Insertion

Part 54

Return to Earth

++++++++++++++

Akane sighed as she looked back at the pair of kids who walked behind her. A large sign by the remains of a highway told them where they were, only about five miles outside of Tokyo. "Go home!"

"Never!" said Hikari with a determined grin on her face.

"Right!" agreed Kasumi.

"Fine," muttered Akane dejectedly. "You can just get yourselves killed when we fight that evil sorcerer then."

The pair looked at one another for a moment. "Um...did you just say evil sorcerer?" asked Kasumi.

"That's right," said Ryoga as he walked up from the rear. "We're on our way to fight an evil sorcerer in a castle by the ocean."

"There aren't any castles!" said Hitomi with a snort.

"Apparently he built one," grumbled Akane irritably.

"Yes, he's quite powerful," said Xellos as he walked up beside Ryoga.

"GAH!" cried the two kids as they clutched each other in surprise.

"Don't do that!" snapped Kasumi.

"She's so...old!" said Hitomi as she pointed a shaky finger at Akane.

The woman promptly smacked her upside her head and turned towards Xellos. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much really. I just thought I'd let you know that I've found that castle," he said casually as he leaned against his staff.

Akane arched her eyebrow at him. "Where is it?"

"It's about twenty miles northeast of here," he said with a small shrug. "I'm sure you can find it from there."

"Why are you helping us?" asked Ryoga as he looked the man up and down for a moment.

Xellos smirked at him. "Now that...is a secret!"

"He's creepy," muttered Kasumi.

"Yeah, but he's been helpful so far," replied Akane with a small shrug. "Come on. I guess we're going northeast."

"Right," grumbled Ryoga.

++++++++++++

Ranma watched the stars pass by from the outside of the Tsunami. There was a window inside the room they had given him. He smirked and looked back at the doorway for a moment before walking out into the hall. They were about a week away from Earth at the speed they were going now. "I think I've had enough fun here."

Strolling onto the bridge he looked around and grinned at everyone standing around.

"I'm leaving," he said to Tenchi as the man stood up and blinked.

"Huh?" said the prince in confusion.

"I said I'm leaving. I appreciate the ride and all, but there's something I need to take care of before we arrive on the Earth."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tenchi in confusion.

"I'd tell you, but you wouldn't believe me if I did," said Ranma with a shrug. "Bring Tsuki home for me, I'm sure you'll find it interesting if nothing else."

"What do you mean?" said Tenchi as he started to approach the boy.

Ranma winked at him, and vanished in a flash of light.

Tenchi looked on in shock, unsure of what to say or do. "What the?"

++++++++++++

Ranma appeared in space, looking around at the asteroid field around him with a smile on his face. "Well, it's time."

Dan interrupted them. "What the hell is going on? Why did we leave?"

"I've figured out a way we can make everything right again," said Carrot calmly.

Xianfu snorted in disgust. "Killing ourselves is the only thing we need to do to make things right."

"You're wrong about that. Killing ourselves won't fix anything," said Carrot calmly. "We need more power to do it though."

"What the hell are you on about?" snapped Dan irritably.

"Well..." started Ranma. "We can absorb magic power right?"

"Yeah?" asked Dan, not quite catching on.

"We're gonna absorb the time gates," said Carrot.

"This couldn't wait until we finished riding back with Tenchi?" asked Xianfu in confusion.

"I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this," muttered Pissant.

"I don't want anyone around when we do this," said Carrot as he spread his arms and concentrated.

"But why are we doing this?" asked Xianfu. "Absorbing the energy from Pluto's remains won't give us control over time."

"You're right," agreed Carrot. "It's going to take more than that, but it's a start."

"I don't see a point to any of this," snorted Dan.

"What's that field I feel?" asked Xianfu in confusion.

"We're in the middle of one," said Carrot.

"No, there's another one," said the woman as she turned them towards the sun. "That way?"

"I'm not sure," said Dan. "I don't feel anything."

"You never trained," said Carrot in disgust. "It's probably the link we left to us on Earth. Remember? So Akane could keep using magic?"

Xianfu nodded at this. "I think you're right."

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Ranma.

"Well, there's a huge field of energy here. It should give us quite a boost. After that, we can work on another source of power."

"Why do I get the idea that you've got something in mind already?" asked Dan.

"Heh. You'll see," said Carrot.

"You know something, don't you Ranma?" asked Xianfu.

"Huh?" said the original resident in confusion.

"Never mind," grumbled the woman in disgust. "I don't see why we're doing this, we should be concentrating on destroying ourselves."

"Yeah, yeah, later," grumbled Dan irritably.

++++++++++++++

Akane sighed as she relaxed in a pool of heated water. They had been walking all day, and stumbled across a nice hot spring in the middle of nowhere. It was late evening, and they would probably arrive at their destination early the next day.

Hitomi sat across from Akane with a small blush on her face as she relaxed as well. Kasumi and Ryoga were setting up the camp a good distance away.

Hitomi was simply looking at the woman quietly.

"What is it?" asked Akane as she noticed the girl's gaze.

"You're...pretty...for someone so old," said the girl quietly.

Akane smirked at her. "Thanks, I think."

"How do you keep a figure like that?" asked Hitomi as she looked the woman up and down. She wore clothes that hid her body from view for the most part. Offering her looser clothes and more freedom of movement.

"I've been a martial artist my whole life," said the woman as she looked the girl over. She was pretty as well. She was a little skinny though, and underdeveloped. That was to be expected in someone as young as her.

"They're bigger than I'd thought they'd be," said Hitomi dumbly. "Why do you hide your body? If I looked like that..."

"I'm too old to be running around that way," replied Akane with a shrug.

"It's not fair! How can someone as old as you look so much better than I do?!" cried Hitomi as she sank into the water up to her nose.

"Right," muttered Akane as she narrowed her eyes at the girl. "I hope you end up fat."

"That was mean!" cried Hitomi.

Akane snorted and turned away, only to see Kasumi standing over her with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Kasumi! Darling!" cried Hitomi as she jumped out of the water and spread her arms wide. "Come on! I want to make out!"

He smiled at her and nodded. "Jeez, just a minute. I've got to get out of these clothes."

Akane was still staring as he finally seemed to notice her. They looked at each other for a moment, both staring in silence.

"Hello Miss Akane!" said the boy cheerfully as he started to remove his shirt.

"AAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH! Pervert! What the hell do you think you're doing here? You little..." her voice died off, and her eyes went wide as the spell she was preparing died in her hands.

Kasumi was unwrapping the tight bindings that held her breast in place, and kicking off her pants. "What the hell?" said the sorceress as she stared dumbly as the shorthaired blonde girl stepped into the water.

Hitomi jumped into her arms and kissed her full on the lips. Kasumi returned the affection and they both relaxed into each other's arms in the water.

Akane smiled to herself as she watched the display.

"What is it Miss Akane?" asked Kasumi in confusion. "Oh! This isn't bothering you is it?"

"I should have known," said the dark haired woman as she relaxed into the water. "How could I have been so blind?"

"Are you all right Miss Akane?" asked Kasumi in confusion.

"Quit staring at her breasts!" snapped Hitomi.

"You're the one staring!" retorted the blonde. "She's looking at us weird though."

"Do what you want. I'm used to it, although, I'll admit I've not seen it for some time." Akane put a towel over her head and relaxed.

The pair looked at each other and shrugged.

"Just stay on your own side of the pool, and keep you hands to yourselves you little perverts," added Akane without looking up at them.

Both of the girls backed away from her, with disappointed frowns on their faces.

++++++++++++

Ryoga was poking at the fire, looking off into the distance when they returned. "Back again are you?" he said to all of them.

"That was nice," said Hitomi.

"Very relaxing," agreed Kasumi.

Ryoga noticed that both of their cheeks looked swollen and red, and Akane was angry. She was muttering something about "Repressed desires my ass!" and "Grabby little perverts!" as she passed by him.

"Well, we enjoyed it anyway," said Hitomi cheerfully.

Ryoga blinked and looked up at Akane. "Is something wrong."

"They're as bad as they ever were," snorted Akane in disgust as she sat down and glared at the two teens from the other side of the fire.

Ryoga looked confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"These two idiot girls are senshi," said Akane as she glared at them.

Both of the teens blinked in surprise.

"I'm surprised it took me this long to notice it," said the woman as she frowned at them. "They look just like they did before."

"Senshi?" muttered Ryoga dumbly.

"Neptune and Uranus," said Akane with a short nod. "Cross dresser here caught me by surprise I suppose."

"Hey!" snapped Kasumi.

"Well, it is true," reasoned Hitomi as she looked at her. "We're not senshi though."

Akane chuckled at this. "Yes, you are. You just don't know it yet. I knew your predecessors. Only for a few years, but we were good friends until the very end. Unfortunately, they were also perverts like you, and they tried to seduce me more than once the same way. You're lucky I took it easy on you for old times sake."

The youthful pair swallowed a little at this. After a moment, they looked at one another nervously.

"In any case, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'll take you too Usagi after I get the crystal back, and she can deal with you."

"But...we want to learn from you!" said Kasumi with a pleading in her eyes.

"She can teach you to be just as strong," said Akane as she looked at them both.

"Hmmm. Most interesting," commented Xellos as he looked down on the scene from a nearby tree branch. "This could prove quite entertaining." He looked up at the sky and smirked. "Well, it seems he's arrived. Everything should be ready now anyway. Time to sit back, and enjoy."

++++++++++++

Ranma Saotome stood in the middle of a small village and frowned. "Well, we're here!"

It was late, and relatively quiet as he stood there taking in his surroundings for a moment. "Where is everyone?" he muttered as he glanced around.

"This should be where Usagi and her friends settled," he said to no one in particular.

After a moment, a familiar presence appeared behind him, and he turned to smile at Usagi. "You're getting quite good at hiding your presence and the presence of others."

"It is useful, not so much any longer, but still," said the woman as she looked him up and down. "You have returned?"

"Yes. In about a week, we'll be getting some very important visitors. It would help if you received them when they arrived. They are very powerful allies, and quite friendly."

Usagi nodded her head a little at this. "Who?"

"Jurai. The man coming here is a prince," he said with a smirk.

The other senshi seemed to melt from the shadows. Coming from alleyways and small indentions within the walls.

"I'm sorry to say that he already has two wives," said Ranma cheerfully.

There were several momentary flashes of disappointment on the girl's faces.

"He's bringing a surprise with him as well, an old friend of yours," said the boy as he looked at Usagi for a moment and smiled.

"Who?" she asked in confusion.

"That's a secret! Not much of a surprise if I tell you is it?"

"I suppose not," said the woman as she smiled at him for a moment.

"Pluto is gone," he said with his face falling a bit.

Usagi nodded. "We assumed it."

Ranma arched his eyebrow as Mamoru walked out of one of the homes and frowned at him. Hotaru was beside him, with a scowl on her face.

"So? What's new?" he asked as he looked around.

Hotaru rushed over to him from Mamoru's side, and promptly decked him.

"Ouch! What the hell?" he muttered as he staggered back and clutched his jaw in confusion.

"You bastard! How dare you leave me behind!" she snapped hatefully.

"Wha?" he said as he looked at her with his eyes suddenly growing wide. "Howzat?"

She kicked him in his gut and snorted, turning her back on him and crossing her arms.

"Leave you behind? I was only going to Pluto," he muttered as he staggered to his feet. "It was a boring trip. Besides, I figured you'd rather stay with your friends..."

"Only a man could be so blind," said Usagi with a small sigh.

"Huh?" asked Ranma as he looked at her for a moment. He paused long enough to scratch his head in confusion and then turned to see Hotaru looking at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh man. Now what did I do?"

She grabbed him and buried her head into his chest. "Don't leave me behind again!"

Ranma pat her on the head softly and sighed. "Oh...Um...Oh! OH!" He suddenly seemed to figure out what was going on and looked at Usagi.

The blonde woman was smiling at him gently, a soft blush on her face as she leaned into her husband.

The pigtailed boy put his arm around Hotaru, not sure what to say or do. "Um. I...um...err...This is certainly unexpected..."

A female voice was laughing at them inside their head. "Didn't plan for this did you! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

"Yeah. But you aren't gay right? Where does that leave you if we decide to..." said Carrot.

The female voice suddenly stopped laughing.

Ranma got a satisfied looking smirk on his face as he squeezed Hotaru's shoulder a little. Giving her a reassuring wink as he walked over to Usagi. "So. As I was saying. What did I miss?"

"Someone stole the Silver Imperium Crystal," said Usagi.

Ranma turned his gaze around the village, and realized that all of the senshi were standing around him. "Why aren't you looking for it?"

"We are, but wandering off alone against someone with the Silver Imperium Crystal would only get us killed," said Mercury calmly. "That isn't something I want to feel again." She shuddered, and the other senshi looked uncomfortable. Mars was the only one who had no real idea what they had gone through.

"So. You don't know where it is?" he asked them as he narrowed his eyes.

"No, we don't. Without it, we have no hope against Metallia once her seal breaks," said Usagi with a frown on her face. "We believe it is still on the island, but..."

"But you don't know," said Ranma as he frowned at her for a moment.

"Sometimes, I really miss having Rei around," said Usagi wistfully.

Ranma nodded at this and sighed. "Have you tried tracking it? With an energy signature or something?"

"It only emits enough energy to track when it's being used. There's too much other energy floating around right now for us to track it. Unless he uses it, it's invisible to us," said Mercury calmly.

"Hmmm. Well, that would make finding it more difficult wouldn't it?" said Ranma carefully. "What about Akane?"

"She left right after you did," said Usagi calmly.

"Did she?" he muttered with a thoughtful frown. "I'll find her tomorrow. She may know something."

"Right," agreed Usagi.

"Don't worry, I always win in the end," said Ranma as he smirked at her.

"Yes. That is exactly what worries me," said Usagi as she turned away from him and went back into one of the huts.

Ranma blinked at this and looked around, discovering that everyone else had left as well.

Hotaru smiled at him, still hanging from his arm.

"Um...Hi," he said lamely.

She pulled him into one of the nearby buildings, and closed the door behind him.

++++++++++++++

The next Morning a little before noon, Akane Tendo stood looking at the castle. It was a Japanese style building that was resting on the side of a cliff face on a large mountain. It towered over them, looking dark and foreboding.

"Wow!" said Kasumi as he stared up at it. "We have to go in there?"

Akane nodded and looked around for a moment. "I don't want to just fly up and say hello. We need to think of a plan."

Xellos stood beside Ryoga a short distance away, a small frown on his face as he stared up at the building. "So...this is Gaav's keep is it?"

"Pardon?" said Ryoga dumbly as he turned to look at the man.

Xellos looked at the group and smirked. "Oops."

"You do know something!" snapped Akane as she grabbed him by his collar.

"I didn't think you'd really find it!" said the priest calmly. "There wasn't any reason to tell you about it."

"Tell us about what?" said Akane as she shook him roughly.

"Gaav is more than a sorceress, Miss Akane," said the priest as he looked at her with complete seriousness. "He's a Mazoku."

"A what?" said the children as they looked at one another.

"So...he's some sort of monster?" asked Akane with a sudden calm overtaking her.

"Indeed," said Xellos as he nodded at her. "I'm afraid that it won't be an easy battle if you want to fight him."

"I don't want too. I have too," she said firmly as she looked up at the castle.

"You can take him, Miss Akane!" said Kasumi while puffing her chest out a bit.

"Yeah," said the woman as she narrowed her eyes and looked up at the building.

"Don't think that you're stronger than him," warned Xellos. "He's dangerous, and very powerful."

"What has this got to do with you?" asked Akane in confusion. "Who are you? How do you know about this?"

Xellos smirked at her and hopped out of her reach. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. My mission here doesn't involve him, or that Crystal. I can't help you if you decide to face him."

"Right," grumbled Akane irritably. She seemed to accept that though.

Ryoga frowned and narrowed his eyes at the priest. "You're like him aren't you? One of those Mazoku chaps."

Xellos looked at him for a moment and frowned.

"That would explain a lot," said Akane as she frowned at him. "But not everything. Like why you're helping me."

"I didn't expect you to figure that out so soon," said the priest calmly. "Yes, it's true. I am indeed a Mazoku, and it's true that I have my own reasons for helping you. Gaav isn't working on the same mission as myself though. I can't really interfere with him either."

"You're not human?" muttered Hitomi in shock.

"You've got some weird friends," said Kasumi as she looked at the woman for a moment and shrugged.

"I wouldn't call him a friend," said Akane as she narrowed her eyes at the Mazoku for a moment.

"You wound me," said Xellos playfully. "In any case, I imagine you'll find this to be quite exciting, that is...if you manage to survive. I wouldn't count on it though. Gaav is very powerful, and he controls many of the monsters in this area."

"So I was right," said Akane as she looked up at the castle again.

"Not entirely," said Xellos calmly. "The Silver Imperium Crystal doesn't have anything to do with these monsters. It was just the easiest way to make sure we weren't discovered too soon. Releasing all that magic, and creating the monsters that is."

"It was a sort of cover?" asked Akane. "I thought my power came from Ranma!"

"Ranma?" said Xellos with a chuckle. "Do you really think he's strong enough for that?"

"I guess not," muttered Akane.

"Not on his own at any rate. Things are about to become dangerous here. The monsters helped keep beings as powerful as ourselves hidden from prying eyes, such as those meddlesome senshi powers."

"Just stay out of my way," said Akane as she started walking. Ryoga and the others nodded and started walking towards the palace.

+++++++++++++

Ranma Saotome lay between the sheets inside the darkened room and stared at the ceiling. It was early morning, and she was pressed up against his skin with a light smile on her face.

He still looked completely surprised.

"Well, that was unexpected," commented Carrot.

"..." said Xianfu.

"You guys...I didn't really mind it this time," said Ranma softly. He reached down and stroked the woman's hair for a moment. She shifted in her sleep, murmuring pleasantly.

"..." said Xianfu.

"Well, we could have done much worse," agreed Dan.

"..." said Xianfu.

Pissant was silent, but that wasn't much of a surprise. He thought it best not to comment on the events of the previous night. He did add a bit to their somewhat stupefied looking grin though.

"..." said Xianfu.

"We need to leave," said Carrot suddenly.

"Huh?" said everyone but Ranma.

"Something is wrong. We have to go now," insisted Carrot.

"What?" snorted Dan.

"No time to explain. Come on!" said Ranma impatiently.

"What's going on?" asked Pissant lazily.

"We'll come back in a few hours. I promise, this is important," said Carrot firmly.

"Right," agreed Dan reluctantly.

The others followed his example, and they vanished from the sheets in a flash.

+++++++++++++

Gaav sat in his throne, merely waiting in silence. He arched his eyebrow as the doors to his chamber opened, revealing four weary looking travelers. The room was empty, and a rainstorm had started outside. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would strike outside. The room was dark, lit only by two torches on either side of his throne.

"What were you expecting? Hordes of monsters and traps? Perhaps a clever maze or two?" he said with a chuckle.

"Kinda, yeah," said Akane as she looked at him coolly.

"I've only had a two weeks to build this place," he said with a small shrug. "Not much time to add personal touches like that. Besides, it wasn't meant to keep you out." He stood up and strolled down to them calmly.

Akane and her friends parted, moving around them. With a wave of his palm, a mirror appeared in front of him.

"What is this?" asked Ryoga.

"I have something to show you," said the red haired Mazoku as he calmly stood in front of the mirror and frowned.

"What is this?" asked Akane in confusion as an image formed in the mirror.

"Crystal Tokyo, had I not interfered," said the Mazoku calmly. "As you can see, it is a paradise. No crime, nothing. Evil is almost nonexistent."

"How is this a bad thing?" asked Akane with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Seems okay to me," agreed Kasumi.

"Child. When you learn to grasp your power more, you come to an understanding. A balance must be maintained. Evil and good must co-exist. It is the way of the Universe. To disrupt that, would only bring calamity. This paradise may exist for thousands of years before it falls, but eventually, it will fall. What will follow could mean the end of this planet. Or merely become its darkest hour. The pendulum must swing both ways. It is far better for all involved if it only swings a short distance."

Akane scowled at him as he said this. "So, as wonderful as this place would be, in the long run, it would be a bad thing?"

"That is correct, but you are missing another point. Look at the faces of those people very closely, and tell me what it is that you see?"

Akane cautiously moved up to the mirror and frowned as she looked at them. "Happy people."

"Closer! Do you see anything at all unusual?" he insisted. "How many happy faces do you see? Nothing but a pure euphoric society?"

Akane gasped and stepped back. "You're right! Not one of them looks like he had a bad day! They don't look worried or...anything."

"You begin to understand. Crystal Tokyo is the result of a foolish wish for a perfect world in the eyes of a heart who wishes for only good."

"The road to hell, is paved with good intentions," said Ryoga quietly.

The two children looked up at him as he said this in confusion.

"How can this be bad?" asked Hitomi as she boldly walked up to him.

"These people, have no free will," said Gaav calmly. "They literally cannot perform an evil act. However, there are those who are immune to this effect."

Akane looked at him again. "Sorcerers."

"Yes. You are perceptive," agreed Gaav. "Those like you and your friends are considered a danger to the tranquility of this perfect world. You are banished, to Nemesis. The tenth and most hostile planet in the galaxy."

"This can't be true. Usagi would never!" snarled Akane.

"Yes. She would never put the needs of her people ahead of her personal feelings towards you," said the thing coldly.

Akane gasped and covered her mouth, realizing he was right.

"In order to prevent this from happening, I stole the Silver Imperium Crystal from her; and with it, the power to do this away from her."

Ryoga snorted in disgust. "So. What are you going to do with it now?"

"I'm going to raise Metallia of course," said Gaav calmly.

"Well, you had me until you said that," growled Akane as she stepped back.

"You wouldn't understand. It is to bring balance," said Gaav coldly.

"Fireball!" screamed Akane as she attacked him.

He chuckled as he swatted the spell aside. "Pathetic."

Hitomi growled and stepped forward. "You leave Lady Akane alone!"

"Or you'll what?" snapped the Mazoku as he hefted the broadsword that was resting on his hip over his shoulder and unsheathed it.

The girl backed away in horror.

"No! Kasumi! Flare Arrow!" cried Kasumi as she rushed in front of her lover and fired the spell.

Gaav grunted as the power exploded in his chest, sending him back a little.

"Little brat!" he snarled as he swat him aside with the flat of his blade. "I should destroy you for that!"

"He was hurt!" gasped Akane. "Flare...!"

"Arrow!" replied Gaav as he responded with the same spell before she could finish and forced her to abandon it and jump away.


"You hurt Kasumi!" screamed Hitomi in rage. "You monster! How dare you hurt my Kasumi!"

Gaav frowned and turned to see the girl raising her hands over her head. "Oh shit."

"Ra-tilt!" screamed the girl as a pillar of light erupted from under the Mazoku's feet.

Gaav screamed in pain, and fell to his knees. The light cleared, revealing him clutching his face and breathing heavily in anger. "You little twerp! I'll destroy you!"

Akane grunted as she rolled by them, pulling them down with her as the man jumped into the air and threw a ball of flames at them.

Ryoga jumped up behind him and put his palm up against his back. "Got ya! Freeze Arrow!"

Gaav was thrown to the ground with a sheet of ice covering his back. He snarled and raised his palm, blasting Ryoga through the wall. "Damn you! Annoying gnats!"

Akane stood up from where she had fallen with the two girls and scowled as she watched him jump out into the rain. A lightning bolt struck one of the trees in the forest that surrounded the palace, and it burst into flames. She gasped and her eyes went wide with horror. "That vision! No!"

++++++++++++

Gaav held the crystal over his head, his broadsword in his grasp as he stood over the fallen Ryoga. "Are you ready now human? I'll release Metallia onto this world!" The light within the shard began to glow stronger and he laughed as the sky overhead became darker. The rain stopped suddenly, and the fire spread across the forest at an alarming rate.

"No!" cried Ryoga as he rolled onto his back and realized what was happening. He struggled to rise, but Gaav shoved him back down with his boot.

Akane appeared in front of them, with the two children at her side. She looked up at the sky, and the face that had began to form within the clouds overhead. "No!"

"Master! Come now! It is time!" cried Gaav in triumph.

Akane gasped at what happened next.

"You idiots!" snapped Ranma as he appeared next to them. "I told you to be careful with them! What do you think you're doing too Ryoga?"

Gaav blinked and looked down at the man for a moment before sheepishly apologizing. "Sorry. I guess I got carried away."

"Is that her?" asked Ranma calmly.

"Yes, Master," said Gaav.

"Xellos, get out here!" cried Ranma as he glanced around.

The priest appeared in front of him, and earned himself a smack on the back of his head. "What the hell is Akane doing here?"

"What?" said the Mazoku dumbly.

"I told you..."

"To help her develop her powers, and I did," replied the Mazoku calmly.

"I also told you to keep an eye on her," snorted Ranma.

"You didn't tell me to stop her if she did do something stupid," he replied calmly. "I gave her tasks that helped her learn about her power more."

"Ranma!?" cried Akane in shock.

"Oh. Hi Akane," said the pigtailed boy calmly as he glanced back at her.

"Hi Akane? HI AKANE?! What the hell are you doing?" she screamed.

"Raising Metallia," he said with a shrug.

"You got the Crystal?" he asked Gaav.

"Yes, Master," said the Mazoku.

"You guys can stop now. Change back," said Ranma irritably. "And quit calling me 'Master' you know it bugs me."

Gaav smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, Master."

"Right," said Xellos as his form changed into Jadeite.

Nephrite snorted as the guise of Gaav melted away.

"You two?" screamed Akane as she almost passed out.

"What the hell is going on?" muttered Ryoga.

"I dunno, but everyone knows each other," said Hitomi.

Kasumi nodded at this and sighed. "I'm just gonna sit down and wait for this to end."

"What the hell are Haruka and Michiri doing here?" said Ranma as he looked at Jadeite.

"You said to get them back to the Senshi," replied Jadeite calmly. "I was gonna have her do it, but she stumbled across this place before I could trick her into going back."

"Where are Kunzite and Zocite?" asked the pigtailed boy.

"Well, Zocite is on Mars, making monsters..." said Jadeite with a shrug.

"Kunzite is on the moon," said Nephrite.

"Doing what?" asked Ranma.

"Mostly whining about being away from his boyfriend," snorted Jadeite. "Oh, and he's helping transport those transformed Amazons here."

"Right," muttered Ranma with a small sigh.

"Um. I hate to break this up, but you just woke up a giant monster, with the power to destroy all life in the galaxy..." said Ryoga as he raised his finger and interrupted.

"Huh? Oh, that..." said Ranma as he waved the comment off.

"Do something!" screamed Akane as she shoved Ryoga aside and grabbed him by his collar.

"Oh all right," said Ranma as he floated into the sky.

Akane turned towards Jadeite and blinked. She then looked at Nephrite as well. "You...is it you? Really you?" she muttered in confusion.

"Neat huh?" said Jadeite cheerfully.

She rushed into his arms, grabbing Nephrite as well. "You're alive! I thought he'd killed you!"

"He did," said Jadeite with a smirk on his face. "Our old friend, brought us back."

"When?" gasped Akane.

"About two weeks ago, right before he left the planet," said Jadeite calmly.

"Why wasn't I told?" asked the girl as she shoved them back angrily.

"Plausible deniability," said Jadeite with a small shrug. "Plus, it was too dangerous. You didn't trust him anymore, where as we knew it wasn't really him after he resurrected us."

+++++++++++++

Ranma was trying his best to ignore the screaming of his companions with Carrot. "Man, they sure are noisy," commented Carrot.

"Tell me about it," grumbled Ranma.

"So, now what?" asked Carrot cheerfully.

"You idiots! What the hell is going on?" cried Xianfu.

"Why don't we know about any of this?" growled Dan. "What the hell are you planning?"

"You woke up Metallia? Are you that stupid?" cried Pissant.

"We didn't tell you, because we knew you wouldn't think it would work," said Carrot calmly as they moved towards the growing darkness in the sky.

"When did you do this? How did you do this?" cried Dan in shock.

"Easy, remember how much me and Ranma have been sleeping over the past week or so?" asked Carrot calmly.

"Wait a minute! You mean..."

"We weren't sleeping, we were doing this," said Ranma with a short nod of agreement.

"You mean you've been planning this the whole time?" gasped Xianfu.

"Not until we were on our way back from Pluto, we didn't decide on doing it for sure until that incident on Tsunami. Well, at least not the part about raising Metallia anyway," said Carrot. "Ranma and I discovered that we can sort of detach ourselves from you in a way. We aren't separated completely, but we can talk to each other and do things without you idiots bothering us."

"That's..." Xianfu blinked. "It means we can be separated! We have to die now!"

"After we save the world, maybe," grumbled Carrot.

"Really!?" said Xianfu happily.

"No. He was just saying that to shut you up," said Ranma.

"Assholes!" snarled the woman hatefully.

"What are we going to do about this?" asked Dan.

"You'll see," said Carrot with a smirk on his face.

"When did you resurrect the Generals?" said Dan in irritation. "How did you do it?"

"Easy, we didn't resurrect them so much as we remade them," replied Carrot.

"Huh?" said Xianfu in confusion.

"We used their souls, and created them as a sort of...amplifier for our power. They could keep things running here, while we went off to look for more energy," said Carrot. He stopped talking suddenly and smirked. "We're here. Get ready!"

"Wait! You mean, all that power we've been using lately...was you!" gasped Xianfu in shock.

"She does catch on quick doesn't she Ranma?" asked Carrot.

"No time for this right now!" snarled Dan. "We're going to talk about this later Carrot!"

++++++++++++

A booming voice surrounded them. "Who are you, pathetic being?"

"Ranma Saotome, I've come to beat you up," said the boy as he stared at the darkness. A face formed in the clouds, grinning at him evilly.

"Really? How do you plan on doing this?" said the creature coldly. "You are a pathetic worm, not even worthy of my time! I am pure energy! You cannot defeat me! Feel how powerless you truly are!"

The pigtailed boy nodded his head coldly and stared her dead in the eyes. "Roger that." He blasted into the darkness headlong.

"What?!" cried Metallia in shock. She hadn't been expecting that. "Fool! I'll destroy you and your entire...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

+++++++++++++

Below them, Akane looked on in horror as the face in the sky distorted and vanished, the horrible screaming continued though. She gasped and looked away.

The two teens watched in a sort of horrified awe as the scene played out in front of them. The horrible screams went on for almost ten minutes, steadily growing weaker and weaker.

"What's happening?" asked Ryoga in horror as he watched.

"Ranma...he's...eating her?" said Jadeite in shocked disgust.

Nephrite simply shook his head and could not take his eyes off of the sky.

Finally, it ended. There was only silence.

"What just happened?" asked Akane as she looked at the two men for a moment.

"I'm not sure," muttered Jadeite dumbly.

Kasumi screamed in terror and shoved Akane and Hikari back behind her. She was pointing at something just below them on the mountain.

A dark figure, clad in nothing but shadows was lumbering forward. Reaching for them. The eyes glowed as it staggered forward and groaned painfully. "The crystal! Nephrite, quickly! I can't hold her for long!" it said in a hissing tone.

"Ranma?!" said the man in horror as he looked at the crystal in his palm and dropped it to the ground.

The thing dove for it, taking it into its grasp.

Akane screamed, and tried for the crystal as well, but she was shoved aside easily.

A white light enveloped the thing, seeming to flow across it's body and rather than push the shadows away, it combined with them. It chuckled and stood upright. "It's over." It tossed the crystal to Akane and stared at her for a moment.

"What are you?" asked the girl in horror.

"You don't recognize your old friend Akane?" said the thing as the light and darkness melted away. "You don't recognize me?" Ranma smiled at her gently as the last of the power faded from around his body.

Jadeite staggered back, a look of shock on his face. "What? What just happened?"

"I just got what I needed," said Ranma calmly.

"You killed her?" asked Akane as she looked at him in awe.

"Basically," he replied with a small shrug. "I had to find a source of power to counterbalance the negative energy I knew I'd absorb by doing that. So I had Nephrite steal the Crystal from Usagi."

"I suppose you'll give it back now?" asked Akane as she looked at it and turned it over in her hand a few times.

"Do what you want with it, it's not much more than a paperweight now," he replied as he shrugged at her.

"What?" gasped Akane.

"I drained it dry, nothing but a pretty rock now," said the boy calmly.

Akane looked slightly uncomfortable with this.

"I'd never allow Crystal Tokyo to come to be as it was in Pluto's vision. Nothing Nephrite told you in there was a lie," said Ranma calmly. "She's trying to do good, but she's just doesn't have what it takes to understand what doing too much good can do."

Akane nodded at this.

"That's why I want you to go back with her," continued the boy calmly as he smirked at them all.

"Wait. What's going on?" asked Hitomi as she walked up to the stranger. "Who are you? How do you know Miss Akane?"

"Well Hitomi, to put it simply, I'm god," he said gently.

"That's pushing it," said Akane.

"Is it? I wonder..." asked Ranma as he smirked at her for a moment.

"Man, what an ego," snorted Kasumi.

"Well, what has this to do with Crystal Tokyo?" asked Ryoga as he frowned at Ranma for a moment.

"Simple really. I resurrected my old friends here to help me, but it wasn't exactly a resurrection. I didn't know how to just bring them back to life, so I had to recreate them from a little piece of myself."

"What?" said Akane dumbly.

"Think of it this way. I gave birth to them, by giving their souls magic bodies. They aren't flesh and blood like before."

Akane shoved her hand into Jadeite's chest. It was solid.

"I'm afraid we're quite real Akane," said the Mazoku calmly. "We just aren't human anymore."

"Oh," said the girl as she looked at him for a moment uncomfortably. "So...now what?"

"Now, we go home, and enjoy a well deserved rest. I've got to get back soon anyway. Hotaru is going to kill me for leaving her behind again."

"You should have brought her," said Nephrite with a slight smirk on his face.

"Too dangerous," replied Ranma with a scowl on his face.

"So, you're like...these guys dad?" asked Kasumi as she moved up beside the pigtailed boy.

"Actually, it'd be closer to say I'm their mother," he replied calmly.

"But you're a guy," said the girl in disgust.

"I'm whatever I want to be," replied Ranma as he shifted into his familiar female form.

Hitomi gasped and almost passed out. Kasumi merely grinned. "Hey! That's cool!"

"Yeah. Isn't it?" asked the redhead cheerfully.

"Can we just go?" grumbled Akane irritably.

"You're right, it's time for the old people to take a nap, they're getting cranky," said Hitomi as she seemed to recover a bit.

"I'm putting you in place as Usagi's advisor," said Ranma as he stepped up beside Akane.

"Me?" she asked him dumbly. "I don't know if you have any say in that..."

Ranma snorted at this. "She's the one who doesn't have any say in this. I'm in charge now."

"What?" said the woman as she looked at him in a sort of horrified shock.

"You don't seem to realize just what I am Akane," he said as he smirked at her. "I'm a god, and a demon, and Usagi doesn't have the crystal any longer. The senshi's powers were derived from that crystal, using the planets as a sort of focal point. Without it, there is no Sailor Moon, or Mars, or Mercury...that is, unless I say there is." His grin widened and he pat her on the shoulder. "I am saying there is too, but I'm also making sure that she doesn't mess with my world."

Akane shifted away from him a bit and looked down at the ground. "I guess we should go back."

He frowned, and nodded. "I guess so."

+++++++++++++++

"How the hell did you manage this without us knowing about it?" asked Xianfu inside Ranma's head.

"You did know about it, but you ignored it," replied Carrot. "We were feeling weaker than we should have. Ranma and I were gone all the time, you even felt the energy field these four give off while we were on Pluto."

"Carrot. This is beyond weird," said Dan. "I'm not even sure I want to know how you learned to do this."

"It's instinct for Gods and Demons to create minions," replied Carrot. "Gods have angels, demons have lesser demons. I just applied that to four souls that we already knew."

"Well, this is nice and all, but we're back now," said Xianfu.

"Where the hell have you been?" snapped Hotaru.

"Um...I went to get Akane," said the pigtailed boy as he jerked his thumb back at the dumbfounded woman.

"Is something going on here?" asked Akane as she looked at him for a moment.

"Yeah. Kinda..." said Ranma sheepishly.

"Wow," said Kasumi as she stared at him for a moment. The man who had just eaten the source of all evil Youma, was acting nervous with this woman.

"I'm sure you'll tell me about it later," said Akane with a smirk on her face as she watched Ranma being dragged away by his ear.

"How dare you just leave me that way! I was worried sick!" said Hotaru with a slightly hurt look on her face.

"I'm sorry! It was important! I came right back!" he whined.

"Man, he's whipped worse than this guy!" exclaimed Hitomi as she pointed at Ryoga.

"I beg your pardon?" exclaimed the man with a blush forming on his face.

Akane sighed and smacked her in the back of her head. "Come on. We've got to go meet with Usagi."

Both teens allowed themselves to be dragged away.

++++++++++++++

TBC...

Next Time: Wrap up! A whole new world begins!