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.
Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
--Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html
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I am very interested in what kind of comments or criticisms
you might be thinking, so feel free to send them my way.