Mighty Morphin' Sailor Senshi
By R-Kives
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Episode 1 Part 2
Beryl's Prison
Ryoga and Taro stopped and stood stock still as the echoes of the voice faded. They slowly turned around as one to see who was in the room with them only to come face to face with a wall of ice. Upon seeing that there was no one there and using their senses to find no hitherto hidden Ki around, they tensed themselves in preparation for a supernatural battle. Both of them had had experience with such beings before in their travels.
"I mean you warriors no harm", said the woman's voice once again, "I would ask of you your assistance and in return I shall help you gain what you desire most..."
Taro cocked his head at the offer; it seemed suspicious to him and just a little desperate but the voice had aroused his curiosity. He wondered what someone who needed their help could do for them. After all, if they needed someone's help in the first place then just what could they do to help another? "Who are you?" He asked out loud; his tone noticeably suspicious. "And what kind of help do you need?" He wasn't about to make a deal without knowing what he was getting himself into, at least not again. He had learned that lesson long ago.
Ryoga was less wary than Taro even though he had more experience with dealing with the supernatural. He had after all spent a lot of time helping out those four Americans with that pet ghost of theirs. He seemed to run into them every few months or so and had learned a lot about dealing with ghosts from them. Although he never bothered with any of their weird gadgets since he could deal with ghosts with his ki. That green spook they kept as a mascot did make him pretty nervous though with the way it always seemed to drool whenever it saw him turn into P-chan.
"My name is Beryl and what I ask of you is something that is well within your power." she answered them in that tone of voice that salesmen use when they're about to make their pitch to a potential customer, "speak what you desire, noble warriors, grant me my freedom and it shall be within your grasp."
Taro snorted at her words, the deal sounded too good to be true. He was about to question her more when Ryoga stepped forward towards where he thought the voice was coming from. Ryoga's thoughts were full of what had been his greatest desires since the day he had first stepped foot in Nerima, Akane and a cure to his curse. He had run across supernatural beings who could have cured him before if only they hadn't been trapped by his occasional allies with those strange guns. However this time they weren't around and he wasn't about to miss another opportunity like this! There had even been that one ghost who was able to turn back time, maybe just maybe... the accident that Ranma had caused and had been completely responsible for, not him, could be prevented from happening and his sweet, gentle Akane would be alive once more!
There was a look of determination on his face as he spoke. "I want a cure to my Jusenkyo curse and for Akane to come back to life!"
Behind the seal Beryl, Goldar and Boreal had matching sweatdrops running behind their heads. The two minions (well one ex-minion and one actual minion) had paused in their game to pay attention to what was happening outside so they clearly heard Ryoga's request. Goldar blinked a few times and turned to speak to Boreal. "He doesn't want much now does he?" He asked his porcine companion sarcastically. "A cure for a powerful chaotic curse and bringing someone back to life that's been dead for who knows how long. I can't wait to see how she pulls this one off."
Boreal grunted her agreement and turned her attention back to her mistress. Most youma were considered pretty dumb but she had lucked out in the brains department since she had been created to serve as a general for Metallia's forces. She knew that Mistress Beryl could deal with the curse easily enough. It was partly a result of her Mistresses own experiments into the creation of herself and the other youma that had resulted in it after all. The Moon Kingdom had destroyed the original lab in the mountains where Beryl had first started creating them but not before she managed to escape with all her research. A powerful magical salvo from Sailor Mercury and Sailor Neptune had turned the area into a valley full of water filled craters. (a.n: Three guesses on what mountain range it was but you'll probably need only one.)
It was the part where the guy wanted someone brought back to life that would cause the most problems. That took a lot of energy, enough to free her mistress certainly and if she had that much she wouldn't have needn't help getting free anyway. The Moon Royal Family would have been able to do it with that Silver Crystal of theirs but it wasn't like Mistress Beryl had anything like that at her disposal. Boreal would have voiced her opinion on the matter but kept silent. One of the strange side effects of her superior (for a youma anyway) intelligence was an inability to speak human languages, other youma could understand her perfectly but humans could only interpret her words as 'bwee bwee bwee' sounds, strange but true.
Beryl was momentarily stumped, did he think she was a genie or deity to ask such a thing. Her thoughts had run along similar lines as the pig-like youma but she remembered that the one who had made his request had the Soulstone in his possession. It would be possible to do as he asked with the amount of energy trapped inside as long as she gained access to it. She decided to stall for time and ask where this 'Akane' was. If she was really really lucky the person would be inside the Soulstone but she didn't think she was that fortunate. After all the chances of anyone stumbling onto her prison with the means to free her were on par with that accursed youma she had sealed away being freed. Beryl shuddered at the memory of it; Happosai had been one of her greatest mistakes in youma creation and had been the first and only male youma she had ever created. She didn't think her luck could stretch any further then it already had.
(a.n: Incidentally it was one of Ryoga's ancestors that inadvertently set him free centuries ago, the Hibiki family line was well known among demons and ghosts alike. Every time one of them was sealed away in a distant and unreachable place that no one in their right minds would go, they would just sit around and wait for a Hibiki to wander by. Even the forces of Heaven were at a loss to explain it; it wasn't as if the Hibiki's meant to search out powerful and deadly forces of destruction. It seemed to be a genetic trait that tied in with their lack of direction which also baffled divine researchers and gave them more headaches than Mihoshi ever did.)
"Your curses are easily dealt with; however resurrection is a difficult task, especially without a body." She said in an even tone that betrayed no hint of her doubts about being able to fulfill such a request.
Ryoga's determination faltered a little at hearing her words and a pleading look crossed his face as he held up the crystal around his neck. "All I have is her soul; her body was buried several months ago, would that be enough to bring her back?" He asked her hopefully.
Beryl looked at the two martial artists from behind the seal. It was fortunate for her that they couldn't see her or else they might have had second thoughts about accepting her offer. Beryl was grinning to herself with an ecstatic look in her eyes. Today was indeed her lucky day! Her freedom was assured! She gave silent thanks to whatever deity was watching over her at the moment.
Beryl calmed herself and answered Ryoga's question. "Yes... I believe it is indeed possible to grant both of your requests, young warrior." Beryl almost laughed out loud at the joy that shone on the boys face. If only he knew what she had planned for that girl's soul! She contented herself with an evil smile instead of giving in to a desire to laugh out loud in triumph.
Taro had raised an eyebrow at Ryoga's words. What in the world was Ryoga doing with Akane's soul? Taro hadn't even known she was dead! Ryoga's words echoed in Taro's mind, 'her body was buried several months ago,' that was roughly the same time Taro had found Ryoga... Taro quickly put the pieces together and came up with a picture that he didn't like. All the little clues that Taro had noticed over the past few months now made sense. Somehow Ryoga's precious stone had killed Akane...and Ranma's mother. It was no wonder Ryoga had been in the condition Taro had found him. It had probably happened in the last fight Ryoga had been in with Ranma. That would make perfect, chilling sense. All of a sudden Taro felt that he would need a hell of a lot more training than he had originally planned.
Taro hadn't been there for Ranma's battle with Saffron. He had been in another part of China at the time it happened. It had been pretty far from Mt. Phoenix but it hadn't been so far that Taro couldn't sense the unbelievable release of energy caused by their two man war. He had gotten the details of what had happened from the Jusenkyo guide and sneaked into Phoenix territory to see the site of the battle. Taro had shuddered at the thought of that much energy being directed at him. The idea that Ranma was in all likelihood even stronger now sent chills down his spine. He glanced at Ryoga, if he was right about everything then teaming up with Ryoga had definitely been a big mistake. If Taro had attacked Ranma with Ryoga by his side as they had planned once their training trip was over...and if Ranma used the power he had in that battle with Saffron... They probably wouldn't have lived to regret it.
Taro stepped forward to stand beside Ryoga. He didn't know what this Beryl could do but if she could help him deal with Ranma then he was willing to help. Taro was arrogant not suicidal, if he wanted to beat the man who had killed Saffron then he needed all the help he could get. "What about me?" he asked her, "what do I get out of this?"
Beryl turned her thoughts on how to deal with the other young mans request. She used her magic to see exactly what kind of cursed forms the two of them had. She blinked at the sight that her magical senses showed her. The boy with the Soulstone turned into a piglet while the other turned into some kind of winged creature. Beryl turned slowly to look at Goldar and Boreal. She gave the two an evil smile before turning back to face the means of her salvation. Goldar and Boreal felt a chill go down their spines at the look. This didn't seem like such a good thing for them...
"I offer you control of your curse and an even more powerful form to turn into. You will be able to change whenever you want into a powerful winged warrior." she asked him sweetly as she saw the boy show great interest in her words. "Is my offer acceptable?"
Taro liked the idea of having a more powerful alternate form, especially one he could change into whenever he wanted. It was an ability that would come in very useful when he finally decided he was ready to face Ranma again. "Alright, I'm in. What do I have to do?"
Moon Kingdom Ruins
Inside the former throne room, in front of the throne was a large crystal structure. The room had changed greatly from its original design. Its walls were now lined with row upon row of computers that put to shame anything anyone else on Earth should have had for the next century or two. The fact that all of the equipment was well over ten thousand years old would have shocked most visitors with disbelief, not that there had ever been any visitors there. The shields of illusion created by the occupants of the former palace ensured that no one ever had any reason to even think of visiting the area although there had been a few close calls with an astronaut or two.
The final attack of Metallia's forces had destroyed nearly all traces of the once beautiful cities of the Moon Kingdom. The palace that was once home to generations of Lunarian Royalty, able to house and support hundreds of staff as well as any number of guests was now reduced to an area roughly the size of Furinken High in Nerima. Surprisingly, its current state wasn't completely a result of the war that had devastated the solar system so long ago. Much of the palace had fallen into disrepair and parts of it looked like it had been dismantled leaving only a small part of it inhabitable by anyone. The reason that only a small portion of the palace was left inhabitable was simply because there were only three individuals on the moon who actually needed a breathable atmosphere.
Setsuna Meio, the Senshi of Pluto and Guardian to the Gates of Time glared at her opponent as she made her final move. "Checkmate Setsuna, this game is over." Spoke a cultured voice with a British accent. "I win again and you know what that means..."
Setsuna groaned loudly, much to the amusement of the other occupants in the room. She couldn't believe this! She was one of the survivors of the Silver Millennium, a warrior of deadly skill and grace with the wisdom that only those who have lived for thousands of years could possess! "I can't believe that I can't beat a cat at chess!" she mumbled to herself under her breath. Setsuna looked over at Luna, the former Court Advisor, who was smirking at her with that insufferable smirk that only cats and catlike people can smirk. "Very well," she sighed resignedly, "as agreed, I'll be in charge of the kitchen this year."
"Ai yi yi yi yi, that makes it seven years in a row Setsuna." Alpha-5 said in its robotic childish voice, "perhaps you should think about playing a different game to decide the chores from now on?" It asked her politely only to be met by a glare from the Senshi of Time.
Artemis looked down from his cushioned seat next to Serenity's crystal. "Alpha-5 is right Setsuna. You just can't beat Luna at chess; you should know that by now." He got up and stretched before jumping onto the table that had the chess board on it, looking at the placement of the pieces. "You were better off challenging her to poker like you did last decade."
Another glare was fired. This time at the lazy white lunar cat who cringed at the look. The sound of an ethereal voice trying to muffle her laughter caught Setsuna's attention. She looked up at Serenity with a comical look of disappointment; even her queen thought she didn't stand a chance against Luna's skills in chess! Upon seeing the look on Setsuna's face, Serenity could no longer hold in her laughter and it burst out and began to echo around the room. Due to the strange effect the crystal had on sounds coming out of it, her laughter had an odd echo to it.
After a few minutes she managed to control herself once more and she gazed down at the individuals who had been her companions since the end of the Silver Millennium. She was quite happy despite her current state, seeing Setsuna able to express her emotions freely was much better than having to deal with the cold, emotionless mask she had used before. Serenity was certain she wouldn't have wanted to know how Setsuna would have turned out if she had spent all of her time since the Fall simply guarding the Time Gates alone, it would have probably made her quite irrational, heaven knows that Serenity thought she herself would have gone mad after only a few years of such a task.
Serenity smiled at Setsuna, "I'm sorry; Setsuna but you must admit that..."
Her words were cut off as alarms began blaring and various screens around the room began to light up.
