Insane Love
Part 1
by Oberon
ffml_use@hotmail.com
desclaimer: I really should get one of those.
The Sailor Senshi knew something was wrong, very wrong. As she stood opposite to the young boy she could only hope that the others will get here soon. The boy was younger than her, may be 10 or 11. He did not look threatening at all but the Senshi knew in her gut not to underestimate him. Worse still, she had no idea why the boy had lured her here. It just made her more nervous.
"Well, ya going to tell me where it is? Or do I have to get medieval on ya?" The young boy grinned at her as if he welcomed the opportunity to fight.
"Such knowledge should never fall into the hands of someone such as you." The sailor Senshi stood confidently, her abbreviated fuku, the uniform of the Sailor Soldier in this system, fluttered against the wind. "You are simply suffering from a mental defect. If you give yourself up, I promise Queen Serenity will be merciful." There was real sympathy in her voice but the small boy paid it no mind.
The boy could barely keep from laughing and it showed. "Stop stalling," he managed to get out. "Your friends are too busy dealing with the oversexed tentacle monsters. It's just going to be you and me for a while."
Without a word the Sailor Senshi charged toward the harmless looking boy. The two fought, with the Sailor doing most of the attack. But to the amazement of the experienced and magically enhanced Sailor Senshi the boy managed to avoid her at every turn. The fuku clad soldier swept her leg across the boy's head but missed. The boy ducked under the kick and looked up the girl's orange and blue skirt.
"Is that part of the uniform?" the boy asked almost innocently.
"EEE!!!" she jumped back with her hands holding down her skirt. Her blood boiled at the boy's offence.
"NO ONE DOES THAT TO THE PRINCESS OF MAIA AND GETS AWAY WITH IT." without her even realizing it, she let loose the strongest attack she had ever done. A wave of multicolor energy left the girl's hands, kicking up dust and rubble as it moved toward the boy.
The boy stood motionlessly in the wave's path but on his face was a look of amusement.
When the attack was over Sailor Maia was on her knees, her energy totally exhausted in the powerful attack. As she gasped for air she looked up expecting the boy to be unconscious or worse. She nearly choked, the boy was still standing and there was not a scratch on him.
"Well, that was pathetic. Now that you got that out of your system I su..." the boy was cut off as he was blasted from behind. He looked hurt but he was still standing.
The boy gritted his teeth and looked behind him. Across the scorched earth that was once a lush forest were Sailor Maia's fellow Sailor Senshi and a cotangent of armed troops. "That was quick. It looks like the entire inner system is here too," he muttered. From this distance he couldn't be sure but could see their sailor fuku were ripped and torn at several places. He chuckled then turned back to his prey. Slowly, he stalked toward the girl who was still recovering from her own attack.
"STOP!" one of the Senshi shouted. They were still a distance away but the troops already had their weapons trained on the boy's back.
The boy continued toward Sailor Maia who looked back at him with contempt and a bit of fear.
"TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND WE'LL FRY YOU," another girl called out but the boy was still walking forward.
Sailor Maia stood weakly as she saw the boy coming closer. The smile on his face told of the horrible things he had in mind for her. She was tired and was almost helpless, barely able to stand erect. All she could do was hope that the boy would stand down. "Just a few more minutes," she tried to comfort herself as she saw her friends trying to get to her.
"You heard her, it's all over. Just give yourself up," she tried to say with as much confidence as possible but it still came out like a little girl pleading for her life. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the flashes of multicolor light behind the boy. She smiled at the volley of destructive magic that flew toward the oblivious boy's unguarded back.
Well, she smiled until a fist met her nose, breaking it and sending her to the ground.
The boy walked calmly to the unconscious girl on the ground and ignored the magic that bounced off his back harmlessly. He knelt before the broken soldier and placed his small hands on the girl's temples. He closed his eyes and for a moment there was a light that came from his hands. His fingers sank bloodlessly and without resistance in the girl's skull until all ten were inside. It looked like he was wiggling his fingers inside the girls head before he withdrew his fingers and stood up. Behind him the Sailor Soldiers had stopped firing and looked at him with mixed emotions. The boy turned to the gathered soldiers who were only a few feet away.
"At last, all will praise the name Ranma Saotome, for the Day of Judgment has come."
"Bakusai-Ten-Ketsu" Ranma cried as he stabbed his finger into the burnt soil. Nothing happened.
The Senshi looked at him in confusion. But suddenly the earth under Ranma's fingers began to crack. It was small at first, just a spider web pattern a feet across. Then the ground rumbled like there were explosions deep in the earth. The ground where they stood shook violently.
They looked from the rapidly extending cracks to the boy. Only he wasn't there.
"Hay, where he go?" Sailor Jupiter pointed out.
"Ah... Guys," Mercury had her visor down, she called out with some fear in her voice while she read from the display.
No one noticed her attempt for attention. They were staring curiously at the expanding trench.
"GUYS!" Mercury shouted over the rumble. Mercury rarely raises her voice to anyone. Not even in the heat of argument had anyone ever heard her shout. So when they heard Mercury's cry they knew something was up.
"What ever he did it started a chain reaction in the tectonic plates." Her expression turned cold, she looked at the others like a doctor about to deliver bad news. "At its current rate, it wouldn't be long before Maia tear itself apart."
"Can we stop it?"
Mercury shook her head and looked at the growing trench sadly. "If only her Majesty is here. But even if she left for Maia at this moment I'm afraid it will be too late."
Everyone was speechless; they looked to Mercury like they didn't know what to do. For the fist time Mercury felt like the eyes of the world were on her, waiting for her to tell them what to do. She took a deep breath and looked toward one of the guards. "Lieutenant, contact the Maian government. Tell them to begin evacuation of the planet."
The man saluted Mercury before he ran off. The Sailor Senshi of Mercury then turned to her fellow Senshi. "Jupiter, check on Maia. If she's still alive bring her."
Mercury then looked to the two other Senshi. "Contact the fleet, roundup as many ships as you can. Everyone else will help with the evacuation."
The group disbursed to perform their assigned tasks leaving Mercury standing in the once beautiful forest. Jupiter had Maia over her shoulders. She gave Mercury one last look before she dashed off to join the others. With a grim look on her face Mercury watched as the trench tore open the earth.
"We're not going to make it."
= = =
"The final death toll is just over two million," Luna fixed her eyes on Queen Serenity, expecting her to act. And for a moment the moon cat thought she would.
"That is most unfortunate," The queen gazed at the cat calmly and seems to come into a decision. "However, I can not expand the energy needed for I fear a greater battle is at hand." The queen turned to the nobles that had gathered in her court. "An event that threatens the vary existence of life itself. For some time now I have felt the increasing pull toward a distant star."
In her most commanding voice the queen gave the kind of order that will change a nation. "Contact the Senshi, including Neptune and Uranus. Tell them to drop whatever they are doing and come here immediately."
"My Queen, certainly whatever it is does not warrant such drastic action. What if the Creed or the..."
"Our lives, our nation mean nothing compared to this threat. I feel it, whatever it is; it's going to be big. I'm afraid that even with our combined power we may not be able to overcome this obstacle." They were back in the queen's private office. Serenity sat behind her desk with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Tomorrow we shall make a pilgrimage to the holiest grounds in the universe, the Zero Star of Sagittarius."
"Zero Star..." Luna watched her queen with shock and amazement. If it has something to do with the caldron then it is serious. Luna suddenly remembered something important, how exactly do you get to the Zero Star? "But the way to the galaxy caldron is hidden. Only the princess of Maia knew the way and she's still unconscious."
"Yes it is very untimely that Maia fall. Perhaps it is just a coincidence but I doubt it. At any rate, there is one other that knows its location."
"The Creed?" Luna asked shakily.
"Yes,"
"Be careful my queen, the Creed are a savage race."
"I know Luna, but I'm sure even their Sailor Senshi had felt it as well." Serenity looked out the window calmly, her face a mask for the turmoil of thoughts in her mind.
"I just hope you know what you're doing," Luna spoke softly before padding off to talk with the Senshi.
= = =
A multicolor stream of light passed through the atmosphere of the planet. The light hit the ground, depositing Serenity and the Sailor Senshi in its wake. The travelers surveyed the blast craters and the crumpled spires that surrounded them, that which was once the glistening capital of the Creed Protectorate.
"What happened here?" One of the Senshi asked.
"Isn't it obvious? They got their ass kicked." Mars said.
There was a second flash of light, this time a women with rusty plate armor stepped out. The tall woman moved fluidly in her armor as she looked around. She brushed a strand of her long purple hair out of her face when it blew into her eyes. The woman's eyes settled on Serenity. She studied the queen intensely and after a moment she smile and walked toward them.
The Senshi immediately took a fighting stance against the woman but Serenity simply stood serenely as she watched the woman. For a moment Serenity thought there was another being that came along with the other Senshi. Serenity studied the new comer but she did not let her know she was doing it. She dismissed the feeling from before. It was obviously a mistake. There was no one with the new Senshi. It must have been her nerves. "Maybe I'll take a long vacation after this," she mused.
"Hello," the woman looked Serenity in the eye. "Are you Queen Serenity?"
"Yes," replied the white haired queen.
The women's muscles relaxed, she smiled at the group cheerfully. "That's good, for a moment I thought you were the ones responsible for this mess."
This got a rise out of Uranus but she didn't make a move. She stood with Neptune at her side ready to pounce on the mysterious woman.
"Please, stand down." Serenity told her Senshi. "She's one of us."
Uranus heeded her queen's order reluctantly; she was the last one to relax her guard.
"Yes, I am Pash-pash. The sailor Senshi of Sakuras." The woman gestured toward their surroundings. "Do you know what happened here?"
"Unfortunately we arrived moments before you,"
"I see," She kneed down and placed her hand on the charred asphalt. "This is not recent. Most of the energy has already dissipated. I would say this happened about six months ago."
Mercury looked at the woman incredibly. "How did you know?"
"It's a gift," She stood up and stared into the distance. "I suggest we go that way." She pointed toward a tower in the city, the only one left standing. "We may find our answer there."
They walked toward the building as a one group. Uranus took point with Mars taking up the rear. Along the way they walked passed rubble littered streets and the blast crater several miles across. They were not far away now but the ash in the air and the dimly lit sky made seeing their way very difficult.
"So tell me, why did you come here?" Serenity asked Sakuras who was walking beside her.
"I don't know exactly. It's just a general feeling I have. Like I need to be somewhere." She looked at the queen with a smile. "I hope that's not too vague 'cause that's all I can put into words."
In front of her Mercury stopped when she bumped into the back of Venus. Serenity looked to the front where Uranus had stopped the group.
"We're not alone," they heard Uranus say. The group continued on their way but cautiously while listening for any sound in the ruined city.
After half an hour the group was finally at the steps of the tower. They looked up to the demolished gates atop the steps. There was someone there, just hidden in the shadows, the silhouette of a woman. The Senshi watched as she slowly stepped out into the dime light. She walked down the steps, eyeing the new comers with suspicion. As she got closer the inner Senshi gasped at the woman's amputated arm.
"Greetings Queen Serenity, I am the Sailor Senshi of this planet." She gestured toward the destroyed city with her one good arm. "Please, excuse us if we can't welcome you properly."
The sarcasm was not lost to the solar Senshi as they growled at the woman.
But the queen only looked at the woman with sympathy. "Are you alright?" she asked with genuine concern for the woman's life.
"Oh I'm quite alright thank you. But tell me. Why are you here?"
"We wish to know the way to the Zero Star of Sagittarius." Serenity said to the woman.
"It seems that the holly land had become a very popular tourist attraction these days."
"You mean somebody else is trying to get to the caldron?" Venus asked her.
The woman nodded and looked around the rubble. "Would you believe a young boy did all this." she said, more of a statement of fact then a question.
Mercury's eyes went wild as she made the connection. "Wait, did the boy call himself Ranma Saotome?"
"I see. So he paid a visit to you as well." The woman's eyes stared blankly into the rubble as she recalled the event. "He came to us one day, appeared right inside the council chambers without warning...
Before the planet got blown to bits:
"Who are you" one of the Creeds asked the small boy who stood confidently before them. There were five other Creeds present and the Senshi was among them. They sat behind their seats and looked at the boy with contempt. From the way the boy dressed those present thought he was nothing but a second class. "How dare this plebian stand in here," the Creeds seem to have this thought echoing in their minds. However they were uncertain as to what to do since the boy managed to break through the defenses around the chamber so easily.
"Da name 's Ranma Saotome. I came to ask where the Zero Star of Sagittarius is?"
"What is it to you?" asked one of the Creeds.
"Why, I'm going to destroy the caldron and bring peace to the universe of course." The boy gave the assembled a sincere smile as he waited for his answer.
The council eyed each other conspicuous look before they decided the boy was out of his mind. And they were right.
"Hay kid, when was the last time you had a medical exam?" one of the Creed asked.
"Oh I'm not crazy. I'm just determined." The boy's cheerful expression suddenly hardened. "You going to tell me or what?"
"Why don't you go see a nice doctor and we'll talk when you finish that exam,"
"Ok, if that's they way you want it that's fine with me." The boy's grin was sinister. "I'll give you three days to reconsider, if you still don't tell me what I want to know then... HeHe..." the boy chuckled. "I hope you have enough coffins," he added in a low voice just before he disappeared.
After three days the boy came back as promised. But the council had decided to take him seriously. They had all the Sailor Senshi in the system assemble in the chamber waiting for the boy to arrive. When he arrived he was facing off against six Senshi and ten armed guards but the boy didn't look intimidated. Not one bit at all.
"I guess that's a no. Goodie,"
They fought for 7 days and 7 nights. The Senshi had used everything that had on him by the end of the first hour but the boy had shrugged it off like it was nothing. By the end of the first day the council chamber were decimated and the damage was beginning to spread into the streets.
"Change your mind yet?" the boy asked out of the blue as he ducked under a round of riffle fire. He was looking at one of the Senshi. She had lost an arm which was laying somewhere in the rubble of the council chamber. The Senshi held her wound to in an attempt to stop the blood lost but it was still pooling on the ground.
"FUCK YOU!" she cried just before she passed out.
Back in the present...
I don't know what happened after that but the results are obvious." the woman snapped out of her revelry and turned back to the others. "I can assume the boy found the way to the Zero Star?" she asked Serenity.
"Yes,"
"Too bad, for the boy. Now I know where he will be. Come, I will take you to the caldron."
= = =
There were over a thousand of them. All dressed differently. Some were absolutely ridiculous while others were unmistakable warriors. They were all women but a few were just girls. That didn't matter to the boy standing before them thou. One or one thousand, he'll take them all down. In some way he felt honored. Who else can say that they had pissed off every Sailor Senshi in the galaxy? Ranma smiled innocently at the gathered soldiers who glared at him with hostility. Both Ranma and the Senshi knew why the other was here; it was just a question of who will make the first move.
Ranma smiled innocently. It wasn't time yet. The host hasn't even showed herself, how could they get this party started without her? But apparently someone was too anxious for some fun.
Someone in the crowd of Senshi had let loose a bolt of magic. Everyone tensed, hoping this will be the end to the threat they had feared for so long. The bolt of destruction hit its mark. The explosion that resulted kicked up enough dust and rocks to shower everyone present. They were holding their breath. "Can it be this easy?" many of the Senshi asked themselves.
The dust settled but the boy was unharmed. Ranma still had that smile on his face as he continued to watch the Senshi. Many of them had taken a fighting stance thinking Ranma would surely retaliate. "Now don't get hasty. Let's wait for everyone before we get started." Talking to them like they were the children and he was the adult didn't defuse their hostility thou.
There was a burst of familiar power, that loving and caring light. Just being touched by that light, it made him feel so warm, so safe. But he knew that the light lies. It only leads to pain and misery. "She's here," Ranma turned to Queen Serenity.
The Senshi from sol gasped but the Creed Senshi was absolutely murderous.
"YOU," the one armed Senshi screamed.
"Ah, do I know you?" the boy looked at her curiously.
"You did this to me," she pointed to the stump where her arm used to be.
The boy scratched his hand as he tried to place the woman's face. "Just give me a second." He tried but nothing came to mind. "Wouldn't be long now. Hehe..." This went on for a few minutes. "Any minute now." And a few more minutes. "How about a hint?"
The one armed Senshi was just about to ripe his throat out but Uranus and Neptune held her back. "Arrhhh!!!" she screamed out against her restraints.
"Sorry, I have no idea who you are."
"YOU BASTARD, I'LL RIP OFF YOUR ARMS AND FEED IT TO YOUR ASS!"
"Ok..." Ranma held out a bottle for Serenity to see. "Look at what I got." The bottle was wholly unremarkable but it was what was inside that held everyone's interest. Inside the glass was a tinny figure. She was a girl around the boy's age. She was screaming and banging against the glass with her fists but her cries were silent, muted by the same glass that held her prisoner.
Serenity trembled in horror. "No," She recognized the person inside the bottle. It couldn't have been a trick, she could feel her presence. Her daughter, the one thing she treasured above all else, was reduced to no more than three inches tall. She wanted to plead for her daughter's life; she would gladly give this monster anything... No, this is wrong. She reminded herself why they were here... the cauldron. She looked into the distance. A stone castle with its shinning white pillars; this is where the cauldron resides. In that moment Serenity swore an oath. She will not let him get to cauldron, no matter the cost. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the girl.
"Just so you wouldn't try anything funny," Ranma stuff the bottle back into his pocket. It disappeared seamlessly into his shirt.
"Now that everyone is here, how do you want to do this?" The boy asked. "Is it going to be one-on-one or all together?"
The Senshi were in disagreement. After that show of power they weren't so sure that they would be any advantage if they did attacked together. But before the matter could be resolved, one of the Senshi stepped out of the pack.
"I shall be the first to test your metal," In each hand the Senshi held a towering blade many times taller than herself. She leveled them toward Ranma like they were paperweights. Effortlessly, she launched herself forward, her blades ready to hack him into pieces.
Even with such bulky weapons the woman was amazingly fast. With lightning speed her blades swept the space where Ranma's head would had been had he not ducked in time. The woman reversed the momentum of her swing and sliced down toward Ranma. The boy had barely the time to roll out of the way before the blades hammered into the earth and sent rocks and debris in all directions.
Ranma felt his back pelted by the loose rocks, it was painful but it did no significant damage. He stood up and immediately tried to avoid the stab to his midsection. He got out of the way just in time to see the second blade coming for his head. He jumped back to put some distance between himself and the woman.
But the woman followed him. She took to the air, her blades held high to slash him on the way down. Ranma looked up at the woman. "Not bad," the blades were about to cut into him when his hands shot out and caught the blades. The woman managed to held on to them but she was forced to land roughly on her knees. Before she could recover, Ranma ripped the blades from their owner and tossed them over his head.
The woman looked up in time to see Ranma was right next to her. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes. "Shit," she muttered as the boy's express grew cold. Acting on instinct she leaned back to avoid the kick to her chin. Although this maneuver saved her from the first kick it put her in the way of the follow up. Ranma's fist pounded into her stomach just as she leaned back. The forces of the punch knocked the wind out her and send her skidding across the ground.
She was chocking and desperately gasping for air but she saw the boy was already charging toward her. With every bit of stamina she had left the woman managed to roll out of the way. She got to her feet quickly but Ranma had changed direction and was after her once again.
The momentum of the battle had changed. Now it was Ranma who was on the offence while the Sailor Senshi tried to get out of the way of his attacks. To her credit she managed to continually avoid Ranma's assault.
= = =
Sakuras watched as the boy disarmed the Senshi with interest. Now she knew why she was drawn to this place. If the boy is as strong as everyone feared then they will need every advantaged they could get. If she could only tap into his mind then perhaps she might discover some sort of weakness. Sakuras summoned her power. To everyone she was just studying the boy but she was actually trying to stealth probe the part of the boy's brain responsible for memory. The outside world suddenly disappeared as she finally made contact with the boy's mind.
The inside of Ranma's head is surprisingly ordinary for someone who is out to destroy the universe. There was none of that reverence for the void crap or that favorite planetary destruction moment. Nope, none of that, just a simple home with bright sun light shinning through the windows. There was nothing special about the home - certainly it was no more different than the others that Sakuras had seen in the minds of countless different races. In fact the most remarkable thing about the memory of this place is its unremarkable ness.
For sometime Sakuras strolled through the house searching for anything out of the ordinary. She walked in the kitchen and found many tools used in food preparation. They may have looked different from the ones back home but they served the same purpose. Next she checked out the large white box in the corner of the kitchen. She reasoned this was a food preservation device which means she this is where she might learn about his dietary habits. She placed her on the metallic handle of the box. Slowly she opened the box expecting to see hacked up body parts of sentient beings. But all she found was some frozen vegetables and the preserved form of some funny looking bird. She didn't find the reminds of any poor soul that had found its way into the boy's diet, unless she counted the bird but it didn't look smart - then again you'll never know when it comes to these things.
She found the boy, or at least the younger version of him, in the main room next to the kitchen. He appeared several years younger, maybe 5 or 6, and he dressed better - not like the rages he had in the real world. The boy's back was to her, his attention apparently drawn to the moving picture box in the corner.
Sakuras studied the boy. He looked content, happy even, in other words he was perfectly normal.
Sakuras heard a woman call out to the boy from the kitchen. "Ranma, lunch is ready."
The boy reluctantly tore himself from the picture box and got up. "Coming mama," the boy patted off to the kitchen while keeping an eye on the picture box until the last second.
Sakuras shook her head. "This isn't what I had in mind." She summoned her power once again and shuffled through more of the boy's memory.
Sakuras found herself in the darkness. She got excited immediately thinking that this must be something relevant. It was a stereotype, she knew, but these dark ominous scenes had always proven vital in the past. She congratulated herself once again when she found the boy. He was older now, and looked almost the same to as he does in the real world. But what was really interesting was the giant vortex of light that was drawing the boy into its core. The boy seems to be in a catatonic state. Sakuras looked into his eyes, they were open but it looked like there was no one inside. He was drifting closer and closer to the light, which in more detail inspection is really a swirling collective of spheres of light. Sakuras watched the boy suddenly jerk upright.
"I understand," with these simple words he moved away from the light.
Sakura watched the boy vanish into the abyss, she had stopped when the boy turned away and now she found herself unable to follow him.
"Hi there," Sakuras suddenly felt like peeing in her chain mail. No one was supposed to be able to interact with her in this fashion. Had the boy discovered her presence? In her panic she tried to pull out of his mind but found her powers not responding to her command. Undeterred, she tried again with the same result. She hesitantly turned to face the voice. Only no one was there - there was the light but that's just a memory.
"Is someone here?" she called out.
"Yo," the same voice replied in response.
"STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH ME AND SHOW YOURSELF."
"I'm standing right here," the voice said with a bit of irritability.
"Where?"
"Here,"
Sakuras felt someone had just bonked her on the head but she didn't see anyone or anything. She rubbed her head sourly and looked around. "Wha?"
"I'm the giant strobe light you moron!"
"How?" Sakuras asked in confusion.
"I'm the big G, you know, G.O.D."
"Oh..." She was speechless and it took her a few moments to realize perhaps this entity was behind the boy's rampage across the galaxy. She took a fighting stance against this being. If she could defeat it then perhaps the boy will loose his powers. But first she had to she had to know if the entity was really the one she had been looking for. "Are you the one that set the boy loose on us?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
That's it then. The creature had admitted his guilt now she will vanquish it and restore peace to the galaxy. Without another word she launched herself at the creature that called itself God. The only problem was: she suddenly came down with a case of explosive diarrhea.
She was struck down with a debilitating urge to run to the nearest toilet. But how could she leave this enemy while Ranma was on the verge of destroying the universe? She tried to hold it in but the cramps in her stomach was becoming unbearable. She tried to attack and found herself curling into a ball as the pain shot down her bowels.
For almost an eternity she felt herself purge her stomach of its contents but nothing ever came out. The muscles in her large intestines continuously contracted while her sphincter muscle rhythmically dilated. By the time the episode had passed her face was ghostly pale. She was complete exhausted and felt as weak as a kitten. She looked up at the entity; in her mind there was no doubt as to who was responsible.
"Ahum, as I was saying. I am at fault for the boy's actions. But you must understand the boy choice this path on he's own free will."
"Why are you talking so strangely all of a sudden?" Sakuras cut off G.O.D.
"I'm God, talk anyway I like I can. Alas, the boy's mind had become too fragile. Our communion only served to push him over the edge of sanity. In his warped mind he miss-interpreted my message."
"That's nice story and all but how does it help me?" she asked hoping that this being doesn't actually have the destruction of the universe in mind.
"It doesn't. I just wish for you to understand that the boy is not evil."
"NOT EVIL! He's trying to destroy the universe." Sakuras wanted to throttle this thing for saying something so stupid. If she had the strength she was going to slap some sense into this blob of light. Still, she had to admit she couldn't blame the boy completely. If it was just a mental defect then he could be cured. However, they still need to get through his defenses.
"If you understand then I wouldn't keep you from your task. The answer to your question is in here. But one word of advice before you go."
Finally feeling better, Sakuras got to her feet. "Yeah, what's that?"
"Don't be overly harsh on the boy. To do so will invite calamity." With that said God blinked out of existence.
Alone once again Sakuras call upon her power as she too disappeared from the abyss.
= = =
"Please, pop. Don't leave me. I'll practice harder, I promise." It was the younger version of Ranma again. He had a white dogi just like the one he had in the real world except this one is new. This time he was hanging on to a middle age overweight man while the man was trying to separate himself from the boy. From Sakuras position a few feet away she could see the almost hysterical expression on the boy's face.
"Com 'on boy, you don't want your father to go hungry?" The man was still trying to separate himself from the boy but Ranma was holding to Genma's leg like a vise.
"No pop, but..."
"That's a good boy." The fat man lightly bobbed Ranma on the head. It wasn't hard but it was hard enough to knock the boy unconscious. Sakuras watched the scene fade into darkness.
"Such a sad childhood. Still..." She disappeared to continue her search.
= = =
"You can take me back to my pop?" The boy asked gleefully. But from the puffy eyes Sakuras could tell he was just crying not long ago. The boy smiled at the tall woman in the room. She was regal looking woman with green hair dressed like one of the Senshi from Sol.
Sakuras studied her. She was Senshi, Sakuras was sure. But the woman wasn't one that had accompanied Serenity. She was looked older than the others and her scarlet eyes spoke of untold years of experience. Beneath it all though, Sakuras could tell the woman had closed her heart to the world long ago. The woman had an ornamental staff, key shaped with a large red orb on one end. Sakura also saw the keys around the woman's waist.
"Must be a fetish," she joked. She looked around the room. Large king sized bed with expensive looking sheets and cover, furniture only the wealthy can afford, wall-to-wall carpeting - this must be the woman's place Sakuras concluded. From what she had seen there was no way the boy could ever afford to live in such place.
"Yes, but you have to do something for me." The woman spoke to the boy in a low voice.
"OK" the boy replied excitedly without thinking.
With a motion of her staff she summoned a portal in the room. Sakuras tried to look through the doorway but she could not see what was beyond it. The woman took Ranma by the hand and led him through the portal. Sakuras followed them close behind. It was the only way to find out what was going on, besides this is just a memory - what can go wrong?
They stepped into a laboratory so some kind. It was old; a layer of dust had settled on everything. One side of the room was a transparent wall which separated the laboratory from some test equipment on the other side. An airlock was the only access between the two rooms.
The Senshi told Ranma what to do. Mainly, it was to get something from the other side of the airlock. Sounds simple but Sakuras knew there must be something else she left out or the woman would have done it herself. This never occurred to Ranma though. The boy was too excited to have realized it. Without hesitation he went through the airlock and made the 20 or so ft. to the piece of equipment. But half way there the boy's sprint began to falter.
"Oooo, I feel dizzy." the boy complained but he continued. The only thing on his mind right now was the prospect of going home. He took a few more steps before he had to stop. He suddenly held his stomach like he was about to throw up. He took a deep breath and continued on his way. "I'm going home, I'm going home." he continuously chanted.
All this time the Senshi watch Ranma's progress with a detached professionalism. Sakura shock her head in disapproval. This is why the boy turned out this way. She would never have believed it if she didn't see it for herself. Who would have ever thought the servants of the Moon Kingdom was so cold and heartless as to sacrifice an innocent boy for their own ends.
Ranma finally made his way to the equipment but every step felt like his shoes had been pact with lead weights. "Got it," he called out as he removed the machine from its pedestal. It was a cylinder, about 2 ft. tall and 1/2 ft. in diameter. Completely smooth on all sides it looked just like a cylinder with no obvious ports or connectors. Ranma wrapped his arms around the cylinder as he made his way back to the airlock. It was a slow progress and getting slow with every step. By the time he was 5 ft. away from the door he had to roll the cylinder ahead of him then crawl after it. With his last bit of strength he managed to open the airlock and get himself inside.
The Senshi walked inside the open airlock. Ranma was on the floor, completely exhausted but he was still conscious. Instead of helping the boy the Senshi walked over to get to the cylinder. She took the cylinder and walked out without giving the boy another look. The boy had just enough strength left to grab on to her boots which got her attention.
"What about my pop?" the boy asked weakly.
"Sorry kid, you wouldn't live long enough to see him." The woman jerked free from the boy's hold and walked out.
Sakuras watch the exchange with growing sympathy for the boy. She knelt on the boy's side and placed her hands on the boy's face. Not that he would feel it but it made her feel better just to perform this little gesture. For the next few minutes she watched the boy's life fade away. She understood now why the boy had been twisted the way he had been. You don't look death in the eye and ever be the same again.
"I promise I wouldn't ever let them hurt you,"
= = =
One look on the boy's face and she knew this is what she been looking for. The pain was obvious. He had been hurt but the question was how.
The boy was facing off against another Senshi from Sol. This one was also not present with Serenity. Sakuras watched the two fought. From the beginning it was obvious that Ranma's skill far out matched the Senshi's but the girl kept fighting. Every attack from the Senshi the boy avoided with grace and confidence. Finally, the Senshi let loose a powerful attack that decimated the forest around them. But the boy was unaffected.
The Senshi was on her knees recouping from the attack when the boy walked toward her. "Well, that was pathetic. Now that you got that out of your system I su..."
Sakuras immediately look behind him. The other Sol Senshi were here along with some armed men. The other Senshi had attack the boy from behind and it hurt him. There is no other way to explain it. He was hurt but how? She watched Ranma stalk ever closer to the exhausted Senshi but now the attack from the others are just bouncing off his back. How did it happen? How did they hurt him? Sakuras watched the scene over and over but she couldn't figure it out.
"There must be some reason?" She replayed the scene from the beginning.
"Your friends are too busy dealing with the oversexed tentacle monsters. It's just going to be you and me for a while."
It suddenly dawned on her. "That's it!" He wasn't expecting them. This must be some conscious effort. This is his weakness. She had found his weakness and they say she'll never amount to anything. That'll show those bastards back home. She saved the universe while they were on there ass.
There was nothing to do but get out. She was excited as a school girl. She commanded her power to obey and it responded. The decimated forest disappeared to be replaced by the rocky planes of the Zero Star. But she'll never get the chance to tell the others what she had discovered.
Ranma had just knocked his latest opponent into submission when had felt it - a trespasser in his mind. It was trying to get out and it was not too keen at hiding it either. Ranma felt the pull of the being leaving. His eyes followed in the direction of the being's trail. They settled on an armor clad Senshi standing near Serenity. He had never seen her before but hated her already. "YOU… YOU... YOU..." without even thinking he let loose his power of the unsuspecting Senshi.
Sakuras never felt it. One moment she was barely able to contain her joy the next moment the back of her exploded outward. Serenity gasped. Pieces of Sakuras skull and brain were everywhere. The monster must have done this, she knew it. Serenity watched Sakuras slumped to the ground with a thump. "I'll avenge you, this I swear."
TBC... maybe
Part 1
by Oberon
ffml_use@hotmail.com
desclaimer: I really should get one of those.
The Sailor Senshi knew something was wrong, very wrong. As she stood opposite to the young boy she could only hope that the others will get here soon. The boy was younger than her, may be 10 or 11. He did not look threatening at all but the Senshi knew in her gut not to underestimate him. Worse still, she had no idea why the boy had lured her here. It just made her more nervous.
"Well, ya going to tell me where it is? Or do I have to get medieval on ya?" The young boy grinned at her as if he welcomed the opportunity to fight.
"Such knowledge should never fall into the hands of someone such as you." The sailor Senshi stood confidently, her abbreviated fuku, the uniform of the Sailor Soldier in this system, fluttered against the wind. "You are simply suffering from a mental defect. If you give yourself up, I promise Queen Serenity will be merciful." There was real sympathy in her voice but the small boy paid it no mind.
The boy could barely keep from laughing and it showed. "Stop stalling," he managed to get out. "Your friends are too busy dealing with the oversexed tentacle monsters. It's just going to be you and me for a while."
Without a word the Sailor Senshi charged toward the harmless looking boy. The two fought, with the Sailor doing most of the attack. But to the amazement of the experienced and magically enhanced Sailor Senshi the boy managed to avoid her at every turn. The fuku clad soldier swept her leg across the boy's head but missed. The boy ducked under the kick and looked up the girl's orange and blue skirt.
"Is that part of the uniform?" the boy asked almost innocently.
"EEE!!!" she jumped back with her hands holding down her skirt. Her blood boiled at the boy's offence.
"NO ONE DOES THAT TO THE PRINCESS OF MAIA AND GETS AWAY WITH IT." without her even realizing it, she let loose the strongest attack she had ever done. A wave of multicolor energy left the girl's hands, kicking up dust and rubble as it moved toward the boy.
The boy stood motionlessly in the wave's path but on his face was a look of amusement.
When the attack was over Sailor Maia was on her knees, her energy totally exhausted in the powerful attack. As she gasped for air she looked up expecting the boy to be unconscious or worse. She nearly choked, the boy was still standing and there was not a scratch on him.
"Well, that was pathetic. Now that you got that out of your system I su..." the boy was cut off as he was blasted from behind. He looked hurt but he was still standing.
The boy gritted his teeth and looked behind him. Across the scorched earth that was once a lush forest were Sailor Maia's fellow Sailor Senshi and a cotangent of armed troops. "That was quick. It looks like the entire inner system is here too," he muttered. From this distance he couldn't be sure but could see their sailor fuku were ripped and torn at several places. He chuckled then turned back to his prey. Slowly, he stalked toward the girl who was still recovering from her own attack.
"STOP!" one of the Senshi shouted. They were still a distance away but the troops already had their weapons trained on the boy's back.
The boy continued toward Sailor Maia who looked back at him with contempt and a bit of fear.
"TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND WE'LL FRY YOU," another girl called out but the boy was still walking forward.
Sailor Maia stood weakly as she saw the boy coming closer. The smile on his face told of the horrible things he had in mind for her. She was tired and was almost helpless, barely able to stand erect. All she could do was hope that the boy would stand down. "Just a few more minutes," she tried to comfort herself as she saw her friends trying to get to her.
"You heard her, it's all over. Just give yourself up," she tried to say with as much confidence as possible but it still came out like a little girl pleading for her life. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the flashes of multicolor light behind the boy. She smiled at the volley of destructive magic that flew toward the oblivious boy's unguarded back.
Well, she smiled until a fist met her nose, breaking it and sending her to the ground.
The boy walked calmly to the unconscious girl on the ground and ignored the magic that bounced off his back harmlessly. He knelt before the broken soldier and placed his small hands on the girl's temples. He closed his eyes and for a moment there was a light that came from his hands. His fingers sank bloodlessly and without resistance in the girl's skull until all ten were inside. It looked like he was wiggling his fingers inside the girls head before he withdrew his fingers and stood up. Behind him the Sailor Soldiers had stopped firing and looked at him with mixed emotions. The boy turned to the gathered soldiers who were only a few feet away.
"At last, all will praise the name Ranma Saotome, for the Day of Judgment has come."
"Bakusai-Ten-Ketsu" Ranma cried as he stabbed his finger into the burnt soil. Nothing happened.
The Senshi looked at him in confusion. But suddenly the earth under Ranma's fingers began to crack. It was small at first, just a spider web pattern a feet across. Then the ground rumbled like there were explosions deep in the earth. The ground where they stood shook violently.
They looked from the rapidly extending cracks to the boy. Only he wasn't there.
"Hay, where he go?" Sailor Jupiter pointed out.
"Ah... Guys," Mercury had her visor down, she called out with some fear in her voice while she read from the display.
No one noticed her attempt for attention. They were staring curiously at the expanding trench.
"GUYS!" Mercury shouted over the rumble. Mercury rarely raises her voice to anyone. Not even in the heat of argument had anyone ever heard her shout. So when they heard Mercury's cry they knew something was up.
"What ever he did it started a chain reaction in the tectonic plates." Her expression turned cold, she looked at the others like a doctor about to deliver bad news. "At its current rate, it wouldn't be long before Maia tear itself apart."
"Can we stop it?"
Mercury shook her head and looked at the growing trench sadly. "If only her Majesty is here. But even if she left for Maia at this moment I'm afraid it will be too late."
Everyone was speechless; they looked to Mercury like they didn't know what to do. For the fist time Mercury felt like the eyes of the world were on her, waiting for her to tell them what to do. She took a deep breath and looked toward one of the guards. "Lieutenant, contact the Maian government. Tell them to begin evacuation of the planet."
The man saluted Mercury before he ran off. The Sailor Senshi of Mercury then turned to her fellow Senshi. "Jupiter, check on Maia. If she's still alive bring her."
Mercury then looked to the two other Senshi. "Contact the fleet, roundup as many ships as you can. Everyone else will help with the evacuation."
The group disbursed to perform their assigned tasks leaving Mercury standing in the once beautiful forest. Jupiter had Maia over her shoulders. She gave Mercury one last look before she dashed off to join the others. With a grim look on her face Mercury watched as the trench tore open the earth.
"We're not going to make it."
= = =
"The final death toll is just over two million," Luna fixed her eyes on Queen Serenity, expecting her to act. And for a moment the moon cat thought she would.
"That is most unfortunate," The queen gazed at the cat calmly and seems to come into a decision. "However, I can not expand the energy needed for I fear a greater battle is at hand." The queen turned to the nobles that had gathered in her court. "An event that threatens the vary existence of life itself. For some time now I have felt the increasing pull toward a distant star."
In her most commanding voice the queen gave the kind of order that will change a nation. "Contact the Senshi, including Neptune and Uranus. Tell them to drop whatever they are doing and come here immediately."
"My Queen, certainly whatever it is does not warrant such drastic action. What if the Creed or the..."
"Our lives, our nation mean nothing compared to this threat. I feel it, whatever it is; it's going to be big. I'm afraid that even with our combined power we may not be able to overcome this obstacle." They were back in the queen's private office. Serenity sat behind her desk with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Tomorrow we shall make a pilgrimage to the holiest grounds in the universe, the Zero Star of Sagittarius."
"Zero Star..." Luna watched her queen with shock and amazement. If it has something to do with the caldron then it is serious. Luna suddenly remembered something important, how exactly do you get to the Zero Star? "But the way to the galaxy caldron is hidden. Only the princess of Maia knew the way and she's still unconscious."
"Yes it is very untimely that Maia fall. Perhaps it is just a coincidence but I doubt it. At any rate, there is one other that knows its location."
"The Creed?" Luna asked shakily.
"Yes,"
"Be careful my queen, the Creed are a savage race."
"I know Luna, but I'm sure even their Sailor Senshi had felt it as well." Serenity looked out the window calmly, her face a mask for the turmoil of thoughts in her mind.
"I just hope you know what you're doing," Luna spoke softly before padding off to talk with the Senshi.
= = =
A multicolor stream of light passed through the atmosphere of the planet. The light hit the ground, depositing Serenity and the Sailor Senshi in its wake. The travelers surveyed the blast craters and the crumpled spires that surrounded them, that which was once the glistening capital of the Creed Protectorate.
"What happened here?" One of the Senshi asked.
"Isn't it obvious? They got their ass kicked." Mars said.
There was a second flash of light, this time a women with rusty plate armor stepped out. The tall woman moved fluidly in her armor as she looked around. She brushed a strand of her long purple hair out of her face when it blew into her eyes. The woman's eyes settled on Serenity. She studied the queen intensely and after a moment she smile and walked toward them.
The Senshi immediately took a fighting stance against the woman but Serenity simply stood serenely as she watched the woman. For a moment Serenity thought there was another being that came along with the other Senshi. Serenity studied the new comer but she did not let her know she was doing it. She dismissed the feeling from before. It was obviously a mistake. There was no one with the new Senshi. It must have been her nerves. "Maybe I'll take a long vacation after this," she mused.
"Hello," the woman looked Serenity in the eye. "Are you Queen Serenity?"
"Yes," replied the white haired queen.
The women's muscles relaxed, she smiled at the group cheerfully. "That's good, for a moment I thought you were the ones responsible for this mess."
This got a rise out of Uranus but she didn't make a move. She stood with Neptune at her side ready to pounce on the mysterious woman.
"Please, stand down." Serenity told her Senshi. "She's one of us."
Uranus heeded her queen's order reluctantly; she was the last one to relax her guard.
"Yes, I am Pash-pash. The sailor Senshi of Sakuras." The woman gestured toward their surroundings. "Do you know what happened here?"
"Unfortunately we arrived moments before you,"
"I see," She kneed down and placed her hand on the charred asphalt. "This is not recent. Most of the energy has already dissipated. I would say this happened about six months ago."
Mercury looked at the woman incredibly. "How did you know?"
"It's a gift," She stood up and stared into the distance. "I suggest we go that way." She pointed toward a tower in the city, the only one left standing. "We may find our answer there."
They walked toward the building as a one group. Uranus took point with Mars taking up the rear. Along the way they walked passed rubble littered streets and the blast crater several miles across. They were not far away now but the ash in the air and the dimly lit sky made seeing their way very difficult.
"So tell me, why did you come here?" Serenity asked Sakuras who was walking beside her.
"I don't know exactly. It's just a general feeling I have. Like I need to be somewhere." She looked at the queen with a smile. "I hope that's not too vague 'cause that's all I can put into words."
In front of her Mercury stopped when she bumped into the back of Venus. Serenity looked to the front where Uranus had stopped the group.
"We're not alone," they heard Uranus say. The group continued on their way but cautiously while listening for any sound in the ruined city.
After half an hour the group was finally at the steps of the tower. They looked up to the demolished gates atop the steps. There was someone there, just hidden in the shadows, the silhouette of a woman. The Senshi watched as she slowly stepped out into the dime light. She walked down the steps, eyeing the new comers with suspicion. As she got closer the inner Senshi gasped at the woman's amputated arm.
"Greetings Queen Serenity, I am the Sailor Senshi of this planet." She gestured toward the destroyed city with her one good arm. "Please, excuse us if we can't welcome you properly."
The sarcasm was not lost to the solar Senshi as they growled at the woman.
But the queen only looked at the woman with sympathy. "Are you alright?" she asked with genuine concern for the woman's life.
"Oh I'm quite alright thank you. But tell me. Why are you here?"
"We wish to know the way to the Zero Star of Sagittarius." Serenity said to the woman.
"It seems that the holly land had become a very popular tourist attraction these days."
"You mean somebody else is trying to get to the caldron?" Venus asked her.
The woman nodded and looked around the rubble. "Would you believe a young boy did all this." she said, more of a statement of fact then a question.
Mercury's eyes went wild as she made the connection. "Wait, did the boy call himself Ranma Saotome?"
"I see. So he paid a visit to you as well." The woman's eyes stared blankly into the rubble as she recalled the event. "He came to us one day, appeared right inside the council chambers without warning...
Before the planet got blown to bits:
"Who are you" one of the Creeds asked the small boy who stood confidently before them. There were five other Creeds present and the Senshi was among them. They sat behind their seats and looked at the boy with contempt. From the way the boy dressed those present thought he was nothing but a second class. "How dare this plebian stand in here," the Creeds seem to have this thought echoing in their minds. However they were uncertain as to what to do since the boy managed to break through the defenses around the chamber so easily.
"Da name 's Ranma Saotome. I came to ask where the Zero Star of Sagittarius is?"
"What is it to you?" asked one of the Creeds.
"Why, I'm going to destroy the caldron and bring peace to the universe of course." The boy gave the assembled a sincere smile as he waited for his answer.
The council eyed each other conspicuous look before they decided the boy was out of his mind. And they were right.
"Hay kid, when was the last time you had a medical exam?" one of the Creed asked.
"Oh I'm not crazy. I'm just determined." The boy's cheerful expression suddenly hardened. "You going to tell me or what?"
"Why don't you go see a nice doctor and we'll talk when you finish that exam,"
"Ok, if that's they way you want it that's fine with me." The boy's grin was sinister. "I'll give you three days to reconsider, if you still don't tell me what I want to know then... HeHe..." the boy chuckled. "I hope you have enough coffins," he added in a low voice just before he disappeared.
After three days the boy came back as promised. But the council had decided to take him seriously. They had all the Sailor Senshi in the system assemble in the chamber waiting for the boy to arrive. When he arrived he was facing off against six Senshi and ten armed guards but the boy didn't look intimidated. Not one bit at all.
"I guess that's a no. Goodie,"
They fought for 7 days and 7 nights. The Senshi had used everything that had on him by the end of the first hour but the boy had shrugged it off like it was nothing. By the end of the first day the council chamber were decimated and the damage was beginning to spread into the streets.
"Change your mind yet?" the boy asked out of the blue as he ducked under a round of riffle fire. He was looking at one of the Senshi. She had lost an arm which was laying somewhere in the rubble of the council chamber. The Senshi held her wound to in an attempt to stop the blood lost but it was still pooling on the ground.
"FUCK YOU!" she cried just before she passed out.
Back in the present...
I don't know what happened after that but the results are obvious." the woman snapped out of her revelry and turned back to the others. "I can assume the boy found the way to the Zero Star?" she asked Serenity.
"Yes,"
"Too bad, for the boy. Now I know where he will be. Come, I will take you to the caldron."
= = =
There were over a thousand of them. All dressed differently. Some were absolutely ridiculous while others were unmistakable warriors. They were all women but a few were just girls. That didn't matter to the boy standing before them thou. One or one thousand, he'll take them all down. In some way he felt honored. Who else can say that they had pissed off every Sailor Senshi in the galaxy? Ranma smiled innocently at the gathered soldiers who glared at him with hostility. Both Ranma and the Senshi knew why the other was here; it was just a question of who will make the first move.
Ranma smiled innocently. It wasn't time yet. The host hasn't even showed herself, how could they get this party started without her? But apparently someone was too anxious for some fun.
Someone in the crowd of Senshi had let loose a bolt of magic. Everyone tensed, hoping this will be the end to the threat they had feared for so long. The bolt of destruction hit its mark. The explosion that resulted kicked up enough dust and rocks to shower everyone present. They were holding their breath. "Can it be this easy?" many of the Senshi asked themselves.
The dust settled but the boy was unharmed. Ranma still had that smile on his face as he continued to watch the Senshi. Many of them had taken a fighting stance thinking Ranma would surely retaliate. "Now don't get hasty. Let's wait for everyone before we get started." Talking to them like they were the children and he was the adult didn't defuse their hostility thou.
There was a burst of familiar power, that loving and caring light. Just being touched by that light, it made him feel so warm, so safe. But he knew that the light lies. It only leads to pain and misery. "She's here," Ranma turned to Queen Serenity.
The Senshi from sol gasped but the Creed Senshi was absolutely murderous.
"YOU," the one armed Senshi screamed.
"Ah, do I know you?" the boy looked at her curiously.
"You did this to me," she pointed to the stump where her arm used to be.
The boy scratched his hand as he tried to place the woman's face. "Just give me a second." He tried but nothing came to mind. "Wouldn't be long now. Hehe..." This went on for a few minutes. "Any minute now." And a few more minutes. "How about a hint?"
The one armed Senshi was just about to ripe his throat out but Uranus and Neptune held her back. "Arrhhh!!!" she screamed out against her restraints.
"Sorry, I have no idea who you are."
"YOU BASTARD, I'LL RIP OFF YOUR ARMS AND FEED IT TO YOUR ASS!"
"Ok..." Ranma held out a bottle for Serenity to see. "Look at what I got." The bottle was wholly unremarkable but it was what was inside that held everyone's interest. Inside the glass was a tinny figure. She was a girl around the boy's age. She was screaming and banging against the glass with her fists but her cries were silent, muted by the same glass that held her prisoner.
Serenity trembled in horror. "No," She recognized the person inside the bottle. It couldn't have been a trick, she could feel her presence. Her daughter, the one thing she treasured above all else, was reduced to no more than three inches tall. She wanted to plead for her daughter's life; she would gladly give this monster anything... No, this is wrong. She reminded herself why they were here... the cauldron. She looked into the distance. A stone castle with its shinning white pillars; this is where the cauldron resides. In that moment Serenity swore an oath. She will not let him get to cauldron, no matter the cost. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the girl.
"Just so you wouldn't try anything funny," Ranma stuff the bottle back into his pocket. It disappeared seamlessly into his shirt.
"Now that everyone is here, how do you want to do this?" The boy asked. "Is it going to be one-on-one or all together?"
The Senshi were in disagreement. After that show of power they weren't so sure that they would be any advantage if they did attacked together. But before the matter could be resolved, one of the Senshi stepped out of the pack.
"I shall be the first to test your metal," In each hand the Senshi held a towering blade many times taller than herself. She leveled them toward Ranma like they were paperweights. Effortlessly, she launched herself forward, her blades ready to hack him into pieces.
Even with such bulky weapons the woman was amazingly fast. With lightning speed her blades swept the space where Ranma's head would had been had he not ducked in time. The woman reversed the momentum of her swing and sliced down toward Ranma. The boy had barely the time to roll out of the way before the blades hammered into the earth and sent rocks and debris in all directions.
Ranma felt his back pelted by the loose rocks, it was painful but it did no significant damage. He stood up and immediately tried to avoid the stab to his midsection. He got out of the way just in time to see the second blade coming for his head. He jumped back to put some distance between himself and the woman.
But the woman followed him. She took to the air, her blades held high to slash him on the way down. Ranma looked up at the woman. "Not bad," the blades were about to cut into him when his hands shot out and caught the blades. The woman managed to held on to them but she was forced to land roughly on her knees. Before she could recover, Ranma ripped the blades from their owner and tossed them over his head.
The woman looked up in time to see Ranma was right next to her. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes. "Shit," she muttered as the boy's express grew cold. Acting on instinct she leaned back to avoid the kick to her chin. Although this maneuver saved her from the first kick it put her in the way of the follow up. Ranma's fist pounded into her stomach just as she leaned back. The forces of the punch knocked the wind out her and send her skidding across the ground.
She was chocking and desperately gasping for air but she saw the boy was already charging toward her. With every bit of stamina she had left the woman managed to roll out of the way. She got to her feet quickly but Ranma had changed direction and was after her once again.
The momentum of the battle had changed. Now it was Ranma who was on the offence while the Sailor Senshi tried to get out of the way of his attacks. To her credit she managed to continually avoid Ranma's assault.
= = =
Sakuras watched as the boy disarmed the Senshi with interest. Now she knew why she was drawn to this place. If the boy is as strong as everyone feared then they will need every advantaged they could get. If she could only tap into his mind then perhaps she might discover some sort of weakness. Sakuras summoned her power. To everyone she was just studying the boy but she was actually trying to stealth probe the part of the boy's brain responsible for memory. The outside world suddenly disappeared as she finally made contact with the boy's mind.
The inside of Ranma's head is surprisingly ordinary for someone who is out to destroy the universe. There was none of that reverence for the void crap or that favorite planetary destruction moment. Nope, none of that, just a simple home with bright sun light shinning through the windows. There was nothing special about the home - certainly it was no more different than the others that Sakuras had seen in the minds of countless different races. In fact the most remarkable thing about the memory of this place is its unremarkable ness.
For sometime Sakuras strolled through the house searching for anything out of the ordinary. She walked in the kitchen and found many tools used in food preparation. They may have looked different from the ones back home but they served the same purpose. Next she checked out the large white box in the corner of the kitchen. She reasoned this was a food preservation device which means she this is where she might learn about his dietary habits. She placed her on the metallic handle of the box. Slowly she opened the box expecting to see hacked up body parts of sentient beings. But all she found was some frozen vegetables and the preserved form of some funny looking bird. She didn't find the reminds of any poor soul that had found its way into the boy's diet, unless she counted the bird but it didn't look smart - then again you'll never know when it comes to these things.
She found the boy, or at least the younger version of him, in the main room next to the kitchen. He appeared several years younger, maybe 5 or 6, and he dressed better - not like the rages he had in the real world. The boy's back was to her, his attention apparently drawn to the moving picture box in the corner.
Sakuras studied the boy. He looked content, happy even, in other words he was perfectly normal.
Sakuras heard a woman call out to the boy from the kitchen. "Ranma, lunch is ready."
The boy reluctantly tore himself from the picture box and got up. "Coming mama," the boy patted off to the kitchen while keeping an eye on the picture box until the last second.
Sakuras shook her head. "This isn't what I had in mind." She summoned her power once again and shuffled through more of the boy's memory.
Sakuras found herself in the darkness. She got excited immediately thinking that this must be something relevant. It was a stereotype, she knew, but these dark ominous scenes had always proven vital in the past. She congratulated herself once again when she found the boy. He was older now, and looked almost the same to as he does in the real world. But what was really interesting was the giant vortex of light that was drawing the boy into its core. The boy seems to be in a catatonic state. Sakuras looked into his eyes, they were open but it looked like there was no one inside. He was drifting closer and closer to the light, which in more detail inspection is really a swirling collective of spheres of light. Sakuras watched the boy suddenly jerk upright.
"I understand," with these simple words he moved away from the light.
Sakura watched the boy vanish into the abyss, she had stopped when the boy turned away and now she found herself unable to follow him.
"Hi there," Sakuras suddenly felt like peeing in her chain mail. No one was supposed to be able to interact with her in this fashion. Had the boy discovered her presence? In her panic she tried to pull out of his mind but found her powers not responding to her command. Undeterred, she tried again with the same result. She hesitantly turned to face the voice. Only no one was there - there was the light but that's just a memory.
"Is someone here?" she called out.
"Yo," the same voice replied in response.
"STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH ME AND SHOW YOURSELF."
"I'm standing right here," the voice said with a bit of irritability.
"Where?"
"Here,"
Sakuras felt someone had just bonked her on the head but she didn't see anyone or anything. She rubbed her head sourly and looked around. "Wha?"
"I'm the giant strobe light you moron!"
"How?" Sakuras asked in confusion.
"I'm the big G, you know, G.O.D."
"Oh..." She was speechless and it took her a few moments to realize perhaps this entity was behind the boy's rampage across the galaxy. She took a fighting stance against this being. If she could defeat it then perhaps the boy will loose his powers. But first she had to she had to know if the entity was really the one she had been looking for. "Are you the one that set the boy loose on us?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
That's it then. The creature had admitted his guilt now she will vanquish it and restore peace to the galaxy. Without another word she launched herself at the creature that called itself God. The only problem was: she suddenly came down with a case of explosive diarrhea.
She was struck down with a debilitating urge to run to the nearest toilet. But how could she leave this enemy while Ranma was on the verge of destroying the universe? She tried to hold it in but the cramps in her stomach was becoming unbearable. She tried to attack and found herself curling into a ball as the pain shot down her bowels.
For almost an eternity she felt herself purge her stomach of its contents but nothing ever came out. The muscles in her large intestines continuously contracted while her sphincter muscle rhythmically dilated. By the time the episode had passed her face was ghostly pale. She was complete exhausted and felt as weak as a kitten. She looked up at the entity; in her mind there was no doubt as to who was responsible.
"Ahum, as I was saying. I am at fault for the boy's actions. But you must understand the boy choice this path on he's own free will."
"Why are you talking so strangely all of a sudden?" Sakuras cut off G.O.D.
"I'm God, talk anyway I like I can. Alas, the boy's mind had become too fragile. Our communion only served to push him over the edge of sanity. In his warped mind he miss-interpreted my message."
"That's nice story and all but how does it help me?" she asked hoping that this being doesn't actually have the destruction of the universe in mind.
"It doesn't. I just wish for you to understand that the boy is not evil."
"NOT EVIL! He's trying to destroy the universe." Sakuras wanted to throttle this thing for saying something so stupid. If she had the strength she was going to slap some sense into this blob of light. Still, she had to admit she couldn't blame the boy completely. If it was just a mental defect then he could be cured. However, they still need to get through his defenses.
"If you understand then I wouldn't keep you from your task. The answer to your question is in here. But one word of advice before you go."
Finally feeling better, Sakuras got to her feet. "Yeah, what's that?"
"Don't be overly harsh on the boy. To do so will invite calamity." With that said God blinked out of existence.
Alone once again Sakuras call upon her power as she too disappeared from the abyss.
= = =
"Please, pop. Don't leave me. I'll practice harder, I promise." It was the younger version of Ranma again. He had a white dogi just like the one he had in the real world except this one is new. This time he was hanging on to a middle age overweight man while the man was trying to separate himself from the boy. From Sakuras position a few feet away she could see the almost hysterical expression on the boy's face.
"Com 'on boy, you don't want your father to go hungry?" The man was still trying to separate himself from the boy but Ranma was holding to Genma's leg like a vise.
"No pop, but..."
"That's a good boy." The fat man lightly bobbed Ranma on the head. It wasn't hard but it was hard enough to knock the boy unconscious. Sakuras watched the scene fade into darkness.
"Such a sad childhood. Still..." She disappeared to continue her search.
= = =
"You can take me back to my pop?" The boy asked gleefully. But from the puffy eyes Sakuras could tell he was just crying not long ago. The boy smiled at the tall woman in the room. She was regal looking woman with green hair dressed like one of the Senshi from Sol.
Sakuras studied her. She was Senshi, Sakuras was sure. But the woman wasn't one that had accompanied Serenity. She was looked older than the others and her scarlet eyes spoke of untold years of experience. Beneath it all though, Sakuras could tell the woman had closed her heart to the world long ago. The woman had an ornamental staff, key shaped with a large red orb on one end. Sakura also saw the keys around the woman's waist.
"Must be a fetish," she joked. She looked around the room. Large king sized bed with expensive looking sheets and cover, furniture only the wealthy can afford, wall-to-wall carpeting - this must be the woman's place Sakuras concluded. From what she had seen there was no way the boy could ever afford to live in such place.
"Yes, but you have to do something for me." The woman spoke to the boy in a low voice.
"OK" the boy replied excitedly without thinking.
With a motion of her staff she summoned a portal in the room. Sakuras tried to look through the doorway but she could not see what was beyond it. The woman took Ranma by the hand and led him through the portal. Sakuras followed them close behind. It was the only way to find out what was going on, besides this is just a memory - what can go wrong?
They stepped into a laboratory so some kind. It was old; a layer of dust had settled on everything. One side of the room was a transparent wall which separated the laboratory from some test equipment on the other side. An airlock was the only access between the two rooms.
The Senshi told Ranma what to do. Mainly, it was to get something from the other side of the airlock. Sounds simple but Sakuras knew there must be something else she left out or the woman would have done it herself. This never occurred to Ranma though. The boy was too excited to have realized it. Without hesitation he went through the airlock and made the 20 or so ft. to the piece of equipment. But half way there the boy's sprint began to falter.
"Oooo, I feel dizzy." the boy complained but he continued. The only thing on his mind right now was the prospect of going home. He took a few more steps before he had to stop. He suddenly held his stomach like he was about to throw up. He took a deep breath and continued on his way. "I'm going home, I'm going home." he continuously chanted.
All this time the Senshi watch Ranma's progress with a detached professionalism. Sakura shock her head in disapproval. This is why the boy turned out this way. She would never have believed it if she didn't see it for herself. Who would have ever thought the servants of the Moon Kingdom was so cold and heartless as to sacrifice an innocent boy for their own ends.
Ranma finally made his way to the equipment but every step felt like his shoes had been pact with lead weights. "Got it," he called out as he removed the machine from its pedestal. It was a cylinder, about 2 ft. tall and 1/2 ft. in diameter. Completely smooth on all sides it looked just like a cylinder with no obvious ports or connectors. Ranma wrapped his arms around the cylinder as he made his way back to the airlock. It was a slow progress and getting slow with every step. By the time he was 5 ft. away from the door he had to roll the cylinder ahead of him then crawl after it. With his last bit of strength he managed to open the airlock and get himself inside.
The Senshi walked inside the open airlock. Ranma was on the floor, completely exhausted but he was still conscious. Instead of helping the boy the Senshi walked over to get to the cylinder. She took the cylinder and walked out without giving the boy another look. The boy had just enough strength left to grab on to her boots which got her attention.
"What about my pop?" the boy asked weakly.
"Sorry kid, you wouldn't live long enough to see him." The woman jerked free from the boy's hold and walked out.
Sakuras watch the exchange with growing sympathy for the boy. She knelt on the boy's side and placed her hands on the boy's face. Not that he would feel it but it made her feel better just to perform this little gesture. For the next few minutes she watched the boy's life fade away. She understood now why the boy had been twisted the way he had been. You don't look death in the eye and ever be the same again.
"I promise I wouldn't ever let them hurt you,"
= = =
One look on the boy's face and she knew this is what she been looking for. The pain was obvious. He had been hurt but the question was how.
The boy was facing off against another Senshi from Sol. This one was also not present with Serenity. Sakuras watched the two fought. From the beginning it was obvious that Ranma's skill far out matched the Senshi's but the girl kept fighting. Every attack from the Senshi the boy avoided with grace and confidence. Finally, the Senshi let loose a powerful attack that decimated the forest around them. But the boy was unaffected.
The Senshi was on her knees recouping from the attack when the boy walked toward her. "Well, that was pathetic. Now that you got that out of your system I su..."
Sakuras immediately look behind him. The other Sol Senshi were here along with some armed men. The other Senshi had attack the boy from behind and it hurt him. There is no other way to explain it. He was hurt but how? She watched Ranma stalk ever closer to the exhausted Senshi but now the attack from the others are just bouncing off his back. How did it happen? How did they hurt him? Sakuras watched the scene over and over but she couldn't figure it out.
"There must be some reason?" She replayed the scene from the beginning.
"Your friends are too busy dealing with the oversexed tentacle monsters. It's just going to be you and me for a while."
It suddenly dawned on her. "That's it!" He wasn't expecting them. This must be some conscious effort. This is his weakness. She had found his weakness and they say she'll never amount to anything. That'll show those bastards back home. She saved the universe while they were on there ass.
There was nothing to do but get out. She was excited as a school girl. She commanded her power to obey and it responded. The decimated forest disappeared to be replaced by the rocky planes of the Zero Star. But she'll never get the chance to tell the others what she had discovered.
Ranma had just knocked his latest opponent into submission when had felt it - a trespasser in his mind. It was trying to get out and it was not too keen at hiding it either. Ranma felt the pull of the being leaving. His eyes followed in the direction of the being's trail. They settled on an armor clad Senshi standing near Serenity. He had never seen her before but hated her already. "YOU… YOU... YOU..." without even thinking he let loose his power of the unsuspecting Senshi.
Sakuras never felt it. One moment she was barely able to contain her joy the next moment the back of her exploded outward. Serenity gasped. Pieces of Sakuras skull and brain were everywhere. The monster must have done this, she knew it. Serenity watched Sakuras slumped to the ground with a thump. "I'll avenge you, this I swear."
TBC... maybe