Saffron cursed audibly and threw another fireball at a group of enemies.
They were reduced to ash, yet he found no satisfaction in the act. As many
as he'd killed today more and more soldiers continued to exit the portal
and press his forces back. It was only a matter of time until the circle
was broken and the situation was lost.
Down on the field Herb danced around attacks, mostly fireballs cast by those cursed swords, and delivered death with the same efficiency the Phoenix King did. Chi blasts that melted the armors and, obviously, the flesh under them were the most effective. Physical attacks were limited since the armors could take a lot of punishment. The battle so far was still in their favor, but the Musk Prince could see as much as his people fought bravely there were too many enemies. The Musk wouldn't retreat from this battle, it was out of the question, but he did have to wonder if they would survive at all.
Both Saffron and Herb were contemplating how to counter the sheer numbers of Silver Millennium soldiers when the circle of defenders broke on one end. *DAMN!* Both thought at the same time. With their enemies no longer under siege it was only a matter of time before their flanks became vulnerable.
Saffron flew as fast as he could to cover the hole left in the circle, but knew he wouldn't be enough. Just as he was about to reach the place he caught sight of a floating woman approaching from the east.
His eyes widened when the woman extended a hand forward and a huge energy blast was shot towards the soldiers. It incinerated them on impact, as effective as one of his own fireballs. *Who is she?* Was his only thought as he caught sight of a small group of people running towards the battle.
-----
Setsuna had to do her best to remain focused on finishing the spell. As fast as the images flew in front of her eyes she could make them out, mostly due to her vast experience in time magic. Seeing hours of Ranma being tortured by Sailor Uranus in less than a second proved to be almost too much. The only reason why she was desperately trying to finish the spell instead of crying in anguish was the small ray of hope that she might be able to save him.
Outside the time spell Pluto had a smirk on her face. Uranus' ability to inflict pain always amazed her.
The soft cries coming from Kasumi for Uranus to stop were, of course, ignored. The girl had witnessed every single second of Ranma's torture. She begged to Pluto for it to stop, that Ranma didn't deserve what was happening to him. The only answer she got was Pluto's amazed look. The girl still couldn't bring herself to feel angry at them.
Uranus stopped to study her handiwork and laughed. She was holding Ranma's body by the back of the neck with her left hand, his weakly-convulsing form facing away from her. There was a pool of blood on the floor, courtesy of the many cuts and lacerations covering most of the pigtailed man's skin. Both his arms and legs were hanging uselessly, the muscles torn apart to prevent any kind of surprise. His black hair was undone and caked with blood, some of his unruly hair standing up on end. His face was a mask of complete pain, with tears mixed with blood on his cheeks. The eyes, once sharp and beautiful, were glazed over and unseeing. Pluto could see Ranma was still alive, but that was only due to his soft and uneven breathing. Otherwise the pigtailed martial artist was nothing but a corpse.
Sailor Uranus licked Ranma's cheek in an almost affectionate way, savoring the blood and tears as a fine wine. "It doesn't matter how many times I do it. I love torturing this guy." She said with a genuine smile of satisfaction, granted it was a sadistic smile, but a smile nonetheless. Ranma wasn't in any position to protest the treatment.
Pluto laughed in amusement at her companion's antics.
Haruka glared hatefully at Sailor Uranus. It was no wonder Ranma hated the bitch so much. Now that she witnessed the level of cruelty the woman was capable of she couldn't fault Ranma for being so angry with her. *Hell! I couldn't blame him if he killed me on sight.* She was indeed impressed with Ranma's restraint. It was obvious to her that she wouldn't be that disciplined if given the chance to kill the bitch.
Kasumi closed her eyes and wept softly. She couldn't bear to look at Ranma anymore. Not like this.
"Finish him off, Uranus." Pluto said suddenly. "As fun as this is..." She turned to the sand clock, which was almost empty. "It's time."
Uranus frowned at the idea of losing her favorite toy. She was sure that Ranma, if healed and tortured again, would still resist with all his might and deny her the pleasure of being broken. This time she could feel his mind slip into madness, yet his spirit still remained combative.
Pluto turned to regard Setsuna's seemingly unmoving form and smirked. "Uranus, do it slowly so our witness can savor her lover's last breath."
Setsuna, who was about to finish her spell, lost her concentration and started to cry in agony as she saw Uranus lift her sword meaningfully and point it at Ranma's back. Unlike the other times she recognized the intent to kill and knew all was lost. The strength left her body and she felt herself start to fall as the blade pierced her only love's skin. Her heart might as well be pierced by the blade as well.
Uranus decided it would be best to finish Ranma off. This last time he almost killed her, incredible as it was, and she couldn't run the risk of it happening again. She thrust the blade forward, stabbing Ranma in the back and piercing his body from side to side where his heart was. A killing strike that showed mercy after the long and agonizing torture she put him through.
"YOU BITCH!!!" Haruka bellowed and struggled to free herself from her bonds. She decided then and there that she'd kill Uranus if it was the last thing she did. Even if Ranma was always cold towards her she could see how he made Hotaru and Setsuna happy. She would make Sailor Uranus pay!
Kasumi, who was already being dragged by Pluto towards the altar, stopped crying and opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the sword leaving Ranma's body. She saw Ranma's head drop lifelessly and heard his last breath. Kasumi 'felt' the life leaving his body. In that instant Tendo Kasumi felt, for the first time in her life, anger well up inside her. How dare they do this to Ranma? *To MY Ranma?!*
Uranus stared at her sword, at the blood dripping from it, and smiled. She couldn't help but respect the pigtailed martial artist. He fought to the end and refused to be broken. *I'll have to look hard to find another one like him.*
Pluto was shocked when she felt, for the first time, anger coming from Kasumi. Her shock was interrupted as an explosion of energy threw her off and she crashed against a wall. She turned with incredulous eyes towards the source.
Uranus turned wide-eyed to see Kasumi's bonds disintegrate. The girl floated to her feet, a black aura of power surrounding her body as her wounds all healed instantly. The power emanated was unmistakable, and for that all the more shocking to all present.
"BERYL!!!" Came the cry from everyone.
The young woman now dressed in a black housedress raised one hand and pointed it at Uranus, who shivered at the sheer power coming from the sphere of energy that formed there. Without so much as a word said sphere of energy was launched at her.
Sailor Uranus reacted in the nick of time and shielded herself with Ranma's body, which she still held aloft, and even then she was almost thrown off her feet. When it was over the man's body was left smoking and Uranus was breathing heavily with fear-filled eyes. Beryl was the most powerful of Nova's children. Powerful enough to kill the last of the Saiyajins, the insane Brolly.
The glowing woman started to form another blast, this one feeling even stronger than the last. Uranus frantically tried to think how the hell to get out of here. There was no way Ranma's body could shield her from something that powerful again.
As it turned out Uranus didn't have to worry about a second blast. The sound of metal against flesh was heard and Kasumi fell to the ground limply, Sailor Pluto standing behind her with her staff at the ready. "You should've tried to escape." Pluto said triumphantly. At first she was scared beyond herself, yet upon feeling the power emanated she felt hope returning. "Even if you're powerful you've just woken up. You're so weak even we can take you down."
Upon understanding what was being said Uranus shared Pluto's smirk. Beryl was indeed back, yet she was weak and defenseless right now.
Haruka stared in shock at the events taking place. *Beryl is alive?!*
Setsuna was too far off into her own grief to care what happened. She just wanted the spell cast upon her to end so she could curl into a ball and weep for her lost heart.
Everyone was startled when a chuckle was heard. A male chuckle.
Haruka and Pluto started looking everywhere, one for a possible enemy and the other for a possible ally.
It was Uranus that froze in place. She felt the shaking coming from the corpse in her hand.
When Ranma started laughing harder Pluto's eyes widened in realization of what happened. *That bastard! It was indeed a plan to resurrect Beryl!* She thought in alarm remembering just how dangerous the martial artist really was. The former Senshi of Time turned to Uranus with a look of urgency in her eyes. "Uranus! That was a restoration blast! KILL HIM!!!" She ordered, hoping Ranma wasn't back to full health yet.
Ranma threw his head back and laughed his heart out. Uranus didn't hesitate and prepared her sword to pierce him from side to side again, all thoughts of torture gone and replaced by thoughts of survival. They were outnumbered now, even if Beryl and Setsuna were still out of the action.
Setsuna's eyes widened as she felt her heart beat once again. Seeing Ranma still alive brought hope into her heart.
Uranus started her thrust, only to interrupt it and scream in utter agony when Ranma's battle aura exploded from his body. Said battle aura vaporized her left hand and forearm with its intensity. The sword fell to the ground as Uranus clutched at her lost appendage.
Ranma continued to laugh like a maniac as his aura kept on growing, it rippled so violently that the blood covering his body was vaporized and his hair fluttered up to an invisible wind.
"DEAD SCREAM!" Pluto cried out and fired a magical blast at Ranma. To her shock and growing fear the blast disintegrated upon contact with the battle aura, which was turning from a bright blue to an ominous black. Ranma's blue-gray eyes turned black slowly, and then started to lighten in shade. After a full minute they were a milky white, having passed through green.
The battle aura increased in size even more and crackled with power, a blazing golden color. The unruly black hair stood on end and turned gold as well, then got a shade of gold-green. What was left of Ranma's shirt was ripped apart by the sudden growth of his muscles, which were now of grotesque proportions. For someone that didn't see the change happen it was a different person entirely.
Ranma cried out and Uranus' screams of pain were silenced forever, her entire body consumed by the battle aura. In a matter of seconds nothing was left of the once powerful and cruel Senshi.
Pluto could do nothing but stare in shock at the impossible. A Saiyajin. *And not just any Saiyajin. A Super Saiyajin!* It now made perfect sense to her. Why would Nova adopt into her family a simple human? *Simple, she didn't.* The crafty Queen had taken into her family the last member of the warrior race with the most power potential in the entire universe. To make matters worse it seemed like it was Brolly himself, the man Beryl supposedly killed during the Silver Millennium. *And we, as the idiots we are, helped her.* It was no secret that Saiyajins got stronger after being beaten to near-death. And Sailor Uranus, with her constant torture, had almost killed Ranma hundreds of times. All those times making him stronger.
The Senshi of Time knew the battle was lost, quite possibly even before it started, and did the best thing her scared mind could think of. Especially when those pupil-less eyes focused on her. She escaped.
Opening a portal to another dimension she rushed through it, in her haste not caring where she was going. Since the last vestiges of magical travel came from the Negaverse said gate was directed that way. What Pluto didn't expect was that Ranma would be fast enough to follow her through the portal.
Left behind the spell of time was broken, since the source of energy feeding it was gone. Setsuna dropped to her hands and knees as the entirety of what happened hit her. All the events she saw in the space of two seconds assaulting her mind at the same time. The present Senshi of Time curled into a tight ball and sobbed uncontrollably because of the emotional shock.
Haruka gave out a cry of frustration once she got over her shock. She was tied up with an unconscious Beryl not five steps away and a weeping Setsuna in the opposite direction. One of their captors was dead and the other would most likely follow her, if she wasn't dead already. *And here I am incapable of doing a single thing.* "Damn it, Setsuna! Pull yourself together!" She cried in exasperation as she struggled to free herself from her bonds.
-----
Herb stared at the battlefield and sighed in relief. As bad as things seemed for his troops during the fight, the reinforcements were enough to contain the Silver Millennium soldiers. Said reinforcements were no more than a few people, but from what the Musk prince could see of them they made up for it in firepower. Particularly the one with the spiky hair.
Saffron flew towards the group of helpers now that the fight was mostly over and his troops could easily take care of the remaining enemies on their own. He was curious to find out just who had come to their aid.
He landed next to the man that seemed to be in charge of the newcomers, who was also the older one. "I am Saffron, King of Mount Phoenix." He greeted royally.
The man didn't seem to find Saffron's appearance odd in the slightest. He simply smiled and bowed politely. "I've heard of you, King Saffron."
"Then you have me at a disadvantage, for I know not your name." Saffron said, eyeing the other warriors with an appraising eye. They were mostly young, yet from what he could see they could each hold their own.
"Masaki Katsuhito. You could say I'm an old friend of Setsuna's."
Saffron raised an eyebrow.
-----
Pluto took all of two steps before her world exploded and turned black. She didn't even know what hit her, didn't even realize it was her end.
Ranma, after blowing the woman up for endangering two of his three loved ones, laughed and started throwing chi blasts at random directions. His mind was a confused mass of painful and destructive thoughts.
As he flew around chucking destruction to anything he could see he felt two very powerful auras. He laughed even more and flew towards them, his only thoughts of destruction to alleviate the pain.
-----
Akane fell to her knees, the flames dying out, and stared at Soap with respect in her eyes. "You're skilled and strong." She said weakly.
Soap, who was badly hurt after the long fight, stared at Akane seriously. "I was trained by the best."
The youngest Tendo sister seemed to struggle for a moment with herself before speaking again. "I will train with you."
Soap blinked her good eye in confusion. "Excuse me?"
Akane nodded with a small smile on her face. "You're good enough to train me. You'll become my sensei."
Soap was at a loss of words for a moment as the message processed in her brain. When it did she narrowed her eyes in anger. *Arrogant little girl! She says it as if it was an honor to train a spoiled brat like her.* With that thought Soap ran towards and past Akane, completely ignoring the girl's angry yells for the unspoken refusal. She had more important things to worry about than convincing a beginner martial artist about not being ready.
-----
"It's... over." Mousse muttered while holding the wound on his midsection with both his hands in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The fight took everything out of him, and he stared in muted shock at the fallen form of Kuno Kodachi. *That last blow should've made her head to explode, yet it was barely enough to knock her out.*
Ranma's first student could only wonder just how deeply ingrained were Kodachi's negative feelings. To be strong enough to put up such a fight against him...
Mousse turned in the direction where the explosions could be heard, even from this great a distance, and hoped the others could take care of whatever it was. He was too weak to move, much less fight, right now.
With that Mousse dropped to a sitting position and started a healing trance.
-----
"DIE! DAMN YOU!" Ukyo bellowed as she continued to attack the elusive doctor, who continued to press shiatsu all over her body and taking rest in those short breaks. The way the fight was going Tofu could last for another couple of days before the okonomiyaki chef could even lay a hand on him.
-----
"Have at thee!" Kuno yelled and charged with his katana at Cologne, who was in no position to defend herself after receiving that last attack. She was too busy trying to stay awake over the pain of losing her left arm.
Taro rushed as fast as he could, yet he knew he would be too late. *And if Cologne is out we're done for.* He knew that even in his cursed form he wasn't a challenge for Kuno's power unless he got a free shot to make use of his huge strength. So far such an opportunity had not presented itself.
Cologne's eyes focused just in time to see the katana come in a forward thrust towards her head.
The sound of metal cutting flesh was heard, followed by a female scream.
Taro's eyes gleamed and he moved faster than in the entire fight. He had his chance.
Cologne stared stupidly at the sight before her eyes. Kuno's katana was imbedded to the hilt in Kiima's body. The tip of the katana was dripping blood just an inch from Cologne's nose. The winged woman gave out an inarticulate scream of fury and kicked the kendoist in the groin. The blow was so strong that Kuno lost his grip on the weapon to clutch at his abused privates.
Taro was upon him in an instant, and without his sword Tatewaki was no challenge against the cursed man's prowess.
Cologne watched wide-eyed as Kiima turned to regard her coolly, the sword still piercing her from side to side, before falling limply to the ground.
-----
"We're here." Usagi said as the trio reached the gates of the castle. The explosions coming from the fighting between the Saiyajin and their three friends filled the background, yet they did their best to ignore them as they still had a mission to fulfill.
Mamoru reached for his sword and kicked the gates open. *The faster we deal with this the better.*
"Neptune." Usagi said seriously. "I want you to go to the dungeon and rescue our friends."
"Princess?" Sailor Neptune questioned. "Ryoga said..."
"I don't care what he said." Usagi said firmly. "You will do as I say and rescue the prisoners."
Neptune would've objected had it not been for the commanding tone in her princess' voice and the fact that one of the prisoners was Haruka, which overrode any protest she might've had. "Yes, princess." She answered quickly and rushed into the castle next to Mamoru. While she didn't know the castle's layout it was a simple matter of looking for stairs going down instead of up.
A minute later they reached a room with said stairs. After the Senshi of Neptune was out of the room Mamoru turned to the blonde. "Are you sure that was wise?"
Usagi kept walking resolutely forward as she answered the question. "No. But regardless of wisdom we are fighting to save people. I won't let our friends suffer a single moment more than necessary."
Mamoru was still dubious of his lover's decision, but nodded in understanding.
The couple continued on through the castle until the reached an occupied room. The occupants were, regrettably, hardly a surprise. *The Inner Senshi.* Mamoru thought and readied his sword, only to have Usagi shake her head and stop him.
"Princess." Sailor Mars said before taking a step forward, closing the distance between them to barely ten feet. "Your mother requests that you are confined to your quarters."
Sailor Jupiter approached as well. "We are to escort you to your room."
There was something in their voice that made both Usagi and Mamoru look at each other uncertainly. These girls weren't corrupted like Ranma's acquaintances were. "I can't go with you. I have to speak to my mother." The blonde said firmly.
"That's not an option, Princess." Sailor Venus said as firmly as Usagi did. "The Queen is about to execute the cleansing and you must obey her commands."
At the mention of the cleansing both Mamoru and Usagi tensed and looked even more determined to have a word with Serenity. The Inner Senshi recognized this and they prepared themselves to submit the couple.
"Rei, Makoto, Minako, Ami. We don't have to do this." Usagi said softly. "We're all friends. We've all been through a lot together."
"It is because you're our friend that we're being reasonable, Usagi-chan." Sailor Venus said. "The Queen wanted you submitted at all costs. We're asking you to come with us peacefully."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because the Queen has promised us to revive the Silver Millennium." Mars said instantly. "There will be no more wars once that's done."
Usagi shook her head. "You don't understand... None of you. Or perhaps..." Usagi trailed off when she caught sight of Sailor Mercury's face. "Ami- chan... You know what my mother is planning."
They all turned to see Mercury had a hesitant expression on her face. "Usagi-chan..." The blue-haired girl said hesitantly, as if she was debating with herself about the current situation.
"Enough!" Mars thundered, not giving Ami a chance to think further about the princess' words. "You're coming with us."
Usagi shook her head firmly.
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Sailor Venus called out and thrust her attack at Usagi, encircling the other's body with a chain made out of golden hearts.
Usagi could feel her strength failing her and realized Serenity removed the blocks on the Senshis' magical powers. Venus' attack had the particularity of draining the life force from its victims to submit them without the need of physical harm. "Is there no other way?" Usagi asked sadly.
Sailors Jupiter and Venus seemed hesitant for a moment, yet it was once again Mars that voiced their opinion. "Maybe it is, Usagi. Your mother has promised us peace, something you're not mature enough to get yet."
Usagi studied her friends' faces and noticed only Mercury was still hesitant. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I see." She whispered.
"Come with us." Mars ordered.
The chain was broken and fell to the ground, clattering loudly in the silence that permeated the room. They all turned to see Mamoru recovering from a downward slash with his sword in front of Usagi. "Go ahead to face your mother. I'll take care of them." The man said seriously, eyeing the Senshi hard.
Usagi nodded seriously, not trusting her voice to speak just about now. While she knew this could possibly happen, having to face her friends in battle, it still hurt to be abandoned by them. Without further hesitation Usagi rushed towards the next room. Out of the Inner Senshi only Mercury was in a position to stop the princess. She didn't move.
"What are you doing, Mercury?!" Mars demanded with her face livid.
Sailor Mercury sighed and turned to the red-skirted Sailor. "She's our friend, Rei. We can't fight her."
Mars' eyes narrow dangerously. "My name is Aryann."
Mamoru's eyes widen slightly in comprehension. *No wonder they're siding with the Queen. She awoke their memories.* Out of all the Inner Senshi only Mercury had any real contact with Usagi outside of duty. The others were usually never on the Moon, and therefore their loyalty was entirely on Serenity.
It didn't really matter now, however. Mamoru had to raise his sword in defense when three out of four Senshi turned towards him.
-----
"Daughter, this is treason!" Serenity snaps angrily at Usagi as soon as she catches sight of her.
Usagi stared at her mother, sitting on a throne, and shook her head. "You're the one that's betraying me, mother. It is my turn to rule as I see fit."
Serenity stands up and looks at her daughter gravely. "Your turn, you say? If you remember correctly you are the princess till the day I die." She extends her hand forward and smiles when out of Usagi's pocket comes a shining object. It floats in the space between them. "You see? Regardless of your feelings the crystal still recognizes me as its rightful owner." And in so saying she extends her other hand, throwing another shining object to join with the other.
Two halves make a whole, and as such the Silver Crystal is one again. Both parts join to form one.
"That crystal represents all the evil it uses as a power source." Usagi says accusingly. "Building an Utopia with it is as big a lie as the one about your so called 'cleansing.'"
Serenity snorted. "Strong words coming from one that benefits of its power. Or course the Silver Crystal feeds from the evil in the heart of man. The first Serenity, our antecessor, intended it that way. It's the perfect way to maintain power. Take the very power from a limitless supply and at the same time keep your subjects happy and incapable of realizing the truth."
"I have benefited from its power." Usagi admitted regretfully. "But unlike you I've come to realize the folly of it! In my second life, away from your influence, I could see the beauty of the human heart as it is. Aunty Nodoka, even as powerful as she is, doesn't oppress the people like we do."
"Would you dare oppose your own mother for that woman?" Serenity asked incredulously, and with no small amount of anger in her voice.
"No." Usagi said and shook her head. "Not for aunty Nodoka. For the people I love so much." She closed her eyes and started to glow silver, and her mother could feel the power in the Silver Crystal shift.
*She can still use the Silver Crystal, even if she's opposing me?* Serenity thought in shock, wondering why the crystal would allow for her owner to be challenged through it. "I see you oppose me even now. So be it." The older woman said seriously and started to concentrate herself.
Usagi's eyes snap open, a silver glow emanating from them. "I'm going to give the people a gift so wonderful you never even thought about. The new order starts today."
Mother and daughter extended their hands towards each other, and at nearly the same time beams of energy were let loose.
-----
Ryoga groaned and cracked his neck back into place. That blow nearly ripped his head off. *Serves me right for getting overconfident.* He thought and opened his eyes. "Hotaru?"
"Ryoga!" Hotaru cried out in relief.
"Where is...?" Ryoga's question was interrupted by a female scream of pain. He shot to his feet and saw his sister was being pummeled mercilessly against a boulder, which was cracking under the pressure of the many blows landed on the woman's body. The Saiyajin, who in truth was Ranma but none of them knew that, was punching Hinako repeatedly all over her body, eliciting sickening sounds and cries of pain from her. "I have to help her." Ryoga said and took two steps before collapsing to his knees, still disoriented.
"Ryoga!" Hotaru cried out again and supported his body as best she could. She watched worriedly as he struggled to stand.
"Hinako doesn't regenerate as fast as I do, Hotaru! At this rate that bastard will kill her within the minute." As if to emphasize his point Ranma punched Hinako through the boulder, which couldn't withstand the pressure, and sent her flying away. She landed in a broken heap and coughed out blood, unaware that Ranma was floating towards her to finish her off. Usually she'd put out a better fight, but the Saiyajin caught her off guard with his overpowering attacks. When she thought of powering up her own body it was already too late.
Ranma stopped over Hinako and sneered down at the woman. He raised one foot and...
"SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!!!"
The attack was unexpected, and so it threw him into a mountain a mile away. The beam of killing energy smashed him against its side and exploded upon impact.
"Hinako!" Hotaru knelt next to the woman and started focusing her healing magic into the broken Nova sibling. She sighed in relief when Hinako's breathing became easier and her wounds visibly vanished.
The older woman sat up and smiled weakly at the girl, thankful for the save. *I can't believe we're being beaten by a Saiyajin. The only one that could ever reach this power level was Brolly, and Beryl killed him.* Though she had to admit that it being Brolly didn't sound too farfetched. It would explain the thrashing he was giving them, at least. She turned to the sound of an explosion and her eyes widened. "WATCH OUT!!!" She cried.
Hotaru turned as fast as she could, but even then she wasn't fast enough. She caught sight of Ranma flying towards her with a fist cocked back and, before she could do anything, punched her in the gut. The breath exploded out of her lungs, together with breakfast and a mouthful of blood. She doubled over and the Silence Glaive fell to the ground from nerveless fingers. Ranma then kneed the girl in the face, and finished the attack with a head-butt that sent Sailor Saturn crashing into the floor and creating a crater under her.
"HOTARU!!!" Hinako cried and cast a pure energy blast into Ranma's gut, sending him flying away to crash against the same mountain as before, which collapsed over him. The woman then rushed to Hotaru's side, expecting the worse, and examined the girl. She sighed in relief when she saw the steady raise and fall of her chest. *Though she won't be participating further in this fight.* The Senshi of Silence was lucky to be alive, and even now she seemed to have some serious life-threatening injuries.
Ranma raised the power of his battle aura and melted the rocks covering him. He then flew out of the debris and towards Hinako, who was distracted checking Hotaru for injuries. He was intercepted, though, but a black- glowing Ryoga. Ranma took two quick punches that would've destroyed a small moon before reacting and starting an exchange of blows with the son of Nodoka.
Hinako could see Ryoga had powered up to the limit and, as the exchange of blows continued, realized with a sense of dread that even that didn't seem to be enough. She gave Hotaru's unconscious body one last concerned look before powering up herself and joining Ryoga in the fight. Maybe between the two of them they could take that monster down. And if even that failed she hoped they could keep him busy long enough for Usagi to get done with it so they could all escape.
-----
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!!"
"JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!!!"
Mamoru nimbly dodged the attacks by jumping over them and reached under his cape to produce a rose. He threw it at Mars as he landed and fended off Venus' attacks with his sword.
Mars snorted and caught the rose in mid-flight. "And what is this supposed to accomplish?" She asked derisively, wondering why Mamoru was still throwing around roses if he recovered his memories from the past.
The man smirked and back flipped away from Venus' kick. "Just a distraction." He said and landed, punching the ground under him.
Mars' smirk vanished to be replaced by a grimace of pain upon feeling her entire body scream out in pain as vines emerge from the floor and tie her body down, the thorns digging into her skin and drawing blood.
"Mars!" Jupiter cried and jumped Mamoru, expecting to get him in close quarters.
Venus jumped back and went over to free Sailor Mars.
Mamoru easily defended himself from Jupiter's skillful attack and reached under his cape again, only this time he retrieved several roses. Ducking under a right hook the man shoulder-rammed Jupiter away and threw the roses at Mars.
Venus felt the danger coming from behind and barely managed to dodge out of the way, in the process allowing the projectiles to hit their intended target. "You idiot!" Mars bellowed before she was hit.
Each and every one of the roses exploded on impact. Two things happened because of the explosion. First Mars was released from her bonds. Second she was sent flying away to crash into and through a wall.
Off to the side Mercury could do nothing but gape at the ease with which Mamoru was dealing with three of the Sailor Senshi. Granted, he was the prince of Earth and reputedly a very strong fighter, but to fight three of Serenity's Senshi and have the upper hand...
-----
"Have to go faster!" Soap cried out to herself, willing her legs to move faster than they could. She could feel the fight taking place and needed to get there before it was too late. Already she could tell one life was in the brink of being extinguished. "Faster, damn it!"
-----
"About fucking time!" Haruka cried out when Setsuna finally stopped crying and lifted her head to see her surroundings. It had been close to an hour since Pluto and Ranma disappeared through the portal and for all her efforts Haruka's bonds were still holding her down. "Untie me already, damn it!" The blonde definitely had had better days.
Setsuna shakily stood up, tears still flowing from her eyes, and untied her friend.
Haruka stared at Setsuna for a moment before shaking the feeling of awe off. *Of course she'd be shaken over what happened.* She didn't even want to think how much she would've suffered it the tortured one was Michiru instead of Ranma.
Once Haruka was free Setsuna walked over to Beryl and tried to wake her up.
"What are you doing?" Haruka shrilled, not at all comfortable with the idea of having Beryl wake up so close to them.
The green-haired woman continued trying to wake Beryl up by shaking her shoulder gently. "Beryl saved Ranma's life." And that was all she said to justify her actions.
Haruka remained dubious, but not having a valid argument against that she joined Setsuna in waking the elder Nova sibling up.
It didn't take long and Beryl blinked her eyes. "What happened?" Her eyes then focused on Setsuna. "Sailor Pluto?"
"Hello, Beryl." Setsuna greeted and explained what happened.
Upon getting the general gist of the situation Beryl's eyes widened in realization. "We have to get to Ranma!" Setsuna and Haruka helped her to her feet, since she was still too weak to stand by herself. "He's too dangerous!"
"What happened anyway?" Haruka asked in confusion. "For a moment there I thought you had finished him off." The question served to distract her from the fact that 'Beryl' of all people was leaning on her for support.
"That blast... it was meant to heal the damage to Ranma's body." Beryl said and stretched her senses, trying to feel where the pigtailed man was. "But before I could heal his mind with the second one..."
"My antecessor nailed you in the head and you passed out." Setsuna finished, impressed that Beryl had the actual power of healing minds as well as bodies. In the Silver Millennium Beryl was famous for her healing powers, yet none suspected just how far her healing could go. "Where's Ranma? I can't feel him anywhere near us."
"He chased Sailor Pluto through a gate after transforming into a Super Saiyajin." Setsuna said while keeping an eye on Beryl's face to gauge her reaction to the news. *She knew!* Was her thought when the woman didn't react to the information.
"What's a Super Saiyajin?" Haruka asked plainly confused.
"One of the strongest warrior races in the universe." Setsuna answered as Beryl got her bearings and traced the gate to its destiny. "And supposedly extinct during the Silver Millennium."
"The Negaverse." Beryl said.
"What?" Setsuna and Haruka asked in stereo.
"The gate leads to the Negaverse."
Setsuna paled visibly. "Oh no!"
"Setsuna?" Haruka asked nervously. Setsuna showing any kind of reaction was not good in her book.
"The others are fighting Serenity in the Negaverse. If Ranma went there and he's not in control..."
"He'll kill them all." Beryl whispered. Haruka turned sheet white as well.
"We have to stop him." Setsuna said after recovering from the shock. "I can take us there. The magic is recent enough that I can recreate the gate." She turned to Beryl. "You can heal Ranma's mind and that way we'll save everyone."
Beryl averted her gaze from Setsuna's crimson eyes. "I can't."
"What?!"
"Was Ranma glowing when he left?" Beryl asked in a whisper.
Haruka blinked. "Well... yeah. He was glowing."
Beryl gulped, having expected that. "As weak as I am right now I can't throw a blast strong enough not to dissipate in contact with his battle aura.
The three women remain silent for a while, each pondering how the hell to deal with Ranma so he doesn't kill everyone, his family included.
"I'm going anyway." Setsuna said resolutely, breaking the silence that had become almost tangible.
"Setsuna?" Haruka asked hesitantly, wondering if Setsuna was still shaken out of her wits by the experience she'd been through.
The green-haired woman turned to regard Haruka seriously, her crimson eyes seemingly piercing Haruka's very soul with their intensity. "I have to see it through. I have to be with him, no matter what." She finished speaking in a soft tone of voice and released Beryl, then opened a portal and walked through it.
Beryl walked over to Nabiki's unconscious body and placed a hand on it. A soft glow emanated from the latter's body and Haruka blinked upon seeing the wounds were gone, leaving behind perfectly healed flesh. Nodoka's daughter then lifted the body over her shoulder and walked through the portal.
Haruka blinked a couple of times, wondering how Beryl could be recovering so fast if she could barely stand just five minutes ago. "To hell with it!" She said and ran through the portal as well. She was not going to be left behind.
-----
Sailor Mars glared hatefully at Mamoru, who stood with only some minor injuries as a result of the fight. Behind her Sailors Jupiter and Venus were blissfully unconscious, a result from another of Mamoru's attacks.
Mercury, who had witnessed the entire fight without interfering, was looking away. She couldn't bring herself to see eye-to-eye with either Mars or Mamoru, not after feeling she betrayed both of them by her inaction.
"You fought well." Mamoru said at long last. "But you fought for the wrong reasons."
"Shut up!" Mars bellowed and charged an attack.
Five seconds later Sailor Mars' unconscious body hit the floor and Mamoru sheathed his sword. "Mercury."
The addressed Senshi turned her eyes to regard the prince.
"Thank you."
"What?" Ami was taken completely by surprise.
"For remaining loyal to Usagi." He said and turned to Sailor Neptune, who just now entered the room with a black-haired woman in tow.
"I didn't find Haruka." Neptune said in an obviously strained voice. "Luna says she was the only prisoner." She said signaling to the black-haired woman, who nodded.
"Luna?" Mamoru asked and, upon receiving a nod, smiled faintly. "It seems that Usagi at least has two real friends."
-----
Usagi narrowed her eyes, concentrating as much power as she could to throw at her mother. Said person did likewise, keeping the standstill that bathed the room in a silver light.
Both women continued to engage in a battle of wills, in which the loser would cease to exist.
-----
"Leave them." Mamoru said and sat down tiredly. Even if he did win against the Inner Senshi the battle took a lot out of him.
"But..." Mercury started to protest, only to have Luna interrupt her.
"There's nothing we can do, Mercury. The battle between two wielders of the Silver Crystal cannot be interrupted." The now cat said.
"We should be looking for Haruka." Neptune protested at the ease with which Mamoru was waiting for Usagi to finish her fight.
"She isn't here, Michiru." The prince said.
"How would you know?"
"If she were she'd be either in the dungeon or fighting against us." Mamoru said with a sigh. "Remember what Ami said. The girl that kidnapped her isn't here. She probably took Haruka to some other place. What we should do is wait for Usagi to finish her fight. Once that's done we can ask her and the Novas to help us find her."
Michiru didn't like the waiting part, but had to admit the reasoning was sound.
-----
Beryl, Haruka and Setsuna arrived to the Negaverse to see Ranma mercilessly pounding Ryoga, a golden glow surrounding his body opposed to the black aura covering his older brother's form. The Saiyajin's punches and kicks were too fast for the other man to see, much less defend against.
Ryoga was receiving the beating of his life, his aura blazing at full power and still not enough to stop the onslaught of pain coming his way. For the first time in his memory there was a fight he wasn't enjoying.
The three women suddenly saw Hinako charge from the side, her hands extended to her sides. Dozens of fireballs impacted with Ranma's unprotected side and he was sent flying away. The resulting explosion didn't seem to affect him much, if the laughter coming from him was any indication. In fact his aura seemed to increase in size even more because of the attack.
"It's worse than I thought." Beryl whispered as she stared at Ranma charging Hinako and delivering a quick series of attacks that sent her flying into another mountain. Ryoga took the chance to take a hold of Ranma and try to squeeze the life out of him in a bear hug, but found his strength not up to par with the task. Ranma freed himself and started pummeling him again.
"Beryl?" Setsuna asked while Haruka could only gape at the massacre with a pale face.
"Ranma has gone completely berserk. There's nothing we can do." The woman said sadly.
-----
Hinako shook her head and struggled to her feet again. "What does it take to hurt that monster?" She muttered under her breath and levitated some rocks off her. Her mental powers were completely useless against a fighter emanating such power, and her magic seemed to only be able to slow him down.
She levitated off the ground and saw Ryoga on the receiving end of a barrage of attacks. To her dismay Ryoga's aura was decreasing in size, the fight having taken everything out of him. It was now a matter of time before even he, with his regenerative powers, died.
Out of the corner of her eye Hinako caught sight of some movement. She turned to see Setsuna, Haruka and Kasumi staring at the fight. *What are they WAIT A MINUTE!!!* She thought in alarm and elation. The power coming from Kasumi, a power she didn't feel before because of the closeness of Ranma's overwhelming aura, was easily recognizable. "Beryl?!" She cried out.
As it turned out it wasn't the wisest of things to do. She got Ranma's attention.
Ranma punched Ryoga away and lowered his right hand to his side. A green glow extended from his body, only to decrease in size and concentrate in the palm of his hand. He threw the small sphere of energy at Hinako, who didn't see it until it was too late. The resulting explosion was the last thing she saw before darkness claimed her.
-----
Ryoga growled when he felt the power in that chi blast. *He's just too strong.* The man resigned himself to his fate and charged once again, hoping he could last long enough for the others to escape. While it was true that both he and Hinako had attacks that could destroy entire Galaxies neither was going to throw one. They couldn't kill the others like that, and it was likely that the Saiyajin would survive them anyway.
Ranma seemingly got tired of playing around, because when he started beating on Ryoga again his punches did some serious damage to the man.
-----
Setsuna narrowed her eyes and started running towards Ranma, who was now stomping Ryoga to death. "Setsuna wait!" The green-haired woman ignored her friend's cry and continued running, uncaring of the way Ranma had quite possibly killed Hinako. Or of how he was within an inch of killing Ryoga.
Haruka cursed under her breath, but didn't dare move a muscle to get any closer to the Saiyajin.
Beryl, who was frozen in shock at the sheer power Ranma displayed in that chi blast, was shaken out of her stupor by Haruka's cry. When she saw Setsuna running towards Ranma she knew this was their only chance of stopping him. She started running behind the green-haired woman, hoping Ranma was still somewhere inside that turmoil of negative emotions.
Hinako's older sister raised an eyebrow in surprise when she caught sight of a blonde woman running towards Ranma from the opposite side of the field. *Who is that?*
-----
Ryoga was knocked out, completely defenseless. Ranma stood over him, about to stomp his head and crush it for good, when he was shoved to the side by a blur. The Saiyajin reacted instantly and turned, with a fist cocked back and ready to strike, only to stop his punch less than an inch from his attacker's face.
Setsuna resisted the urge to flinch when the air propelled forward by the punch threatened to throw her back. Even with her magically-enhanced strength it was a great effort to remain standing where she was. *Such power.* She thought in amazement and no small amount of relief. Her love had stopped his attack. *He recognized me!*
Ranma took an uncertain step back, staring at the green-haired woman, only to have his way blocked from behind as well. He turned to attack the person and stopped yet again. He knew the blonde.
Even with his mind in such turmoil the positive emotions he felt when staring at these women overrode his anger.
The memories...
*****
The little girl turned to him with a big smile on her face, a tree toppled over a few feet away. "I did it, Ranma-sensei!"
The feeling of pride he felt in his chest made him smile in happiness for the first time in thousands of years.
*****
Ranma turned back to Setsuna...
*****
"I love you." The green-haired Senshi admitted and kissed him fully in the lips, not minding of the fact that they weren't alone.
His knees nearly gave out under him when his mind worked over what was happening. His heart cheered with joy as he returned the kiss.
*****
When he regained his bearings he saw a third woman was walking towards him, a serene smile on her face.
A smile he knew...
*****
"My little Ranma." The sweaty woman clad in only a nightgown smiled down at him. She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead tenderly, gently...
*****
He was taken back to the real world when Setsuna and Soap each took a hold of one of his arms. With his power he could easily break free, disintegrate them with a blaze of his battle aura. Yet he didn't. The Saiyajin didn't move as Beryl slowly approached him, her features that very same serene smile that was forever a part of his memory. With a touch of her hand everything turned to darkness.
-----
Usagi frowned when she felt her power start to falter. As much potential as she had in using the Silver Crystal her present life had weakened her link somewhat, while her mother's remained as strong as ever. Her frown deepened when the stalemate was broken and her mother's beam of energy started to push her own back.
Serenity laughed when this happened. "Where's this gift you speak of? Where's the gift you so desire to give MY subjects?"
Unknown to Serenity her words gave Usagi the edge she needed to end the battle. The younger woman's eyes widened in realization of what needed to be done and how to do it. Such a simple solution and yet she hadn't thought of it. "The gift is right here." She said plainly and focused her energy into the Silver Crystal instead of the beam of energy. As a result Serenity's attack gained ground at a tremendous rate.
"What are you doing?!" Serenity asked with a quiver in her voice when she felt the power of the Crystal shift. Then, to her horror, a crack appeared on the crystal's surface. "NO! STOP IT!!!" The woman screamed in desperation as more and more cracks started to appear on the crystal.
Usagi looked at her mother sadly. "The crystal is powered by negative emotions. Hate, greed, envy, fear. The stronger the emotions the easier it is to control the crystal and use it as a focus." Serenity's beam was now almost upon her, yet she didn't show any signs of worry. "I'm feeding it the one thing it can't take." A faint smile appeared on her features. "I'm sharing with the Silver Crystal the love I have for the people." The crystal started to shake violently, cracks all over it and light seeping out of it.
"But we will lose our power!" Serenity protested, deadly afraid and pleading with her daughter to stop.
"You will lose your power. I'll get what I want." And with that Usagi sent one last burst of love at the crystal, which shattered.
"NO!!!" Serenity cried in both anguish and pain. The Queen of the Silver Millennium was linked to the material world through the Silver Crystal, her life long ago having expired. Just like the crystal her body broke down to pieces and disintegrated into dust.
Now in the darkness of the room Usagi sighed and looked down at her hands. She could still feel some power flowing through her, but nothing compared to her power when the crystal existed. "I want freedom for the people. True freedom, not the false one your government imposed to your subjects and other kingdoms. If your way of living is true then you have no need to impose it, people will adopt it of their own free will, and if they don't you will respect that choice."
With that said Usagi shook her head and walked out of the room. The battle was over.
-----
When the group of warriors returned Saffron, Herb and Katsuhito were waiting by Nodoka's side. They left the battlefield to know how the most important battle ended.
Upon their arrival Saffron instantly went over to Kiima, who was being helped to walk by Tofu. The others laughed when they saw Kiima blush as Saffron fussed over her wounds.
Ryoga was carrying Saturn in his arms. The latter had taken severe blows from Ranma and had it not been for Beryl's healing magic she would've died before returning.
Mousse was helping Hinako to walk. Both did a remarkable job at ignoring the many jabs the others were throwing their way about them being a couple.
Soap and Setsuna were holding onto Ranma's arms, seemingly afraid to let go. The black-haired man seemed to enjoy the attention enormously.
Kasumi, for she told the others to call her by that name, was greeted by her mother with a big hug. She returned it with a happy smile.
Ami, Haruka, Michiru and Mamoru were all with Usagi, who had already told them of the result of the battle against her mother. Ami, Haruka and Michiru were disappointed but understood Usagi's reasoning.
Rei, Makoto and Minako were all sent to their respective homes, stripped of their links with their planets by Usagi, Beryl and Hinako. They would never again be able to transform into the Sailor Senshi.
Cologne and Taro were supporting each other and arguing over who fought better against Kuno.
As for the corrupted martial artists...
-----
Ukyo smiled at being back in her restaurant. Granted, she had a lot of work to do, but it was good to be home.
-----
Nabiki opened her eyes slowly. "Where am I?" She asked herself as she brought a hand to her midsection, finding her wound was completely gone. "What the...?" She sat up, feeling physically fine but lacking something.
"Greetings, Nabiki."
Nabiki jumped to her feet and turned in a ready stance, startled as hell by the female voice. She reached into herself and discovered what was lacking. *My magic.* She thought in alarm. Her distress only increased when she recognized the woman standing three feet away from her.
Nodoka smiled without warmth at the middle Tendo sister. "I see your injuries are gone completely. A testament to my daughter's healing abilities."
Nabiki was confused at the comment and finally looked around, inspecting her surroundings. What she saw was not to her liking.
Beryl's mother nodded when she saw Nabiki's facial expression. "I did warn you what would happen should you ever come after my family again, did I not? You shall spend a long time here once the evidence against you is processed. Maybe this way you will learn to control your lust for power."
After saying that Nodoka vanished, leaving Nabiki alone in the cell.
-----
Akane woke up having the feeling of being suffocated. She struggled for breath and only then did she notice the reason for her state was that Soun was clinging to her as a lifesaver. "Daddy!" She protested, for some odd reason unable to feel annoyed, much less angry. "What happened?"
-----
The atmosphere was tenebrous at best, dark and filled with burned incense. The effect was only increased by the chanting coming from the young man and woman kneeling in front of the altar. Chants begging for the power to get their loves.
Sasuke shook his head and closed the door leading to the newly made chapel.
This time around no deity would answer their calls.
-----
Ranma was sitting on the floor of the backyard, his back to one of the stones surrounding the pond. He felt pretty good with himself right now. Beryl was back. They all survived the battle. Sailor Uranus, the one that had tortured him for so long, was dead. And to top it all off Setsuna was sitting on his lap and holding onto him tightly, her head resting on his shoulder.
Life was good.
The others were all inside the house celebrating the victory, yet Ranma and Setsuna felt the need to be alone and simply enjoy each other's presence. A silent moment together.
They both looked up when the sound of approaching steps could be heard. Ranma didn't know the guy, yet Setsuna did. "Yosho." She greeted from her place on Ranma's lap.
"Setsuna." Yosho greeted back and turned to assess Ranma with a critical eye. "So this is the man you turned me down for." He said calmly, his voice not accusing in the slightest. When Ranma was about to comment about that the seemingly old man continued with a smile. "Just make her happy. This is the first time I see her smile for real." Upon saying those words to Ranma he turned on his heels and walked back into the house.
Ranma turned to stare at Setsuna strangely. "Later." She said and snuggled closer to him. She could always explain her life to him later. They had a long time to live together, after all.
-----
Two months passed since the battle in the Negaverse. The warriors all had time to heal their wounds and return to their lives. In some cases they even started down new paths.
Today was a special day for two particular people, two warriors that fought one of the most important battles.
Ranma was adjusting his bowtie in front of a mirror. He was in his room with Ryoga, Hinako and Kasumi. "Only took you over twenty-four thousand years to ask her to marry you." Ryoga commented with a smirk. "I'm impressed."
"Like you're one to talk." Hinako said with an annoying smirk. "When are 'you' asking Hotaru-chan to marry you?" Seeing Ryoga blush was very satisfying.
Kasumi just sighed and smiled at her younger siblings' antics. "Ryoga, Hinako. Could you two please make sure Setsuna is ready?"
"She's with Soap and mother. Why do we need to make sure?" Ryoga asked with his brows furrowed in confusion.
Ranma chuckled, attracting his brother's attention. "It's a polite way to ask you to get out of here. You're just too much of an idiot to realize it."
Ryoga growled and clenched his fists at the insults, but relaxed when Hinako placed her hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Ryoga. You can ask him for another rematch after he's back from the honeymoon." After it was revealed Ranma had been hiding his true origins both Ryoga and Hinako kept on challenging Ranma to get back at him. They still didn't win a single match.
Brother and sister left the room, leaving Ranma alone with a smiling Kasumi. "You like teasing them."
Ranma shrugged. "They've been beating me up for millennia. It's only right that I get back at them."
Kasumi giggled and pressed and accusing finger in the middle of his chest. "That may be so, and you did have to hide your true power. But you also know you became more powerful because of it."
Ranma smiled softly and turned to the full body mirror to examine his reflection. He wanted this wedding to be perfect for Setsuna.
Kasumi walked behind Ranma and smoothed his tuxedo. She smiled softly at the reflection. "Your father would've been proud."
"You really think so?"
Kasumi nodded. "I do."
Ranma shook his head and turned to regard Kasumi. "You think anyone even has the slightest idea of what really happened? They think it was all a plan to bring you back to life and get rid of the Silver Crystal."
Kasumi tilted her head to the side in thought. "Perhaps mother suspects something, but if does and hasn't said anything she won't interfere." She beamed up at him and took his arm to guide him out of the room. "Now I believe we should be getting you to the temple."
"You seem happy." Ranma commented with a smile as he opened the door for her to walk out.
Kasumi smiled at him as she walked out of the room. "It's not everyday my only son gets married."
Ranma smiled and followed, closing the door behind him.
THE END
Author's notes: Yes, this is the end of The New Order. An ending I already had planned since even before posting the first chapter of the fic. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thanks to you all for your time.
*Drakuzz bows to the readers, then turns around and walks away to vanish into the darkness.*
Down on the field Herb danced around attacks, mostly fireballs cast by those cursed swords, and delivered death with the same efficiency the Phoenix King did. Chi blasts that melted the armors and, obviously, the flesh under them were the most effective. Physical attacks were limited since the armors could take a lot of punishment. The battle so far was still in their favor, but the Musk Prince could see as much as his people fought bravely there were too many enemies. The Musk wouldn't retreat from this battle, it was out of the question, but he did have to wonder if they would survive at all.
Both Saffron and Herb were contemplating how to counter the sheer numbers of Silver Millennium soldiers when the circle of defenders broke on one end. *DAMN!* Both thought at the same time. With their enemies no longer under siege it was only a matter of time before their flanks became vulnerable.
Saffron flew as fast as he could to cover the hole left in the circle, but knew he wouldn't be enough. Just as he was about to reach the place he caught sight of a floating woman approaching from the east.
His eyes widened when the woman extended a hand forward and a huge energy blast was shot towards the soldiers. It incinerated them on impact, as effective as one of his own fireballs. *Who is she?* Was his only thought as he caught sight of a small group of people running towards the battle.
-----
Setsuna had to do her best to remain focused on finishing the spell. As fast as the images flew in front of her eyes she could make them out, mostly due to her vast experience in time magic. Seeing hours of Ranma being tortured by Sailor Uranus in less than a second proved to be almost too much. The only reason why she was desperately trying to finish the spell instead of crying in anguish was the small ray of hope that she might be able to save him.
Outside the time spell Pluto had a smirk on her face. Uranus' ability to inflict pain always amazed her.
The soft cries coming from Kasumi for Uranus to stop were, of course, ignored. The girl had witnessed every single second of Ranma's torture. She begged to Pluto for it to stop, that Ranma didn't deserve what was happening to him. The only answer she got was Pluto's amazed look. The girl still couldn't bring herself to feel angry at them.
Uranus stopped to study her handiwork and laughed. She was holding Ranma's body by the back of the neck with her left hand, his weakly-convulsing form facing away from her. There was a pool of blood on the floor, courtesy of the many cuts and lacerations covering most of the pigtailed man's skin. Both his arms and legs were hanging uselessly, the muscles torn apart to prevent any kind of surprise. His black hair was undone and caked with blood, some of his unruly hair standing up on end. His face was a mask of complete pain, with tears mixed with blood on his cheeks. The eyes, once sharp and beautiful, were glazed over and unseeing. Pluto could see Ranma was still alive, but that was only due to his soft and uneven breathing. Otherwise the pigtailed martial artist was nothing but a corpse.
Sailor Uranus licked Ranma's cheek in an almost affectionate way, savoring the blood and tears as a fine wine. "It doesn't matter how many times I do it. I love torturing this guy." She said with a genuine smile of satisfaction, granted it was a sadistic smile, but a smile nonetheless. Ranma wasn't in any position to protest the treatment.
Pluto laughed in amusement at her companion's antics.
Haruka glared hatefully at Sailor Uranus. It was no wonder Ranma hated the bitch so much. Now that she witnessed the level of cruelty the woman was capable of she couldn't fault Ranma for being so angry with her. *Hell! I couldn't blame him if he killed me on sight.* She was indeed impressed with Ranma's restraint. It was obvious to her that she wouldn't be that disciplined if given the chance to kill the bitch.
Kasumi closed her eyes and wept softly. She couldn't bear to look at Ranma anymore. Not like this.
"Finish him off, Uranus." Pluto said suddenly. "As fun as this is..." She turned to the sand clock, which was almost empty. "It's time."
Uranus frowned at the idea of losing her favorite toy. She was sure that Ranma, if healed and tortured again, would still resist with all his might and deny her the pleasure of being broken. This time she could feel his mind slip into madness, yet his spirit still remained combative.
Pluto turned to regard Setsuna's seemingly unmoving form and smirked. "Uranus, do it slowly so our witness can savor her lover's last breath."
Setsuna, who was about to finish her spell, lost her concentration and started to cry in agony as she saw Uranus lift her sword meaningfully and point it at Ranma's back. Unlike the other times she recognized the intent to kill and knew all was lost. The strength left her body and she felt herself start to fall as the blade pierced her only love's skin. Her heart might as well be pierced by the blade as well.
Uranus decided it would be best to finish Ranma off. This last time he almost killed her, incredible as it was, and she couldn't run the risk of it happening again. She thrust the blade forward, stabbing Ranma in the back and piercing his body from side to side where his heart was. A killing strike that showed mercy after the long and agonizing torture she put him through.
"YOU BITCH!!!" Haruka bellowed and struggled to free herself from her bonds. She decided then and there that she'd kill Uranus if it was the last thing she did. Even if Ranma was always cold towards her she could see how he made Hotaru and Setsuna happy. She would make Sailor Uranus pay!
Kasumi, who was already being dragged by Pluto towards the altar, stopped crying and opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the sword leaving Ranma's body. She saw Ranma's head drop lifelessly and heard his last breath. Kasumi 'felt' the life leaving his body. In that instant Tendo Kasumi felt, for the first time in her life, anger well up inside her. How dare they do this to Ranma? *To MY Ranma?!*
Uranus stared at her sword, at the blood dripping from it, and smiled. She couldn't help but respect the pigtailed martial artist. He fought to the end and refused to be broken. *I'll have to look hard to find another one like him.*
Pluto was shocked when she felt, for the first time, anger coming from Kasumi. Her shock was interrupted as an explosion of energy threw her off and she crashed against a wall. She turned with incredulous eyes towards the source.
Uranus turned wide-eyed to see Kasumi's bonds disintegrate. The girl floated to her feet, a black aura of power surrounding her body as her wounds all healed instantly. The power emanated was unmistakable, and for that all the more shocking to all present.
"BERYL!!!" Came the cry from everyone.
The young woman now dressed in a black housedress raised one hand and pointed it at Uranus, who shivered at the sheer power coming from the sphere of energy that formed there. Without so much as a word said sphere of energy was launched at her.
Sailor Uranus reacted in the nick of time and shielded herself with Ranma's body, which she still held aloft, and even then she was almost thrown off her feet. When it was over the man's body was left smoking and Uranus was breathing heavily with fear-filled eyes. Beryl was the most powerful of Nova's children. Powerful enough to kill the last of the Saiyajins, the insane Brolly.
The glowing woman started to form another blast, this one feeling even stronger than the last. Uranus frantically tried to think how the hell to get out of here. There was no way Ranma's body could shield her from something that powerful again.
As it turned out Uranus didn't have to worry about a second blast. The sound of metal against flesh was heard and Kasumi fell to the ground limply, Sailor Pluto standing behind her with her staff at the ready. "You should've tried to escape." Pluto said triumphantly. At first she was scared beyond herself, yet upon feeling the power emanated she felt hope returning. "Even if you're powerful you've just woken up. You're so weak even we can take you down."
Upon understanding what was being said Uranus shared Pluto's smirk. Beryl was indeed back, yet she was weak and defenseless right now.
Haruka stared in shock at the events taking place. *Beryl is alive?!*
Setsuna was too far off into her own grief to care what happened. She just wanted the spell cast upon her to end so she could curl into a ball and weep for her lost heart.
Everyone was startled when a chuckle was heard. A male chuckle.
Haruka and Pluto started looking everywhere, one for a possible enemy and the other for a possible ally.
It was Uranus that froze in place. She felt the shaking coming from the corpse in her hand.
When Ranma started laughing harder Pluto's eyes widened in realization of what happened. *That bastard! It was indeed a plan to resurrect Beryl!* She thought in alarm remembering just how dangerous the martial artist really was. The former Senshi of Time turned to Uranus with a look of urgency in her eyes. "Uranus! That was a restoration blast! KILL HIM!!!" She ordered, hoping Ranma wasn't back to full health yet.
Ranma threw his head back and laughed his heart out. Uranus didn't hesitate and prepared her sword to pierce him from side to side again, all thoughts of torture gone and replaced by thoughts of survival. They were outnumbered now, even if Beryl and Setsuna were still out of the action.
Setsuna's eyes widened as she felt her heart beat once again. Seeing Ranma still alive brought hope into her heart.
Uranus started her thrust, only to interrupt it and scream in utter agony when Ranma's battle aura exploded from his body. Said battle aura vaporized her left hand and forearm with its intensity. The sword fell to the ground as Uranus clutched at her lost appendage.
Ranma continued to laugh like a maniac as his aura kept on growing, it rippled so violently that the blood covering his body was vaporized and his hair fluttered up to an invisible wind.
"DEAD SCREAM!" Pluto cried out and fired a magical blast at Ranma. To her shock and growing fear the blast disintegrated upon contact with the battle aura, which was turning from a bright blue to an ominous black. Ranma's blue-gray eyes turned black slowly, and then started to lighten in shade. After a full minute they were a milky white, having passed through green.
The battle aura increased in size even more and crackled with power, a blazing golden color. The unruly black hair stood on end and turned gold as well, then got a shade of gold-green. What was left of Ranma's shirt was ripped apart by the sudden growth of his muscles, which were now of grotesque proportions. For someone that didn't see the change happen it was a different person entirely.
Ranma cried out and Uranus' screams of pain were silenced forever, her entire body consumed by the battle aura. In a matter of seconds nothing was left of the once powerful and cruel Senshi.
Pluto could do nothing but stare in shock at the impossible. A Saiyajin. *And not just any Saiyajin. A Super Saiyajin!* It now made perfect sense to her. Why would Nova adopt into her family a simple human? *Simple, she didn't.* The crafty Queen had taken into her family the last member of the warrior race with the most power potential in the entire universe. To make matters worse it seemed like it was Brolly himself, the man Beryl supposedly killed during the Silver Millennium. *And we, as the idiots we are, helped her.* It was no secret that Saiyajins got stronger after being beaten to near-death. And Sailor Uranus, with her constant torture, had almost killed Ranma hundreds of times. All those times making him stronger.
The Senshi of Time knew the battle was lost, quite possibly even before it started, and did the best thing her scared mind could think of. Especially when those pupil-less eyes focused on her. She escaped.
Opening a portal to another dimension she rushed through it, in her haste not caring where she was going. Since the last vestiges of magical travel came from the Negaverse said gate was directed that way. What Pluto didn't expect was that Ranma would be fast enough to follow her through the portal.
Left behind the spell of time was broken, since the source of energy feeding it was gone. Setsuna dropped to her hands and knees as the entirety of what happened hit her. All the events she saw in the space of two seconds assaulting her mind at the same time. The present Senshi of Time curled into a tight ball and sobbed uncontrollably because of the emotional shock.
Haruka gave out a cry of frustration once she got over her shock. She was tied up with an unconscious Beryl not five steps away and a weeping Setsuna in the opposite direction. One of their captors was dead and the other would most likely follow her, if she wasn't dead already. *And here I am incapable of doing a single thing.* "Damn it, Setsuna! Pull yourself together!" She cried in exasperation as she struggled to free herself from her bonds.
-----
Herb stared at the battlefield and sighed in relief. As bad as things seemed for his troops during the fight, the reinforcements were enough to contain the Silver Millennium soldiers. Said reinforcements were no more than a few people, but from what the Musk prince could see of them they made up for it in firepower. Particularly the one with the spiky hair.
Saffron flew towards the group of helpers now that the fight was mostly over and his troops could easily take care of the remaining enemies on their own. He was curious to find out just who had come to their aid.
He landed next to the man that seemed to be in charge of the newcomers, who was also the older one. "I am Saffron, King of Mount Phoenix." He greeted royally.
The man didn't seem to find Saffron's appearance odd in the slightest. He simply smiled and bowed politely. "I've heard of you, King Saffron."
"Then you have me at a disadvantage, for I know not your name." Saffron said, eyeing the other warriors with an appraising eye. They were mostly young, yet from what he could see they could each hold their own.
"Masaki Katsuhito. You could say I'm an old friend of Setsuna's."
Saffron raised an eyebrow.
-----
Pluto took all of two steps before her world exploded and turned black. She didn't even know what hit her, didn't even realize it was her end.
Ranma, after blowing the woman up for endangering two of his three loved ones, laughed and started throwing chi blasts at random directions. His mind was a confused mass of painful and destructive thoughts.
As he flew around chucking destruction to anything he could see he felt two very powerful auras. He laughed even more and flew towards them, his only thoughts of destruction to alleviate the pain.
-----
Akane fell to her knees, the flames dying out, and stared at Soap with respect in her eyes. "You're skilled and strong." She said weakly.
Soap, who was badly hurt after the long fight, stared at Akane seriously. "I was trained by the best."
The youngest Tendo sister seemed to struggle for a moment with herself before speaking again. "I will train with you."
Soap blinked her good eye in confusion. "Excuse me?"
Akane nodded with a small smile on her face. "You're good enough to train me. You'll become my sensei."
Soap was at a loss of words for a moment as the message processed in her brain. When it did she narrowed her eyes in anger. *Arrogant little girl! She says it as if it was an honor to train a spoiled brat like her.* With that thought Soap ran towards and past Akane, completely ignoring the girl's angry yells for the unspoken refusal. She had more important things to worry about than convincing a beginner martial artist about not being ready.
-----
"It's... over." Mousse muttered while holding the wound on his midsection with both his hands in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The fight took everything out of him, and he stared in muted shock at the fallen form of Kuno Kodachi. *That last blow should've made her head to explode, yet it was barely enough to knock her out.*
Ranma's first student could only wonder just how deeply ingrained were Kodachi's negative feelings. To be strong enough to put up such a fight against him...
Mousse turned in the direction where the explosions could be heard, even from this great a distance, and hoped the others could take care of whatever it was. He was too weak to move, much less fight, right now.
With that Mousse dropped to a sitting position and started a healing trance.
-----
"DIE! DAMN YOU!" Ukyo bellowed as she continued to attack the elusive doctor, who continued to press shiatsu all over her body and taking rest in those short breaks. The way the fight was going Tofu could last for another couple of days before the okonomiyaki chef could even lay a hand on him.
-----
"Have at thee!" Kuno yelled and charged with his katana at Cologne, who was in no position to defend herself after receiving that last attack. She was too busy trying to stay awake over the pain of losing her left arm.
Taro rushed as fast as he could, yet he knew he would be too late. *And if Cologne is out we're done for.* He knew that even in his cursed form he wasn't a challenge for Kuno's power unless he got a free shot to make use of his huge strength. So far such an opportunity had not presented itself.
Cologne's eyes focused just in time to see the katana come in a forward thrust towards her head.
The sound of metal cutting flesh was heard, followed by a female scream.
Taro's eyes gleamed and he moved faster than in the entire fight. He had his chance.
Cologne stared stupidly at the sight before her eyes. Kuno's katana was imbedded to the hilt in Kiima's body. The tip of the katana was dripping blood just an inch from Cologne's nose. The winged woman gave out an inarticulate scream of fury and kicked the kendoist in the groin. The blow was so strong that Kuno lost his grip on the weapon to clutch at his abused privates.
Taro was upon him in an instant, and without his sword Tatewaki was no challenge against the cursed man's prowess.
Cologne watched wide-eyed as Kiima turned to regard her coolly, the sword still piercing her from side to side, before falling limply to the ground.
-----
"We're here." Usagi said as the trio reached the gates of the castle. The explosions coming from the fighting between the Saiyajin and their three friends filled the background, yet they did their best to ignore them as they still had a mission to fulfill.
Mamoru reached for his sword and kicked the gates open. *The faster we deal with this the better.*
"Neptune." Usagi said seriously. "I want you to go to the dungeon and rescue our friends."
"Princess?" Sailor Neptune questioned. "Ryoga said..."
"I don't care what he said." Usagi said firmly. "You will do as I say and rescue the prisoners."
Neptune would've objected had it not been for the commanding tone in her princess' voice and the fact that one of the prisoners was Haruka, which overrode any protest she might've had. "Yes, princess." She answered quickly and rushed into the castle next to Mamoru. While she didn't know the castle's layout it was a simple matter of looking for stairs going down instead of up.
A minute later they reached a room with said stairs. After the Senshi of Neptune was out of the room Mamoru turned to the blonde. "Are you sure that was wise?"
Usagi kept walking resolutely forward as she answered the question. "No. But regardless of wisdom we are fighting to save people. I won't let our friends suffer a single moment more than necessary."
Mamoru was still dubious of his lover's decision, but nodded in understanding.
The couple continued on through the castle until the reached an occupied room. The occupants were, regrettably, hardly a surprise. *The Inner Senshi.* Mamoru thought and readied his sword, only to have Usagi shake her head and stop him.
"Princess." Sailor Mars said before taking a step forward, closing the distance between them to barely ten feet. "Your mother requests that you are confined to your quarters."
Sailor Jupiter approached as well. "We are to escort you to your room."
There was something in their voice that made both Usagi and Mamoru look at each other uncertainly. These girls weren't corrupted like Ranma's acquaintances were. "I can't go with you. I have to speak to my mother." The blonde said firmly.
"That's not an option, Princess." Sailor Venus said as firmly as Usagi did. "The Queen is about to execute the cleansing and you must obey her commands."
At the mention of the cleansing both Mamoru and Usagi tensed and looked even more determined to have a word with Serenity. The Inner Senshi recognized this and they prepared themselves to submit the couple.
"Rei, Makoto, Minako, Ami. We don't have to do this." Usagi said softly. "We're all friends. We've all been through a lot together."
"It is because you're our friend that we're being reasonable, Usagi-chan." Sailor Venus said. "The Queen wanted you submitted at all costs. We're asking you to come with us peacefully."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because the Queen has promised us to revive the Silver Millennium." Mars said instantly. "There will be no more wars once that's done."
Usagi shook her head. "You don't understand... None of you. Or perhaps..." Usagi trailed off when she caught sight of Sailor Mercury's face. "Ami- chan... You know what my mother is planning."
They all turned to see Mercury had a hesitant expression on her face. "Usagi-chan..." The blue-haired girl said hesitantly, as if she was debating with herself about the current situation.
"Enough!" Mars thundered, not giving Ami a chance to think further about the princess' words. "You're coming with us."
Usagi shook her head firmly.
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Sailor Venus called out and thrust her attack at Usagi, encircling the other's body with a chain made out of golden hearts.
Usagi could feel her strength failing her and realized Serenity removed the blocks on the Senshis' magical powers. Venus' attack had the particularity of draining the life force from its victims to submit them without the need of physical harm. "Is there no other way?" Usagi asked sadly.
Sailors Jupiter and Venus seemed hesitant for a moment, yet it was once again Mars that voiced their opinion. "Maybe it is, Usagi. Your mother has promised us peace, something you're not mature enough to get yet."
Usagi studied her friends' faces and noticed only Mercury was still hesitant. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I see." She whispered.
"Come with us." Mars ordered.
The chain was broken and fell to the ground, clattering loudly in the silence that permeated the room. They all turned to see Mamoru recovering from a downward slash with his sword in front of Usagi. "Go ahead to face your mother. I'll take care of them." The man said seriously, eyeing the Senshi hard.
Usagi nodded seriously, not trusting her voice to speak just about now. While she knew this could possibly happen, having to face her friends in battle, it still hurt to be abandoned by them. Without further hesitation Usagi rushed towards the next room. Out of the Inner Senshi only Mercury was in a position to stop the princess. She didn't move.
"What are you doing, Mercury?!" Mars demanded with her face livid.
Sailor Mercury sighed and turned to the red-skirted Sailor. "She's our friend, Rei. We can't fight her."
Mars' eyes narrow dangerously. "My name is Aryann."
Mamoru's eyes widen slightly in comprehension. *No wonder they're siding with the Queen. She awoke their memories.* Out of all the Inner Senshi only Mercury had any real contact with Usagi outside of duty. The others were usually never on the Moon, and therefore their loyalty was entirely on Serenity.
It didn't really matter now, however. Mamoru had to raise his sword in defense when three out of four Senshi turned towards him.
-----
"Daughter, this is treason!" Serenity snaps angrily at Usagi as soon as she catches sight of her.
Usagi stared at her mother, sitting on a throne, and shook her head. "You're the one that's betraying me, mother. It is my turn to rule as I see fit."
Serenity stands up and looks at her daughter gravely. "Your turn, you say? If you remember correctly you are the princess till the day I die." She extends her hand forward and smiles when out of Usagi's pocket comes a shining object. It floats in the space between them. "You see? Regardless of your feelings the crystal still recognizes me as its rightful owner." And in so saying she extends her other hand, throwing another shining object to join with the other.
Two halves make a whole, and as such the Silver Crystal is one again. Both parts join to form one.
"That crystal represents all the evil it uses as a power source." Usagi says accusingly. "Building an Utopia with it is as big a lie as the one about your so called 'cleansing.'"
Serenity snorted. "Strong words coming from one that benefits of its power. Or course the Silver Crystal feeds from the evil in the heart of man. The first Serenity, our antecessor, intended it that way. It's the perfect way to maintain power. Take the very power from a limitless supply and at the same time keep your subjects happy and incapable of realizing the truth."
"I have benefited from its power." Usagi admitted regretfully. "But unlike you I've come to realize the folly of it! In my second life, away from your influence, I could see the beauty of the human heart as it is. Aunty Nodoka, even as powerful as she is, doesn't oppress the people like we do."
"Would you dare oppose your own mother for that woman?" Serenity asked incredulously, and with no small amount of anger in her voice.
"No." Usagi said and shook her head. "Not for aunty Nodoka. For the people I love so much." She closed her eyes and started to glow silver, and her mother could feel the power in the Silver Crystal shift.
*She can still use the Silver Crystal, even if she's opposing me?* Serenity thought in shock, wondering why the crystal would allow for her owner to be challenged through it. "I see you oppose me even now. So be it." The older woman said seriously and started to concentrate herself.
Usagi's eyes snap open, a silver glow emanating from them. "I'm going to give the people a gift so wonderful you never even thought about. The new order starts today."
Mother and daughter extended their hands towards each other, and at nearly the same time beams of energy were let loose.
-----
Ryoga groaned and cracked his neck back into place. That blow nearly ripped his head off. *Serves me right for getting overconfident.* He thought and opened his eyes. "Hotaru?"
"Ryoga!" Hotaru cried out in relief.
"Where is...?" Ryoga's question was interrupted by a female scream of pain. He shot to his feet and saw his sister was being pummeled mercilessly against a boulder, which was cracking under the pressure of the many blows landed on the woman's body. The Saiyajin, who in truth was Ranma but none of them knew that, was punching Hinako repeatedly all over her body, eliciting sickening sounds and cries of pain from her. "I have to help her." Ryoga said and took two steps before collapsing to his knees, still disoriented.
"Ryoga!" Hotaru cried out again and supported his body as best she could. She watched worriedly as he struggled to stand.
"Hinako doesn't regenerate as fast as I do, Hotaru! At this rate that bastard will kill her within the minute." As if to emphasize his point Ranma punched Hinako through the boulder, which couldn't withstand the pressure, and sent her flying away. She landed in a broken heap and coughed out blood, unaware that Ranma was floating towards her to finish her off. Usually she'd put out a better fight, but the Saiyajin caught her off guard with his overpowering attacks. When she thought of powering up her own body it was already too late.
Ranma stopped over Hinako and sneered down at the woman. He raised one foot and...
"SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!!!"
The attack was unexpected, and so it threw him into a mountain a mile away. The beam of killing energy smashed him against its side and exploded upon impact.
"Hinako!" Hotaru knelt next to the woman and started focusing her healing magic into the broken Nova sibling. She sighed in relief when Hinako's breathing became easier and her wounds visibly vanished.
The older woman sat up and smiled weakly at the girl, thankful for the save. *I can't believe we're being beaten by a Saiyajin. The only one that could ever reach this power level was Brolly, and Beryl killed him.* Though she had to admit that it being Brolly didn't sound too farfetched. It would explain the thrashing he was giving them, at least. She turned to the sound of an explosion and her eyes widened. "WATCH OUT!!!" She cried.
Hotaru turned as fast as she could, but even then she wasn't fast enough. She caught sight of Ranma flying towards her with a fist cocked back and, before she could do anything, punched her in the gut. The breath exploded out of her lungs, together with breakfast and a mouthful of blood. She doubled over and the Silence Glaive fell to the ground from nerveless fingers. Ranma then kneed the girl in the face, and finished the attack with a head-butt that sent Sailor Saturn crashing into the floor and creating a crater under her.
"HOTARU!!!" Hinako cried and cast a pure energy blast into Ranma's gut, sending him flying away to crash against the same mountain as before, which collapsed over him. The woman then rushed to Hotaru's side, expecting the worse, and examined the girl. She sighed in relief when she saw the steady raise and fall of her chest. *Though she won't be participating further in this fight.* The Senshi of Silence was lucky to be alive, and even now she seemed to have some serious life-threatening injuries.
Ranma raised the power of his battle aura and melted the rocks covering him. He then flew out of the debris and towards Hinako, who was distracted checking Hotaru for injuries. He was intercepted, though, but a black- glowing Ryoga. Ranma took two quick punches that would've destroyed a small moon before reacting and starting an exchange of blows with the son of Nodoka.
Hinako could see Ryoga had powered up to the limit and, as the exchange of blows continued, realized with a sense of dread that even that didn't seem to be enough. She gave Hotaru's unconscious body one last concerned look before powering up herself and joining Ryoga in the fight. Maybe between the two of them they could take that monster down. And if even that failed she hoped they could keep him busy long enough for Usagi to get done with it so they could all escape.
-----
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!!"
"JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!!!"
Mamoru nimbly dodged the attacks by jumping over them and reached under his cape to produce a rose. He threw it at Mars as he landed and fended off Venus' attacks with his sword.
Mars snorted and caught the rose in mid-flight. "And what is this supposed to accomplish?" She asked derisively, wondering why Mamoru was still throwing around roses if he recovered his memories from the past.
The man smirked and back flipped away from Venus' kick. "Just a distraction." He said and landed, punching the ground under him.
Mars' smirk vanished to be replaced by a grimace of pain upon feeling her entire body scream out in pain as vines emerge from the floor and tie her body down, the thorns digging into her skin and drawing blood.
"Mars!" Jupiter cried and jumped Mamoru, expecting to get him in close quarters.
Venus jumped back and went over to free Sailor Mars.
Mamoru easily defended himself from Jupiter's skillful attack and reached under his cape again, only this time he retrieved several roses. Ducking under a right hook the man shoulder-rammed Jupiter away and threw the roses at Mars.
Venus felt the danger coming from behind and barely managed to dodge out of the way, in the process allowing the projectiles to hit their intended target. "You idiot!" Mars bellowed before she was hit.
Each and every one of the roses exploded on impact. Two things happened because of the explosion. First Mars was released from her bonds. Second she was sent flying away to crash into and through a wall.
Off to the side Mercury could do nothing but gape at the ease with which Mamoru was dealing with three of the Sailor Senshi. Granted, he was the prince of Earth and reputedly a very strong fighter, but to fight three of Serenity's Senshi and have the upper hand...
-----
"Have to go faster!" Soap cried out to herself, willing her legs to move faster than they could. She could feel the fight taking place and needed to get there before it was too late. Already she could tell one life was in the brink of being extinguished. "Faster, damn it!"
-----
"About fucking time!" Haruka cried out when Setsuna finally stopped crying and lifted her head to see her surroundings. It had been close to an hour since Pluto and Ranma disappeared through the portal and for all her efforts Haruka's bonds were still holding her down. "Untie me already, damn it!" The blonde definitely had had better days.
Setsuna shakily stood up, tears still flowing from her eyes, and untied her friend.
Haruka stared at Setsuna for a moment before shaking the feeling of awe off. *Of course she'd be shaken over what happened.* She didn't even want to think how much she would've suffered it the tortured one was Michiru instead of Ranma.
Once Haruka was free Setsuna walked over to Beryl and tried to wake her up.
"What are you doing?" Haruka shrilled, not at all comfortable with the idea of having Beryl wake up so close to them.
The green-haired woman continued trying to wake Beryl up by shaking her shoulder gently. "Beryl saved Ranma's life." And that was all she said to justify her actions.
Haruka remained dubious, but not having a valid argument against that she joined Setsuna in waking the elder Nova sibling up.
It didn't take long and Beryl blinked her eyes. "What happened?" Her eyes then focused on Setsuna. "Sailor Pluto?"
"Hello, Beryl." Setsuna greeted and explained what happened.
Upon getting the general gist of the situation Beryl's eyes widened in realization. "We have to get to Ranma!" Setsuna and Haruka helped her to her feet, since she was still too weak to stand by herself. "He's too dangerous!"
"What happened anyway?" Haruka asked in confusion. "For a moment there I thought you had finished him off." The question served to distract her from the fact that 'Beryl' of all people was leaning on her for support.
"That blast... it was meant to heal the damage to Ranma's body." Beryl said and stretched her senses, trying to feel where the pigtailed man was. "But before I could heal his mind with the second one..."
"My antecessor nailed you in the head and you passed out." Setsuna finished, impressed that Beryl had the actual power of healing minds as well as bodies. In the Silver Millennium Beryl was famous for her healing powers, yet none suspected just how far her healing could go. "Where's Ranma? I can't feel him anywhere near us."
"He chased Sailor Pluto through a gate after transforming into a Super Saiyajin." Setsuna said while keeping an eye on Beryl's face to gauge her reaction to the news. *She knew!* Was her thought when the woman didn't react to the information.
"What's a Super Saiyajin?" Haruka asked plainly confused.
"One of the strongest warrior races in the universe." Setsuna answered as Beryl got her bearings and traced the gate to its destiny. "And supposedly extinct during the Silver Millennium."
"The Negaverse." Beryl said.
"What?" Setsuna and Haruka asked in stereo.
"The gate leads to the Negaverse."
Setsuna paled visibly. "Oh no!"
"Setsuna?" Haruka asked nervously. Setsuna showing any kind of reaction was not good in her book.
"The others are fighting Serenity in the Negaverse. If Ranma went there and he's not in control..."
"He'll kill them all." Beryl whispered. Haruka turned sheet white as well.
"We have to stop him." Setsuna said after recovering from the shock. "I can take us there. The magic is recent enough that I can recreate the gate." She turned to Beryl. "You can heal Ranma's mind and that way we'll save everyone."
Beryl averted her gaze from Setsuna's crimson eyes. "I can't."
"What?!"
"Was Ranma glowing when he left?" Beryl asked in a whisper.
Haruka blinked. "Well... yeah. He was glowing."
Beryl gulped, having expected that. "As weak as I am right now I can't throw a blast strong enough not to dissipate in contact with his battle aura.
The three women remain silent for a while, each pondering how the hell to deal with Ranma so he doesn't kill everyone, his family included.
"I'm going anyway." Setsuna said resolutely, breaking the silence that had become almost tangible.
"Setsuna?" Haruka asked hesitantly, wondering if Setsuna was still shaken out of her wits by the experience she'd been through.
The green-haired woman turned to regard Haruka seriously, her crimson eyes seemingly piercing Haruka's very soul with their intensity. "I have to see it through. I have to be with him, no matter what." She finished speaking in a soft tone of voice and released Beryl, then opened a portal and walked through it.
Beryl walked over to Nabiki's unconscious body and placed a hand on it. A soft glow emanated from the latter's body and Haruka blinked upon seeing the wounds were gone, leaving behind perfectly healed flesh. Nodoka's daughter then lifted the body over her shoulder and walked through the portal.
Haruka blinked a couple of times, wondering how Beryl could be recovering so fast if she could barely stand just five minutes ago. "To hell with it!" She said and ran through the portal as well. She was not going to be left behind.
-----
Sailor Mars glared hatefully at Mamoru, who stood with only some minor injuries as a result of the fight. Behind her Sailors Jupiter and Venus were blissfully unconscious, a result from another of Mamoru's attacks.
Mercury, who had witnessed the entire fight without interfering, was looking away. She couldn't bring herself to see eye-to-eye with either Mars or Mamoru, not after feeling she betrayed both of them by her inaction.
"You fought well." Mamoru said at long last. "But you fought for the wrong reasons."
"Shut up!" Mars bellowed and charged an attack.
Five seconds later Sailor Mars' unconscious body hit the floor and Mamoru sheathed his sword. "Mercury."
The addressed Senshi turned her eyes to regard the prince.
"Thank you."
"What?" Ami was taken completely by surprise.
"For remaining loyal to Usagi." He said and turned to Sailor Neptune, who just now entered the room with a black-haired woman in tow.
"I didn't find Haruka." Neptune said in an obviously strained voice. "Luna says she was the only prisoner." She said signaling to the black-haired woman, who nodded.
"Luna?" Mamoru asked and, upon receiving a nod, smiled faintly. "It seems that Usagi at least has two real friends."
-----
Usagi narrowed her eyes, concentrating as much power as she could to throw at her mother. Said person did likewise, keeping the standstill that bathed the room in a silver light.
Both women continued to engage in a battle of wills, in which the loser would cease to exist.
-----
"Leave them." Mamoru said and sat down tiredly. Even if he did win against the Inner Senshi the battle took a lot out of him.
"But..." Mercury started to protest, only to have Luna interrupt her.
"There's nothing we can do, Mercury. The battle between two wielders of the Silver Crystal cannot be interrupted." The now cat said.
"We should be looking for Haruka." Neptune protested at the ease with which Mamoru was waiting for Usagi to finish her fight.
"She isn't here, Michiru." The prince said.
"How would you know?"
"If she were she'd be either in the dungeon or fighting against us." Mamoru said with a sigh. "Remember what Ami said. The girl that kidnapped her isn't here. She probably took Haruka to some other place. What we should do is wait for Usagi to finish her fight. Once that's done we can ask her and the Novas to help us find her."
Michiru didn't like the waiting part, but had to admit the reasoning was sound.
-----
Beryl, Haruka and Setsuna arrived to the Negaverse to see Ranma mercilessly pounding Ryoga, a golden glow surrounding his body opposed to the black aura covering his older brother's form. The Saiyajin's punches and kicks were too fast for the other man to see, much less defend against.
Ryoga was receiving the beating of his life, his aura blazing at full power and still not enough to stop the onslaught of pain coming his way. For the first time in his memory there was a fight he wasn't enjoying.
The three women suddenly saw Hinako charge from the side, her hands extended to her sides. Dozens of fireballs impacted with Ranma's unprotected side and he was sent flying away. The resulting explosion didn't seem to affect him much, if the laughter coming from him was any indication. In fact his aura seemed to increase in size even more because of the attack.
"It's worse than I thought." Beryl whispered as she stared at Ranma charging Hinako and delivering a quick series of attacks that sent her flying into another mountain. Ryoga took the chance to take a hold of Ranma and try to squeeze the life out of him in a bear hug, but found his strength not up to par with the task. Ranma freed himself and started pummeling him again.
"Beryl?" Setsuna asked while Haruka could only gape at the massacre with a pale face.
"Ranma has gone completely berserk. There's nothing we can do." The woman said sadly.
-----
Hinako shook her head and struggled to her feet again. "What does it take to hurt that monster?" She muttered under her breath and levitated some rocks off her. Her mental powers were completely useless against a fighter emanating such power, and her magic seemed to only be able to slow him down.
She levitated off the ground and saw Ryoga on the receiving end of a barrage of attacks. To her dismay Ryoga's aura was decreasing in size, the fight having taken everything out of him. It was now a matter of time before even he, with his regenerative powers, died.
Out of the corner of her eye Hinako caught sight of some movement. She turned to see Setsuna, Haruka and Kasumi staring at the fight. *What are they WAIT A MINUTE!!!* She thought in alarm and elation. The power coming from Kasumi, a power she didn't feel before because of the closeness of Ranma's overwhelming aura, was easily recognizable. "Beryl?!" She cried out.
As it turned out it wasn't the wisest of things to do. She got Ranma's attention.
Ranma punched Ryoga away and lowered his right hand to his side. A green glow extended from his body, only to decrease in size and concentrate in the palm of his hand. He threw the small sphere of energy at Hinako, who didn't see it until it was too late. The resulting explosion was the last thing she saw before darkness claimed her.
-----
Ryoga growled when he felt the power in that chi blast. *He's just too strong.* The man resigned himself to his fate and charged once again, hoping he could last long enough for the others to escape. While it was true that both he and Hinako had attacks that could destroy entire Galaxies neither was going to throw one. They couldn't kill the others like that, and it was likely that the Saiyajin would survive them anyway.
Ranma seemingly got tired of playing around, because when he started beating on Ryoga again his punches did some serious damage to the man.
-----
Setsuna narrowed her eyes and started running towards Ranma, who was now stomping Ryoga to death. "Setsuna wait!" The green-haired woman ignored her friend's cry and continued running, uncaring of the way Ranma had quite possibly killed Hinako. Or of how he was within an inch of killing Ryoga.
Haruka cursed under her breath, but didn't dare move a muscle to get any closer to the Saiyajin.
Beryl, who was frozen in shock at the sheer power Ranma displayed in that chi blast, was shaken out of her stupor by Haruka's cry. When she saw Setsuna running towards Ranma she knew this was their only chance of stopping him. She started running behind the green-haired woman, hoping Ranma was still somewhere inside that turmoil of negative emotions.
Hinako's older sister raised an eyebrow in surprise when she caught sight of a blonde woman running towards Ranma from the opposite side of the field. *Who is that?*
-----
Ryoga was knocked out, completely defenseless. Ranma stood over him, about to stomp his head and crush it for good, when he was shoved to the side by a blur. The Saiyajin reacted instantly and turned, with a fist cocked back and ready to strike, only to stop his punch less than an inch from his attacker's face.
Setsuna resisted the urge to flinch when the air propelled forward by the punch threatened to throw her back. Even with her magically-enhanced strength it was a great effort to remain standing where she was. *Such power.* She thought in amazement and no small amount of relief. Her love had stopped his attack. *He recognized me!*
Ranma took an uncertain step back, staring at the green-haired woman, only to have his way blocked from behind as well. He turned to attack the person and stopped yet again. He knew the blonde.
Even with his mind in such turmoil the positive emotions he felt when staring at these women overrode his anger.
The memories...
*****
The little girl turned to him with a big smile on her face, a tree toppled over a few feet away. "I did it, Ranma-sensei!"
The feeling of pride he felt in his chest made him smile in happiness for the first time in thousands of years.
*****
Ranma turned back to Setsuna...
*****
"I love you." The green-haired Senshi admitted and kissed him fully in the lips, not minding of the fact that they weren't alone.
His knees nearly gave out under him when his mind worked over what was happening. His heart cheered with joy as he returned the kiss.
*****
When he regained his bearings he saw a third woman was walking towards him, a serene smile on her face.
A smile he knew...
*****
"My little Ranma." The sweaty woman clad in only a nightgown smiled down at him. She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead tenderly, gently...
*****
He was taken back to the real world when Setsuna and Soap each took a hold of one of his arms. With his power he could easily break free, disintegrate them with a blaze of his battle aura. Yet he didn't. The Saiyajin didn't move as Beryl slowly approached him, her features that very same serene smile that was forever a part of his memory. With a touch of her hand everything turned to darkness.
-----
Usagi frowned when she felt her power start to falter. As much potential as she had in using the Silver Crystal her present life had weakened her link somewhat, while her mother's remained as strong as ever. Her frown deepened when the stalemate was broken and her mother's beam of energy started to push her own back.
Serenity laughed when this happened. "Where's this gift you speak of? Where's the gift you so desire to give MY subjects?"
Unknown to Serenity her words gave Usagi the edge she needed to end the battle. The younger woman's eyes widened in realization of what needed to be done and how to do it. Such a simple solution and yet she hadn't thought of it. "The gift is right here." She said plainly and focused her energy into the Silver Crystal instead of the beam of energy. As a result Serenity's attack gained ground at a tremendous rate.
"What are you doing?!" Serenity asked with a quiver in her voice when she felt the power of the Crystal shift. Then, to her horror, a crack appeared on the crystal's surface. "NO! STOP IT!!!" The woman screamed in desperation as more and more cracks started to appear on the crystal.
Usagi looked at her mother sadly. "The crystal is powered by negative emotions. Hate, greed, envy, fear. The stronger the emotions the easier it is to control the crystal and use it as a focus." Serenity's beam was now almost upon her, yet she didn't show any signs of worry. "I'm feeding it the one thing it can't take." A faint smile appeared on her features. "I'm sharing with the Silver Crystal the love I have for the people." The crystal started to shake violently, cracks all over it and light seeping out of it.
"But we will lose our power!" Serenity protested, deadly afraid and pleading with her daughter to stop.
"You will lose your power. I'll get what I want." And with that Usagi sent one last burst of love at the crystal, which shattered.
"NO!!!" Serenity cried in both anguish and pain. The Queen of the Silver Millennium was linked to the material world through the Silver Crystal, her life long ago having expired. Just like the crystal her body broke down to pieces and disintegrated into dust.
Now in the darkness of the room Usagi sighed and looked down at her hands. She could still feel some power flowing through her, but nothing compared to her power when the crystal existed. "I want freedom for the people. True freedom, not the false one your government imposed to your subjects and other kingdoms. If your way of living is true then you have no need to impose it, people will adopt it of their own free will, and if they don't you will respect that choice."
With that said Usagi shook her head and walked out of the room. The battle was over.
-----
When the group of warriors returned Saffron, Herb and Katsuhito were waiting by Nodoka's side. They left the battlefield to know how the most important battle ended.
Upon their arrival Saffron instantly went over to Kiima, who was being helped to walk by Tofu. The others laughed when they saw Kiima blush as Saffron fussed over her wounds.
Ryoga was carrying Saturn in his arms. The latter had taken severe blows from Ranma and had it not been for Beryl's healing magic she would've died before returning.
Mousse was helping Hinako to walk. Both did a remarkable job at ignoring the many jabs the others were throwing their way about them being a couple.
Soap and Setsuna were holding onto Ranma's arms, seemingly afraid to let go. The black-haired man seemed to enjoy the attention enormously.
Kasumi, for she told the others to call her by that name, was greeted by her mother with a big hug. She returned it with a happy smile.
Ami, Haruka, Michiru and Mamoru were all with Usagi, who had already told them of the result of the battle against her mother. Ami, Haruka and Michiru were disappointed but understood Usagi's reasoning.
Rei, Makoto and Minako were all sent to their respective homes, stripped of their links with their planets by Usagi, Beryl and Hinako. They would never again be able to transform into the Sailor Senshi.
Cologne and Taro were supporting each other and arguing over who fought better against Kuno.
As for the corrupted martial artists...
-----
Ukyo smiled at being back in her restaurant. Granted, she had a lot of work to do, but it was good to be home.
-----
Nabiki opened her eyes slowly. "Where am I?" She asked herself as she brought a hand to her midsection, finding her wound was completely gone. "What the...?" She sat up, feeling physically fine but lacking something.
"Greetings, Nabiki."
Nabiki jumped to her feet and turned in a ready stance, startled as hell by the female voice. She reached into herself and discovered what was lacking. *My magic.* She thought in alarm. Her distress only increased when she recognized the woman standing three feet away from her.
Nodoka smiled without warmth at the middle Tendo sister. "I see your injuries are gone completely. A testament to my daughter's healing abilities."
Nabiki was confused at the comment and finally looked around, inspecting her surroundings. What she saw was not to her liking.
Beryl's mother nodded when she saw Nabiki's facial expression. "I did warn you what would happen should you ever come after my family again, did I not? You shall spend a long time here once the evidence against you is processed. Maybe this way you will learn to control your lust for power."
After saying that Nodoka vanished, leaving Nabiki alone in the cell.
-----
Akane woke up having the feeling of being suffocated. She struggled for breath and only then did she notice the reason for her state was that Soun was clinging to her as a lifesaver. "Daddy!" She protested, for some odd reason unable to feel annoyed, much less angry. "What happened?"
-----
The atmosphere was tenebrous at best, dark and filled with burned incense. The effect was only increased by the chanting coming from the young man and woman kneeling in front of the altar. Chants begging for the power to get their loves.
Sasuke shook his head and closed the door leading to the newly made chapel.
This time around no deity would answer their calls.
-----
Ranma was sitting on the floor of the backyard, his back to one of the stones surrounding the pond. He felt pretty good with himself right now. Beryl was back. They all survived the battle. Sailor Uranus, the one that had tortured him for so long, was dead. And to top it all off Setsuna was sitting on his lap and holding onto him tightly, her head resting on his shoulder.
Life was good.
The others were all inside the house celebrating the victory, yet Ranma and Setsuna felt the need to be alone and simply enjoy each other's presence. A silent moment together.
They both looked up when the sound of approaching steps could be heard. Ranma didn't know the guy, yet Setsuna did. "Yosho." She greeted from her place on Ranma's lap.
"Setsuna." Yosho greeted back and turned to assess Ranma with a critical eye. "So this is the man you turned me down for." He said calmly, his voice not accusing in the slightest. When Ranma was about to comment about that the seemingly old man continued with a smile. "Just make her happy. This is the first time I see her smile for real." Upon saying those words to Ranma he turned on his heels and walked back into the house.
Ranma turned to stare at Setsuna strangely. "Later." She said and snuggled closer to him. She could always explain her life to him later. They had a long time to live together, after all.
-----
Two months passed since the battle in the Negaverse. The warriors all had time to heal their wounds and return to their lives. In some cases they even started down new paths.
Today was a special day for two particular people, two warriors that fought one of the most important battles.
Ranma was adjusting his bowtie in front of a mirror. He was in his room with Ryoga, Hinako and Kasumi. "Only took you over twenty-four thousand years to ask her to marry you." Ryoga commented with a smirk. "I'm impressed."
"Like you're one to talk." Hinako said with an annoying smirk. "When are 'you' asking Hotaru-chan to marry you?" Seeing Ryoga blush was very satisfying.
Kasumi just sighed and smiled at her younger siblings' antics. "Ryoga, Hinako. Could you two please make sure Setsuna is ready?"
"She's with Soap and mother. Why do we need to make sure?" Ryoga asked with his brows furrowed in confusion.
Ranma chuckled, attracting his brother's attention. "It's a polite way to ask you to get out of here. You're just too much of an idiot to realize it."
Ryoga growled and clenched his fists at the insults, but relaxed when Hinako placed her hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Ryoga. You can ask him for another rematch after he's back from the honeymoon." After it was revealed Ranma had been hiding his true origins both Ryoga and Hinako kept on challenging Ranma to get back at him. They still didn't win a single match.
Brother and sister left the room, leaving Ranma alone with a smiling Kasumi. "You like teasing them."
Ranma shrugged. "They've been beating me up for millennia. It's only right that I get back at them."
Kasumi giggled and pressed and accusing finger in the middle of his chest. "That may be so, and you did have to hide your true power. But you also know you became more powerful because of it."
Ranma smiled softly and turned to the full body mirror to examine his reflection. He wanted this wedding to be perfect for Setsuna.
Kasumi walked behind Ranma and smoothed his tuxedo. She smiled softly at the reflection. "Your father would've been proud."
"You really think so?"
Kasumi nodded. "I do."
Ranma shook his head and turned to regard Kasumi. "You think anyone even has the slightest idea of what really happened? They think it was all a plan to bring you back to life and get rid of the Silver Crystal."
Kasumi tilted her head to the side in thought. "Perhaps mother suspects something, but if does and hasn't said anything she won't interfere." She beamed up at him and took his arm to guide him out of the room. "Now I believe we should be getting you to the temple."
"You seem happy." Ranma commented with a smile as he opened the door for her to walk out.
Kasumi smiled at him as she walked out of the room. "It's not everyday my only son gets married."
Ranma smiled and followed, closing the door behind him.
THE END
Author's notes: Yes, this is the end of The New Order. An ending I already had planned since even before posting the first chapter of the fic. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thanks to you all for your time.
*Drakuzz bows to the readers, then turns around and walks away to vanish into the darkness.*