Souls of Fire #12: Ragnarok

Ranma 1/2 VS Sailor Moon

Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/index.html

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and characters belong to
Naoko Takeuchi. Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to
Rumiko Takahashi. Proper licenses belong to respective
properties and characters. The manga has precedence
over material in the anime.

This file can be freely distributed so long as it
appears in its complete form and proper credit. No
part may be reproduced for monetary gain without
permission from the author.

----------------------------------------------------

Interview 7

"A soul... it's something that defines us for who and
what we are. It's an intangible wisp of essence. The
ancient cultures described it as the breath of life,
and perhaps they aren't so far from the truth. These
days it's what some people would call 'character,' I
suppose. Well, whatever term you use... a soul is
what makes you... you."

"In my travels I've come to learn what others would
consider the supreme being, and the most interesting
one I've heard yet was this: God is the culmination of
each and every soul that existed, before, now, and that
have yet to be. That we are all a small, yet
significant part, of a greater whole, of something
grand and special. A world where all is one, unified,
and whole."

"I don't necessarily agree with this guy, and it's
only natural that everyone decide to define their own
beliefs. Yet, somehow, when you over-analyze the
wording like Kanna does, you see a certain truth in the
matter. But that's neither here nor there."

"I'm telling you I got to experience the idea first-
hand, and let me tell you, it wasn't in a pleasant
way."

---

Sky Deck, Night Hammer

Floating in a nearly-airless sea of space, the wedge-
shaped Mishima-made airship maintained high orbit over
Nemesis, directly above the capitol city of Darkhold.
The entire deck, made up of black energy collectors,
crackled with electrical pulses, converting its newly-
acquired power and charging the Dead End Buster in
moments.

Cinder mentally cursed the timing, standing over the
fallen Ryoga Hibiki, having to abort his attack from
the sudden lack of oxygen in the air. His cavernous
breaths sucked in air like a vacuum, unable to find
enough to satisfy the void within his breathers. Using
his mind Cinder concentrated on the two oxygen tanks
strapped to his back beneath his traveling cloak,
turning the valves open with psychokinetic power.

It was this momentary pause that allowed Ryoga to
escape his punishment for betrayal, and the moment the
oxygen started filling him again the salamander was
tackled from behind by an energy burst from one of the
Sailor Senshi. He was fortunate that, despite his
rather openness, the attacker was also disoriented by
the atmospheric change as well, and the blast was not
as strong as it could have been.

Cinder spun quickly, and his mechanical eye tracked
Sailor Mars as the offender. The eye rotated outward
to focus, and he noted that she was also having trouble
breathing, but not as bad as the salamander; the humans
required a lot less oxygen than Cinder did.

"A little less toast than usual, eh?" he snorted.

Before Mars could fire off a response, Cinder spread
his arms out to the sides, and jetted gales of flame to
Uranus and Mercury, who were attempting side attacks.
He then lowered his steel-pronged tail behind him under
the bottom of his robe, and threw a fireball behind him
at Ryoga with its forked end.

"Blast it, girl," he cursed, wondering where the
priestess went, "what happened to the artificial
atmosphere?"

For that matter, it was likely he was under the
affects of the Nemesis gravity, too, which was a bit
lighter than Earth's. Not that it gave him a huge
advantage; all Cinder cared for was a constant source
of high-concentration oxygen, and the Night Hammer's
atmospheric envelope wasn't turned on.

It also meant the ship could not break into space.

"NOW would be a good time, Lady Sypha," he hissed
to himself, charging his mechanical eye's blaster and
aiming for Sailor Mars.

---

Despite the light show, Taro's hand never left
Shizuka's neck, and she remained dangling over the
deck, her arms hanging loosely to her sides. All
signs of struggle seemed to have ended long ago, but
the girl was still laughing.

"Cheap trick," he muttered.

"Let her go!" he heard Sailor Moon shout from
behind.

He turned to face her, and saw that Ranma was with
her. "Ah, Femme-boy. You sided with the Queen of
Broken Hearts, eh?"

"Tough luck, I don't change into a girl anymore,"
Ranma informed him.

"Even then, you're still the same hermaphrodite as
before," Taro replied sharply. "Have you come to
witness my ascension? This girl holds the key to that,
and I will become a true god."

"You can't be serious," Ranma said in disbelief.
"Her?"

"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence," Shizuka
muttered.

"But why her?" asked Sailor Moon, her fingers tight
on the shaft of her wand.

"I did a bit of studying since we last met, oh
Queen," Pantyhose Taro said, spitting out the last
word in contempt. "I prepared, and engineered the
deaths of all my rivals to godhood when I learned that
Deathclaw needs to take on a host in order to interact
with the living. Consequently the beast absorbs the
souls of those who become his host."

"And since Shizuka currently hosts Deathclaw you're
going to sponge the heart crystals out of him, huh?"
realized Ranma. "That's crazy."

"With enough heart crystals perhaps you could rival
a god," Sailor Moon granted, "but your heart will
never know joy."

Taro's gloved arm crackled with black lightning.
"I define joy!"

The dark energy lanced through Shizuka's chest, but
the girl would concede no pain. Taro granted that it
was admirable that she refused to show weakness even
now, but he promised to make his threat very real to
her nevertheless. He could already feel her heart
crystal emerge despite its strong protests.

"Shizuka, fight it!" encouraged Sailor Moon.

"Shoot him!" Ranma ordered. "C'mon!"

"I might hit her," she said, making up excuses. It
sounded very weak to Taro's ears; she was definitely
going to get pancaked second. "I might hit the heart
crystals!"

"Goddamnit, shoot me!" Shizuka cried, obviously
growing impatient.

"You can't die yet," Taro replied softly,
sadistically.

"We can't let him win like this!" Femme-boy yelled
anxiously.

He turned his attention completely on Shizuka, and
saw that her heart crystal was halfway out. Taro
chuckled in delight when he saw that another heart
crystal was emerging from within the girl's, likely one
of the absorbed crystals. It raced to join the orbit
of Taro's remaining three heart crystals, and soon
more heart crystals appeared.

And then they started flying out loosely.

"Yes," he roared. "YES!! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!!"

"You neglected one thing," he heard a voice say, but
the source could not be heard through his ears. Taro
could not put a finger on the voice, as it seemed to be
a strange amalgam of a man and a woman. Yet, only the
female voice seemed familiar... and it hit him.

"Get out of my head," he muttered lowly, drawing
heart crystals out at a faster rate until no more would
emerge. He struggled to pry out Shizuka's crystal,
which was still resisting with unimaginable force.

"Ironic, that in your bid for power you failed to
consider your own parasite is engineering your
demise," Shizuka/Deathclaw informed him. "How ironic,
that you neglected to consider the curse of the ghost
dragon in your hasty desire!"

"What?!" he gasped, realizing that he did neglect
something.

"Fool," Taro heard a third voice say, this one in the
sound of his own voice, but not his voice. "Thanks to
you, my revival is complete."

"You!" he screamed frantically. "What are you
doing?!"

"Taking over," the unwelcome one said simply.

"No, stop!" Taro cried, releasing his hold on
Shizuka, dropping her on the ground like a rag doll.
He turned away, clutching at his chest in pain as the
numerous heart crystals spinning around him caved-in
over him.

"Taro!" Sailor Moon cried.

Pantyhose Taro screamed in terror, the parasite that
guided him this far consuming his body as the curse of
Deathclaw enraptured his soul.

---

His weakness was becoming very apparent to the
enemy, Cinder noted, as he consumed too much of his
precious oxygen reserves just to keep the Sailor Senshi
and Ryoga at bay. It never seemed to end; Uranus would
attack, then Ryoga, then Mars, then Neptune, then
Mercury, all taking turns to get a shot in, and
sometimes they did it at the same time.

No man could endure such odds, but then, Cinder was
no man. He vowed to lay his life down for his lord,
and that was exactly what he intended to do, even if
he had to join him in death.

The circle formed by his opponents spread wider
when the help arrived, forming a circle around the
exhausted Cinder. Each of the remaining Fenril Knights
appeared in a shifting dark shadow, materializing with
the power of their black crystal shards.

"More of them!" Uranus shouted.

"Sorry we took so long," Ukyo said, holding her
giant combat spatula ready in her hands.

"How typical," Mousse snorted, the crippled warrior
equipped with arm-mounted blades that did not require
the use of his hands, "that these guys gang up like
this."

"The odds are still in our favor," Kanna added,
spinning her scythe once in readiness.

Sypha raised her claws from the ground. "Even if I
hold back, this is still unfair to them."

"Hah, now this is more like it!" Ryoga shouted.

"The traitor's mine," Cinder decided, quickly
gathering his breath. "But Shizuka needs to turn on
the atmospheric envelope before we all get exhausted.
Vizier is tying her up."

"We'll work on it," assured Ukyo. "Just keep your
guy to yourself, and we'll do the same!"

Each of the five Fenril Knights charged, spreading
out from their circle to their five opponents.

---

Myriad of heart crystals buried Pantyhose Taro like
iron filings to a magnet, and the warrior remained
prone on the ground, unmoving, without making a sound.
Sailor Moon took careful steps toward the fallen one,
her eyes momentarily glancing toward Shizuka, who
seemed to be coming around on her own despite being
thrown around and gutted.

"Careful," warned Ranma. "He's a tricky guy."

"I need to find Sailor Venus," she replied, holding
her wand out. "This may be the last chance."

"And what about the others?" the martial artist
asked. "Don't they all deserve another chance at
life?"

"It's not that simple," she replied. "Cinder was
right; it's inhuman to keep resurrecting people, but it
is wrong to take away a life in this manner. I only
know that Sailor Venus understands this."

"Yeah, well, it's just I'm not so eager to get
Kodachi back," Ranma admitted reluctantly.

Using the head of the wand like a magnet, a single
heart crystal, shining much brighter than the rest of
the mass, emerged from the pile and flitted toward
her. The crystal vanished into the head, and Sailor
Moon knew she found her lost friend.

And yet, pulling that single crystal away seemed to
jar Pantyhose Taro into action, as the mass began to
quake. A blackened, bony claw tore from beneath the
pile, with nails that extended outward sharply. All at
once the heart crystals reacted, producing a light that
hurt Sailor Moon's eyes.

"Give back what you have taken," Taro rumbled, the
light increasing in intensity.

"What the hell...?!" Ranma gasped. The voice indeed
belonged to the martial artist, but at the same time,
it sounded nothing like him.

---

Crimson light illuminated the sky over Darkhold,
silhouetting the wedge-shaped Night Hammer over the
heads of the Crystal Tokyo populace. Where battles
raged in the heavens above the eyes of the people
gazed upward to the sign of an apocalypse.

Emerging from Ukyo's restaurant, Cologne's old and
weary eyes peered into the illuminated sky. It was now
common knowledge that the owner, Ukyo, was the resident
Fenril administrator watching over the people of
Crystal Tokyo, ever since she disappeared and Cologne
took over the restaurant. It was not a hard puzzle for
the people to figure out, and Ukyo knew it would happen
eventually, but she decided she had to exert her
authority over the other two Fenril lords and quit
dodging her responsibility.

"So the battle has finally come?" she said to
herself.

---

Battles raging over the sky deck ceased completely as
the heart crystals blinded them. Ukyo held Sailor Mars
pinned down by the length of her spatula. Kanna
lowered her scythe in her engagement against Uranus,
who lowered her own sword. Ryoga dared not release his
parry on Cinder's slashing arms, as they continued to
waver against his brute strength. Sypha merely stared
bored toward Taro's direction, having tied up Mercury
with magical bonds from her crystal ball. Neptune and
Mousse backed off from each other as they faced the
crimson light.

Ranma could barely see anything in the blinding
light, but if he had to make a guess he'd say that Taro
was getting larger by the moment.

"He's merging with the heart crystals," Sailor Moon
warned, as Taro's back burst into many flailing
strips of skin.

And then the martial artist realized what was
happening. "He's transforming... without cold water?"

Pantyhose Taro roared in pain as the transformation
consumed him, his voice tortured by unimaginable
suffering. His voice was joined by those heart
crystals he consumed in his mad bid for power, having
sucked them from Shizuka's soul. Whatever it was that
was going on in his body, Ranma wished no one would
experience it.

"I live," the monster rumbled. "I live!"

"Shut the hell up, that's so cheesy," Shizuka cried,
sounding more annoyed than anything.

The light faded from the monster's body, and Ranma
saw the nightmarish Pantyhose Taro towering over him,
not unlike any previous encounter. The brown-furred
behemoth stood on hooved feet, with a long tail
thrashing about behind it, its tip ending in the head
of an eel. His arms were huge and muscular, and could
manipulate objects as easily as any man. Large white
wings spread from the behemoth's back, along with many
rows of octopus tentacles, thrashing about individually
with a mind of their own. The head was unmistakably
that of a bull, with horns locked forward and as sharp
as ever. The monster's blood-shot eyes stared down at
him and Sailor Moon, and he growled in anger.

The only difference between this encounter and any
previous was the fact that another set of eyes and
mouths opened up in the creature's chest, creating a
second, more twisted, demonic face.

"Vizier," Sailor Moon whispered, awed.

"What happened to Pantyhose Taro?!" demanded Ranma,
unusually worried.

"He is a slave to his body," Shizuka revealed. "The
parasite within him is too strong for him, and it
consumed him. Such is the fate of those weaklings who
attempt to become one with a god; Taro's thirst for
power ended in his own undoing, the same as the undoing
of those before who tried to tame Deathclaw's power."

"Look at this magnificent body," Vizier proclaimed,
the voice emerging from the face in the chest. "I must
thank you, Sailor Moon, for helping me to get this
far into my ultimate plans."

"You planned to do this all along?" Sailor Moon
realized. "You wanted us to destroy your previous
body, just so you could take the time to find another,
more powerful one."

"Exactly," admitted the monster. "When you thought
me destroyed, just like my brethren, you wouldn't pay
me any mind while I worked in the shadows of the Silver
Crystal's light. The plan was set back, however, when
another interfered... but ironically it ensured my own
survival."

"Death Phantom."

"It was my dark brother that opposed me, and he
carried the victims of my essence forward to this time
from that last battle," continued Vizier. "He saw it
fit to use me while I continued to dwell in my dormant
stage. He did not count on my awakening, not at this
critical juncture in his own bid for ascension."

"What's this all about?" demanded Ranma.

"It's about the reason you exist in this time,"
Vizier answered. "Death Phantom conquered Sailor Pluto
and traveled back in time, to the point before the
Great Sleep, and attempted to destroy Crystal Tokyo by
making sure it never existed. In the process, he
ended up creating it. So in order to ensure his own
future back in his time he brought you and your allies
forward in time to fight this war for him... to buy him
time to power his Black Crystal and attain his
ascension. All of you are nothing but pawns to Death
Phantom's ambition."

"Is that supposed to change anything?" asked Shizuka,
getting up to her feet to join Sailor Moon and Ranma.
"Removing us from the timeline... preventing us from
stopping what might have been...."

"It was because all of it already happened," Cinder
interrupted.

Ranma turned, and saw the others had joined them.
Side-by-side the Fenril Knights and Sailor Senshi stood
facing the monster, each knowing where the bigger
threat lay. It transcended beyond their differences,
and although the hasty alliance was yet uneasy, it
looked good to Ranma.

"Who's to say that?" Vizier sneered. "Because of
Death Phantom, your benefactor," he held the last word
in scorn, "all of you lost everything, because you
weren't there to prevent the tragedies."

"Then you must know as well as I that I was the
Guardian of the Seal to the Shrine of the Four Gods,"
the salamander revealed. "The reason they could not
thwart the Mekani attack by sealing the gate was due to
my absence, and the absence of each and every
individual who had the potential to learn the sealing
rite." He gestured to the remaining Fenril Knights,
but pointed no fingers.

"I should've known this was his fault," Sailor Mars
shot angrily. "Millions died because of that old
freak!"

"But yet it was still our hand that carried it out,"
Sailor Moon added. "We are as much to blame as he
is."

"If the point of origin was from this time," Sypha
reasoned, "then the past may as well be set in stone.
Our world was lost before we knew it; it was written
out before we could live it." The sorcerer shook her
head. "It's no use to dwell on what might have been!"

"Even if all of that's true," said Ukyo, sounding
quite unnerved about the revelation, "I still see a
monster in front of me. Whoever you are, Vizier, what
right does it give you to kill everyone for your own
selfish ambition?"

"Ask the same of your benefactor," countered Vizier.

Kanna merely laughed. "But still, Mr. Vizier... why
don't you tell us all about your little prophecy."

All eyes turned toward the Crystal Spider.

"The Children of Chaos emerge from the defeat of
their father, that much I'm sure you all know," Kanna
explained. "But what the prophecy is fuzzy on is how
it can be fulfilled. That's never explained, and the
exact prophecy's wording has been lost in time. The
answer is the reason you five fight each other."

"An interesting observation," Vizier granted.

"It's not enough that Chaos be avenged, but that one
of you take his place as well. It's a rite of
succession."

"So all of this is one glorified power struggle,"
Ranma noted.

"And the last one left wins by default," Ryoga knew.

"But now there's only just Death Phantom and Vizier,"
Sailor Uranus pointed out. "We destroyed the other
three a long time ago."

"So you were planning to wait-out Death Phantom's
destruction so you could claim Chaos' throne," Mercury
concluded. "The reason for the virus was to ensure
your survival and eventual revival at the right moment,
not any desire to Silence Earth. It's only
consequential."

"I care nothing for this planet," the Chaos Child
admitted. "Nor do I care for your Silver Crystal, yet
it is ever a threat to my power. Both that and the
Black Crystal rely on the hearts of the people in order
to function, but if I eliminate the people, I
eliminate the threat."

He gazed toward the heavens above. "When the
advance Mekani fleet arrives, they will slaughter the
people of Earth and Nemesis with impunity! With the
coming of Silence, all my enemies will be defeated,
and I, Vizier, will reign supreme!"

"Kiss it!" Shizuka shouted, revealing the master
control of the Night Hammer. She pressed a green
button on the top row.

Ranma felt the air dense up as the atmospheric
envelope initiated, filling the air around the sky
deck with more free air than Earth's polluted
atmosphere; Cinder described it as the air the Kami
Plane's Earth was graced with. The cleanliness did not
hold his attention long, however, as the martial artist
realized that said salamander was powering-up his fire
ability, now that he was revitalized with the ever-
precious oxygen content.

He also felt the tug of gravity pull down against
his body, but Ranma got used to it immediately as the
gravity level adjusted to Earth standard. The ground
rumbled beneath his feet as the main engines of the
airship roared to life, so now it was noticeable that
the Night Hammer was ascending beyond the atmosphere.

"Alright," decided Ranma, "so it basically boils down
to which one of 'em we'd rather live with."

"Why's that?" asked Ukyo, blinking.

"If we take the time to stop one of them," Sypha
explained, "that will leave the other to ascend to the
mantle of Chaos. A perfect plan, a perfect dilemma!"

"Why can't we just take both of them down at once?"
wondered Sailor Mars, obviously itching for Death
Phantom's head.

"Time for debate is over!" Cinder declared,
transforming furiously into a great fireball. Those
standing near him backed away as the fireball rocketed
to tackle Vizier in the chest, but the Chaos creature
barely seemed to feel it. With a butt back using only
his chest Cinder was sent flying backward, and
disappeared from view.

"It's as Vizier said," Mercury said. "If we let
Vizier go the Mekani will arrive and wipe out the
people of Earth. Death Phantom perfectly engineered
his plan such that we have to take out Vizier no matter
what we think about him."

"Then Vizier's merely a pawn, too," Kanna snorted in
amusement. "And the fool doesn't know it."

No sooner had Cinder rocketed back into view Sypha
fireballed as well, and both kami launched themselves
head-on into Vizier's chest. Both seemed to bounce off
the monster, being pushed back a long way, but the two,
ever so stubborn, wheeled around for another pass.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?!" Mousse
cried impatiently, raising an arm blade. "Let's get
him!"

"It's folly to oppose a god!" Vizier declared,
raising a hand in Mousse's direction. From each of his
fingers ink blots flew outward, and scattered the front
his enemies were making on him.

---

The corridors seemed dark and cold. Footsteps
echoed in the decks below the sky deck, unnoticed by
any who battled above. The only question on this one's
mind was, "What's going on?"

There was no one around to answer, but the latecomer
to the conflict resolved to find out.

---

Ink as black as night jetted from Vizier's
fingertips, launching at a spread that forced his
arrayed opponents to scatter. The bestial, bull head
rumbled a low chuckle, one which Ranma was all too
familiar with in his previous encounters. What was
more eerie, however, was that the twisted, demonic face
in Taro's chest was laughing along with it. Blood-red
eyes gazed separately from the true head, folding hide
in sickening directions that made Ranma feel like
vomiting.

The beast that was now Vizier was unworldly, more so
than Pantyhose Taro, the twisted chimera, had ever
been. More so than the kami salamander Cinder, the
obsidian-scaled lizard maimed by his experiences on
Earth, and even more twisted with the perverted steel
grafts. More so than Sypha, beautiful and regal in her
human guise, magnificent and terrifying in her true
form. Even more than Deathclaw, the disgusting
spectral dragon skeleton, and the normal-appearing girl
he possessed. No, Vizier was a far greater perversion,
that of life itself.

And Ranma was partly responsible for his awakening.

He never shared his experiences under the influence
of the Chaos cells to anyone, not even Akane. The
black crystal jewel the martial artist assembled was
but a mere tool to trigger Vizier's revival from his
dormant stage. It was the cells that fed him the idea,
and Ranma knew that, out of the remaining Fenril
Knights, Vizier was trying to decide whether to take
him or Taro as his host.

If it wasn't for Sailor Moon, Ranma would be the one
with that twisted face in his chest.

He dodged a flailing tentacle as Vizier divided his
attention on his numerous attackers. Although
outnumbered the revived Chaos Child was not allowing
anyone to get a good hit in, and whatever spatula,
knife, or fireball that did get past the defense none
of those hardly seemed to faze him.

"I traded Pantyhose Taro's life for my own," he
realized suddenly. "I made Vizier choose him instead
of me... this is my fault!"

"What?" he heard Sailor Moon cry. "That's not true!"

He felt the warmness of his own ki around him. "I
was this close to becoming Vizier's host... he wanted
me... until I rejected the crystal." Ranma clenched
his fists in anger. "This guy's gonna pay!"

"Aw, shit!" he heard Ukyo curse. Ranma risked
tearing his eyes away from Vizier and glanced toward
his old friend. She stared up and beyond the bow of
the Night Hammer, and Ranma did the same.

He felt the eyes of all combatants, including that
of Vizier, forget the battle and focus on the anomaly
in the space beyond Nemesis, off the port of the
airship. A ripple emerged, highlighted by azure
energy, from a point of light in the midst of
nothing. The point expanded, spreading in a pattern
from the center in what resembled a spider web.

The point at the center grew larger, and four probe-
like appendages emerged. Each spread outward from the
center, spreading across and forming the shape of an
insectoid in Ranma's mind. As the hole grew larger the
body connecting the four leg appendages emerged, in a
large, spherical shape. At the forefront of the
sphere was what appeared to be a large, ruby diamond
shape, ringed by gold.

From this distance the giant spheroid creature
appeared to be as large as Sailor Moon's head, from a
quick size comparison, but Ranma knew it was only
because the beast was far off. The martial artist
could not tell the distance without any point of
reference beyond the port.

"That," he heard Kanna say, "is one big spider...."

"Ah, they've finally arrived!" Vizier proclaimed,
obviously pleased. "You fools, you're too late to stop
them now."

"I hope they aren't just sending just one of those
big things," muttered Ukyo.

"That beast isn't just one Mekani," Uranus warned.
"It's a lot of smaller Mekani put together."

"You're kidding," the okonomiyaki chef replied in
disbelief.

"I wish I were," she admitted. "These Mekani are far
more advanced than the ones we fought before. The
giant you see there is an optical illusion; up close
all the spheroids are visible and link up like a cell
lattice."

"I feel chemistry lessons coming on," Kanna
recognized. "They move like one mass, and when they're
ready to deploy they break off from the whole. How
interesting."

"And there's nothing you can do to stop them!" the
Chaos Child declared, drawing all attention back to
himself as the Mekani cluster continued to emerge from
the center of the web.

"Wanna bet?" Shizuka shouted, holding out the remote
control box.

"You idiot," Ranma muttered, noting in a split
second that Vizier's palm was aiming toward the
priestess of Genbu. His body moving automatically, he
tried to tackle the girl before the black energy
lancing from Vizier's palm could reach her.

And yet, the darkness somehow traveled faster than
he, or anyone else that realized how much in danger
Shizuka was in. Ranma was certain Shizuka didn't have
the time to realize she was in trouble as she screamed,
the dark energy engulfing her. The martial artist was
thrown back and away from the impact point centered on
the girl, as were anyone within five meters.

"Shizuka!" everyone seemed to shout at once, a dark
void sphere inhabiting the area where the priestess
once stood.

"Pity," Vizier said, his bull head laughing, "there
goes your only chance to fire the Dead End Buster."

Flame encircled Cinder's robed form, and Sypha, too,
appeared ready to continue the melee. Vizier was only
too happy to oblige, and the three resumed the fight,
with the others following suit. Ranma stood there,
torn between continuing the fight and the fallen
priestess.

The dark sphere cracked, then shattered like glass,
but without a sound. Black smoke billowed from its
entrapped area, and Ranma waved the foul odor from his
nostrils. As it cleared he made out a human shape, and
knew it was Shizuka, kneeling on the ground.

Sailor Moon and Kanna rushed to her side immediately,
and when the smoke dissipated completely Ranma
understood.

Shizuka collapsed face-first onto the deck,
revealing that which she was hiding close to her chest.
The very arm holding the control box slowly edged its
way out from under her body, and where there should
have been her left hand was a smoking stump.

Kanna bent her knees, and reached down to feel the
girl's pulse. "She's still breathing."

Reaching down to the priestess' sleeve the Crystal
Spider found Shizuka's black crystal prism, dangling
from the end on a chord, and pulled it free. She held
it out to Sailor Moon. "Here."

"What's this for?" she asked, staring at the dark
prism apprehensively.

"She's not going to need it," Kanna explained. "And
without one I can't take you to see Wiseman."

"What about Vizier?" Moon asked, obviously torn.

"They can take care of Vizier," the tactician
insisted. "If you want to stop the both of them, you
need me to take you to Wiseman."

"Sailor Moon, just go," Ranma chipped in, stepping in
closer to the girls. "We can deal with Vizier."

"What about the Mekani?"

The martial artist shrugged. "We'll deal with that
when we come to it, I guess."

Sailor Moon smiled. "Do your best." She turned back
toward Kanna, and placed her hand on the prism. "It's
now or never."

"See you on the flip side," Kanna said to Ranma,
nodding.

In the blink of an eye, the air shifted around both
Sailor Moon and Kanna, vanishing into thin air. Ranma
stared down at Shizuka, her fingers twitching. He
caught sight of a spectral force emerging from the
stump, and Ranma knew Deathclaw was taking the
opportunity to assert control over the unconscious
girl's body.

"It's now or never," he decided, deciding to gauge
his remaining time on Deathclaw's awakening.

Ranma leaped over a thrashing tentacle threatening
to bring him off his feet, and tried to edge in closer
to Vizier's body. The beast's back was turned, his
full attention on the attacks the Sailor Senshi and
Sypha and Cinder were giving him, as they were the ones
getting in apparent hits with their magic and energy
attacks. More tentacles, seemingly having a mind of
their own, diverted their attention onto Ranma as he
was getting closer.

He raised his arms high to block a bludgeon overhead
attack. "Ryoga! Mousse! Ukyo!" he shouted, calling off
names he could trust. "Get these things off of me!"

Ducking under another tentacle the martial artist
barely noticed that a spatula bit into the cartilage
skin, and to his right another one was severed by
Mousse's arm blades. Another tentacle wrapped itself
around Ranma's feet, and he fell onto his back. Ryoga
rushed to his aid, kicking another tentacle away hard,
and began to pry at the one at Ranma's feet.

"We can't put up with this much longer," Ryoga
muttered, overpowering the tentacle's grip. Ranma
scrambled backward, retreating from the tentacle mass.

"And I'm almost out," reported Ukyo, indicating she
was running out of throwing spatulas.

Mousse took another quick swing, severing a stray
tentacle heading his way. "This is ridiculous!
There's more of us fighting Pantyhose Taro this time
around and we still can't get a hit in!"

"Don't look at me!" Ukyo replied.

"But it ISN'T any different from the other times!"
Ranma said, coming up with a bright idea. His eyes
scanned around the stretch of the sky deck, and an idea
hit him.

Turning his attention back to his friends, he
instructed, "Tell Cinder to set up his sealing spell,
and Sypha a dark grid. I need the Sailor Senshi to
concentrate their attacks on Vizier when I give the
signal."

"And what're you doing?" wondered Ryoga.

"Never mind, just do it!" Ukyo interrupted before
Ranma could explain. She gave him a concerned look.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Ranchan...."

"Trust me, I'm makin' it up as I go along," he
offered with a smile.

Mousse gave a quick warrior's salute with his arm
blade. "Good luck, you'll need it!"

Ranma saw it in their eyes; both Ukyo and Mousse,
even with the reflection off his glasses, caught on to
what he was up to, but Ryoga hadn't yet. It didn't
matter; he'll find out soon enough, too.

He had no time to consider if the two kami would be
uncooperative; Ranma just needed to get Vizier's
attention, and then worry about his own hide.

Ranma held his palms out, and great bolts of ki
leaped forth. Both bolts slammed past the tentacles,
and impacted on Vizier himself. The Chaos beast's bull
head craned his direction in anger, and more tentacles
lashed out in Ranma's direction.

So far, so good, he thought, breaking into a sprint
with the tentacles trailing after. Ranma directed
himself toward the Dead End Buster's barrel, and he
knew Vizier was going out of his way to ignore the
others to keep the tentacles in range.

He leaped up and stood at the edge of the barrel of
the Dead End Buster, the tentacles slowing in their
chase. Ranma glanced down at Sypha's direction, and
she had just finished weaving her black magic. In a
translucent screen before him a black chain-link grid
appeared before the martial artist, and the tentacles
tried to run through them, just as expected.

"Yes!" Ranma cried, satisfied the ruse he used on
Taro long before worked even now. It was in the nature
of the octopus tentacles to seek shelter in cramped
spaces, after all.

Unfortunately, Ranma's luck chose to run out, and
the tentacles pushed him further into the barrel.

This was not part of the plan, he kept telling
himself. Should've gotten out of the way sooner!

Ranma turned around, staring back down toward the end
of the barrel. Vizier's body completely blocked the
exit, and his glowing eyes offered the only source of
illumination. His face was twisted in pain, and Ranma
knew that Cinder had succeeded in paralyzing him with
the sealing magic. The spell effectively used Vizier's
body to completely seal the 'opening' offered by the
cannon barrel, putting him in a good position for
firing the Buster.

He realized he never thought that far ahead, either;
the control box went up with Shizuka.

"Thank you," he heard in his head, knowing the voice
belonged to Pantyhose Taro. Ranma, for his part,
wished he thought through the plan a lot more.

"Sorry, Akane...."

Vizier's mouth began to glow with dark energy, and
Ranma knew he was going to get it.

"No, it's not your time yet," he heard a voice say in
his head. "I gladly trade my life for your
happiness...."

"What the...?!" He was far too late to stop her.

Ranma felt the ground disappear beneath his feet,
and the cold embrace of darkness engulfed him.

---

"He's in position," noted Ukyo, her eyes on the
sealed barrel, "but it won't do any good unless we can
fire the cannon."

"Ah, it feels good to be needed," they heard a voice
say, projected over unseen speakers on the sky deck.

"That voice...!" Mercury recognized.

---

Shion leaned forward over the control console, quite
satisfied that he was able to recover and decrypt his
own code in time. It was a miracle, but then, he
prided himself on being a miracle worker.

He wondered if his dominating satellite feed of the
battle, sent back to Earth over all other signals, was
getting a good following. It didn't matter, really, as
the turret was already directed toward the Mekani
cluster. Two birds with one stone was a reasonably
good deal.

Holding his thumb over the firing button, Shion
said, "Give my regards to Orochi!"

---

Hokuto refused to release the hold her shadow hands
had on Vizier's final energy attack, slowly pushing her
backward with immense force. She felt Ranma leave the
shadow stream, feeling relieved that he would be safe.
The Shadow Weaver felt more energy gathering behind
her.

"Farewell, my love," she whispered. "I can never
repay for my misdeeds, and the suffering I caused...
straying from the middle path. My only regret...."

Darkness enveloped her from behind, welcoming Hokuto
back into the night whence she came.

---

Everyone on the sky deck shielded their eyes as the
Dead End Buster's violet lance vaporized Vizier
completely, and continued on as if he were never there.
The blast extended outward quickly, driving dead center
into the ruby eye of the Mekani cluster beast.

When the light show was over, alarms blared all
around the fighters, each warnings of the power drain
coming just after a successful blast. Deck elevators
lowered below the deck to retrieve deployable defenses
for the inevitable attack from the Mekani survivors.

Ranma, surprised he was lying on the sky deck, looked
outward toward the Mekani web gate, and saw that the
bulk of the spheroid was gone, but some of it, and all
four legs, remained intact, and they were growing
ever larger in his eyes.

"Why... Hokuto...?" he muttered. Ranma forced his
eyes shut, trying to contain himself. "Why did you
have to go and die?!"

"Here," one of the Sailor Senshi said, offering a
gloved hand.

Ranma stared upward in surprise. "It's you?"

Sailor Jupiter nodded. "We're not out of the woods
yet, you know, so we can use your help."

"Sailor Jupiter!" Mars and Mercury exclaimed at
once, both surprised.

"Mind if I join in?" she asked.

"Oh great, you're still walking," Mousse groaned.

"Stuff it for later, Mousse," Ukyo suggested, putting
a hand on his shoulder to stop him. She jabbed a thumb
backward. "The Mekani are waiting."

Almost forgotten by all, the battered form of
Shizuka rose, supporting her stump arm with a ghostly,
skeletal claw.

"I... awaken," Deathclaw rumbled, eyes flaring white
with malevolence.

---

Wiseman's Citadel, Nemesis

"Ah, I see you finally arrived," the cloaked man
greeted as Sailor Moon and Kanna materialized on the
ground below him. He kept one shimmering hand held
over the crystal ball in his lap, with the image of the
battle on the Night Hammer's sky deck raging within.

Sailor Moon looked up toward her nemesis, and handed
Shizuka's prism over to Kanna. "Death Phantom... how
can I allow you to ascend the Throne of Chaos?"

Wiseman merely laughed. "You no longer have it
within your power to stop me, not with your attentions
divided between me and Vizier."

"We got that part already," Kanna snapped
impatiently. "Did you ever think to consider what
might happen to Earth because of your ambition?"

"I would ask you the same," the old man replied,
raising his shimmering hands to his dark hood.
Grasping the sides with both hands, he threw it back.

Sailor Moon gasped. "That's... Dr. Taydome...?"

"In appearance alone, I assure you," replied
Wiseman, his voice emerging from the preserved body's
lips. "Earth no longer concerns me."

"How can you say that?" demanded the Crystal Spider.
"We thought you wanted us to change the world."

"I do," he confirmed. "But, as you know, you proved
to be an interesting diversion to any attention that
could've been placed on me. In silence I've slowly
gathered the residual energies released from your
little war, all the while fueling the Black Crystal
and allowing it to grow in the darkness from which it
was born. Carefully I concealed my true intentions
from all of you, allowing each of you to believe what
you wished most convenient. I merely pointed you in
the general direction; each of you made your choices on
your own."

"You've won already, Death Phantom," Sailor Moon said
finally. "You've achieved your grand ascension... so
what are you going to do with your Black Crystal now?"

"If he wanted to destroy us he would've done that a
long time ago," Kanna noted.

"Your uses to me have not come to an end just yet,"
he admitted. "The sampling your comrades fight now is
only that, and I intend to reaffirm the seat of power
in Tau Ceti by taking this moon with me home."

"You saved up all your black energy to move Nemesis
back to Tau Ceti," Moon realized. "And in that way you
restore the world belonging to the disciples of Chaos.
It's how you intend to complete the prophecy... but the
Mekani are also there. You still need us to fight them
for you, because all the energy you've saved is going
to be used in moving this world."

"Consider this, Sailor Moon," the puppeteer said
grimly, throwing his hood back over his head. "The
Mekani need a strong foothold in this galaxy in order
to continue their expansion. They will ensure their
survival in these fringe worlds before continuing, and
they will return even when you defeat their advanced
party. They have been in Tau Ceti for quite some time,
and it is their closest staging ground to attack your
world. The Mekani Hive Masters know of your new Earth,
a world ripe for their harvest, and its untapped
planets, filled to the brim with rich resources. They
will not rest until they know they can safely hold
their empire in this galaxy, and we must join the
myriad others who oppose their ruthless expansion
across the universe."

"The war is far from over," he finished. "This is
only the beginning."

---

Sky Deck, Night Hammer

Silence fell in the artificial atmosphere surrounding
the Night Hammer, and each of its defenders stood or
lay on the deck, exhausted, amidst the torn, steel
piles of broken Mekani warriors that made it through
the defense lines.

Slowly, one-by-one, each of the defenders rose back
to their feet. Ranma could barely lift himself, and
he paused momentarily to kick away one of a warrior's
steel, insectile legs.

"It's over," he declared.

However, a presence loomed behind him, overshadowing
him with an oppressive, unliving force. A chill ran
up the martial artist's spine.

The possessed Shizuka landed a good hit in the back,
sending Ranma sprawling across the deck. "For you,
traitor, it most certainly is," Deathclaw finished.

"Hey!" cried Sailor Uranus. "What do you think
you're doing?"

"We haven't settled our previous business," Cinder
answered, gathering his cloak around himself, walking
to join the priestess. "The Mekani threat may be over
for now...." His mechanical eye whirred, focusing on
a possible target.

"You guys are crazy," Ukyo muttered, leaning on her
spatula. "We surrendered."

"I will never surrender," Deathclaw proclaimed,
clenching his ghostly fist tightly, white wisps
trailing from his fingers. "Too many have died for
this miserable world called Earth, and for nothing."

"Shizuka," Sailor Mars said, "the war's over."

"It's never over!" Mousse cried defiantly, standing
next to the possessed priestess.

"Don't you think you did a good enough job already?"
asked Sailor Jupiter. "The more you guys push for
revenge, the more people die! More good people like
Hokuto would die; is that what you want?"

"What I want is immaterial," Cinder growled. He
clenched a fist. "What you humans should be
considering is the fact that the Mekani will not give
up. Nor shall we."

"They're too caught-up with the dead to think about
the living," Neptune saw. "You've been fighting so
long that you lost sight of what really matters."

"Look, you guys," Ukyo said, "I'm just tired. Can't
we just leave it at that?"

"Not until their grievances are settled," Ryoga
noted. "It can't, as long as they keep hating."

"This stupid hating has to end," Ranma said bluntly.

But Sypha shook her head. The black sorcerer stood
up tall, but did not move to join her fellows.
"Cinder, Mousse, Shizuka... we can't go on anymore."

"Why not?" demanded Deathclaw, snarling. "The Sailor
Senshi must pay for their misdeeds!"

"And yet," the black sorcerer pointed out, "there's
a ring of truth in their words. How many more of us
have to die until we're satisfied? How many of the
Sailor Senshi have we actually killed? None; all this
war is doing is dwindling our own numbers, and if we
all die, no one will remember. I can't allow that."

Cinder lowered his arm, hanging it in defeat. "The
memory of my lord and Miranda will not be served their
due if I perish now."

"And Shampoo," agreed Mousse.

"Bah," scoffed the ghost dragon. "Hokuto and Mizuki
knew the consequences of their actions, and you expect
me to live for them? How foolish do you think I am?"

Everyone shielded their eyes as a brief flash of
light burst over the possessed girl's position,
and in the time it took for everyone's eyes to adjust
Shizuka was being held fast at her arms. In a strong
grip the boa constrictor Thanatos, recently teleported
in, bound the girl.

"Release me!" Deathclaw demanded furiously.

"Sorry, Shizuka," they heard Shion say, "but the
snake wants you to stop, too."

"You, too?"

"Shizuka, think about it," the mercenary continued.
"I almost lost you once before. You almost lost me.
Now tell me, do you really want to go through all that
all over again?"

The girl's eyes flared more brilliantly as Deathclaw
gazed down at Thanatos' small head. The snake flicked
his forked tongue quickly, and he stared straight into
his partner's eyes.

Shizuka lowered her head, defeated. "Very well," she
said, resuming control over her body, "you win."

---

She felt light as a feather even as she descended
from the skies. Sailor Venus immersed herself in her
surreal surroundings, of an endless blue sky, the
fluffy, white clouds passing as she descended toward
the unseen Earth below. Sparkles of light trailed as
she descended, and warmness enveloped her; a warmness
she had not felt since her heart crystal was forcibly
taken from her body.

It was almost time to wake up, she knew.

Two translucent wisps appeared suddenly, matching her
descent path. Although they were of shapeless form
Venus recognized the spirits of the departed. Brother
and sister exchanged serene smiles between each other,
then faced the Sailor Senshi.

Kodachi Kuno mouthed a word, but no voice could be
heard.

"Go on," she told the Kuno siblings. "You guys
earned a well-deserved rest."

No sooner had she spoken those words Venus felt the
warmness envelop her completely, and the weight of the
world tugged at her. She opened her eyes, realizing
that she was lying down, likely on a bed, judging from
the soft texture. Her vision blurred, as her eyes had
not functioned for quite a while, but it took only a
few moments to recognize the face of Neo Queen Serenity
and the other Sailor Senshi.

"Welcome home," the queen greeted warmly.

---

World Parliament, Geneva

With full confidence Ayame could say that she would
never stand alone.

"The charges are as follows," a voice echoed in the
great hall. "High treason against the planet Earth and
its peoples. Disturbance of the peace. The willful
destruction of property, of a monetary value in excess
of...."

As the arbiters read off the list of charges against
her and the Fenril Knights Ayame glanced to each side,
to the others who stood by her in the great hall,
awaiting judgement by the people who ruled the world.
The trial was meant to be swift, but in the light of
the thwarted Mekani attack Neo Queen Serenity
intervened, wishing to preside over the hearing
herself. Although she unofficially supported her
former enemy the queen made it clear that the ruling
would be decided by the panel of judges, and not her
own personal whim.

In other words, whatever the five appointees decided,
she would endorse their ruling. Ayame and the others
had to accept that despite their machinations to
manipulate the outcome.

The regional governors appointed the judges, who came
from all walks of life and represented different
peoples from around the world. Although they were
supposed to be impartial in matters presented before
them, there was no avoiding the fact that each and
every one of them was affected by the Black Moon War
that came before, and they would likely come down hard
on their successors.

"The number of casualties is staggering," one judge
said, in response to one listed charge.

"On the other hand, how many of them actually died?"
countered Kanna, and there was an uproar from the
audience.

"Order!" demanded the head judge. Directing
attention to the floor he said, "I will have you remain
silent at this time, do you understand?"

"Perfectly," she answered.

Ayame glanced toward the tactician standing at her
right out of the corner of her eye, offering a slight
smirk. Every word from her mouth was calculated
precisely, and while it appeared to work against them
on the surface the trial wasn't over yet; the poison
has plenty of time to do its magic.

She waited patiently as the list of charges was
completed, and Ayame tallied them all up in her mind.
If the bloodthirsty got their way the Fenril Knights
would die at least thirteen times over... if only there
were such a thing as a death penalty. No, the worst
they could get was an eternal sentence of exile, which
would land them back on Nemesis anyway. Either way,
Ayame didn't care; one sentence was as severe as the
other.

It was the inevitable guilty sentence that urged
Ayame to a 'no contest' on the charges; she had no wish
to drag out a criminal trial for years on end, only to
prove that she and her people were guilty of all
charges. Each of them knew what they did, and they all
accepted it; it came with losing a war.

"Have you anything to say for yourselves before we
rend sentence?" asked the head judge.

Ayame's head glanced down to her left, then to the
right, to the faces of those who stood as the remaining
definite Fenril Knights. At the far left stood Ranma
and Ryoga, the last-minute deserter and the early
deserter, both who decided on their own to stand with
the others despite their personal pardons from Neo
Queen Serenity. Next was Ukyo, who appeared resigned
to another period of exile, and lacked whatever cheer
she usually possessed as a seller. Mousse stood with
his head up and proud, with his recently-treated hands
down at his side, as he refused to allow Neo Queen
Serenity to heal them with her magic. They remained
bandaged, but at least they would recover. Immediately
to the left was Shion, who should have stayed in the
hospital for observation, but he adamantly desired to
stand with the others.

To the right her comrades started with Kanna, who
appeared extremely confident despite the odds stacked
against her. Next was Higure, and the old man stared
up and straight impassively, appearing quite bored
with protocol of the judicial system. Beside him, the
remaining three Fenril Knights, Sypha, Shizuka, and
Cinder, were the only ones visibly bound. Each stood
with glowing, green energy braces that kept their arms
bound, and while Shizuka, despite having many bandages
wound around her head, looked ready to explode, and
Sypha looked cold and impassive, Cinder's expression
could not be read at all. His mechanical eye was the
only feature visible under his heavy hood, and while
protocol would usually demand the removal of such his
reptilian appearance startled more than one person.

Ayame's eye caught sight of Shizuka's bandaged hand,
the very hand that was destroyed in the previous
battle. She was not privy to how it got restored, but
whispers said Deathclaw regenerated it for her. It was
more likely she let Neo Queen Serenity restore it.

"You say," the salamander hissed, "that the
casualties to your people are high?"

"Would you like me to repeat the number?" asked the
arbiter. "Three-billion lives!"

"And how many of them perished during the course of
this war?" he pressed. "I'll let you know, because
surely, you don't have the answer. You count seven...
all on our side. I count somewhere well beyond three-
billion... humans and kami, slain by your defenders,
the Sailor Senshi."

"Oh yes," another judge said. "Your vaunted spirit
people... who could not possibly exist."

"And besides," added another, "the Sailor Senshi are
not awaiting sentence, you are."

"Human laws govern none who are not human," Sypha
replied calmly. Her body wavered in a snake-like
motion in place. "Yet since the kami are not people it
is not murder. To humans murder is committed against
fellow humans, no other."

"Enough!" the head judge decided. "Your race may be
indeterminate, but while you're in my courtroom you are
governed by our laws."

Ayame gave the two kami a stern look, and was pleased
to see that they stood down.

"Answer me this, though," Mousse said in a low tone,
and it was definitely not a request. "You think this
world doesn't need weapons-- or soldiers, for that
matter-- to live. You think, just because world peace
was handed to you on a silver platter that you can
forget about the people who fight for it."

"The era of war has been placed behind us," one of
the panel replied. "In order to maintain peace and
harmony we must prevent war from occurring again. We
do commemorate those who worked hard to build this
peace, but we have not forgotten them. Surely there
must be more to life than fighting."

"Yet," interrupted Ranma, "the whole point was that
you couldn't defend yourselves from an attack as
insignificant and controlled as ours."

"And that's what your ineffectual Peacekeeper Corps
is for," Kanna pointed out. She shook her head. "I
witnessed them first-hand, and by golly they didn't
have the means to stop something as simple as a
seventeen-man uprising."

"The methods of the Peacekeepers will undergo
review," one judge assured her. "However, it does not
excuse your actions for bringing this to light."

"Maybe not," Shion replied, "but you must realize
that attack comes in many different forms. True,
disease and ecological disasters are a thing of the
past, but there are some things that aren't. I hacked
your world's highest-security computers in five
minutes; what does that tell you about security? I'll
tell you: it's a complacency problem."

"And then there's the Mekani," added Ukyo. "Your
laws and edicts work fine here, maybe... but they
don't protect you from outsiders like them. You saw
the battle with your own eyes; if it wasn't for us you
guys would be running from those locusts."

"If it wasn't for you people the invasion never would
have happened!" shouted someone from the audience.

"The Silver Crystal protects us all!" another cried.

"That same crystal didn't protect you from the
Mekani!" Ryoga shouted. "WE DID!!"

Another wave passed through the crowd, and order was
demanded yet again.

"Bickering fools," Shizuka muttered, shaking her
head. "You know nothing of hate and suffering, nor of
peace and harmony." She attempted to raise her
bandaged hand for all to see, but the bonds prevented
her from doing so.

"Watch your tongue, girl!" warned a judge.

"All I see in this court is hate," the priestess of
Genbu said, raising her voice for all to hear this
time. "Hate directed at the world, and at a handful
of people." She glanced upward toward Neo Queen
Serenity. "Is this the world of purity you strove to
create?"

"It's likely that the radiating dark energy of the
Black Crystal is encouraging their rage," Kanna noted.
"Only this time, on a much larger scale and scope."

"But you still can't lay blame on a stupid crystal,"
Shizuka insisted. "No bauble can change human
nature; that's why we're standing trial now."

"You're right, though," conceded Ayame. "The people
of the world have forgotten what it means to have peace
and happiness... and in this utopia called Earth, all
have taken peace for granted."

"Peace has prevailed for so long, and conflicts have
disappeared so much... that it's expected. It's the
norm. There are no wars, violence, or battles. There
is no disease, famine, flood, or earthquake. The
status quo is maintained, day in and day out, and no
one need worry of these threats."

"The problem is, peace is not a right. It's not
something that is handed to you; you have to work
for it. The existence of the Sailor Senshi is proof
of this; without them this world would've been
destroyed... whether it be by the Black Moon, us, or
the Mekani. Three trials by fire are more than enough
prompting, isn't it?"

"I'm not saying we were right," Ayame continued,
finally feeling weary of the entire mess, "and I'm not
saying you're wrong. We don't expect to be let go
easily, and we'll accept whatever sentence the court
rends with pleasure. Just know this, people of the
world: you are not the center of the universe. In the
scheme of the cosmos you are but a speck of dust to the
sea of stars. Out there, beyond the darkness of the
void, lies many others who think just as you do, and
those who would conquer, like the Black Moon and the
Mekani. So long as you continue to punish those who
recognize this fact, and so long as you allow
yourselves to be shepherded blindly by the Sailor
Senshi, the worse it'll get when the bigger kids enter
the playground. I can't stand to watch my fellow
people destroy themselves."

A curtain of silence fell upon the great hall, and
Ayame was satisfied that no one vocally objected to
what was likely her final speech. Her eyes passed down
the panel of five judges, watching their expressions
tear at a thought they never considered. Or, if they
did, they were moved... one way or another.

She closed her eyes, and lowered her head slightly
while the judges passed eyes to one another, and the
head judge finally spoke.

"You, the Fenril Knights-- Ayame Mishima, Shion
Kagami, Kanna Rajura, Ranma Saotome, Ryoga Hibiki,
Ukyo Kuonji, Mousse, Higure Furui, Shizuka Minazuki,
Sypha Blade, Cinder-- plead 'no contest' to all charges
presented to this court. The sentences will be as
follows."

"Ranma Saotome," the head judge began, "in light of
your actions in the defense of this world, and the
support of its defenders, you are hereby pardoned of
all charges against you. This pardon is extended also
to Ryoga Hibiki, clearing both of you of any
punishment due to your comrades."

"Congratulations," Ukyo whispered to the two,
although neither Ranma nor Ryoga looked particularly
happy about the news.

"It's only circumstance," Ryoga muttered.

"Yeah, you guys're going to get hit big time," Ranma
knew.

"Cinder is to be exiled from the Earth immediately,
pending process of justice. This sentence is extended
also to Sypha Blade. The two of you have expressed
complete belligerence toward the people of Earth, and
its safety is in jeopardy so long as you continue to
live on this world."

"Bastards," hissed Shizuka.

"You, Shizuka," the judge said, immediately
singling-out the outburst, "are to be taken from these
chambers pending process of justice, and exorcised of
your inner demon, Deathclaw. Furthermore, pending the
expected positive results of exorcism, you are to be
exiled from the Earth for your crimes against
humanity."

The priestess's eyes narrowed. "You know even less
than I thought," she said to herself, finding she has
to contain her laughter.

"As for the rest of you," he said, "the sentence is
as follows: it is the recommendation of this court and
Neo Queen Serenity to extend to each and every one of
you to serve a term of community service of no less
than twenty years. Failure to do so will result in
prison time for an equal amount of time."

"That's it?" Mousse said, blinking.

"Although I never raised my hand to action," the old
man Higure said, "I serve punishment of equal severity
as my fellows."

"The remaining Fenril allies and associates are to
serve a term of community service of no less than ten
years, under the same conditions as before." The head
judge stared down at Ayame. "This court is adjourned."

"About time," Sypha muttered, her ruby lips curving
into a smile. She writhed in place, moving with the
grace of a serpent as the energy bond surrounding her
collapsed and clattered on the ground at her feet, much
to the silenced surprise of the gathered people.

Following suit, Cinder flexed his arms, and the bonds
quickly burst into atoms, further silencing the hall.

An invisible force merely cut the bond around
Shizuka in two, allowing two halves of energy to
clatter uselessly and dissipate on the floor, now that
their circle is broken. She and Deathclaw chuckled in
a low tone, and it sounded quite eerie to Ayame.

"Know this, people of Earth," the black sorcerer
said, raising her voice to echo all across the chamber.
"You may dispose of us now, but it serves you no
purpose to brush your fears under a rug. There are
more of us out there, living among you, and someday
they will rise up and challenge you, just as we did.
When that time comes, you will either be prepared for
change, or suffer the consequences."

"Civilizations rise and fall," Shizuka/Deathclaw
added. "I've witnessed thousands in this manner. Pray
you don't repeat the same mistakes."

"No matter what fate befalls us, I retain my honor
and dignity," the robed salamander said. "It is a far
cry to say that you could claim the same."

"We bid you, the court, well," Sypha finished with a
bow, and proceeded to exit the hall unhindered,
followed by Cinder, then Shizuka.

One after another the Fenril Knights filed out of the
courtroom, escorted by Peacekeeper officers, leaving
a very strong impression on the minds of the people.
Ayame allowed herself to smile, knowing that this
calculated maneuver would serve to bolster their
already-legendary status.

The last the public eye would see the Fenril Knights
marching out of the courtroom, victorious even in
defeat, as the finest warriors in history.

---

Ayame was pleased that the kangaroo court was
dispensed with as the PKs lead the remaining Fenril
Knights to another room, a small meeting room compared
to the great hall they exited. Each one of them took
a seat at the table, with each of the Sailor Senshi
opposing them on the other side. Ayame took her seat
at the head of the table, and waited patiently as Neo
Queen Serenity entered the chamber, and took her own
seat at the opposing head.

"The sentences stand," the world monarch declared,
setting the base on the table. "Some of you suffer a
harsh punishment," she nodded toward the kami, "and
some of you may have come off easy," she nodded toward
Ranma and Ryoga, the deserters. "What I am about to
tell you does not leave this room. All present are
entrusted to this information which you many not share
with anyone other than yourselves. Any information
that falls into public hands will be denied outright."

"It's the PKs," Kanna knew, looking around and noting
all the Peacekeeper officers were still present.

The queen nodded. "What has to be determined yet is
how each of you serve out your sentences. On the one
hand, you can live on Nemesis. This will make you part
of an expedition headed out to Tau Ceti to ascertain
the threat of the Mekani in that system. Since Nemesis
is on its retreating orbit it will serve as a sort of
base of operations and launch point against the Mekani
enemy, and any of Pharaoh 90's spawn, if they yet
live."

"Or you could remain here on Earth. After much
consideration we have decided that the Peacekeeper
Corps, under its current management, needs to be
reworked into a more effective force. To that end all
officers have been relieved of their duties, and we
are forming a more efficient, invisible group."

"So what you're doing is removing the PKs from the
public eye, while at the same time continuing the
program and making it stronger," Kanna interpreted.
"I'll bet it means they'll have greater freedoms from
now on?"

"Precisely," answered Sailor Mercury. "There's no
point to Peacekeepers if they can't keep the peace."

"On the other hand, in a world like this, why would
we need Peacekeepers in the first place?" Mars said,
posing the question rather than asking for an answer.
"We created them after the Black Moon War, but it has
proven unnecessary."

"But the threat of outsiders still looms over the
Earth," continued Uranus. "The purpose of the
expedition is to stop the enemy from invading again,
but while we're away someone needs to defend Earth."

"And that's where the new Peacekeepers come in,"
Jupiter finished.

Ayame brooded over the revelation quietly, then
spoke after careful consideration. "If I understand
what you're saying you're forming a team armed with
illegal accessories. Likely including hardware with
power on the magnitude of the Dead End Buster."

"How would you go about it?" asked Neo Queen
Serenity.

"Well, I... wait a minute. You've got to be
joking."

"How come you get all the good jobs, huh?" Shion
said, jabbing ribs even if he was nowhere near Ayame's
chair.

"Look at it this way," suggested Sailor Venus.
"Whichever way you go you'll disappear from the public
eye, and at the same time continue working toward the
betterment of Earth. It's not enough that there be
defenders of the planet, but that they are prepared for
any situation possible. You guys are very capable of
doing this."

"It's a bit much, don't you think?" said Ukyo,
appearing skeptical. "I'm just a cook."

"Retirement sounds enticing," Higure agreed.

"I hardly see a choice in the matter," Cinder
observed. "The only logical course would be the
Nemesis expedition."

"I agree," Sypha said. She looked directly across
the table. "I have no wish to live on a world where I
am not welcome, or to be reminded of the atrocities
again. Our fellow kami will rise up on their own when
they feel it's the time. I'll just have to direct my
wrath elsewhere in the meantime."

"We two are going along as well," Neptune voiced,
indicating herself and Uranus, who nodded. "It's our
duty to defend this system from outside invaders like
the Mekani."

"Yeah, so who else wants to go?" asked Ranma. "I
sure ain't."

"Neither am I," agreed Ryoga. "Still, I don't think
I'll be much help to the Peacekeepers, either. I just
want to live the rest of my life quietly."

"Huh, if only you could remain complacent in all that
peace and quiet," Mousse snorted, folding his arms. "I
know I couldn't."

"I need some time to think about it," Kanna said,
seemingly lost in thought. "It's all a bit sudden,
you know."

"This sucks," Shizuka muttered. "Just when everybody
was back together again, everyone's splitting up
again, too." Her head turned in the direction of Neo
Queen Serenity. "What's the big idea, breaking us all
up?"

"Shizu... no one's going anywhere," Shion tried to
convince her, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"I've lost a family coming into this war," she
explained. "I'm not about to lose another one coming
out of it, too. Unlike the rest of you I've lost more
coming out than going in. Mizuki's gone forever, and
now even Hokuto's gone."

"C'mon, Shizuka," Ranma said, "we've got our own
families to go back to, too, y'know. And don't you
have one, too?"

Ayame cast the martial artist a glance. "Let her
take her time," she suggested. "She's still plenty of
time to figure out what to do, considering nobody's
going to wrench Deathclaw out anytime soon."

"Shizuka," Neo Queen Serenity said patiently, "there
are those back home who would like to see you."

"Oh yeah?" the priestess of Genbu asked. "Who?"

---

Interview 8

"Geez, we've talked this long? How long has it been
since I first came here? It seemed like ages ago, but
in fact it's only been a few hours."

"But still, I think Neo Queen Serenity was right; I
do have a family to go back to, and the thing is, I
never realized it. I was so caught-up in losing my old
family that I was blinded to what was happening. In
that battle, that war... the Fenril Knights was my
family. They were my friends, my brothers, my
sisters, my mothers, my fathers... bound by common goal
and purpose, and divided in thought."

"That family is now gone, replaced by a new one...
the one I discarded long ago. You know it sounds
cheesy, and I think it is, too, but still... seeing you
after all these years, little brother... I've not seen
you since the first year of your life, when I was taken
away. I so wish I was part of your life."

"You think it was hard to realize you had a long-lost
sister... how bad do you think it was for me? I knew
of you, and the other two girls, and I watched all
three of you grow up from a distance, unable to talk or
feel anything. Yet you say you had vague memories of
me, in dreams or something, of an older sister that
once was. Childhood memories are strange like that."

"It's not crying, you dork, it's these onions. Ah,
screw it, I don't care anymore. I'm strong."

"I missed you."

"You have no idea how I longed to touch these hands,
to hear you speak to me. It's something that's been
eating my heart ever since I became a priestess. I
really wish you could've met Mizuki; you would've found
her sweet. She is always with me, and she's the big
sister I never had. Maybe I could do that for you."

"Well, you know there's still plenty of time to talk
things over and all... I still haven't made up my mind
about Nemesis. Master Cinder and Lady Sypha accepted
almost immediately to join the expedition, seeing how
they have little desire to live on this Earth. And
then guys like Ranma, Ryoga, Ukyo, Higure, and Akane
immediately decided they wanted to stay on Earth. For
the others, though... they still have to make up their
minds."

"Well, they're my friends; I do care. Love and
appreciate them dearly, before you miss them."

"Kanna has a tough choice for herself; she's gotten
various offers from many institutions to become things
ranging from a college instructor to a high-ranking
official in the newly-revamped Peacekeeper Corps. On
the other hand she's also got the side of her that's
begging for the challenge of beating the Mekani, so she
may go with the expedition."

"Mousse really has no reason to stay, and her mentor
Cologne isn't going to force him either way. His way
is to fight, and he wants to take Shampoo with him
always, wherever he goes. Thing is, he doesn't know
which way the road will take him yet, whether its to
the PKs or the expedition."

"And Ayame... she was offered by Neo Queen Serenity
herself to become the new director of the PKs, judging
from her ability in the last war... and to rectify the
general ineffectiveness of the current director and his
administration. If our side is any indication it
would be something she's well-suited for. I really
doubt she'd be willing to go on the expedition, so the
question is whether or not she wants to take the job."

"Shion was also offered a high position on the PKs,
but he turned it down, citing he prefers to retain his
freelancer status. He also added that he was quite
willing to join the expedition with Dumas and the
other weapons technicians, provided on my own
decision... god I hate him. Does he really have to be
so blatant about it? Oh well, at least there's still
time to change HIS mind...."

"I'm not sure what to do yet, actually. Master
Higure says I should follow my heart, and decide where
I want to spend my life, now that my wings are free to
fly. Thing is, I don't have to take responsibility for
what I was trained for anymore, and I don't have
anything left to do here, so I might go just for that.
On the other hand, I want to stay with you for a while,
and help out... or something. And on the next hand,
Master Cinder and Lady Sypha could use the company;
they'd get in trouble without me. Deathclaw says it's
up to me, but he'd prefer to go where the action is."

"Still, I've got time for you guys... and maybe I can
forgive Mom and Dad while I'm at it. Sure is funny how
all this works out, doesn't it?"

---

Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo

Neo Queen Serenity gazed out at the stars from the
high balcony of the reconstructed Crystal Palace, and
saw no shooting stars in the sky. The lights in the
city below marked its usual activity, now that the
scar of war was obliterated from view. Life could be
considered 'back to normal,' but the monarch preferred
to think of it as 'better.'

"What kind of ruler would I be if I did not listen to
the voice of my subjects?" she asked herself, her
question unheard by other ears. "Perhaps that was the
reason the war needed to be fought."

"Or perhaps it was because we are fulfilling our
destinies?" asked another voice.

She was no longer surprised by the sudden appearances
and disappearances of the last Child of Chaos. "Is it
time?" she asked.

"I would deign not to see you again," admitted
Wiseman, his reflection in the crystal wall behind the
queen. "Our goals and ideals are too different to
reconcile. Now that the Black Crystal is whole and
ready we can speed its return to Tau Ceti and return it
to the orbit of its parent world. The tenth planet of
this system will be no more... and the throne world of
Chaos will be reborn."

"This is how it must be, then," Neo Queen Serenity
concluded. "One world cast in the light of the Silver
Crystal, the other forged in the darkness of the Black
Crystal. Yet, there can be harmony of light and
darkness."

"That harmony is in a world apart," Wiseman agreed.
"Both cannot exist together, but must exist nonetheless
even if apart. If destiny would have it we will never
meet again, and let it be known that I prefer it as
such."

"Strange," the queen said, "because I have come to
understand the darkness the more I speak of it with
you."

"Tread not the border in balance," warned the old
man. "I have no more desire to learn of the light
than you of darkness."

"Then let us part enlightened, Death Phantom," Neo
Queen Serenity declared, turning around to face the
hooded figure in the crystal for the first time. "In
understanding we usher another era of peace and
harmony... that in the eternal struggle our ancestors
fought. Farewell."

Wiseman nodded silently, his image vanishing from
view. "Perhaps," he said cryptically, before
vanishing completely.

---

It took a great deal of effort, but the cycle of
destruction finally drew to a close. The engineer of
the design stood back away from the globe depicting
this parting between mortal enemies, for what they
believed to be the last time.

That, as Death Phantom said, was an uncertainty.

The prophecy of the Chaos Children has been
fulfilled; if not literally, as the last succeeded his
father by process of elimination. It was likely a
simple matter at that point to remove the remaining
spawn of Pharaoh 90 as potential threats to authority,
then oust the Mekani invaders from their foothold in
Tau Ceti and any other invaded system.

Five would emerge from the fall of Chaos, and the
father shall be avenged. Yes, it definitely wasn't a
literal fulfillment. It was something only the Chaos
Children understood; the prophecy referred to a rite of
succession to the father's power rather than revenge.
Revenge was only an incidental motivation that all five
of them shared. It was only natural that the successor
chose to return to the ancestral home.

It was exactly as Death Phantom said it would
happen, as the co-conspirator to his rise to power had
to admit. The predictable age of the prophecy has
drawn into a close, opening up for uncertainty and
endless possibility by all players. It was an age
which she welcomed.

"There's a lot of work ahead," Sailor Pluto said to
herself, walking amongst the mists surrounding the Gate
of Time, alone in solitude. It was hard enough that
she had to discard her previous incarnation to get this
far, but it was necessary in order to understand the
true meaning of the prophecy. Her time spent captured
by Death Phantom did not go wasted at all, and without
her guidance he would never have found out how to use
the Fenril Knights to his advantage; it was something
only an observer of time would have noticed.

"And I will always be there, watching," she vowed.

Pluto vanished into the mists, deciding it was time
to resume her duties as guardian of the Gate of Time.



----------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading!


--Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html

!-- End File --