Hey all, sorry this chapter took so long to come out. but I really needed
to get my Spirited Away fic done because so many nice people were
reviewing, and then I was all like, I really enjoy writing my Cowboy Bebop
fan-fiction, so I did that, and then I really needed to work on my Inuyasha
fic which I hadn't updated in forever and a day, and then- Well. You get
the idea. Bottom line: I'm an idiot who shouldn't have started so many bad
fics in the first place. Oh, wellll.
It's in the next couple o' chapters that we really start to see big, (neon almost) signs of the fact that, yes, this IS an R/A fic, when it comes right down to it. I hope everyone is cool with that , no Ryoga and Akane fans, or, more likely Ranma and someone else fans, who are really pissed off. ANYWHO, I don't own Ranma ½ or Sailor Moon (I'm actually thinking of starting a NEW fic just about Sailor Moon . but then again, I DO have some pride left, surprisingly enough, so maybe not. But it's SUCH good IDEAAA.) and enjoy!
*
Partial Eclipse
By Rio Grande
Chapter Six: Plagued (Part Two)
*
"Nooooooo!" Akane all but sobbed into her arms, unceremoniously dropping the (TOTALLY illiterate!) cat to the ground. "Why why whyyyyy??? You're a CAT Luna! This spell shouldn't AFFECT you!" she cried.
"Meow!" the cat howled, getting to its feet and swiping at Akane's arm in an effort to bring her back to the problem at hand.
"Hu?" Akane sniffed, after a brief moment of contemplating the unreasonably attractive option of just ending it all.
"Meoooww," Luna explained in a desperate tone of voice, looking quite distressed. Akane narrowed her eyes suspiciously as the cat continued on. Luna was making some pretty sophisticated hand gestures/facial expressions for an ordinary animal, there. Maybe.
"WAIT! I've got it!" the girl said suddenly, getting onto her knees, and looking Luna in the eye. "You've lost your ability to SPEAK, but not your ability to THINK!"
"Meow!" Luna praised.
"Well, that's something!" Akane decided, lifting Luna up once more, and trotting back over to Ranma. who was still hiding behind the lamppost, shaking like a vibrating cell phone on speed. Akane knew enough to stop before she reached him. "Ranma!" she called. "I'm holding a cat . but don't worry I wont come near you,"
"Damn straight you won't!"
"Listen! This cat's name is Luna, and she is the Sailor Scout's mentor! However, because of this God awful spell, she's lost the ability to speak. However . I think if we trust her, she can help us out here! We NEED all of the help we can get to save everyone from Ristuko, Ranma," she added softly, seeing the familiar tensing of his back, which more often than not signified he was about to protest against something.
"But." he said, pathetically, sounding utterly crushed. Of all of the talking animals, the Sailor Scouts had to have CATS as teachers. Great.
"No buts, Luna is really smart, and we're not. So we're keeping her." Akane said, firmly.
". This sucks." Ranma sighed, conceding to Akane's wishes anyway.
There was a long, pregnant pause, as both teenagers listened to the distant sounds of animalistic howling and frantic babbling coming from the direction of the mall.
"Would you come out from behind the lamppost now?"
"No!"
It was going to be one of those days.
*
"AAAAAaaaayyyerrrkkkcchhhh." A young man gasped in pain as he breathed his last, dying breath. His shriveled, pitiful form went limp, as Ritsuko released her vice like grip from his head, eyes hungry for more energy as the boy nearly cracked his head open on the way down, already forgotten by his murderer.
"This is so. liberating!" Ritsuko cried, snatching another innocent, mentally deranged bystander, and sucking their energy dry, shivering with pleasure as she felt her own powers reach peaks they hadn't achieved in years. Not since the Scouts came around, at least.
"AACK!" the newest victim howled, more confused than anything else, and hardly putting up a fight as it was sadistically slaughtered. That was the beauty of having pray that wasn't in their right mind. They were so easy to attack, and they hardly put up a fight! At this rate, Ritsuko could turn out to be the worst demon Tokyo had seen in some time. Already her wide eyes were pulsating with a contented, bright purple aura.
"Aren't you just the power slut?" a familiar voice croaked from the shadows. With her back stilled turned, the blond demon rolled her eyes. Just what she needed. Miji.
"What do you want, you pathetic excuse for a monster?" she asked tartly, facing the dark shadow, that was suddenly. more solid than she remembered him being before.
"Oh nothing, I'm just watching you kill all the stupid little humans. It's amusing," he explained, chuckling. Ritsuko narrowed her eyes, speculative. That demon was most definitely looking a hell of a lot healthier than before.
"You're getting buzzed off this, aren't you? All of MY hard work is fueling YOU'RE pathetic little, transparent shell of a body. Ha! I like that," Ritsuko mumbled, folding her arms, after putting two and two together.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything but . I haven't felt this many chaotic, dreadful emotions in so long!" he admitted, sighing blissfully.
"Cheater," Ritsuko muttered darkly, snapping her fingers, and summoning a mirror to her hands. Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath onto its face, waiting patiently as the dark reflection swirled ominously, obscuring everything within it.
"What are you doing?" Miji asked suspiciously, as Ritsuko skipped jovially off in search of more victims, all the while staring down at her little hand mirror, enjoying herself immensely.
"Just checking up on something," she called back carelessly, disappearing into the crowd of frenzied wanderers, the sounds of painful, dying cries following her wherever she went. Miji rolled his eyes, and sank back into the shadows, cursing that conceited woman under his breath.
What was she plotting?
*
"I'm a little frightened." Akane admitted, bighting her lip.
"Me too," Ranma agreed.
"Do you think we should just...?" she questioned, leaving the ending delicately open, hoping he would follow up on he reasoning and get out of this place before things got out of hand.
"We don't have a choice," he quickly pointed out, as she sighed.
"But what if they try to hurt us?"
"They always try to hurt us. No matter what," he stated flatly.
"Point, point. Okay then. but you first," Akane insisted, as she made sure Luna was still safely latched onto her back, and out of Ranma's field of vision.
"Okay," the boy said, turning around and starting into the Tendou Dojo, expecting the worse. Who KNEW what sort of sick things were going on in there?
"Luna, you stay out here, I just want to check on my family, and especially Kasumi and Nabiki. Maybe they're normal, and can help us get out of this mess!" Akane whispered to the cat, placing her down by some shrubbery. Luna looked awfully skeptical, but let Akane go anyway. It was worth a try.
"You coming?" Ranma called, as he pushed open the door.
It had taken some convincing, but Akane had finally gotten Ranma to come along with her on her noble quest to track down and destroy Ristuko, even though Luna was also going to be an active participant in the search. Their first stop was the Tendou Dojo, to check on their families. The two hadn't really discussed much in terms of Akane's Sailor Scoutness, eager to add a new thing to their already impressive lists of 'things to not bring up with your fiancée', and leaving it at that. They had other things to concern themselves with at the moment, anyway. Like, what was KODACHI doing right now? The entire city, even out of the shopping district, it appeared, seemed to be in a state of war, of sorts. Some people throwing themselves at others, while just as many other innocent civilians were sitting in corners, babbling to themselves about car insurance and Toys R Us.
"Hello?" Ranma called, tiptoeing into the house, with Akane right behind him, Lunaless. "Anybody home?"
"Oh no," Akane gasped. "What if they all left? What if they're all out, reeking havoc upon the-" Akane started, frantically.
"Buttercups?" Soun interrupted, sliding into the room, with Nodoka right behind him. "Are you here to deliver the buttercups?" he repeated. Ranma and Akane exchanged glances. Soun was pronouncing butter like bewter.
"We NEED those buttercups," Nodoka agreed, nodding her head seriously.
"For the tea party, later tonight. Everyone will be there. are you two coming? Are you coming for an invitation?" Soun questioned, frowning. "I don't know if we can fit you in. It's very crowded, yes, very crowded indeed." Ranma and Akane stared at their parents warily, unsure if any sudden movements would provoke violent reactions from them.
".No," Ranma said. "We're not here for an invitation,"
"Or to deliver the buttercups," Akane added, just to get that straight.
"Oh." Nodoka sighed, looking quite disappointed. "Then what ARE you here for? If you're just here to be annoying, we must insist you leave. I have some more shirts to pin up," she explained, irritably.
"Shirts?" Ranma asked.
"We're here to see Kasumi," Akane explained.
"Oh! Well why didn't you say so? The little dear is right over there, poor thing, I think she has cabin fever. Haven't walked her in a while. too bad, really a shame. But, you know how things go. Yes, they go," Soun prattled, ushering the two in, finally.
"Walked?" Akane wanted to say, before she fully entered the house, and understood Nodoka's comment about the shirts. All over the walls, on the furniture and on the ceiling, the family's shirts were arranged haphazardly around, Akane mentally estimating how long it would take to get everything back down with a groan. Ritsuko would PAY. In BLOOD.
"Aww man, that one's my favorite!" Ranma sighed, stopping to stare up at one of his best Chinese shirts, tied around the ceiling fan, and swinging back and forth as the fan moved. "Mooom," he whined.
"Yes dear?" Genma asked, marching into the room, wearing a nun's outfit, and carrying a copy of the Torah.
"Erk!" Ranma choked in surprise, quickly being brought into a conversation with the man about reincarnation of important religious figures as Akane was led to the kitchen, where she, of course, found Kasumi.
"Kasumi!" Akane whispered, conspiratorially, after Soun had meandered off and Nodoka had gone back to pinning shirts to furniture.
"." Kasumi didn't say anything. She simply stood firmly planted in front of the kitchen door, arms folded, feet spread. Like a wall. Akane decided she was probably in shock.
"Kasumi! Can you understand me? Luna is outside, and she can take us to the scout's hide out, so we can-"
"Ruff!" Kasumi spat, unmoving.
"What?" Akane questioned, thinking maybe she just misheard the girl.
"Ruff!" Kasumi repeated, this time a bit of a growl rumbling from her chest.
"Awww shit," Akane sighed. She had been so sure the other scouts would have survived the curse! But nooo.
"Ruff ruff ruff!" Kasumi continued, sounding a little fiercer, and foreboding this time around.
'Maybe I can get through to her. She still IS a scout, so maybe .' Akane was thinking, as she walked towards her sister with a purpose in her step. before she found herself running frantically in the opposite direction, after Kasumi determined it would be a nifty idea to come at her younger sibling with a frying pan, fed up with this nonsense the Sailor Scout was dishing her. NO one tried to get into her kitchen and lived to tell the tale!
"Ranma help meeeee!!!" Akane squealed as she ran past the boy, wrapped up in Genma's discussion of how Buddha started out as a wealthy prince, isolated from the world. Ranma briefly looked up, and found himself just holding back a hysterical chuckle that bubbled from his throat, as he saw Sailor Moon sprinting for her life, and trying to outrun Kasumi who was desperately chasing after her on all fours with a frying pan clenched between her teeth.
"Um, it's been wonderful talking with you. Sister Genma . but I have to go." Ranma explained, backing up, prepared to come to Akane's rescue.
"May God be with you," Genma said softly, bowing his head, as Ranma threw himself across the room, catching Akane and rolling off to the side with her, sighing in relief as Kasumi soon lost interest in her pray after she lost sight of it, and was content to sit and scratch at her ear with her own foot.
"Jesus, Ranma she almost bit my leg off!" Akane cried, burrowing her head into Ranma's chest. "Ahhh!" she added, as Soun walked by and discreetly dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over the couple.
"Aww man!" Ranko cried, pulling at her drawstrings now that he was a she. Akane snapped away, also slightly damp, as she realized she was now resting against a very female chest, and it was getting weird. "What was that for?"
"For upsetting my dog," Soun explained.
"What dog? You don't mean Kasumi?"
"That's Fluffy, to you," Soun huffed, stomping away, and past Nodoka, who was currently stapling Nabiki's black blazer to the wall.
"I think it's time to blow this Popsicle stand," Akane admitted, shakily getting to her feet. "Luna's probably getting bored, anyhow.
"God forbid," Ranko sighed, squeezing the water out of her vibrantly red hair.
"Bye!" Nodoka called, as the couple slipped out of the house. "Don't forget about the teaaa party! Did you here me, girls? It's a partay! TEAA! For the love of God did you!?-" Nodoka's slightly less than commonsensical ranting was thankfully cut short as Ranko slammed the door behind her on the way out.
"What a hell hole," she commented, waiting patiently on the steps for Akane to hide Luna somewhere creative on her person, so that the cat was safely out of sight. Ranko didn't really want to think about just where Luna was going. Wait. Scratch that. Yes. she did.
"I'll say. Did you notice that Nabiki wasn't there?" Akane commented, Luna safely tucked away. somewhere.
"Yeah, but, then again, she's hardly around the house much anyways. Hell, she was probably part of that mob we saw trying to push over the Kuno's mansion on the way here," Ranko said, as they started off down the street.
"Yeah." Akane agreed, not wanting to admit how thoroughly disappointed she was that none of the scouts had pulled through, if not only because she didn't want Ranma to find out about the other scouts identities. Otherwise she'd be really bitching about it.
If Kasumi didn't make it, the others probably hadn't either. What a disappointment! Akane didn't know if she would be able to take down Ritsuko without her friend's help, and she didn't want Ranma to get hurt. Things were starting to look grim. Or rather, continuing to.
"Well, we're going to head over to the scouts base in Juban now. Luna and Artemis have probably dug up some useful stuff for us to work with, since it doesn't seem as though Ritsuko is going to pop up any time soon and give us a helpful hint on how to best destroy her." Akane explained, as she and Ranko continued to travel towards said Juban district.
"This Artemis. he wouldn't be another cat, would he?"
"That he would,"
"Jesus! I mean, come on!" Ranma cried, throwing his hands up. Akane giggled in spite of herself, and the two continued to walk in a companionable silence, accented by the random loon approaching them, just waiting to stir things up when it got too comfortable.
*
Unbeknownst to Tokyo's two remaining saviors, Ritsuko was carefully observing their every move through her small hand mirror, which showed an eerily clear picture of the two girls heading towards the Sailor Scout's secret base.
'This is too perfect!' Ritsuko thought gleefully, spinning around in mid-air, and cackling madly to herself. Now, not only did she know Sailor Moon's secret identity, and where she lived, but she was also about to find out the location of the Sailor Scout's base, a feat no one but Queen Beryl herself had been able to achieve! The blond was practically drooling with anticipation, glowing purple eyes locked on the duo's form . when suddenly her mirror began to spark and darken irritably.
"What? What's this?" Ritsuko hissed in a soft voice, smacking the mirror as the picture began to go out of focus, and there was a faint buzzing sound in the air. "No! No stop it!" she whined, as the mirror's surface went totally blank, and the buzzing escalated to an all out, annoyingly loud hum.
'Those damned scouts must have a cloaking device over their precious hide out. If only I had followed those girls by foot!' she cursed, snapping her fingers. Well, next time then. She was in no rush. And that young man down there looked particularly delectable, in any case.
*
"THIS, is the scout's secret base?" Ranko asked, landing down in front of the Crown Arcade. A quarter of the way to Juban, the girls realized they were going to have to speed things up, since Juban was a substantial distance from Nerima. Ranko had carried Akane the rest of the way over, roof hopping in order to avoid the mass hysteria on the ground. Of course, Ranko needn't have gone through so much effort, Akane knew perfectly well that, as Sailor Moon, she was very capable of roof hopping herself. however she sort of enjoyed being carried by Ranma, even if he was Ranko at the time. Okay, a little pervy, Akane would be the first to admit it, but, it HAD been rather nice. It always was, whenever Ranma ended up carrying Akane off somewhere.
"I know, that's what I said, too." Akane admitted, entering the arcade, thanking whatever Gods were listening that it was very empty. (They probably had their hands tied right around now, and weren't really paying attention to her just then, but whatever.)
"Heh, where's the secret hide out, behind the soda machine?" Ranko joked, searching at the back of the counter for hot water, and sighing regretfully when she found none. Not even a spare teakettle. She really should start wearing a bra in this form. It was . painful!
"Actually, try behind the Sailor V game," Akane laughed, as Luna leaped to the floor and head over to said video game. Ranko sucked in a painful breath at the sight of Luna, and clamped her hands over her eyes, mumbling a comforting mantra of 'Dontbeafraidit'sjustacatdontbeafraidit'sjustacat' to herself, as Luna punched in various complicated looking codes on the video games dashboard. Akane discreetly observed Luna's passwords over the feline's shoulder, snorting as most of the codes turned out to be phrases like 'I love my artificially flavored kibbles' and 'Meow mix meow mix please de-liver.' Of course, when the video machine lurched forward before flinging itself back violently and revealing a staircase that twisted down into the depths of the arcade, Sailor Moon found herself openly staring, slack jawed, and trying furiously to memorize those passwords.
Luna gave Akane a pointed look, before trotting down the stairs, and disappearing into the darkness. Akane got the hint and went to fetch Ranko.
"Come on, you don't have to open your eyes, but we're going down to the Scout's hide out. I'll lead you, and warn you about cats. I'm pretty positive Art is down there," Akane explained in a surprisingly compassionate voice, taking Ranko by the elbow. Ranko nodded hesitantly, actually deciding she would risk keeping her eyes open for a bit longer, and let herself be escorted downstairs, into the underground of Crown Arcades.
The air took on a bit of a chill as the couple traveled downwards, Ranko shivering, and Akane barely feeling a thing in her super cool Sailor Scout fuku. They stepped down cautiously off the last step, and found themselves on a silver platform. Before either of them could inquire as to just what they were supposed to do now, seeing as there were no doors, the platform jerked unsteadily, and began to sink down like an elevator. The girls exchanged wary glances, but voiced no complaints. Upon inspection, Akane found the 'elevator' to be littered with little graffiti everywhere, saying things like 'Minako rules' and 'Usagi drools'. Hmm. Akane got the distinct impression she had just discovered the actual names of two bona fide Sailor Scouts.
"Wow. Check it out," Ranko breathed, as they reached the bottom floor. Akane had to admit, the base was undeniably, 'wow' material. It was large and silver, with tables and bookshelves tactfully scattered about, not to mention more computers and other dubious looking machinery the girl had ever seen in one room in her life. She quickly slapped a hand over Ranko's big blue eyes, when she spotted Artemis typing away at a computer to her right. Close one.
"Just turn around and I'll tell you when it's safe to look," Akane said, turning Ranko so that she faced a large, wooden bookcase, before moseying over to Artemis and his computer, Luna at his side. "Hey Art, you found anything?" Akane asked, as she reached the white cat. The small animal made a swift jerking motion with his head, directing Akane's gaze over to a large, open text book of sorts, and obviously not very happy over the fact that he couldn't speak. Akane sighed and glanced over the page the cats had left open for her. It was sure a good thing they had already done all the research. This book looked immense and daunting, and Akane probably never would have been able to find anything in it.
"The Plague Of Insanity.'" She quoted, loudly, so that Ranko, in her little corner, could hear as well. "'The curse is an age-old one that is not only very hard to perform, but nearly impossible to break out of once one has had the curse placed upon them. Invented in the year 600 B.C by the revered witch Cyprus Jubilee herself, the curse places all who are under it into a state of total mental retardation, ('I'll say!' Ranko huffed from the corner, thinking of her good Chinese shirt woefully.) and leaves the victims this way until the spells owner either removes the plague themselves, or is slain. The spell can be cast over as many people as one has the power to control, and lasts for as long as the caster wishes it to. It is highly dangerous and rarely performed for obvious reasons. Critics say: Not one of Ms. Jubiliee's better spells. It's basically one big hassle. The Plague of Insanity can take forever to master, and unless one has ways of replenishing their energy, is notably draining, and to top it all off: Who wants a town full of mental people, anyway?' Well. That sounds like our curse, at least!" Akane sighed, folding her arms after she had finished reading the paragraph.
Luna and Artemis nodded regretfully from their corner, Artemis still dutifully typing away.
"Have you found out where Ritsuko is hiding out, yet?" The two cats shook their heads negatively, and Artemis motioned for Akane to look over his shoulder.
'We're not so sure she's really hiding,' he punched out. Akane wrinkled her nose.
"What else would she be doing, then?" the girl questioned, scratching her head.
'Well, she has an entire city of unsuspecting, helpless people. Not to mention, it's supposed to be scoutless. What would a demon of her type be doing, but draining defenseless citizens of their souls and energy? She's probably out their causing a massacre right now,' Artemis admitted.
"Of course! THAT'S why she performed this spell. Not to mention, she's going to be anything but drained pretty soon if she gets all of the energy from those people! This is the perfect spell for her," Akane said in a rather horrified voice.
'Exactly. We have to kill her before she takes in so many souls she becomes a truly powerful threat.'
"You mean, she wasn't already?" Akane asked, dismayed.
'What she was before will seem like child's play compared to what she can become.' Artemis typed, ominously. Akane blanched.
"Hey, whadya talking about?" Ranko called over her shoulder, feeling a little put-out.
"Um. well, it seems as though Ritsuko is most likely out killing helpless people right around now, and we're going to have to hurry and find her before she takes in all of their energy and becomes so powerful we'll never be able to kill her and successfully lift the curse," Akane summed up, cheerlessly.
"Yay," Ranko sighed, rubbing her head. "Do we know where to start to look for her?"
"Um." Akane started, looking down to the cats for confirmation. "Nope. Oh! But. Luna says. we can probably just follow the trail of mummified, soulless bodies, and be lead right to her! Right. Well, then, we'll just do that. Okay?"
"Sure thing."
"Okay then. We better go. Thanks Luna, Artemis. we'll keep in touch!. somehow." Akane said, wondering how she was supposed to stay in contact with two mute cats. Luna answered the scout's questions by tossing her a small, pink watch, as the blue haired teen was about to make her exit.
'We can use this to call you, and visa versa.' She quickly typed. 'It's a special Sailor Scout watch, you can keep!'
"Nifty. Thanks, I'll use it! Bye!" Akane called as she trotted off, grabbing Ranko on the way out, and disappearing back into the real world. Luna and Artemis stared silently after her. That girl was their only hope. Shit.
*
Akane and Ranko had been dashing down numerous streets for a while, Ranko quietly impressed over the fact that Akane could so easily keep up with her, and they hadn't found many soulless bodies, though plenty of intoxicated looking ones. Though, of course, no one was really drunk. Just really, really dumb.
"SHAVE THE WHALES!" one man proclaimed, climbing onto a dumpster to make this announcement, before being yanked back down by a distressed looking brunette, who was complaining about how she couldn't understand why they were always fighting in suburbia.
"So, Akane, just who ARE the other replacement scouts you're supposed to be working with?" Ranko asked curiously, as both girls kept their eyes peeled for any random, mummified people just lying about. This little detail had been nagging the redhead for a while. Just who was Akane working with when she went out to fight crime? Who was aiding her fiancée when she was cornered by bloodthirsty yomas?
".Oh, you know, just people." Akane said, feeling the heat rise to her face. She wasn't in any position to reveal to Ranma that her friend's were miniskirt-wearing superhero chicks on the side.
"People, hu?" Ranko repeated, sarcastically.
"Yeah. no one . you would know." Akane fibbed casually, pretending to almost spot a really dead looking person.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want me to find out who these other Scouts are," Ranko commented, raising her eyebrows. How interesting.
"Well, maybe I don't! It's really none of your business!" Akane snapped, frowning. This was getting bad, she didn't know what would happen to her if the others found out their secret identities had been exposed.
"Okay then, I'll just have to guess!" Ranko decided, undaunted.
"No!"
"Is it. Yuka or Sayuri?"
"No."
"Kodachi?"
"Noooo!"
"Kasumi?" Ranko joked, imagining KASUMI dressed up as a Scout.
"Erk. umm, no!" Akane gulped, trying very hard not to blink or look too guilty. Unfortunately, Ranma hadn't lived with Akane form nearly two years just to learn nothing. They way her eyes darted about, and her neck reddened, as he'd learned it, was a dead give away that Akane was lying about something. But. that would mean.
"She IS a replacement Scout!" Ranko gasped, eyes as wide as saucers.
"No! No. she's not!" Akane tried, valiantly attempting to appear completely serious. Alas.
"That's. that's hilarious!" Ranko giggled, that picture of Kasumi all dolled up becoming much more vivid and amusing now. Also sort of disturbing, but whatever.
"No, it's not! And you CAN'T tell her you found out! It would be too horrible!" Akane pleaded, practically sweating. It wasn't as though Kasumi would be ashamed to have others learns she was Sailor Mercury, but, well. yeah that might basically be it.
"Let me guess, what another masked vigilante is in your little group? Nabiki?" Ranko chortled, still shaking her head and laughing deeply.
"N-no..!"
"Oh, GAWD!"
"Ranmmaaaa!" Akane growled, a bright red aura forming around her as Ranko all but doubled over with laughter. No! This was NOT good! That jerk was going to pay! Damn him for being so good at reading her!
"That's too perfect! Finally! Something I can blackmail HER with!" Ranko gasped, hooting gleefully.
"Ranma, don't you dare! She'll skin me! She'll kill me! Family ties mean nothing to her!" Akane got out, looking a tad bit hysteric now.
"Ha, but wouldn't it be worth it, just to see her squirm?" Ranko asked, eyes alight with the very prospect of watching Nabiki 'squirm'.
"Well, maybe, but. well no! Not if it was all my fault!"
"Aww, come on, you know it-"
"Ranma!" Akane gasped, stopping abruptly, and sticking one hand out to prevent Ranko from continuing. The smaller girl halted, eyes darting around to see what Akane had spotted. Erk. It was pretty obvious. And if she didn't have such good reflexes, she might have stepped on it.
"Well, there's that trail Luna was mentioning," Ranko sighed, trying hard not to gawk at the rotting corpse in front of her. Akane closed her eyes and put her forehead on Ranko's shoulder.
"Ranma, this is disgusting." Akane gritted out, as she realized that there were many more dead bodies, covering the streets with their nauseatingly deformed bodies and horrid stench.
"I know," Ranko agreed, sighing, yet forging forward anyway. "But. if we don't find Ritsuko soon, she'll only get stronger and stronger, and then we'll be in some real trouble,"
"Right," Akane agreed softly, following cautiously behind Ranko as she trotted down the street, following the bloody trail Ritsuko had courteously left for them to pursue.
The two jogged along for some time, Ranko leading the way since she had the strongest stomach, Ranko also being the one who got to fret as she realized just how long this trail was becoming, and how strong THAT must mean this Ritsuko demon was becoming. Not a good sign.
"Um. It stops here," Ranko admitted, halting, and looking around. They had ended up on a relatively empty street, with plain looking houses and ordinary cars. no one was in sight. where had Ritsuko gone from here? Had they lost her? She hoped not.
"Where's Ritsuko?" Akane asked, voicing Ranma's thoughts, her head darting hesitantly around, just in case she spotted any more dead things. Luckily, or unluckily, as the case may be, there was nothing. Hardly even a breeze. "Have we lost her again?"
"You're going to wish." A booming, threatening voice sounded from above the couple. Their heads simultaneously snapped up, watching with bated breath as Ritusko descended from a building, and then came to hover a foot off the ground in front of them. Akane recoiled at the feel of the woman. Using her new scout powers to feel the demon woman properly, it was realized that Ritsuko definitely felt substantially more powerful, and, well, just scary. As though she could snap Akane's neck without batting a lash, while maybe even sadistically sucking the life out of Ranma on the side.
"Um," Akane whispered in Ranko's ear, clenching her fists. From the stricken look on Ranko's face, she felt the power too. They were in for some trouble.
"Impressed?" Ritsuko chuckled, her violet eyes flashing so bright now they were hard to look at.
"Revolted," Akane corrected, a deep frown on her face. It was now her duty to take this demon down. but she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to do that. From where she was standing, it looked near impossible.
"Ha. I'll make you eat your words, you stupid mortal. I'll admit it having a Sailor Scout and her little buddy conscious for my plague was never part of the plan, but I don't think it's turned out so bad," Ritsuko drawled, slinking over to the couple, who were periodically backing away from her, the closer she got. "In fact, I think it might even be a little . fun. I've got a lot planned." she explained, looking very pleased.
"Planned? Lady, this isn't some game! You're toying with people's lives here, and we're not going to stand for it! Now take this spell off Tokyo or we'll make you!" Ranko threatened, quickly getting over the initial shock, and already digging herself a hole.
"But I don't think I want to do that," Ritsuko admitted, making a pouty face, that all but drove Akane up the wall. She HATED people who made pouty faces!
"Then we'll just have to kill you!" Ranko roared, totally fed up. She charged forward towards the demon with impressive speed, the exact same way she had done back on the roof, hours ago. But this time, before she got directly in front of Ritusko, who was no doubt planning something painful for the girl, Ranko leaped a good distance into the air, landing behind Ritusko before the demon could comprehend where Ranko had gone in the first place. Once safely behind the demon, Ranko delivered a healthy round house kick that would have had, admittedly, a significant amount of more power had she been male again. Oh well.
"Ugh! Don't underestimate me!" Ritusko gasped, as Ranko's foot connected with her backside for a second time. She grabbed the surprised Anything Goes martial artist by the ankle the second time around, smiling viscously as she got a good grip, and was able to swing Ranko around once, before tossing her into the nearby side of a house.
"Ranma!" Akane cried, eyes wide, as Ranko hit the wall, unable to gain her footing before she collided with its very solid form, and crumpled to the ground.
"Ouch," Ranko grumbled, feeling a warm line of blood make its way down the back of her neck. She HAD been underestimating Ritsuko, probably because the demon had a female form, and was thus totally unprepared for the sheer amount of brute strength Ritsuko now possessed. It was shocking, to put it lightly. And things were starting to look grim for the redhead as Ritsuko bounded over to Ranko, and lifted her up by her collar, grinning far too broadly, fangs protruding devilishly.
"You like that?" she asked softly, cocking an eyebrow.
"Er. no," Ranko conceded, wondering what she was supposed to say to that.
"Then you're going to like what comes next even less," Ritsuko admitted, pulling her arm back to deliver a powerful punch across Ranko's face that left the girl seeing stars. "Stupid mortal! You're going to wish you had just succumbed and become one of those inept retards out there in a second! You would have had longer to live!" Ritusko cackled. Ranko tried not to make any noise as another punch was delivered to her swollen cheek. Blood was trickling from between clenched lips, and Ranko was just getting the leverage she needed to kick Ritsuko across the face while still hanging in mid air, when something completely different happened.
"MOOOOOON TIARA. ACTION!" Akane cried, tossing her tiara forward with arms that were fully buff from many years of reducing piles of bricks to dust. Ritsuko felt the full brunt of that power, too, as the magically enhanced Frisbee connected with her, and it was all she good do to force it back. The demon snarled threateningly as she felt some of her power recede. That new Sailor Moon was getting too good at that attack. she had to be stopped.
"Let Ranma down!" Akane ordered, as the tiara returned to her gloved hands. Ritsuko let Ranko drop to the ground, like a rather angry rag doll, though not at all for the reasons Akane had hoped. Namely: Surrender.
"I think I know just what to give to keep YOU occupied, and ME amused, Sailor Moon. See, I've done some background research on your true identity. and. I know JUST who you would HATE to fight right now. Just who you would HATE to have beat you," Ritsuko giggled, as Ranko got unsteadily to her feet behind her, injured, but no where near finished.
".Who?" Akane asked slowly, not so much out of curiosity, but in order to give Ranko more time to regain her bearings.
"Them." Ritsuko said simply, as two, distinctly female forms bounded out from the shadows, menacing and ready to do battle.
"Ugh!" Akane moaned, slapping her forehead as none other than Ukyo and Shampoo came running at her. As cozy as the three rivals in love had gotten in the past few days, being fellow scouts and all, Ritsuko was still right: Akane wouldn't like to be beaten by either girl, under a madwoman's spell or no.
"Kill!" Both teenagers breathed in evil, uncharacteristic voices.
"Aah!" Akane yelled, just dodging their sloppy, yet deadly powerful punches as they hurled themselves at her. Both girls were lacking their usual skill, however they still had all the physical power they needed to decapitate Akane. "Stop it! You guys! It's me! Think about what you're doing!" Akane tried to reason with the two possessed girls. However, nothing seemed to be getting through to them, and Akane was starting to wonder if she'd have to retaliate in order to keep her head. She didn't want to hurt the girls. not really, anyway. but she wasn't being given many other choices.
Ristuko's give away cries of "Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho-aghked!" signified that Ranko was back on her feet again and giving the blond demon hell. Akane smiled at the thought that together, as a team, she and Ranma just might stand a chance against this demon, when Shampoo delivered a mad swipe at her legs, and Akane came painfully tumbling to the ground, skinning her chin, and having the wind knocked out of her. Wasting no time, Shampoo flipped Akane over, and sat on her stomach, back handing her across the face as soon as Akane realized just where she was again.
"Ack!" Akane cried, spitting out some blood, but, thankfully, no teeth.
"Akane!" Ranko screamed, enraged, for all that she knew Akane was much more capable of defending herself now, as a superhero, that her fiancée was having the stuffing knocked out of her. She didn't have much time to dwell upon how angry she was, though, because Ritsuko was quickly forming a ball of purple energy in her hand she used to force Ranko to go flying back onto the street, where she skidded along for a bit, before stopping herself with her hands, and flipping herself forward, looking a bit exhausted.
"We'll killllll you." Ukyo was hissing, as Akane regained her senses, and used her knee to jab Shampoo in the back of the head. The attractive Amazon cried out in pain, and Akane used this time to toss her backwards, and into Ukyo. The two girls collapsed to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, once again showing just how much of their skills had been lost with the mind control. Akane, heaving big gasps, got to her feet, and scampered over to Ranko, who was groaning as well, and getting back to her feet.
"She's pretty powerful, 'Kane." Ranko admitted, frowning as she traced what would soon be a very defined bruise along Akane's cheek, even as Ritsuko eyed the girls from a distance. Akane frowned and shook her head.
"We can take her! We just need a new tactic. our usual fighting strategies aren't going to cut it with someone like her. We'll just have to adapt! We don't practice Anything Goes for nothing!" Akane reminded Ranko. Ranko smiled at these words. They sounded like something she, herself would say.
"Right,"
"Play time is up girls! Admit it, you can avoid it, but I'm still far more powerful than you could ever hope to be!" Ritsuko laughed, a sparking ball of purple energy swirling in her hands. She tossed it indolently at the two girls, Ranko growling and grabbing Akane around the waist, leaping adroitly to the side with the girl. The ball of energy exploded noisily into the ground, fizzing over with energy and negative power, and Akane winced. That could have been them! She could have been a pancake!
"Careful!" Ranko hissed, staring furiously at Ristuko, who had her thin arms raised dramatically to the heavens, summoning up yet another powerful energy ball. This one seemed to be accumulative, and different, though, drawing off the unspuspecting energy of the retarded natives. Even Ukyo and Shampoo, now standing quietly off to the side, were feeling the effects as their life force was drained from them, and added to the energy ball's over all potency. Akane blanched, they had to do something. Still in Ranko's arms she hugged the girl hard, closing her chocolate eyes tight, and hoping for a miracle. She couldn't die! Not like this! Not without saving everyone! Not without telling Ranma!-
"Akane!" Ranko gasped, something exploding in between the couple as Akane prayed for everyone's safety, refusing to fail in her duty as Sailor Moon, no matter that she was only a proxy scout.
"What?" Akane asked, looking down. "What the hell is that?" she questioned, as a pure white ball of sparkling energy began to gain a physical form, sandwiched between the two girls.
"Beats me," Ranko said, shrugging. There was a sudden blinding flash of light coming from the orb that left both teens feeling warm and strangely content. The ball also left in its place. a moon wand.
"Okay. so what the hell is THIS?" Akane sighed, fed up with being confused, as she grasped the small, pink and golden wand. It was vibrating with power, that much she could tell, and she wasn't sure how it had gotten there, but she knew she had to use it. It had a shiny pink handle, and a crescent moon placed horizontally on the top of it. It was humming with a deep, ancient power Akane couldn't understand.
"Beats me." Ranko repeated firmly.
"AHA!" Ritsuko cried gaily, the looming, terribly large purple energy ball above her head having gained in mass and power since the couple had last glanced it. two minutes ago. Great.
"Ranma, that thing is going to kill us!" Akane cried, holding the newly made wand in front of her, hoping it would offer some abstract form of protection. She really had no idea what else to do with it. What good was being a Sailor Scout if you couldn't use your own weapons properly!?
"I know!" the currently female martial artist agreed, clutching Akane's arm, eyes wide and fearful. "Akane. In . In case. we don't make it. I . want you to know. that. I'll always protect you!" Ranko offered, biting her lip, and obviously withholding something a little more effective that she wanted to say.
"Um. okay. Me too!" Akane agreed, tears forming in her eyes. Who would have thought it would end like this? It was so. random!
"And.. And I really. I really. want you to know that I. L-l-l-o-"
"RANMA!" Akane screamed, as something, fueled by the strong, powerfully loving and desperate emotions swirling around in the two teen's hearts, burst out of Ranma and Akane, and into the brand spanking new Moon Wand, that began to glow happily with all of the nice feelings it was receiving, and created a powerful blast of its own. made of purely of pink sparkly energy, and a whole lot of power.
Ranko and Akane looked on, shocked, as the steady flow of power shot out of the wand, still pointed directly at Ritsuko thanks to Akane. It slammed into Ritsuko's purple ball of doom, and immediately began to struggle with it, refusing to be blinked out of existence by the overbearing, purple counterpart. "Agh!" Akane gasped, now using both arms to support the wand as it became increasingly difficult to hold it up. Her new powers might be strong, but so were Ritsuko's. she didn't know if she could challenge the angry yoma's powers all alone.
"Akane!" Ranko wheezed, grabbing onto the wand too, and adding her strength to the equation, smiling grimly as the girl's pink energy ball became sturdier and more powerful, easily keeping its own against Ritsuko's wrath now.
"What are you DOING!?" Ritsuko howled in fury, eyes so wide it looked painful. "You shouldn't be able to summon Sailor Moon's Wand! It shouldn't be obtainable to you little weaklings, you-AHHHH!" Risk was thankfully cut off in her angry diatribe, as the pink ball began to swallow and purify the large, loud and angry purple one, pacifying it with a single touch. "NO!" Ritsuko cried in anguish, as she was forced back, eventually to her knees, her arms shaking violently. Then with one last, powerful thrust from Ranko and Akane, the purple ball of angry energy exploded into oblivion, scattering the streets with sparkles, the only hint it had ever even been created.
The pink ball too, quickly shrank and disappeared with a little good bye twinkle, gone it seemed, until it was needed again.
"No." Ritsuko repeated, shaking on the ground, her hair splayed out around her, a tangled, sweaty mess. Her skin was pale almost to the point of being green, and her eyes were no longer totally purple, but back to their normal, natural looking state. Her lips quivered with outrage, and her state of dress was ragged, to put it politely. Oh hell, why should we? She looked like a dirt mess! Like someone had just chewed her up and spit her out! Like she had been homless in Central Park for a few months! Like-
"Ranma!" Akane laughed, throwing her arms happily around Ranko's neck, wand still firmly in hand, and tears prickling at her eyes. They had done it! They had really done it!
"Akane!" Ranko replied, laughing as well. Phew! For a moment there, she had thought she was going to have one of those terrible moments where you see your life flash before your eyes! . Again! "We beat her! We rock!" she explained.
"I know!" Akane giggled, her smile so broad it hurt to keep it up, but she didn't mind. She and Ranma had just totally saved the day, AND he had just almost admitted to the girl that he loved her. Again! Well, it was something. It was most definitely something.
"Akane," Ranko said, taking in a ragged breath, and staring Akane dead in the eye, so that the girl wouldn't mistake the fact that she was being dead serious now. "There's something I want to tell you, but I think I should be male when I-!"
"Youu. I won't let you live! I'll show you what it means to tangle with Ritsuko. You impudent little brats- Arrrghghhhhkkk!" Ristuko gasped, as she began to stand up, cruel intentions dancing through her mind, only to be cut off by a bright beam of golden light that came crashing through her abdomen, and nearly killing her. The attack was accompanied by the passionate cry of:
"Sailor V BEAM!" Someone proclaimed in a very high, Chinese accented voice. It was Shampoo, fully transformed now, and standing with her long violet hair flying behind her, and one arm extended dramatically. Behind her, a still disoriented Ukyo was struggling to her feet, rubbing her head and trying to figure out just where in God's name she was.
"Shampoo! You found your scout power!" Akane said, finding even more of a reason to keep that painfully broad smile plastered to her face, even as Ritsuko began to moan thickly again, gasping and writhing on the ground.
"Shampoo's a scout!?" Ranko croaked, jaw dropping to the ground, head spinning. Okay. things were getting a BIT too twilight Zone-ish here! Nabiki? Okay. Kasumi? Erk-okay. SHAMPOO?- Actually, that wasn't so unreasonable, but it was still pretty shocking.
But Shampoo didn't reply as enthusiastically as Akane had anticipated. In fact. she looked rather thoughtful, or maybe even introspective, as she stared at Ranko and Akane, hugging each other as though their lives depended on it, and simply radiating a lot of warm and mushy feelings. that Shampoo suddenly felt very cut off from. With hardly another word, the Amazon spun on her orange heal, and sped off down the street, faster than Akane had thought someone who had just been released from a powerful mind controlling spell could run, quickly disappearing out of the line of vision of the confused couple.
"What's up with her?" Ranko asked, cocking her head in Shampoo's direction. Akane looked down at the position she was in, realized just how close she was getting with the female Ranma, yet AGAIN, and sighed, regretfully letting go.
"I think I know," she admitted, getting to her feet, and brushing the debris off her skirt.
"What do you-?"
"You'll all pay." Ritsuko croaked, a steady stream of blood pouring from her mouth, as she interrupted the couple's inevitable confrontation. She was actually getting very talented at effectively interrupting critical moments.
"Yeah, right. We're gonna pay." Akane said, rolling her eyes, and approaching Ritusko, Ranko also getting to her feet behind her. "Come on Ritusko, I think Luna and Artemis would love to meet you, so now-"
"No!" Risk said, letting out a guttural shout, and summoning together the last of her powers for one, final, desperate, weak, transportation spell.
"Stop it!" Ranko gasped, dashing forward, seeing clearly just what Ritsuko had in mind for her next trick. "I won't let you get a-" There was a slightly less than impressive poof of purple dust, that totally covered a hacking and coughing Ritusko. and when the dust had settled, the troublesome blond was gone, the only evidence she had ever been there a pile of purple dirt on the road. It was definitely a step down from her previous disappearing acts.
"-way." Ranko finished dully, stumbling over Ritsuko's magic purple dust stuff. "Sorry 'Kane," Ranko sighed, turning to look sadly at her fiancée. "I let her go,"
"Don't worry Ranma, it's not your fault. Ritsuko will get her comeuppance anyway, don't worry. You saw how weak she was! She won't last long, and then me and the scouts can sniff her out," the girl bubbled, smiling encouragingly at Ranko.
"Right," Ranko sighed, taking Akane's hand, and squeezing it thankfully. Why did she suddenly feel so comfortable about being near Akane? She had never felt so comfortable about being close to Akane, who was always more like some untouchable dream than a real fiancée, or even girlfriend. and suddenly.
'Hell,' Ranko thought, sighing. 'If I wasn't female and all, I'd kiss her! I'm just so happy to be alive!'
"Ranma?" A slightly defeated sounding voice asked.
"U-chan?" Ranko gasped, turning to the side, to look at the tall brunette of whom she had almost just forgotten about.
'Did I really just see all that. Ranma and Akane hugging. getting along. holding hands. staring at each other longingly. I. I must have hit my head on the road too hard.' Ukyo decided, closing her eyes, and holding back a small sob that was a total mix of despair and confusion.
"Ukyo! You look horrible, let's help you get back to the U-chan!" Akane cooed, walking over to the girl, hoping to help steady her. But the befuddled and upset girl flinched away from Akane's touch, backing away, and hugging herself tight.
"W-what's going on?" she asked in a scratchy voice, disturbed as, on top of it all, her mind drew a blank when she considered things like: Why she was where she was, what had just happened, and why did she feel so miserably feeble? Akane seemed to pity Ukyo's state even more at this, much to the chef's chagrin, and her big liquid brown eyes got all misty as she stared at her.
"Ukyo. please. let us just take you to-"
"No!" Ukyo snapped, gathering her wits, and using them to propel her towards the U-chan, in much a way Shampoo had, earlier. All she wanted was not to be there with THOSE two, watching them get closer, happier.. They looked so perfect together, like that! Dammit! Why couldn't SHE look perfect with Ran-chan like that! WHY?
"U-chan!?" Ranko called after the chef, starting after the girl, and then hesitating as the brunette chucked a warning spatula in the redhead's direction. Okkaayy. maybe not. "What's going on, do I smell funky or something?" Ranko asked, looking vulnerable as she glanced back at Akane, who had a very real, very terrible understanding of what had just happened. Poor Ukyo. it really was a shame Ranma was so very dense at times.
"No, no you don't Ranma. Well, maybe you do, but that's not the reason" Akane said, her mega-super grin having been cranked down to a hesitant smile. "I think they just. saw something they didn't want to," Akane admitted, looping arms with Ranko, and sauntering down the street, ready to make the long trek home, if it meant she got to walk all the way with Ranma. female or not. "We can see them about it later. but, I think things are about to change around here,"
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Ranko laughed, thinking of everything that had just happened. Four girls she had thought she knew almost everything about had just turned out to be prodigy cartoon characters!
"Ummm.You've got pink, Sailor Moon dust all over your face." Akane tried.
"Hey, so do you! Shut up!"
Akane knew she shouldn't have enjoyed the walk home. Shouldn't have been so blissfully content, when there was work to do, crushed fiancées to worry about, and explanations to give Ranma about the Sailor Scout bit. but she did.
*
Author's Notes:
Lalala. I just spent three hours finishing this stupid fic. and I still have to spell checckkkk!! ((yeah, spell checker's not going to like that one, I can see it now.) Anywho, thanks for reading. Now, review- OR ELSE. (Heh, just kidding. just kidding.) I hope I didn't make too many grammatical errors I'm too damn lazy to fix, and expect the next chapter innnnn. two weeks? Maybe? Give or take (Give, probably) a few days. Thanks again, and happy holidays!
-Rio Grande~
*
It's in the next couple o' chapters that we really start to see big, (neon almost) signs of the fact that, yes, this IS an R/A fic, when it comes right down to it. I hope everyone is cool with that , no Ryoga and Akane fans, or, more likely Ranma and someone else fans, who are really pissed off. ANYWHO, I don't own Ranma ½ or Sailor Moon (I'm actually thinking of starting a NEW fic just about Sailor Moon . but then again, I DO have some pride left, surprisingly enough, so maybe not. But it's SUCH good IDEAAA.) and enjoy!
*
Partial Eclipse
By Rio Grande
Chapter Six: Plagued (Part Two)
*
"Nooooooo!" Akane all but sobbed into her arms, unceremoniously dropping the (TOTALLY illiterate!) cat to the ground. "Why why whyyyyy??? You're a CAT Luna! This spell shouldn't AFFECT you!" she cried.
"Meow!" the cat howled, getting to its feet and swiping at Akane's arm in an effort to bring her back to the problem at hand.
"Hu?" Akane sniffed, after a brief moment of contemplating the unreasonably attractive option of just ending it all.
"Meoooww," Luna explained in a desperate tone of voice, looking quite distressed. Akane narrowed her eyes suspiciously as the cat continued on. Luna was making some pretty sophisticated hand gestures/facial expressions for an ordinary animal, there. Maybe.
"WAIT! I've got it!" the girl said suddenly, getting onto her knees, and looking Luna in the eye. "You've lost your ability to SPEAK, but not your ability to THINK!"
"Meow!" Luna praised.
"Well, that's something!" Akane decided, lifting Luna up once more, and trotting back over to Ranma. who was still hiding behind the lamppost, shaking like a vibrating cell phone on speed. Akane knew enough to stop before she reached him. "Ranma!" she called. "I'm holding a cat . but don't worry I wont come near you,"
"Damn straight you won't!"
"Listen! This cat's name is Luna, and she is the Sailor Scout's mentor! However, because of this God awful spell, she's lost the ability to speak. However . I think if we trust her, she can help us out here! We NEED all of the help we can get to save everyone from Ristuko, Ranma," she added softly, seeing the familiar tensing of his back, which more often than not signified he was about to protest against something.
"But." he said, pathetically, sounding utterly crushed. Of all of the talking animals, the Sailor Scouts had to have CATS as teachers. Great.
"No buts, Luna is really smart, and we're not. So we're keeping her." Akane said, firmly.
". This sucks." Ranma sighed, conceding to Akane's wishes anyway.
There was a long, pregnant pause, as both teenagers listened to the distant sounds of animalistic howling and frantic babbling coming from the direction of the mall.
"Would you come out from behind the lamppost now?"
"No!"
It was going to be one of those days.
*
"AAAAAaaaayyyerrrkkkcchhhh." A young man gasped in pain as he breathed his last, dying breath. His shriveled, pitiful form went limp, as Ritsuko released her vice like grip from his head, eyes hungry for more energy as the boy nearly cracked his head open on the way down, already forgotten by his murderer.
"This is so. liberating!" Ritsuko cried, snatching another innocent, mentally deranged bystander, and sucking their energy dry, shivering with pleasure as she felt her own powers reach peaks they hadn't achieved in years. Not since the Scouts came around, at least.
"AACK!" the newest victim howled, more confused than anything else, and hardly putting up a fight as it was sadistically slaughtered. That was the beauty of having pray that wasn't in their right mind. They were so easy to attack, and they hardly put up a fight! At this rate, Ritsuko could turn out to be the worst demon Tokyo had seen in some time. Already her wide eyes were pulsating with a contented, bright purple aura.
"Aren't you just the power slut?" a familiar voice croaked from the shadows. With her back stilled turned, the blond demon rolled her eyes. Just what she needed. Miji.
"What do you want, you pathetic excuse for a monster?" she asked tartly, facing the dark shadow, that was suddenly. more solid than she remembered him being before.
"Oh nothing, I'm just watching you kill all the stupid little humans. It's amusing," he explained, chuckling. Ritsuko narrowed her eyes, speculative. That demon was most definitely looking a hell of a lot healthier than before.
"You're getting buzzed off this, aren't you? All of MY hard work is fueling YOU'RE pathetic little, transparent shell of a body. Ha! I like that," Ritsuko mumbled, folding her arms, after putting two and two together.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything but . I haven't felt this many chaotic, dreadful emotions in so long!" he admitted, sighing blissfully.
"Cheater," Ritsuko muttered darkly, snapping her fingers, and summoning a mirror to her hands. Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath onto its face, waiting patiently as the dark reflection swirled ominously, obscuring everything within it.
"What are you doing?" Miji asked suspiciously, as Ritsuko skipped jovially off in search of more victims, all the while staring down at her little hand mirror, enjoying herself immensely.
"Just checking up on something," she called back carelessly, disappearing into the crowd of frenzied wanderers, the sounds of painful, dying cries following her wherever she went. Miji rolled his eyes, and sank back into the shadows, cursing that conceited woman under his breath.
What was she plotting?
*
"I'm a little frightened." Akane admitted, bighting her lip.
"Me too," Ranma agreed.
"Do you think we should just...?" she questioned, leaving the ending delicately open, hoping he would follow up on he reasoning and get out of this place before things got out of hand.
"We don't have a choice," he quickly pointed out, as she sighed.
"But what if they try to hurt us?"
"They always try to hurt us. No matter what," he stated flatly.
"Point, point. Okay then. but you first," Akane insisted, as she made sure Luna was still safely latched onto her back, and out of Ranma's field of vision.
"Okay," the boy said, turning around and starting into the Tendou Dojo, expecting the worse. Who KNEW what sort of sick things were going on in there?
"Luna, you stay out here, I just want to check on my family, and especially Kasumi and Nabiki. Maybe they're normal, and can help us get out of this mess!" Akane whispered to the cat, placing her down by some shrubbery. Luna looked awfully skeptical, but let Akane go anyway. It was worth a try.
"You coming?" Ranma called, as he pushed open the door.
It had taken some convincing, but Akane had finally gotten Ranma to come along with her on her noble quest to track down and destroy Ristuko, even though Luna was also going to be an active participant in the search. Their first stop was the Tendou Dojo, to check on their families. The two hadn't really discussed much in terms of Akane's Sailor Scoutness, eager to add a new thing to their already impressive lists of 'things to not bring up with your fiancée', and leaving it at that. They had other things to concern themselves with at the moment, anyway. Like, what was KODACHI doing right now? The entire city, even out of the shopping district, it appeared, seemed to be in a state of war, of sorts. Some people throwing themselves at others, while just as many other innocent civilians were sitting in corners, babbling to themselves about car insurance and Toys R Us.
"Hello?" Ranma called, tiptoeing into the house, with Akane right behind him, Lunaless. "Anybody home?"
"Oh no," Akane gasped. "What if they all left? What if they're all out, reeking havoc upon the-" Akane started, frantically.
"Buttercups?" Soun interrupted, sliding into the room, with Nodoka right behind him. "Are you here to deliver the buttercups?" he repeated. Ranma and Akane exchanged glances. Soun was pronouncing butter like bewter.
"We NEED those buttercups," Nodoka agreed, nodding her head seriously.
"For the tea party, later tonight. Everyone will be there. are you two coming? Are you coming for an invitation?" Soun questioned, frowning. "I don't know if we can fit you in. It's very crowded, yes, very crowded indeed." Ranma and Akane stared at their parents warily, unsure if any sudden movements would provoke violent reactions from them.
".No," Ranma said. "We're not here for an invitation,"
"Or to deliver the buttercups," Akane added, just to get that straight.
"Oh." Nodoka sighed, looking quite disappointed. "Then what ARE you here for? If you're just here to be annoying, we must insist you leave. I have some more shirts to pin up," she explained, irritably.
"Shirts?" Ranma asked.
"We're here to see Kasumi," Akane explained.
"Oh! Well why didn't you say so? The little dear is right over there, poor thing, I think she has cabin fever. Haven't walked her in a while. too bad, really a shame. But, you know how things go. Yes, they go," Soun prattled, ushering the two in, finally.
"Walked?" Akane wanted to say, before she fully entered the house, and understood Nodoka's comment about the shirts. All over the walls, on the furniture and on the ceiling, the family's shirts were arranged haphazardly around, Akane mentally estimating how long it would take to get everything back down with a groan. Ritsuko would PAY. In BLOOD.
"Aww man, that one's my favorite!" Ranma sighed, stopping to stare up at one of his best Chinese shirts, tied around the ceiling fan, and swinging back and forth as the fan moved. "Mooom," he whined.
"Yes dear?" Genma asked, marching into the room, wearing a nun's outfit, and carrying a copy of the Torah.
"Erk!" Ranma choked in surprise, quickly being brought into a conversation with the man about reincarnation of important religious figures as Akane was led to the kitchen, where she, of course, found Kasumi.
"Kasumi!" Akane whispered, conspiratorially, after Soun had meandered off and Nodoka had gone back to pinning shirts to furniture.
"." Kasumi didn't say anything. She simply stood firmly planted in front of the kitchen door, arms folded, feet spread. Like a wall. Akane decided she was probably in shock.
"Kasumi! Can you understand me? Luna is outside, and she can take us to the scout's hide out, so we can-"
"Ruff!" Kasumi spat, unmoving.
"What?" Akane questioned, thinking maybe she just misheard the girl.
"Ruff!" Kasumi repeated, this time a bit of a growl rumbling from her chest.
"Awww shit," Akane sighed. She had been so sure the other scouts would have survived the curse! But nooo.
"Ruff ruff ruff!" Kasumi continued, sounding a little fiercer, and foreboding this time around.
'Maybe I can get through to her. She still IS a scout, so maybe .' Akane was thinking, as she walked towards her sister with a purpose in her step. before she found herself running frantically in the opposite direction, after Kasumi determined it would be a nifty idea to come at her younger sibling with a frying pan, fed up with this nonsense the Sailor Scout was dishing her. NO one tried to get into her kitchen and lived to tell the tale!
"Ranma help meeeee!!!" Akane squealed as she ran past the boy, wrapped up in Genma's discussion of how Buddha started out as a wealthy prince, isolated from the world. Ranma briefly looked up, and found himself just holding back a hysterical chuckle that bubbled from his throat, as he saw Sailor Moon sprinting for her life, and trying to outrun Kasumi who was desperately chasing after her on all fours with a frying pan clenched between her teeth.
"Um, it's been wonderful talking with you. Sister Genma . but I have to go." Ranma explained, backing up, prepared to come to Akane's rescue.
"May God be with you," Genma said softly, bowing his head, as Ranma threw himself across the room, catching Akane and rolling off to the side with her, sighing in relief as Kasumi soon lost interest in her pray after she lost sight of it, and was content to sit and scratch at her ear with her own foot.
"Jesus, Ranma she almost bit my leg off!" Akane cried, burrowing her head into Ranma's chest. "Ahhh!" she added, as Soun walked by and discreetly dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over the couple.
"Aww man!" Ranko cried, pulling at her drawstrings now that he was a she. Akane snapped away, also slightly damp, as she realized she was now resting against a very female chest, and it was getting weird. "What was that for?"
"For upsetting my dog," Soun explained.
"What dog? You don't mean Kasumi?"
"That's Fluffy, to you," Soun huffed, stomping away, and past Nodoka, who was currently stapling Nabiki's black blazer to the wall.
"I think it's time to blow this Popsicle stand," Akane admitted, shakily getting to her feet. "Luna's probably getting bored, anyhow.
"God forbid," Ranko sighed, squeezing the water out of her vibrantly red hair.
"Bye!" Nodoka called, as the couple slipped out of the house. "Don't forget about the teaaa party! Did you here me, girls? It's a partay! TEAA! For the love of God did you!?-" Nodoka's slightly less than commonsensical ranting was thankfully cut short as Ranko slammed the door behind her on the way out.
"What a hell hole," she commented, waiting patiently on the steps for Akane to hide Luna somewhere creative on her person, so that the cat was safely out of sight. Ranko didn't really want to think about just where Luna was going. Wait. Scratch that. Yes. she did.
"I'll say. Did you notice that Nabiki wasn't there?" Akane commented, Luna safely tucked away. somewhere.
"Yeah, but, then again, she's hardly around the house much anyways. Hell, she was probably part of that mob we saw trying to push over the Kuno's mansion on the way here," Ranko said, as they started off down the street.
"Yeah." Akane agreed, not wanting to admit how thoroughly disappointed she was that none of the scouts had pulled through, if not only because she didn't want Ranma to find out about the other scouts identities. Otherwise she'd be really bitching about it.
If Kasumi didn't make it, the others probably hadn't either. What a disappointment! Akane didn't know if she would be able to take down Ritsuko without her friend's help, and she didn't want Ranma to get hurt. Things were starting to look grim. Or rather, continuing to.
"Well, we're going to head over to the scouts base in Juban now. Luna and Artemis have probably dug up some useful stuff for us to work with, since it doesn't seem as though Ritsuko is going to pop up any time soon and give us a helpful hint on how to best destroy her." Akane explained, as she and Ranko continued to travel towards said Juban district.
"This Artemis. he wouldn't be another cat, would he?"
"That he would,"
"Jesus! I mean, come on!" Ranma cried, throwing his hands up. Akane giggled in spite of herself, and the two continued to walk in a companionable silence, accented by the random loon approaching them, just waiting to stir things up when it got too comfortable.
*
Unbeknownst to Tokyo's two remaining saviors, Ritsuko was carefully observing their every move through her small hand mirror, which showed an eerily clear picture of the two girls heading towards the Sailor Scout's secret base.
'This is too perfect!' Ritsuko thought gleefully, spinning around in mid-air, and cackling madly to herself. Now, not only did she know Sailor Moon's secret identity, and where she lived, but she was also about to find out the location of the Sailor Scout's base, a feat no one but Queen Beryl herself had been able to achieve! The blond was practically drooling with anticipation, glowing purple eyes locked on the duo's form . when suddenly her mirror began to spark and darken irritably.
"What? What's this?" Ritsuko hissed in a soft voice, smacking the mirror as the picture began to go out of focus, and there was a faint buzzing sound in the air. "No! No stop it!" she whined, as the mirror's surface went totally blank, and the buzzing escalated to an all out, annoyingly loud hum.
'Those damned scouts must have a cloaking device over their precious hide out. If only I had followed those girls by foot!' she cursed, snapping her fingers. Well, next time then. She was in no rush. And that young man down there looked particularly delectable, in any case.
*
"THIS, is the scout's secret base?" Ranko asked, landing down in front of the Crown Arcade. A quarter of the way to Juban, the girls realized they were going to have to speed things up, since Juban was a substantial distance from Nerima. Ranko had carried Akane the rest of the way over, roof hopping in order to avoid the mass hysteria on the ground. Of course, Ranko needn't have gone through so much effort, Akane knew perfectly well that, as Sailor Moon, she was very capable of roof hopping herself. however she sort of enjoyed being carried by Ranma, even if he was Ranko at the time. Okay, a little pervy, Akane would be the first to admit it, but, it HAD been rather nice. It always was, whenever Ranma ended up carrying Akane off somewhere.
"I know, that's what I said, too." Akane admitted, entering the arcade, thanking whatever Gods were listening that it was very empty. (They probably had their hands tied right around now, and weren't really paying attention to her just then, but whatever.)
"Heh, where's the secret hide out, behind the soda machine?" Ranko joked, searching at the back of the counter for hot water, and sighing regretfully when she found none. Not even a spare teakettle. She really should start wearing a bra in this form. It was . painful!
"Actually, try behind the Sailor V game," Akane laughed, as Luna leaped to the floor and head over to said video game. Ranko sucked in a painful breath at the sight of Luna, and clamped her hands over her eyes, mumbling a comforting mantra of 'Dontbeafraidit'sjustacatdontbeafraidit'sjustacat' to herself, as Luna punched in various complicated looking codes on the video games dashboard. Akane discreetly observed Luna's passwords over the feline's shoulder, snorting as most of the codes turned out to be phrases like 'I love my artificially flavored kibbles' and 'Meow mix meow mix please de-liver.' Of course, when the video machine lurched forward before flinging itself back violently and revealing a staircase that twisted down into the depths of the arcade, Sailor Moon found herself openly staring, slack jawed, and trying furiously to memorize those passwords.
Luna gave Akane a pointed look, before trotting down the stairs, and disappearing into the darkness. Akane got the hint and went to fetch Ranko.
"Come on, you don't have to open your eyes, but we're going down to the Scout's hide out. I'll lead you, and warn you about cats. I'm pretty positive Art is down there," Akane explained in a surprisingly compassionate voice, taking Ranko by the elbow. Ranko nodded hesitantly, actually deciding she would risk keeping her eyes open for a bit longer, and let herself be escorted downstairs, into the underground of Crown Arcades.
The air took on a bit of a chill as the couple traveled downwards, Ranko shivering, and Akane barely feeling a thing in her super cool Sailor Scout fuku. They stepped down cautiously off the last step, and found themselves on a silver platform. Before either of them could inquire as to just what they were supposed to do now, seeing as there were no doors, the platform jerked unsteadily, and began to sink down like an elevator. The girls exchanged wary glances, but voiced no complaints. Upon inspection, Akane found the 'elevator' to be littered with little graffiti everywhere, saying things like 'Minako rules' and 'Usagi drools'. Hmm. Akane got the distinct impression she had just discovered the actual names of two bona fide Sailor Scouts.
"Wow. Check it out," Ranko breathed, as they reached the bottom floor. Akane had to admit, the base was undeniably, 'wow' material. It was large and silver, with tables and bookshelves tactfully scattered about, not to mention more computers and other dubious looking machinery the girl had ever seen in one room in her life. She quickly slapped a hand over Ranko's big blue eyes, when she spotted Artemis typing away at a computer to her right. Close one.
"Just turn around and I'll tell you when it's safe to look," Akane said, turning Ranko so that she faced a large, wooden bookcase, before moseying over to Artemis and his computer, Luna at his side. "Hey Art, you found anything?" Akane asked, as she reached the white cat. The small animal made a swift jerking motion with his head, directing Akane's gaze over to a large, open text book of sorts, and obviously not very happy over the fact that he couldn't speak. Akane sighed and glanced over the page the cats had left open for her. It was sure a good thing they had already done all the research. This book looked immense and daunting, and Akane probably never would have been able to find anything in it.
"The Plague Of Insanity.'" She quoted, loudly, so that Ranko, in her little corner, could hear as well. "'The curse is an age-old one that is not only very hard to perform, but nearly impossible to break out of once one has had the curse placed upon them. Invented in the year 600 B.C by the revered witch Cyprus Jubilee herself, the curse places all who are under it into a state of total mental retardation, ('I'll say!' Ranko huffed from the corner, thinking of her good Chinese shirt woefully.) and leaves the victims this way until the spells owner either removes the plague themselves, or is slain. The spell can be cast over as many people as one has the power to control, and lasts for as long as the caster wishes it to. It is highly dangerous and rarely performed for obvious reasons. Critics say: Not one of Ms. Jubiliee's better spells. It's basically one big hassle. The Plague of Insanity can take forever to master, and unless one has ways of replenishing their energy, is notably draining, and to top it all off: Who wants a town full of mental people, anyway?' Well. That sounds like our curse, at least!" Akane sighed, folding her arms after she had finished reading the paragraph.
Luna and Artemis nodded regretfully from their corner, Artemis still dutifully typing away.
"Have you found out where Ritsuko is hiding out, yet?" The two cats shook their heads negatively, and Artemis motioned for Akane to look over his shoulder.
'We're not so sure she's really hiding,' he punched out. Akane wrinkled her nose.
"What else would she be doing, then?" the girl questioned, scratching her head.
'Well, she has an entire city of unsuspecting, helpless people. Not to mention, it's supposed to be scoutless. What would a demon of her type be doing, but draining defenseless citizens of their souls and energy? She's probably out their causing a massacre right now,' Artemis admitted.
"Of course! THAT'S why she performed this spell. Not to mention, she's going to be anything but drained pretty soon if she gets all of the energy from those people! This is the perfect spell for her," Akane said in a rather horrified voice.
'Exactly. We have to kill her before she takes in so many souls she becomes a truly powerful threat.'
"You mean, she wasn't already?" Akane asked, dismayed.
'What she was before will seem like child's play compared to what she can become.' Artemis typed, ominously. Akane blanched.
"Hey, whadya talking about?" Ranko called over her shoulder, feeling a little put-out.
"Um. well, it seems as though Ritsuko is most likely out killing helpless people right around now, and we're going to have to hurry and find her before she takes in all of their energy and becomes so powerful we'll never be able to kill her and successfully lift the curse," Akane summed up, cheerlessly.
"Yay," Ranko sighed, rubbing her head. "Do we know where to start to look for her?"
"Um." Akane started, looking down to the cats for confirmation. "Nope. Oh! But. Luna says. we can probably just follow the trail of mummified, soulless bodies, and be lead right to her! Right. Well, then, we'll just do that. Okay?"
"Sure thing."
"Okay then. We better go. Thanks Luna, Artemis. we'll keep in touch!. somehow." Akane said, wondering how she was supposed to stay in contact with two mute cats. Luna answered the scout's questions by tossing her a small, pink watch, as the blue haired teen was about to make her exit.
'We can use this to call you, and visa versa.' She quickly typed. 'It's a special Sailor Scout watch, you can keep!'
"Nifty. Thanks, I'll use it! Bye!" Akane called as she trotted off, grabbing Ranko on the way out, and disappearing back into the real world. Luna and Artemis stared silently after her. That girl was their only hope. Shit.
*
Akane and Ranko had been dashing down numerous streets for a while, Ranko quietly impressed over the fact that Akane could so easily keep up with her, and they hadn't found many soulless bodies, though plenty of intoxicated looking ones. Though, of course, no one was really drunk. Just really, really dumb.
"SHAVE THE WHALES!" one man proclaimed, climbing onto a dumpster to make this announcement, before being yanked back down by a distressed looking brunette, who was complaining about how she couldn't understand why they were always fighting in suburbia.
"So, Akane, just who ARE the other replacement scouts you're supposed to be working with?" Ranko asked curiously, as both girls kept their eyes peeled for any random, mummified people just lying about. This little detail had been nagging the redhead for a while. Just who was Akane working with when she went out to fight crime? Who was aiding her fiancée when she was cornered by bloodthirsty yomas?
".Oh, you know, just people." Akane said, feeling the heat rise to her face. She wasn't in any position to reveal to Ranma that her friend's were miniskirt-wearing superhero chicks on the side.
"People, hu?" Ranko repeated, sarcastically.
"Yeah. no one . you would know." Akane fibbed casually, pretending to almost spot a really dead looking person.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want me to find out who these other Scouts are," Ranko commented, raising her eyebrows. How interesting.
"Well, maybe I don't! It's really none of your business!" Akane snapped, frowning. This was getting bad, she didn't know what would happen to her if the others found out their secret identities had been exposed.
"Okay then, I'll just have to guess!" Ranko decided, undaunted.
"No!"
"Is it. Yuka or Sayuri?"
"No."
"Kodachi?"
"Noooo!"
"Kasumi?" Ranko joked, imagining KASUMI dressed up as a Scout.
"Erk. umm, no!" Akane gulped, trying very hard not to blink or look too guilty. Unfortunately, Ranma hadn't lived with Akane form nearly two years just to learn nothing. They way her eyes darted about, and her neck reddened, as he'd learned it, was a dead give away that Akane was lying about something. But. that would mean.
"She IS a replacement Scout!" Ranko gasped, eyes as wide as saucers.
"No! No. she's not!" Akane tried, valiantly attempting to appear completely serious. Alas.
"That's. that's hilarious!" Ranko giggled, that picture of Kasumi all dolled up becoming much more vivid and amusing now. Also sort of disturbing, but whatever.
"No, it's not! And you CAN'T tell her you found out! It would be too horrible!" Akane pleaded, practically sweating. It wasn't as though Kasumi would be ashamed to have others learns she was Sailor Mercury, but, well. yeah that might basically be it.
"Let me guess, what another masked vigilante is in your little group? Nabiki?" Ranko chortled, still shaking her head and laughing deeply.
"N-no..!"
"Oh, GAWD!"
"Ranmmaaaa!" Akane growled, a bright red aura forming around her as Ranko all but doubled over with laughter. No! This was NOT good! That jerk was going to pay! Damn him for being so good at reading her!
"That's too perfect! Finally! Something I can blackmail HER with!" Ranko gasped, hooting gleefully.
"Ranma, don't you dare! She'll skin me! She'll kill me! Family ties mean nothing to her!" Akane got out, looking a tad bit hysteric now.
"Ha, but wouldn't it be worth it, just to see her squirm?" Ranko asked, eyes alight with the very prospect of watching Nabiki 'squirm'.
"Well, maybe, but. well no! Not if it was all my fault!"
"Aww, come on, you know it-"
"Ranma!" Akane gasped, stopping abruptly, and sticking one hand out to prevent Ranko from continuing. The smaller girl halted, eyes darting around to see what Akane had spotted. Erk. It was pretty obvious. And if she didn't have such good reflexes, she might have stepped on it.
"Well, there's that trail Luna was mentioning," Ranko sighed, trying hard not to gawk at the rotting corpse in front of her. Akane closed her eyes and put her forehead on Ranko's shoulder.
"Ranma, this is disgusting." Akane gritted out, as she realized that there were many more dead bodies, covering the streets with their nauseatingly deformed bodies and horrid stench.
"I know," Ranko agreed, sighing, yet forging forward anyway. "But. if we don't find Ritsuko soon, she'll only get stronger and stronger, and then we'll be in some real trouble,"
"Right," Akane agreed softly, following cautiously behind Ranko as she trotted down the street, following the bloody trail Ritsuko had courteously left for them to pursue.
The two jogged along for some time, Ranko leading the way since she had the strongest stomach, Ranko also being the one who got to fret as she realized just how long this trail was becoming, and how strong THAT must mean this Ritsuko demon was becoming. Not a good sign.
"Um. It stops here," Ranko admitted, halting, and looking around. They had ended up on a relatively empty street, with plain looking houses and ordinary cars. no one was in sight. where had Ritsuko gone from here? Had they lost her? She hoped not.
"Where's Ritsuko?" Akane asked, voicing Ranma's thoughts, her head darting hesitantly around, just in case she spotted any more dead things. Luckily, or unluckily, as the case may be, there was nothing. Hardly even a breeze. "Have we lost her again?"
"You're going to wish." A booming, threatening voice sounded from above the couple. Their heads simultaneously snapped up, watching with bated breath as Ritusko descended from a building, and then came to hover a foot off the ground in front of them. Akane recoiled at the feel of the woman. Using her new scout powers to feel the demon woman properly, it was realized that Ritsuko definitely felt substantially more powerful, and, well, just scary. As though she could snap Akane's neck without batting a lash, while maybe even sadistically sucking the life out of Ranma on the side.
"Um," Akane whispered in Ranko's ear, clenching her fists. From the stricken look on Ranko's face, she felt the power too. They were in for some trouble.
"Impressed?" Ritsuko chuckled, her violet eyes flashing so bright now they were hard to look at.
"Revolted," Akane corrected, a deep frown on her face. It was now her duty to take this demon down. but she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to do that. From where she was standing, it looked near impossible.
"Ha. I'll make you eat your words, you stupid mortal. I'll admit it having a Sailor Scout and her little buddy conscious for my plague was never part of the plan, but I don't think it's turned out so bad," Ritsuko drawled, slinking over to the couple, who were periodically backing away from her, the closer she got. "In fact, I think it might even be a little . fun. I've got a lot planned." she explained, looking very pleased.
"Planned? Lady, this isn't some game! You're toying with people's lives here, and we're not going to stand for it! Now take this spell off Tokyo or we'll make you!" Ranko threatened, quickly getting over the initial shock, and already digging herself a hole.
"But I don't think I want to do that," Ritsuko admitted, making a pouty face, that all but drove Akane up the wall. She HATED people who made pouty faces!
"Then we'll just have to kill you!" Ranko roared, totally fed up. She charged forward towards the demon with impressive speed, the exact same way she had done back on the roof, hours ago. But this time, before she got directly in front of Ritusko, who was no doubt planning something painful for the girl, Ranko leaped a good distance into the air, landing behind Ritusko before the demon could comprehend where Ranko had gone in the first place. Once safely behind the demon, Ranko delivered a healthy round house kick that would have had, admittedly, a significant amount of more power had she been male again. Oh well.
"Ugh! Don't underestimate me!" Ritusko gasped, as Ranko's foot connected with her backside for a second time. She grabbed the surprised Anything Goes martial artist by the ankle the second time around, smiling viscously as she got a good grip, and was able to swing Ranko around once, before tossing her into the nearby side of a house.
"Ranma!" Akane cried, eyes wide, as Ranko hit the wall, unable to gain her footing before she collided with its very solid form, and crumpled to the ground.
"Ouch," Ranko grumbled, feeling a warm line of blood make its way down the back of her neck. She HAD been underestimating Ritsuko, probably because the demon had a female form, and was thus totally unprepared for the sheer amount of brute strength Ritsuko now possessed. It was shocking, to put it lightly. And things were starting to look grim for the redhead as Ritsuko bounded over to Ranko, and lifted her up by her collar, grinning far too broadly, fangs protruding devilishly.
"You like that?" she asked softly, cocking an eyebrow.
"Er. no," Ranko conceded, wondering what she was supposed to say to that.
"Then you're going to like what comes next even less," Ritsuko admitted, pulling her arm back to deliver a powerful punch across Ranko's face that left the girl seeing stars. "Stupid mortal! You're going to wish you had just succumbed and become one of those inept retards out there in a second! You would have had longer to live!" Ritusko cackled. Ranko tried not to make any noise as another punch was delivered to her swollen cheek. Blood was trickling from between clenched lips, and Ranko was just getting the leverage she needed to kick Ritsuko across the face while still hanging in mid air, when something completely different happened.
"MOOOOOON TIARA. ACTION!" Akane cried, tossing her tiara forward with arms that were fully buff from many years of reducing piles of bricks to dust. Ritsuko felt the full brunt of that power, too, as the magically enhanced Frisbee connected with her, and it was all she good do to force it back. The demon snarled threateningly as she felt some of her power recede. That new Sailor Moon was getting too good at that attack. she had to be stopped.
"Let Ranma down!" Akane ordered, as the tiara returned to her gloved hands. Ritsuko let Ranko drop to the ground, like a rather angry rag doll, though not at all for the reasons Akane had hoped. Namely: Surrender.
"I think I know just what to give to keep YOU occupied, and ME amused, Sailor Moon. See, I've done some background research on your true identity. and. I know JUST who you would HATE to fight right now. Just who you would HATE to have beat you," Ritsuko giggled, as Ranko got unsteadily to her feet behind her, injured, but no where near finished.
".Who?" Akane asked slowly, not so much out of curiosity, but in order to give Ranko more time to regain her bearings.
"Them." Ritsuko said simply, as two, distinctly female forms bounded out from the shadows, menacing and ready to do battle.
"Ugh!" Akane moaned, slapping her forehead as none other than Ukyo and Shampoo came running at her. As cozy as the three rivals in love had gotten in the past few days, being fellow scouts and all, Ritsuko was still right: Akane wouldn't like to be beaten by either girl, under a madwoman's spell or no.
"Kill!" Both teenagers breathed in evil, uncharacteristic voices.
"Aah!" Akane yelled, just dodging their sloppy, yet deadly powerful punches as they hurled themselves at her. Both girls were lacking their usual skill, however they still had all the physical power they needed to decapitate Akane. "Stop it! You guys! It's me! Think about what you're doing!" Akane tried to reason with the two possessed girls. However, nothing seemed to be getting through to them, and Akane was starting to wonder if she'd have to retaliate in order to keep her head. She didn't want to hurt the girls. not really, anyway. but she wasn't being given many other choices.
Ristuko's give away cries of "Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho-aghked!" signified that Ranko was back on her feet again and giving the blond demon hell. Akane smiled at the thought that together, as a team, she and Ranma just might stand a chance against this demon, when Shampoo delivered a mad swipe at her legs, and Akane came painfully tumbling to the ground, skinning her chin, and having the wind knocked out of her. Wasting no time, Shampoo flipped Akane over, and sat on her stomach, back handing her across the face as soon as Akane realized just where she was again.
"Ack!" Akane cried, spitting out some blood, but, thankfully, no teeth.
"Akane!" Ranko screamed, enraged, for all that she knew Akane was much more capable of defending herself now, as a superhero, that her fiancée was having the stuffing knocked out of her. She didn't have much time to dwell upon how angry she was, though, because Ritsuko was quickly forming a ball of purple energy in her hand she used to force Ranko to go flying back onto the street, where she skidded along for a bit, before stopping herself with her hands, and flipping herself forward, looking a bit exhausted.
"We'll killllll you." Ukyo was hissing, as Akane regained her senses, and used her knee to jab Shampoo in the back of the head. The attractive Amazon cried out in pain, and Akane used this time to toss her backwards, and into Ukyo. The two girls collapsed to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, once again showing just how much of their skills had been lost with the mind control. Akane, heaving big gasps, got to her feet, and scampered over to Ranko, who was groaning as well, and getting back to her feet.
"She's pretty powerful, 'Kane." Ranko admitted, frowning as she traced what would soon be a very defined bruise along Akane's cheek, even as Ritsuko eyed the girls from a distance. Akane frowned and shook her head.
"We can take her! We just need a new tactic. our usual fighting strategies aren't going to cut it with someone like her. We'll just have to adapt! We don't practice Anything Goes for nothing!" Akane reminded Ranko. Ranko smiled at these words. They sounded like something she, herself would say.
"Right,"
"Play time is up girls! Admit it, you can avoid it, but I'm still far more powerful than you could ever hope to be!" Ritsuko laughed, a sparking ball of purple energy swirling in her hands. She tossed it indolently at the two girls, Ranko growling and grabbing Akane around the waist, leaping adroitly to the side with the girl. The ball of energy exploded noisily into the ground, fizzing over with energy and negative power, and Akane winced. That could have been them! She could have been a pancake!
"Careful!" Ranko hissed, staring furiously at Ristuko, who had her thin arms raised dramatically to the heavens, summoning up yet another powerful energy ball. This one seemed to be accumulative, and different, though, drawing off the unspuspecting energy of the retarded natives. Even Ukyo and Shampoo, now standing quietly off to the side, were feeling the effects as their life force was drained from them, and added to the energy ball's over all potency. Akane blanched, they had to do something. Still in Ranko's arms she hugged the girl hard, closing her chocolate eyes tight, and hoping for a miracle. She couldn't die! Not like this! Not without saving everyone! Not without telling Ranma!-
"Akane!" Ranko gasped, something exploding in between the couple as Akane prayed for everyone's safety, refusing to fail in her duty as Sailor Moon, no matter that she was only a proxy scout.
"What?" Akane asked, looking down. "What the hell is that?" she questioned, as a pure white ball of sparkling energy began to gain a physical form, sandwiched between the two girls.
"Beats me," Ranko said, shrugging. There was a sudden blinding flash of light coming from the orb that left both teens feeling warm and strangely content. The ball also left in its place. a moon wand.
"Okay. so what the hell is THIS?" Akane sighed, fed up with being confused, as she grasped the small, pink and golden wand. It was vibrating with power, that much she could tell, and she wasn't sure how it had gotten there, but she knew she had to use it. It had a shiny pink handle, and a crescent moon placed horizontally on the top of it. It was humming with a deep, ancient power Akane couldn't understand.
"Beats me." Ranko repeated firmly.
"AHA!" Ritsuko cried gaily, the looming, terribly large purple energy ball above her head having gained in mass and power since the couple had last glanced it. two minutes ago. Great.
"Ranma, that thing is going to kill us!" Akane cried, holding the newly made wand in front of her, hoping it would offer some abstract form of protection. She really had no idea what else to do with it. What good was being a Sailor Scout if you couldn't use your own weapons properly!?
"I know!" the currently female martial artist agreed, clutching Akane's arm, eyes wide and fearful. "Akane. In . In case. we don't make it. I . want you to know. that. I'll always protect you!" Ranko offered, biting her lip, and obviously withholding something a little more effective that she wanted to say.
"Um. okay. Me too!" Akane agreed, tears forming in her eyes. Who would have thought it would end like this? It was so. random!
"And.. And I really. I really. want you to know that I. L-l-l-o-"
"RANMA!" Akane screamed, as something, fueled by the strong, powerfully loving and desperate emotions swirling around in the two teen's hearts, burst out of Ranma and Akane, and into the brand spanking new Moon Wand, that began to glow happily with all of the nice feelings it was receiving, and created a powerful blast of its own. made of purely of pink sparkly energy, and a whole lot of power.
Ranko and Akane looked on, shocked, as the steady flow of power shot out of the wand, still pointed directly at Ritsuko thanks to Akane. It slammed into Ritsuko's purple ball of doom, and immediately began to struggle with it, refusing to be blinked out of existence by the overbearing, purple counterpart. "Agh!" Akane gasped, now using both arms to support the wand as it became increasingly difficult to hold it up. Her new powers might be strong, but so were Ritsuko's. she didn't know if she could challenge the angry yoma's powers all alone.
"Akane!" Ranko wheezed, grabbing onto the wand too, and adding her strength to the equation, smiling grimly as the girl's pink energy ball became sturdier and more powerful, easily keeping its own against Ritsuko's wrath now.
"What are you DOING!?" Ritsuko howled in fury, eyes so wide it looked painful. "You shouldn't be able to summon Sailor Moon's Wand! It shouldn't be obtainable to you little weaklings, you-AHHHH!" Risk was thankfully cut off in her angry diatribe, as the pink ball began to swallow and purify the large, loud and angry purple one, pacifying it with a single touch. "NO!" Ritsuko cried in anguish, as she was forced back, eventually to her knees, her arms shaking violently. Then with one last, powerful thrust from Ranko and Akane, the purple ball of angry energy exploded into oblivion, scattering the streets with sparkles, the only hint it had ever even been created.
The pink ball too, quickly shrank and disappeared with a little good bye twinkle, gone it seemed, until it was needed again.
"No." Ritsuko repeated, shaking on the ground, her hair splayed out around her, a tangled, sweaty mess. Her skin was pale almost to the point of being green, and her eyes were no longer totally purple, but back to their normal, natural looking state. Her lips quivered with outrage, and her state of dress was ragged, to put it politely. Oh hell, why should we? She looked like a dirt mess! Like someone had just chewed her up and spit her out! Like she had been homless in Central Park for a few months! Like-
"Ranma!" Akane laughed, throwing her arms happily around Ranko's neck, wand still firmly in hand, and tears prickling at her eyes. They had done it! They had really done it!
"Akane!" Ranko replied, laughing as well. Phew! For a moment there, she had thought she was going to have one of those terrible moments where you see your life flash before your eyes! . Again! "We beat her! We rock!" she explained.
"I know!" Akane giggled, her smile so broad it hurt to keep it up, but she didn't mind. She and Ranma had just totally saved the day, AND he had just almost admitted to the girl that he loved her. Again! Well, it was something. It was most definitely something.
"Akane," Ranko said, taking in a ragged breath, and staring Akane dead in the eye, so that the girl wouldn't mistake the fact that she was being dead serious now. "There's something I want to tell you, but I think I should be male when I-!"
"Youu. I won't let you live! I'll show you what it means to tangle with Ritsuko. You impudent little brats- Arrrghghhhhkkk!" Ristuko gasped, as she began to stand up, cruel intentions dancing through her mind, only to be cut off by a bright beam of golden light that came crashing through her abdomen, and nearly killing her. The attack was accompanied by the passionate cry of:
"Sailor V BEAM!" Someone proclaimed in a very high, Chinese accented voice. It was Shampoo, fully transformed now, and standing with her long violet hair flying behind her, and one arm extended dramatically. Behind her, a still disoriented Ukyo was struggling to her feet, rubbing her head and trying to figure out just where in God's name she was.
"Shampoo! You found your scout power!" Akane said, finding even more of a reason to keep that painfully broad smile plastered to her face, even as Ritsuko began to moan thickly again, gasping and writhing on the ground.
"Shampoo's a scout!?" Ranko croaked, jaw dropping to the ground, head spinning. Okay. things were getting a BIT too twilight Zone-ish here! Nabiki? Okay. Kasumi? Erk-okay. SHAMPOO?- Actually, that wasn't so unreasonable, but it was still pretty shocking.
But Shampoo didn't reply as enthusiastically as Akane had anticipated. In fact. she looked rather thoughtful, or maybe even introspective, as she stared at Ranko and Akane, hugging each other as though their lives depended on it, and simply radiating a lot of warm and mushy feelings. that Shampoo suddenly felt very cut off from. With hardly another word, the Amazon spun on her orange heal, and sped off down the street, faster than Akane had thought someone who had just been released from a powerful mind controlling spell could run, quickly disappearing out of the line of vision of the confused couple.
"What's up with her?" Ranko asked, cocking her head in Shampoo's direction. Akane looked down at the position she was in, realized just how close she was getting with the female Ranma, yet AGAIN, and sighed, regretfully letting go.
"I think I know," she admitted, getting to her feet, and brushing the debris off her skirt.
"What do you-?"
"You'll all pay." Ritsuko croaked, a steady stream of blood pouring from her mouth, as she interrupted the couple's inevitable confrontation. She was actually getting very talented at effectively interrupting critical moments.
"Yeah, right. We're gonna pay." Akane said, rolling her eyes, and approaching Ritusko, Ranko also getting to her feet behind her. "Come on Ritusko, I think Luna and Artemis would love to meet you, so now-"
"No!" Risk said, letting out a guttural shout, and summoning together the last of her powers for one, final, desperate, weak, transportation spell.
"Stop it!" Ranko gasped, dashing forward, seeing clearly just what Ritsuko had in mind for her next trick. "I won't let you get a-" There was a slightly less than impressive poof of purple dust, that totally covered a hacking and coughing Ritusko. and when the dust had settled, the troublesome blond was gone, the only evidence she had ever been there a pile of purple dirt on the road. It was definitely a step down from her previous disappearing acts.
"-way." Ranko finished dully, stumbling over Ritsuko's magic purple dust stuff. "Sorry 'Kane," Ranko sighed, turning to look sadly at her fiancée. "I let her go,"
"Don't worry Ranma, it's not your fault. Ritsuko will get her comeuppance anyway, don't worry. You saw how weak she was! She won't last long, and then me and the scouts can sniff her out," the girl bubbled, smiling encouragingly at Ranko.
"Right," Ranko sighed, taking Akane's hand, and squeezing it thankfully. Why did she suddenly feel so comfortable about being near Akane? She had never felt so comfortable about being close to Akane, who was always more like some untouchable dream than a real fiancée, or even girlfriend. and suddenly.
'Hell,' Ranko thought, sighing. 'If I wasn't female and all, I'd kiss her! I'm just so happy to be alive!'
"Ranma?" A slightly defeated sounding voice asked.
"U-chan?" Ranko gasped, turning to the side, to look at the tall brunette of whom she had almost just forgotten about.
'Did I really just see all that. Ranma and Akane hugging. getting along. holding hands. staring at each other longingly. I. I must have hit my head on the road too hard.' Ukyo decided, closing her eyes, and holding back a small sob that was a total mix of despair and confusion.
"Ukyo! You look horrible, let's help you get back to the U-chan!" Akane cooed, walking over to the girl, hoping to help steady her. But the befuddled and upset girl flinched away from Akane's touch, backing away, and hugging herself tight.
"W-what's going on?" she asked in a scratchy voice, disturbed as, on top of it all, her mind drew a blank when she considered things like: Why she was where she was, what had just happened, and why did she feel so miserably feeble? Akane seemed to pity Ukyo's state even more at this, much to the chef's chagrin, and her big liquid brown eyes got all misty as she stared at her.
"Ukyo. please. let us just take you to-"
"No!" Ukyo snapped, gathering her wits, and using them to propel her towards the U-chan, in much a way Shampoo had, earlier. All she wanted was not to be there with THOSE two, watching them get closer, happier.. They looked so perfect together, like that! Dammit! Why couldn't SHE look perfect with Ran-chan like that! WHY?
"U-chan!?" Ranko called after the chef, starting after the girl, and then hesitating as the brunette chucked a warning spatula in the redhead's direction. Okkaayy. maybe not. "What's going on, do I smell funky or something?" Ranko asked, looking vulnerable as she glanced back at Akane, who had a very real, very terrible understanding of what had just happened. Poor Ukyo. it really was a shame Ranma was so very dense at times.
"No, no you don't Ranma. Well, maybe you do, but that's not the reason" Akane said, her mega-super grin having been cranked down to a hesitant smile. "I think they just. saw something they didn't want to," Akane admitted, looping arms with Ranko, and sauntering down the street, ready to make the long trek home, if it meant she got to walk all the way with Ranma. female or not. "We can see them about it later. but, I think things are about to change around here,"
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Ranko laughed, thinking of everything that had just happened. Four girls she had thought she knew almost everything about had just turned out to be prodigy cartoon characters!
"Ummm.You've got pink, Sailor Moon dust all over your face." Akane tried.
"Hey, so do you! Shut up!"
Akane knew she shouldn't have enjoyed the walk home. Shouldn't have been so blissfully content, when there was work to do, crushed fiancées to worry about, and explanations to give Ranma about the Sailor Scout bit. but she did.
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Author's Notes:
Lalala. I just spent three hours finishing this stupid fic. and I still have to spell checckkkk!! ((yeah, spell checker's not going to like that one, I can see it now.) Anywho, thanks for reading. Now, review- OR ELSE. (Heh, just kidding. just kidding.) I hope I didn't make too many grammatical errors I'm too damn lazy to fix, and expect the next chapter innnnn. two weeks? Maybe? Give or take (Give, probably) a few days. Thanks again, and happy holidays!
-Rio Grande~
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