Prince Lost, Knight Found
A Ranma Nibunoichi x-over
by Matthew Talbain
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma Nibunoichi, nor do I own Sailor Moon. Pyra (Flame), Glacia (Ice), Alundra (Lightning), Erosa (Love), Tecta (Earth), Ocea (Water), Thanata (Death), Krona (Time), and Faytha (Healing) ARE mine, though I got the idea for 'em from Jade Hunter's "Love For All Time".
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yesh, I can't seem to finish any of my other fics. NEVER FEAR! I am constantly working on them. If only my lazy ass would stop getting ideas...
--------------Prologue: One Last Stand--------------
The palace wall lay in ruins, bodies of men and demons littering the Sea of Serenity in front of it, like a cold, cruel mockery of the name attached to that horrifying battlefield, of the Queen's name. Blood stained what once were beautiful gardens, once-flawless alabaster crumbles to the spoiled landscape. Cries of pain echoed forth, as though the souls of the dead resented their fall and the falls of their brethren, or demons howling in pain, or perhaps in stark joy that they'd taken the Moon once and for all.
And still it was not over. More bodies fell, more demons poured forth from swirling black portals, led by four former Earth warriors. Seven shapes, clad in white, beat back the tide at the gates again and again, as they had on eight planets before this Moon. And they were failing once more, again as they had on eight ruined worlds before this horrible day. Valiantly, these shapes fought, but the outcome seemed grim. The senshi were failing.
A blast of flickering magic, colored red and black, pooled from above the gates, obliterating a huge number of youma and inciting a massive retreat. A breathing space in the harsh battle, no more. But it was enough for the senshi. The seven looked up at their savior, who fell from atop the walls and collapsed to the ground, attempting to catch his breath.
His hair, normally sleek and tied in a pigtail, though unruly, was matted with blood and ichor. His usually crystalline blue eyes were now slate gray, as though the life was fading from them. His normally rigid jaw and firm posture were slack and his fine, tan skin was an uncharacteristic pale color. His armor, usually pristine and black, was marred and dented. His fine emerald cape was in tatters, his chain mail was kinked, and the gold lining and decorations of his armor, vine like in appearance, were tarnished. The only thing about this knight's appearance that sparkled were the nine gemstones, each cut into a geometric diamond, adorning his breastplate in a "V" shape.
At the bottom of the V was a glittering diamond. Above it, to the knight's right, was a ruby stone. Above that, continuing at a slant t the knight's right, were a topaz, an amethyst, and an emerald gemstone. Upward of the diamond's left, there were four more gems in the same pattern, from bottom to top, an aquamarine, a garnet, a sapphire, and an onyx gemstone. Each represented a different elemental principle, and each glittered as though alive.
The knight stood, gasping for his ragged breath, and looked to the field. He wasted no time, slogging forward into the arms of his friends, his comrades, the senshi.
"Uncle Ravyn!"
The youngest, Sailor Saturn, rushed forward and held onto the man she affectionately called "uncle", looking for the wounds that had forced this change into a normally cheerful, carefree face. There were none to be found.
"Aria-chan...this hurt you cannot heal...it is in my very blood. I have used the last magic that I can. Go. I will hold them off."
All seven of the senshi remained where they were, adamant. They were not leaving.
"We can't leave you, Ravyn!"
Ravyn turned to the shy voice of Isis, the princess of Neptune, and smiled a slow, hurt smile that nevertheless warmed the heart even as it broke it.
"Isis, you and the others must defend the queen and the princess. Go, while there is still a lull in the combat and while my health holds out."
Sonata, princess of Jupiter, stepped forward. "Not yet, brother. Tell us what's wrong, tell us why Saturn can't heal you!"
Ravyn stood more firmly, his breathing more solid, and his body seemed to claim some of its old vigor. He looked to each of the senshi in turn, beginning with Venus, captain of the Inner Guard. "Rose, princess of Venus...your beauty and your love for all humanity, for everyone, has blessed this system. Karin, princess of Mercury, wise beyond your years...you've given us more faith in books than ever we've had. Alexia, princess of Mars, your strength and determination has inspired this system to go above and beyond its expectations. Sonata, my princess of Jupiter, your passion and love have made me the happiest brother in the solar system, and have made many your followers."
He turned to the Outer Guard now, kneeling and hugging his closest friend. "Little Aria, princess of giant Saturn...your burden, while great, is not one to bear alone, and I am glad you allowed me to be your friend. Princess Isis, of Neptune, your talents and music have soothed many weary hearts. Finally, Rydia, of Uranus, your determination and prowess have turned many invasions, and warmed many hearts. I have been blessed to know all of you, sailor senshi. I will never forget all that you have done for me, and for my father."
The girls looked at him questioningly, wondering why he'd evaded answering their question in such a way. It was more like he was saying good-bye than anything else. They all gasped when he bowed his head and sagged to one knee.
"Girls, I won't hide it. I'm dying. While I was sleeping, we were attacked in my quarters at home. Koga was with me. We were injected with blood from Queen Beryl. Koga woke instantly, slaying two of the attackers before he died, the poison running black in his veins. I killed the remaining attacker and teleported here. I used what magic I had left in that attack that beat them back.....Beryl's chaotic blood is sapping my strength, even as we speak."
The girls were crying now, even Rydia. But he ceased their tears with a gesture and drew his weapon, a three-foot-long swallow with foot-long blades on either end of the handle, making a total of five feet. The sharp edges glinted with a fiery light, and the windswept flame design of the blades was sleek and efficient. Phoenix was prepared for battle.
The senshi didn't need any further encouragement. The girls fled through the gates, rushing to defend the queen and Princess Serenity. Ravyn smiled and focused a moment, changing his armor into a more fluid, form-fitting appearance. His breastplate became sleeker, though the gemstones still glittered in the same pattern, and it molded closer to his chest. His long, fluttering emerald cape became a long, fluttering scarf wrapped around his neck and lower face. A bandolier of kunai now rested across his chest and waist. Ranma had effectively become a shinobi, a ninja, in appearance.
Youma began pouring in from all directions as he expertly guided the blades of his swallow into their necks, their bodies, and their heads. Relentlessly, he slashed, parried, and struck, killing again and again. He threw kunai, lopped off heads, and fought as hard as he could, until the youma fell into a circle surrounding him and four other figures, each dressed in an identical uniform.
"Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite. What an...unexpected surprise."
The blond figure, all the way to the one end, laughed.
"We no longer assume those names, Prince Ravyn Sol of the Sun. Or should I say, Phoenix Knight!"
Ravyn growled and hefted Phoenix in his grip, chanting low under his breath.
"We are called Jedite, Neflite, Zoicyte, and Malachite now. But there is little importance to be placed on names. You die now!"
Ravyn opened his closed eyes, revealing, instead of the gray-blue orbs the four expected, a brilliant cacophony of flame within Ravyn's eye sockets. His mouth opened, and a single cry echoed across the Sea of Serenity.
"SOLAR PHOENIX FLARE!!!!"
An explosion of light spilled forth from the body of the knight, incinerating it completely. Four more figures were dropped to the ground as they barely shielded themselves from the self-destructive blast that eliminated the demons and bodies on the Sea.
Prince Ravyn Sol, Phoenix Knight of the Sun, was no more.
----------------Serenity's Throne Room, Minutes Earlier--------------
Seven senshi rushed into the queen's throne room, kneeling before the queen and her daughter. An eighth senshi stood off to the side, looking as though she were trying to hold in sobs. The senshi bowed to their queen and stood around her even as youma from the Sea began spilling in. The eight battled them away expertly, keeping the horde at bay. All seemed to be going well, until a bright flash of light spilled into the throne room, accompanied by a deep, bass voice.
"SOLAR PHOENIX FLARE!!!!"
The inpour of demons ebbed and ceased, and all eight senshi and the two royal women looked outside, horror written plainly on their faces. Setsuna, the eighth senshi, collapsed to her knees and sobbed into her hands as she watched the man she loved explode from within, torn apart by the very elements he commanded. The queen nodded, and Setsuna teleported to the Gates of Time, far far away. Slowly, the queen began to chant, and she raised a large, silver crystal to the sky. Instantly, the crystal drained the queen's life force, killing her, even as it sealed the demons into a world called the Negaverse and transported the spirits of the senshi, the princess, a prince from Earth, and two lunar cats into the future. Unbeknownst to anyone, the crystal transported three extra souls, two long dead, one recently dead, into the future...
-----------Gates of Time, Unknown------------
Setsuna sobbed, clutching a picture to her chest. In the picture, a tall, green-haired woman with crimson eyes was wearing a long, white dress, kissing a tall, black-haired man in a white tuxedo. Crowds surrounded the two, throwing rice and confetti over the newlywed Ravyn and Setsuna Sol. The seven senshi all wore beaming smiles as they congratulated the lovebirds, and two men, each dressed in a black tuxedo, were clapping Ravyn on the back, both wearing broad smiles.
Setsuna poured herself some whiskey and tried to forget watching her husband die before her very eyes. It was going to be a long, hard three millenia....
----------------------------------Author's Corner-------------------------------
C'mon, so tell me, whatdja think? Didja like it? Can you guess who the two men in the photo were? Any ideas on how Ravyn's going to wake up in his new life, and how to get him out to Juuban?
R&R, please! BTW, I'm liking the new QuickEdit....it actually does what I tell it to!
