cage out for Ami to see. Two small, white mice scurried about in the cage, desperate to be free. "You see, she thinks it's good that her partner keeps hunting for food rather than be spoon fed, so when he gets hungry let these guys loose." "How will I know?" "When he tries to open the cage himself, I guess," answered the mercenary, shrugging. "Thanks again!" Leaving the cage by the door Shion left, and Ami looked down at the snake with worried eyes. Thanatos craned his head up toward her, and flicked his tongue quickly. "Well... nice to meet you, too," she said. She sighed, wondering how much more she could deal with before she really lost it. Pushing the snake matter out of her head, Ami thought back to her dream the previous night, and realized something important. Shizuka called me 'Sailor Mercury,' she thought, the implications dawning upon her. Time's running out. --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries Higure stepped into the command bowl, his sandals making little noise against the steel grate stairs, arms folded with his attention on Shion, who stood over his usual seat, busy typing. "I see you left some last-minute business," the old man said. "Yeah," Shion answered, unable to tear his eyes from the monitor. "Just filling in a last-minute request by Ukyo... just sending a transport tube up to her. She says people are getting suspicious as to how she gets her goods, so I'm giving her an illegal tube." "Do you truly believe that a wise decision?" "That's not my problem," the mercenary replied. "I only make things happen, not carry them out. It's not like she's the one getting all the droids we've been making the past few days. At least this way it's plausible." Punching in one final key, Shion stood up, and wiped his brow, satisfied at his work. "That should take care of it; the beam should be warmed up by now." He turned toward the old man. "Anything you want while I'm in Vegas?" Higure shook his head. "Unlike you or your friends I no longer have the inclination to collect personal items. More often than not they break, and then you agonize on how to fix them. Only problem is, it was a thousand years since that particular item was first created, and nobody knows how to fix it, much less create a new one." "That's why you buy at least three," Shion reasoned. "One to use, one for backup, and one to trade away." "What of the others?" He shrugged. "I only expect Kodachi to go out and party; she can do what she wants, Ayame says. If the others think about something, it's up to you, but if it gets really hairy give Kanna a ring. I don't want to be bothered, and I think Ayame doesn't, either." --- Nemesis Space, Near Nemesis These droids are annoying, Uranus decided as her opponent continued to rebound off her sword after each thrust. However, a break in the monotony presented itself when she spied her fireball enemy rocket in the opposite direction, away and toward the other droid. Uranus gave chase, wondering if the two droids were going to double-team Neptune, for they certainly could overwhelm her easily if they really were that powerful. "Watch it, Neptune," she warned. But the warning was unnecessary, as the second droid was fleeing as well. Both fireballs were headed back toward Nemesis. "They're retreating," Neptune observed, a hint of relief in her voice. "Why?" "Beats me," Uranus replied. "Whatever it is, we can't just let them get away!" She willed her globe to carry her after the two retreating droids, traveling just as quick as the two were fleeing, maybe even faster. Neptune trailed behind, matching a similar pace through the airless sea. She could hear them laughing at her. "Something's not right," Uranus decided. Neptune agreed. "There's no reason why they should be retreating when they had the advantage...." That was all that was needed to jinx the situation, as both fireballs came to a complete stop. Both Sailor Senshi halted as well, maintaining a safe enough distance such that they could avoid whatever attack they might throw at them. Both fireballs died down into nothingness, and for the first time the two soldiers saw the face of their enemies. The first, concealed in midnight robes, peered at Uranus with a large, red right eye, which was shaped in a circle. Steel claws draped from the sleeves of the robe as well as from the bottom; in effect, the creature was robotic in form, and likely had a good reason for concealing its body from view. The second, however, appeared more exotic rather than mysterious. A tall woman carrying regal airs, the second enemy dressed in a long-sleeved red Chinese phoenix court dress, heavy, black metal claws hanging from the ends. Her long hair, reaching down to her feet, were swept up to each side of her head, forming two rather large pony-tails, each held by expensive- looking Chinese ornaments. Her waist was tied so much by a violet sash such that she appeared quite serpentine in her dress. Both were laughing; the first in a deep, cavernous, slightly metallic voice, and the second with haughty airs about it. Nevertheless, they were laughing, and Uranus could find nothing funny about the situation. "What's so funny?" she finally asked. The answer soon made itself apparent, and Uranus definitely knew it wasn't funny. As if discarding the cloak of midnight shadow innumerable droids appeared out of nowhere behind their two leaders, each armed with all manner of banned and illegal weaponry. Their number soon spread to above and around the two Sailor Senshi, cutting off avenues of escape one-by-one. "Trap," Uranus hissed angrily. "This way!" Neptune cried, rocketing downward before the droids could close off that avenue. Uranus followed suit, and she risked a glance back at the droid mob long enough to see the two leaders still laughing, and their minions giving chase. She almost ran into Neptune when another squad of droids made their entrance, shedding their cloaks of blackness. Uranus reached out and grabbed Neptune's arm through the globe, and continued picking up speed as the ever-growing mob gave chase. Events repeated themselves five or six times before it dawned on her. Nemesis was getting way too big from the view. "They're trying to corner us against the planet," she shared with Neptune. "These guys really are clever." "They planned out our escape path from the start, and placed more of their army at strategic points just to herd us there," Neptune added. "Even if we fought it out back there they can still beat us by sheer numbers." "They may even get that yet," Uranus pointed out. "On the other hand, do you think they really planned for us to go down to Nemesis?" She flashed a conspiratorial smile. "Let's do it!" Uranus shouted, as both Sailor Senshi plunged into Nemesis's atmosphere. --- Command Center, Palace of Solitude Cinder roared with laughter as he and Sypha appeared within their base of operations on Nemesis, the capitol city of Darkhold. He watched the main viewscreen as the Sailor Senshi plunged into the atmosphere, creating their own fireball as they descended. "The fools," he hissed, "what do they think they're doing?" "Desperation," Sypha answered. "Watch." --- Darkhold, Nemesis Shaking off the heat associated with atmospheric re-entry Uranus and Neptune flew through the dark streets of Nemesis's capitol, obviously in its night cycle, with a legion of droids trailing behind. Uranus took it as a good sign that no more droids were appearing ahead, satisfied that this wasn't part of the enemy's plan. "We can't get back to Earth at this rate," Uranus thought out-loud. "We've got to ditch these tin cans now." Something caught Neptune's eye. "If that's what I think it is, then we could get rid of most of them there." Uranus followed Neptune's pointing finger, and saw what appeared to be a tall, black spire near Darkhold's own lake. Despite appearing no more grand than any of the other Darkhold structures she could see a faint fountain of power radiating off the top, obviously marking it as a power regulator of some sort, for whatever the Black Moon Family used to power their city. It was perfect. "Let's hope these guys are dumber than their leaders," she decided. --- Command Center, Palace of Solitude "Brilliant," Cinder praised. "By entering Darkhold proper they hold hostage their enemy. By luring them to one of the five Dark Points that make up the outer borders of the city they eliminate their locust pursuers in one fell swoop." He continued his speech as the power generator erupted in a geyser of energy, taking with it much of the droid legion. They headed off toward the next closest outer point of the star-shaped Darkhold, a mirror foundation of Crystal Tokyo. "See as they show no regard for the enemy civilians, for they are as that-- enemies. Watch as they sacrifice the lifeblood of an entire city just to elude our mass-produced, mindless droids." The second generator fell, and most of the droids were gone. Those that survived could barely keep up with Uranus and Neptune, and they were satisfied enough to slow down and pick them off with their own abilities instead. "They believe they have the upper hand, but they know too little of the truth. Ruthless as they are, they fail to notice we are far more ruthless than they." "Had we allowed them to gather all the facts, would they have acted differently if they knew they were hurting their own people?" Sypha said, posing the question such that it could not be answered. "Had they known that their opponents were not mere droids, perhaps they could have taken us seriously." In an instant, the two teleported toward the center of carnage, where Uranus and Neptune were finishing off the last of the droids with their signature attacks. Both warriors laughed. "You!" Uranus shouted. "Your ploy didn't work!" "It worked quite well, actually," Cinder countered lowly. "In fact, it worked too well. Well done." "Who are you?" asked Neptune. "Compared to these we destroyed, you're no mere droids." "In that you are correct," replied the hooded fire master. "I am known as Cinder to your people, the last of the salamander race of kami." Cinder threw off his hood, and made his point clear to the Sailor Senshi. His skin made primarily of black, obsidian-like scales, the fire master's otherwise flawless, proud, lizard-like face was marred by two things: a mechanical eye where the left eye should have been, and a steel jaw. "Your people know me as Sypha Blade," the sorcerer introduced, bowing. "Human shape I appear, but kami I was born. We are the last of our peoples, and we must thank you for taking vengeance for us." "Kami? Vengeance?" Uranus shook her head. "What are you talking about?" Sypha extended a claw toward the destroyed spire. "See this? The destruction you cause for your fellow human race? It certainly is harsh to live in such environs as Nemesis, but you make it much worse to live in for the people from Crystal Tokyo." "You can't be serious." "Imagine, if you will, when we parade you two around Darkhold, telling them of your misdeeds. Imagine how it feels to be outcast from your own people, and lose them altogether. Imagine what it is to be the last of your race!" "Get out of the way, we have no time for this," Uranus said with determination. "Watch as our cause grows in support after your treacherous attack!" Cinder cried, raising his claws out, and throwing jets of flame. --- Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, Darkhold Repair had already begun on the two power generators destroyed in the reckless attack by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, with the maintenance droids working ceaselessly for hours since the capture of the two. Word circulated about the attack on their own people, and while some believed it was an honest mistake, some started to doubt their sailor guardians. It made no matter ot Ukyo, she had her teleportation tube. When the restaurant opened that morning she made it a point not to bring up the issue, and to neither champion Cinder and Sypha or discount Uranus and Neptune. Her role was only to listen, as it made the patrons feel better. It also resulted in better business. Cologne finally entered the restaurant, intent in her eyes, hopping in on her staff. "Oh, hi," Ukyo waved, trying to sound cheery, but it seemed too forced to her ears. "I hear our city's stewards defended us from an attack by Sailor Senshi," Cologne began neutrally. "I heard the same thing. Isn't that weird?" "Perhaps. On the one hand Sypha and Cinder are no more human than you think I am. On the other, they are very capable warriors, alone or apart, and proven more than a match for the Sailor Senshi, Uranus and Neptune, if they are being held in the palace." "You think so?" "Any uprising against a simple two opponents is a dream now," Cologne concluded, shaking her head sadly. "It appears this show of force will keep people content for now." "If not for the other thing, which is the Sailor Senshi attacking us." The old woman's eyes narrowed, and for once Ukyo was glad there was no one else in the dining room. "In that case perhaps your role in town is moot. There is no more reason for you to remain." Ukyo feigned surprise. "What?" "Don't play with an old woman; I know you threw your lot with them." She realized that the hag figured out the truth. It was there for anyone to see, but very few took the time to put the puzzle pieces together. Konatsu could live with it, at least. "So now what?" "We'll see," she promised. ---------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes Stay tuned for more. --Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html