Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Reflections of Ruin ❯ Accepting ( Chapter 4 )

Reflections of Ruin

by P.H. Wise

A Ranma/Sailor Moon/Cthulhu Mythos Crossover Fukufic

 

Chapter 4 - Accepting

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma. I don't own Sailor Moon. Please don't sue me. I'm not doing this for profit. This chapter is partially based on episode 95 of Sailor Moon ('Koino otasuke ha Moon ni omakase'), and contains quotes from said episode. My source materials for the episode were my subtitled copy of Sailor Moon S and the episode guide provided by Hitoshi Doi.

 

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“Ranma!” Haruka called.

 

Ranma looked up. It was Saturday, and school had only just begun. “Hey Haruka. Michiru.”

 

“We were worried about you, Ranma-san,” Michiru said. “After we lost track of you during the monster attack, we were afraid you might have gotten hurt.”

 

Ranma puffed up her chest. “I'm a martial artist. It'll take more than some stupid monster to put me in danger.”

 

“Oh? Why didn't you stay and fight, then?”

 

“I... uh...” Ranma seriously considered telling them about being Sailor Saturn, but then shook her head. “The Sailor Senshi looked like they had it under control,” she muttered.

 

Michiru rolled her eyes, and Haruka laughed.

 

Although the rest of the day passed without incident, Ranma grew increasingly quieter as the day went on. Later, as she walked home from school, she found herself deep in thought.

 

*FLASH*

 

”We won't let you end this world, Saturn,” Uranus said coldly.

 

*FLASH*

 

End the world. Did she really have that kind of power? The other Senshi thought so, and no matter how much she wanted to deny it, Ranma found that she couldn't disagree with them. She had felt that power there, waiting, every time she held the Silence Glaive. She very nearly laughed. All it took for the entire world to be destroyed was for a sixteen year old girl to swing a glaive at it. The entire world, wiped out in an instant because she willed it. The very idea of such power downright terrified her. She tried not to imagine what someone like Ryouga or Kuno would do with it.

 

As she walked into her mother's house, Ranma's thoughts turned to her upcoming date with Akane. She didn't call it a date in her thoughts - she wasn't nearly brave enough - but it was a date to her nonetheless. Why did everything have to be so difficult? She loved Akane, but how could Akane possibly love her back when she was stuck like this? She wasn't even a man anymore, for all that she might try to pretend otherwise.

 

Ranma grew despondent.

 

Maybe she should just call Akane and cancel the whole thing.

 

Yes, that's exactly what she should do.

 

She went downstairs, picked up the phone, and called the Tendo home.

 

“Hello?” Akane asked.

 

Immediately upon hearing Akane's voice, Ranma's resolve failed her, and she hung up. Damn.

 

A moment later, the phone rang.

 

“Hello?” Ranma asked, raising the receiver to her ear.

 

“Hey Ranma,” Akane said.

 

“Uh, hey Akane,” Ranma said, “What's up?”

 

“You tell me. You called here, didn't you?”

 

Ranma flushed red, though Akane couldn't see it. “Uh, yeah, uh, that is, I just wanted to... make sure you were still coming!”

 

Ranma couldn't see Akane's face, but she was pretty sure Akane didn't believe her. “Are you all right, Ranma?” Akane asked.

 

“Fine! Fine!” Ranma replied, panicking, “See you tomorrow!” she hung up the phone.

 

On her end, Akane looked at the phone thoughtfully for a long moment, then shook her head, and walked off.

 

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

 

The next day, Sunday, Ranma's normal morning routine did not change. Get tossed out the window. Spar with Genma. Eat breakfast. Get cleaned up and dressed (she put on a pair of black slacks and a blue silk Chinese shirt) and ready for the day. “Have fun!” Nodoka called as Ranma was walking out the door, and Ranma smiled a confident smile.

 

“I will. Later!” And off she went.

 

Her heart was racing in her chest as she walked to the Azabu Juuban subway station, and Ranma found that she had a hard time believing that Akane was really going to be there, that the tomboy wanted anything to do with a freak like her. But no, she wouldn't be beaten before she had even fought. She pushed her doubts and fears aside.

 

So caught up was she in her destination and in her thoughts that Ranma did not notice the white station wagon with the black star on each side that was following him. In the station wagon, Yuko Arimura - Eudial of the Witches 5 - watched the pig-tailed girl carefully, taking notes on the readings she is getting from her scanning device.

 

Ranma headed into the Azabu Juuban subway station. Eudial got out of her car and moved to follow, but then a man with large, bulbous eyes, a narrow forehead and a flat nose stepped in front of her, looking at her disapprovingly. She swallowed nervously and went back the way she had come.

 

The pig-tailed girl sat down on one of the only available seats in the crowded station and began the long wait for Akane's train. It would be another two minutes before it arrived, but it felt more like two hours. After about a minute, Ranma got antsy, stood up, and started pacing. Was Akane really coming? What if she'd missed her train? What if she'd gotten sick? Maybe she should go call the Tendo home and find out how it was going.

 

“Ranma!”

 

Ranma turned. There was Akane, dressed in a beautiful yellow sundress, stepping off the train. Ranma's face brightened visibly. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

They went to the Crown Fruit Parlor (above the Crown Arcade) at 10th Street Shopping for some ice cream. As they sat down at a table together, Akane smiled. “Things have been pretty quiet since you left,” she said.

 

Ranma raised an eyebrow. “Quiet?”

 

Akane nodded. “I haven't heard much from Shampoo or Mousse. Ukyou's doing well. Ucchan's has been doing really good business this past week. She told me that she thinks she might need to hire some more people to work for her.”

 

Ranma nodded, a smiling faintly. “Good for her.”

 

“Ryouga stops in every now and then. He says he's been spending time with Akari. And Kuno... well, Kuno is Kuno. Both of them. Some things never change, I guess. Your turn, Ranma. How has Minato been?”

 

Ranma shrugged. “Eh, it's ok I guess.”

 

When he didn't go on, Akane grew irritated. “OK you guess?” she asked. “I haven't seen you in a week, Ranma.”

 

“Oh. Uh... I'm going to that other school now. You know, Infinity Academy?”

 

Akane's eyes widened. “How did you manage that?”

 

“Mom said she had people who owed her favors.”

 

“You were never a very good student, though. Isn't it really hard for you?”

 

Ranma glared. “Hey, I ain't that stupid.”

 

“I didn't say you were stupid, Ranma, I just said you weren't a very good student.”

 

Ranma's glare faded, and she nodded. “I guess. It's really hard, yeah, but ain't nothin' too hard for Ranma Saotome.”

 

“I'm glad you think so.”

 

Ranma blinked. That sounded ominous. Like the other shoe was about to drop.

 

“We need to talk,” Akane said.

 

“We are, aren't we?”

 

“About us, I mean.”

 

Oh hell. Ranma suppressed a shudder. Mushy, feely type stuff. She'd never been very good at that.

 

“Do you still love me?” Akane asked, point blank.

 

Shock washed over Ranma's awareness, and for a moment, the old denials and avoidances threatened to overwhelm her sense. Through sheer strength of will, she forced them down. She nodded.

 

Akane smiled. “I love you too,” she said, and Ranma's world dissolved until it contained nothing but Akane. “But with you stuck as a girl...”

 

Ranma's elation faded. Oh. Yeah. Damnit, it wasn't fair! How could she possibly have let herself get turned into a girl forever? She loved Akane!

 

Akane watched the play of emotions off of Ranma's face for a moment, and then continued. “I love you, Ranma. I don't know if we can be together with you stuck as a girl full time...”

 

Ranma watched Akane, dreading what she was certain the other girl was going to say next.

 

“... but I want to try.”

 

Ranma stared at her fiancée. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope after all. “Me too,” she whispered. Then, louder, she said, “Well, of course you want to try. I'm pretty hot, ya know? Who wo...”

 

Akane cut Ranma off before she could stick her foot any further into her mouth. “Just kiss me already, baka,” she said.

 

Suitably chastened, Ranma leaned in to kiss Akane, and Akane to kiss Ranma, and then...

 

“Ah, Ranma-san!” Michiru called.

 

The moment was lost. Both Ranma and Akane looked up. Haruka and Michiru were standing there, both of them looking as elegant as ever.

 

“Are we interrupting?” Haruka asked, with a slight hint of suggestiveness in her voice.

 

“Not at all!” Akane said. “Ranma, why don't you introduce me to your friends?”

 

“Oh, uh, right. Akane, this is Haruka, and the green-haired chick is Michiru.”

 

Michiru raised an eyebrow at being called `the green-haired chick,' and Akane sweatdropped.

 

“Haruka, Michiru, this is my fiancée, Akane.”

 

Michiru's irritation vanished instantly, and she looked at Akane, surprised. “Fiancée?” she asked, exchanging a significant look with Haruka.

 

“Our parents arranged it,” Akane said.

 

“I'm sure there's quite a story behind that,” Michiru said, looking from Ranma, to Akane, and back.

 

Akane blushed.

 

“You don't know the half of it,” Ranma said.

 

“You're on a date, right?” Haruka asked.

 

Ranma's eyes went wide, and she became too flustered to reply, and Akane blushed.

 

Michiru laughed gently. “We're going to the couple's contest at Lover's Park. You two should come along. It could be fun.”

 

Haruka leaned down and took Akane's hand. “Who knows? Maybe you'll find someone who's better for you than this martial arts nut.”

 

Ranma's eye began to twitch, and so did Michiru's.

 

Akane blushed intensely. “I, ah...”

 

“Don't listen to her, Akane-san,” Michiru said, giving Haruka an annoyed look. “She always says that sort of thing to cute girls.”

 

“You're jealous,” Haruka said, proud to have gotten a rise out of her girlfriend.

 

Michiru smiled fondly, shook her head, and said nothing.

 

“So, will you come?” Haruka asked, producing a pair of extra tickets.

 

Ranma and Akane exchanged glances, and then Akane nodded. “Un.”

 

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

 

Haruka, Michiru, Ranma, and Akane arrived at the park about ten minutes later. It was a beautiful place; a small pond was in the center of the park, and there were rowboats available for couples who wanted to rent them. A large grove of cherry trees overlooked the pond, though they were not now in bloom. On the other side of the pond was a beautiful flower garden. Near the cherry grove, a stage had been set up, and a large crowd was gathered there. Akane didn't know any of the people, and neither did Ranma. A number of couples were gathering near the stage, and the four girls were headed over that way when a girl's voice calls out, “Haruka-san! Michiru-san!”

 

Haruka and company all turned. Five girls were standing nearby, looking at them. All of them were beautiful. The first had blue eyes and long blonde hair that went down past her back. The second had green eyes and brown hair tied back in a pony tail. The third had blue eyes with short, bluish hair. The fourth had long black hair and dark eyes. The last - the one who had spoke - was another blonde. Her eyes were blue, and her hair was done up in a strange style.

 

“Ah, Odango-atama,” Haruka said, smiling.

 

“Who are your friends, Haruka-san?” one of the blonde girls asked.

 

Haruka glanced at Ranma.

 

“Ranma Saotome,” Ranma said.

 

“Akane Tendo,” Akane said, and bowed. “You are?”

 

Minako smiled brightly. “I'm Minako Aino!” she said excitedly. “And these are...” Each girl spoke up in turn.

 

“Makoto Kino.”

 

“Rei Hino.”

 

“Ami Mizuno. It's nice to meet you!”

 

“Ano? Where is Mamo-chan?”

 

The others sweatdropped.

 

“This is Usagi Tsukino,” Rei said apologetically. “U-SA-GI! You should pay attention when you're being introduced to people!”

 

Usagi smiled brightly, turning towards Ranma and Akane. “Ah! Nice to meet you!” Usagi said.

 

Michiru and Haruka looked amused.

 

“Uh, sure,” Ranma said, looking uncertainly at the girls.

 

“You'll have to excuse Ranma” Akane said, thoroughly amused. “He's not used to being around so many girls without at least one of them either wanting to marry him or kill him.”

 

Everyone looked at Akane strangely.

 

It took her a moment to realize why that had sounded odd. She was so used to calling Ranma `he' that it didn't even occur to her that people who had not known about the curse or his life in Nerima would think it really weird to hear a pretty girl referred to with a male pronoun. Akane blushed intensely, embarrassed by her mistake.

 

“Are they in `that kind' of relationship?” Minako whispered to Rei.

 

Rei nodded, and whispers back, “Probably. Ranma's not nearly as cool as Haruka, though!”

 

Ami very studiously pretended not to be listening, and Ranma, though she heard the whispers, didn't get it at all.

 

“Were you raised as a boy, Ranma-san?” Usagi asked.

 

Ranma got that look in his eyes - the one Akane had come to recognize as an impending foot-in-the-mouth, and puffed up her chest, but Akane stomped on her foot before she had the chance to announce her masculinity.

 

“It's terrible, isn't it?” Akane cut in. “Her father wanted a boy, so he took her away on a martial arts training trip for ten years, raising her as a boy on the road!”

 

The eyes of the other girls widened at that. “That's awful!” Usagi exclaimed. “You must be very glad to be back from that trip, Ranma-san. Having to pretend to be a boy would be really hard.”

 

Ranma and Akane both sweatdropped heavily. “Uh,” Ranma said intelligently, “Right.”

 

Makoto looked interested, though. “What martial art to you practice, Ranma-san?” she asked.

 

“Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu,” Ranma replied proudly. “It's only practiced by two families, but it's a very powerful style. You do Kenpo, right?”

 

Makoto nodded.

 

“How did you know?” Usagi asked.

 

Makoto looked to Usagi. “A fighter can sense the fighting spirit of another, Usagi-chan.”

 

“Ooooh,” Usagi said, looking from Ranma, to Makoto, and back. She couldn't sense any `fighting spirit' coming from them. What she could sense was Rei's irritation.

 

“Come on, Ranma-san. Akane-san,” Haruka said, interrupting them before the conversation could continue any further. “If we don't get to the stage, they'll start without us.”

 

Akane smiled. “Gotta go,” she said.

 

“Nice meeting you!” Usagi called in very bad English.

 

The two couples headed on over to the stage.

 

“OK!” The organizer of the event said, stepping forward to get a look at the couples. “Step right up, then, and we'll begin as soon as you write down your names in the `couples' box on the big board.

 

Each couple did so, and when Ranma and Akane wrote their names in a `couples' box, the organizer looked at them very strangely. “You're a couple?” she asked.

 

Ranma blushed, but Akane nodded fiercely. “Is that a problem?” Akane asked.

 

The organizer shook her head. “No, no problem. We just weren't expecting it is all. Enjoy the games!”

 

They walked up onto the stage, and the Couples Games began.

 

The first game was simple enough: each of the `girlfriends' went behind a big black curtain that hid about half the stage. They then stuck their hands through the curtain.

 

The announcer turned to the boys (plus Ranma and Haruka, though Haruka could and did pass for a boy at the moment). “The rules for the first game are simple. How well do you know your girlfriend? Can you find them based only on the shape and feel of their hand?” He looked over the group of boys, and then pointed to Haruka. “You, son, you go first.”

 

Haruka immediately went over to the curtain and held one of the hands sticking through it.

 

“OK!” the announcer said. “No doubt in his mind at all! He went right to his choice. Now,” the announcer looked at the board to get Haruka's name, “Haruka, call your girlfriend's name, and see if you got it right.”

 

“Michiru, you can come out,” Haruka said.

 

Michiru stepped out from behind the curtain. Haruka had chosen correctly. The crowd cheered.

 

“Next we have...” the announcer glanced at Ranma, “A beautiful young lady in the deepest throes of a forbidden love!” He played it up, making it sound as melodramatic as possible. The crowd loved it, cheering wildly. “Ranma Saotome, find your girlfriend!”

 

Ranma got very flustered, but her denials died on her lips. She had already agreed to this challenge, and there was no way she was backing out now. She studied the hands sticking through the curtain carefully as time ticked away.

 

“She doesn't seem very confident to me,” the announcer said, “But who knows? Maybe her love will guide her to the correct choice! Believe in yourself, girl! Let the power of your love guide you!”

 

Ranma shot the announcer a disbelieving look, and then walked over and took Akane's hand.

 

“All right! Now call your girlfriend's name and see if you got it right!”

 

“Hey Akane,” Ranma said as casually as she could manage.

 

Akane stepped through the curtain, and the crowd burst into cheers and applause.

 

The contest continued like that for a while, with Haruka and Michiru winning almost every game. Ranma and Akane were fairly close behind them, but it was hard to match the other two girls. Then came time for the final game.

 

“OK! You're all doing very, very well, but now it's time for the final challenge!” The announcer sounded very excited. “The rules are simple: the boyfriend must confess his love to the girlfriend. The audience will judge whose confession was the most moving, and whoever gets the most applause will win! Are you ready to show everyone just how pure your heart is?”

 

Cheers went up from the crowd, but at the mention of `pure hearts,' Haruka and Michiru's eyes narrowed, and they exchanged glances.

“First up is Haruka, and his girlfriend, Michiru!”

 

Haruka and Michiru stepped up to the podium, and everyone held their breath expectantly, waiting for the declaration of love.

 

Haruka looked at Michiru, who nodded. “The show is over,” Haruka said. “We're going to quit. We only entered for fun, and we might win if we continue.” She gave Michiru a loving glance. “The winner should have a real love,” she said ironically. “Love is everything!” They walked off the stage, hand in hand, leaving a stunned audience in their wake.

 

The announcer looked flustered, but recovered quickly. He called up the next couple, and the boy immediately professed his love for his girlfriend. The audience cheered, and then the next couple went up. It went on like that for a while, until finally, it was Ranma's turn.

 

Ranma and Akane walked up to the stage, and Ranma stared out at the crowd in a state of near panic.

 

Akane laughed softly. “It's OK, Ranma. It's a game. Besides, nobody from Nerima is here to hear anything you say. You could say anything you want and they'd never find out about it.”

 

That helped, some. Ranma swallowed heavily, and turned to look at Akane.

 

Silence.

 

Silence for about thirty seconds.

 

Then Usagi shouted encouragingly, “You can do it, Ranma-san!” “You can do it!” Minako echoed.

 

“Akane, I, uh,” Ranma began, not sounding very confident at all, “You know I ain't very good with words. But if I gotta do this to complete the challenge, I guess I gotta do it.”

 

The crowd wasn't sure how to respond to that, but Akane smiled. “Just do your best,” she said.

 

“I know we never really got off well. We've always fought, and there's always been people trying to break us up and stuff. But when I saw you at Phoenix Mountain, and I wasn't sure if ya were even alive, I...” she trailed off, and then tried again. “Look, Akane. Even though your thighs are a little thick, and your chest could be bigger, and...” She trailed off again as she noticed Akane's glare of death. “Uh, I mean, you may be an uncute tomboy, but you're my uncute tomboy, and I...” she trailed off yet again, having difficulty saying what she wanted to say, “I lo... l... I... love you,” once she finally managed to pronounce the word, her voice became filled with confidence, “more than anything in the world.”

 

Silence for a long moment. Then the crowd burst into cheers and clapping.

 

Akane had been angry at first, angry at Ranma for ruining this moment, but then, when she finally said what she was trying to say, the meaning of Ranma's poorly chosen words pierced her heart, and she stared at him in wonder. “Ranma...” she said, amazed.

 

The audience continued cheering wildly, and the announcer stepped forward. “I think it's clear who the audience has chosen. Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winners!”

 

The cheers grew louder and wilder, and Ranma and Akane were led to a human-sized statue of Aphrodite in front of the stage. “Now” the announcer said, “Place your hands on the statue, and your love will be forever!”

 

Ranma put a hand on it, and Akane's joined her hand a moment later.

 

The statue began to glow brightly with a sinister light. There was a pulse of energy, and Ranma and Akane were pushed back. As the light faded, a Daimon stood in the statue's place. “VENUS!” the Daimon declared, taking the form of a beautiful golden haired goddess with flesh made of stone.

 

“You gotta be kiddin' me,” Ranma said, backing away from the thing.

 

Daimon-Venus looked at Ranma hungrily. “Your pure heart could hide a talisman, girl!” She brought her hands together, and a black star appeared where they were joined. “Give it to me!” She shot a blast of black energy at Ranma, but Ranma leaped out of the way.

 

“Get down, Akane!” Ranma said.

 

The announcer faded away, and the event organizer stepped forward and threw off her disguise, revealing herself as Kaolinite. She laughed wildly. “Take her pure heart, Daimon!”

 

The crowd scattered.

 

At that moment, half a dozen female voices called out simultaneously, though the sources of those voices were concealed by the cherry trees: “MERCURY STAR POWER! MAKE UP!” “VENUS STAR POWER! MAKE UP!” “JUPITER STAR POWER! MAKE UP!” “MARS STAR POWER! MAKE UP!” and then “MOON COSMIC POWER! MAKE UP!”

 

Light pours out from the cherry trees, and everyone turned in surprise to see the Inner Senshi leap out into the open.

 

“Hold it right there!” Sailor Moon shouted. “Love is love, whether it's between a boy and a girl, a boy and a boy, or a girl and a girl! For attempting to destroy the love that those two only just found, even if Cupid forgives you, I won't! For love and justice, I am the pretty soldier Sailor Moon!”

 

“Sailor Mars.”

 

“Sailor Mercury.”

 

“Sailor Jupiter.”

 

“In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!”

 

“You aren't the real Venus! I am! In the name of Venus, I'll punish you!”

 

Ranma shook her head incredulously. Distracted by the awful speechifying of the Sailor Senshi, she was very nearly struck by another blast of dark energy. “Get out of here, Akane!” she yelled. “I'll handle this!”

 

Akane glared at Ranma. “I'm not going to leave you here, Ranma. I'm a martial artist, too!” She rushed forward and jump-kicked the Daimon.

 

The Daimon whirled around. “You're not a very well-behaved girl!” It said, and sent a blast of black energy her way.

 

Akane dove out of the way and rolled back to her feet only to find yet another blast coming her way. This time, she knew she couldn't dodge. At the last possible second, Ranma knocked her out of the way, taking the blast in her stead.

 

Instantly, Ranma collapsed to the ground, and a glowing crystal emerged from her chest. She stared blankly up at the sky, her eyes utterly empty.

 

“RANMA!” Akane yelled. Though she had never seen such a thing before, Akane instinctively knew what it was; `pure heart crystal' was the name her mind supplied.

 

Kaolinite swooped down to pick up the Heart Crystal, and Akane dashed over to intercept her. Meanwhile, the Daimon turned its attention to the Inner Senshi. Daimon-Venus concentrated intently, and then, as near as Akane could tell, the Inner Senshi just... stopped and stood there, staring blankly.

 

“WORLD SHAKING!” “DEEP SUBMERGE!” Two spheres of power lanced out and struck the Daimon head on, blasting it into the stage.

 

The Daimon got up, dusted itself off, and glares at the Outer Duo.

 

“It's time to fight, not be snared by an illusion,” Uranus said. That seemed to mobilize the Inner Senshi, and a moment later, the fight began in earnest.

 

Kaolinite opened her hand and blasted Akane backwards with a pulse of dark power. Stubbornly, Akane stayed on her feet, glaring at the red-headed woman. She was between Kaolinite and Ranma now, and she was going to protect her fiancé to the death.

 

“You can't win, girl,” Kaolinite said. “Give up the heart crystal, and I'll let you live.”

 

“You can't have it!” Akane replied fiercely. “I won't let you kill Ranma!”

 

“How touching. Unfortunately, you're ten years too soon to defeat me.” Kaolinite's hair grew with incredible speed, and faster than Akane could react, it wrapped around her throat and lifted her up into the air.

 

She grasped at the hair around her throat, but couldn't get a grip on it. She began to choke. The world began to go black. And then...

 

“KIJIN RAISHU DAN!” Ranma cried, slicing through the Kaolinite's extended hair with a vacuum blade.

 

Kaolinite's hair reverted to normal, and she stared at Ranma in shock. “Impossible!” she said.

 

Ranma, pale and barely able to move, was propped up on one knee, glaring at Kaolinite. “I'm not gonna let you... hurt... Akane...”

 

Kaolinite opened her hand and sent a pulse of dark energy flying at Ranma.

 

It struck the pig-tailed girl in the chest, and down she went, barely breathing.

 

Kaolinite grimaced as she realized that the Senshi had finished off her Daimon. Damn. It was time to retreat again. “You're all ten years too soon to defeat me,” she said.

 

“I don't think so!” Akane yelled, her battle aura manifesting itself visibly. A black star flickered on her forehead.

 

Kaolinite turned... and froze. She gasped in surprise. “This power...!”

 

The Senshi were almost on top of her now. She opened her hand to blast them away.

 

Nothing.

 

Beginning to panic now, Kaolinite concentrated intently, trying to teleport away.

 

Nothing.

 

Kaolinite looked desperately down at Akane. “We're on the same side!” she cried. “You should be helping me, not fighting me!”

 

Akane glared at the woman.

 

“Sailor Moon!” Venus called, “Now!”

 

“MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!”

 

Akane stared in flat disbelief as Sailor Moon blasted Kaolinite with what appeared to be an energy blast in the shape of a big red heart.

 

Still, whatever shape it took, it was incredibly effective. As the blast struck her, Kaolinite screamed, and when the light faded, no sign of her body remained.

 

The Senshi let out a collective sigh of relief.

 

“Ranma!” Akane said, suddenly realizing that the pig-tailed girl was near death.

 

She was still lying there, barely breathing, with a strange glowing crystal floating over her.

 

Akane reached out to take the crystal, only to have it plucked out of her hands by Sailor Neptune.

 

“HEY! He needs that!” Akane said angrily.

 

Neptune ignored her, studying the crystal. “Regrettably,” she said after a moment, “It is not a talisman.” She handed the Crystal back to Akane, who pushed it back into Ranma's chest, her anger subsiding.

 

The Senshi, both Inner and Outer, quickly left the scene.

 

And in the distance, Eudial frowned thoughtfully as she put down her binoculars. Kaolinite had been killed by the Sailor Senshi. That was a problem. Not an insurmountable problem, but a problem. That girl, though, something about her power seemed... familiar. Maybe the red-head was the wrong target after all...

 

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

 

Several hours later, Ranma and Akane walked back to the Azabu Juuban subway station. They were quiet at first. The sun was setting, and those few bright stars that could pierce the light pollution around Tokyo were just beginning to shine.

 

They were nearly halfway to the station when Ranma finally broke the silence. “I broke my word, Akane.”

 

“Hmm?” Akane asked, glancing at Ranma.

 

“I used the yama-sen-ken. I promised Oyaji that I'd keep the technique sealed away, but I used it anyways.”

 

Akane rolled her eyes. “You didn't have any other choice, Ranma.”

 

“I guess. I just... do ya think promises don't count any more just because they're hard ta keep?”

 

“No promise is worth letting someone die.”

 

Ranma nodded faintly.

 

They walked the rest of the way to the subway station in silence.

 

Akane's train was still five minutes out when she turned to Ranma in the middle of the crowded subway station. “You know, I never thought I'd actually see the Sailor Senshi. I always thought they were just urban legends.”

 

Ranma laughed nervously. “Yeah, urban legends,” she echoed.

 

“Still, I had a good time. Thanks, Ranma.” Akane smiled, and they drew close, about to kiss, and then...

 

“RANMA! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KISS AKANE!”

 

Ranma ducked, and a hail of yellow and black bandanas went flying through the space her head had just evacuated.

 

Akane looked disappointed. The moment was past. Again.

 

“Geez, Ryouga, whaddya want now?” Ranma asked, turning to face the eternally lost boy.

 

“When I heard you were hiding like a coward in Minato, I didn't believe it, but now I see Happosai wasn't lying. Ranma... PREPARE TO DIE!” Ryouga leaped forward to smash Ranma with his umbrella, and Ranma darted easily out of the way, leaving Ryouga to cause a small crater in the concrete floor, instead.

 

“Happosai,” Ranma said, “Figures the old freak would tell everyone.”

 

“Ranma, look out!” Akane shouted.

 

“PIG-TAILED GIRL!” Kuno yelled as he leaped to grab Ranma from behind. Taken totally by surprise, Ranma squawked in outrage as Kuno's hands clasped themselves firmly onto her breasts.

 

“DIE!” Ranma yelled as she punted Kuno into the stratosphere.

 

“OBSTACLES IS FOR KILLING!” Shampoo yelled, and Akane darted out of the way as Shampoo smashed the ground where she had just been standing.

 

Oh, hell. Shampoo had seen the almost-kiss? That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. On the plus side, Akane's train had arrived.

 

“My darling Shampoo! Come back to me!” Mousse yelled as he joined the fray.

 

“GO AWAY STUPID MOUSSE!” Shampoo screamed back.

 

The scene degenerated into an uncontrolled brawl for several minutes, until Akane's train began to pull away from the station.

 

“Ranma, the train!”

 

Ranma looked up. “Come on, Akane,” she said, taking her fiancée by the hand. “Let's get out of here!”

“Wait, Ranmaaaaaaa!!!” her words turned into a panicked yell as Ranma scooped her into her arms and bounded after the train.

 

The pig-tailed girl dodged and weaved her way through a hail of chains, daggers, plungers, kitchen sinks, and other assorted hidden weapons as Mousse let loose with everything he had. Ranma bounded off one of the Underground's support pillars and landed on the side of the train.

 

“Ranma, you coward!” Ryouga called, running after the now speeding train, twirling a bandana in his hands, “How dare you run away!” He flung the bandana after the departing pig-tailed girl, and Ranma ducked at the last moment; it tore a hole in the side of the train easily large enough for a person to fit through.

 

“Hey, thanks, Ryouga!” Ranma called as the Lost Boy vanished in the distance.

 

Akane glanced at Ranma, then at the open gash in the train, shrugged, and slipped easily inside.

 

“See you later, Akane!” Ranma called through the hole.

 

Despite herself, Akane laughed. “Better hurry, baka, or it will take forever to get back to the station.”

 

Ranma hopped off the train and started walking along the access pathway that ran alongside the tracks. About halfway to the station, she came across the area Ryouga had apparently gotten lost - it was at a sudden turn in the passage, and a new man-sized tunnel had been carved into the wall.

 

She put a hand to her forehead. Ryouga really was hopeless.

 

By the time Ranma returned to the Azabu Juuban station, most of it was cordoned off thanks to what the police were describing as an `insane martial artist, or possibly monster, attack.' The Nerima Wrecking Crew was gone.

 

Still, as she walked home, Ranma couldn't help but sigh. She'd been really hoping that things would be different, here. That maybe she could get away from everything. The engagements, the rivalries... she'd thought that Minato might be a fresh start. Things hadn't exactly turned out like she'd wanted.

 

But then, what did?

 

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

 

The stars were shining, piercing the haze of light around Tokyo. The moon was bright above Lover's Park. But there was a darkness here that neither the light of the stars nor the silver moon could banish. There. It crawled across the grass, and the light seemed less bright in its wake.

 

At the very spot where the Daimon had died earlier that day, a Deep One crawled, gathering information for its masters.

 

A Daimon had died here, yes, and also something worse than a Daimon: a witch infused with the power of Pharaoh 90. And something else... something dark.

 

It cut its own hand open with a slashing claw. “Ia, Shub-Niggurath,” it whispered, and then spoke a brief, blasphemous prayer to the creature it had invoked. Then if flung a splatter of blood onto the ground.

 

The blood hissed and bubbled, flowing back together in the shape of a star. A black star.

 

The Deep One looked at the image, and then rose up on its hind legs, scratching its chin thoughtfully. The Master should know about this. If one of Pharaoh 90's spawn was here, things were moving much faster than they had anticipated.

 

It turned and headed for the nearest sewer access.

 

It had not even gotten halfway out of the park when a cry of “DEEP SUBMERGE!” pierced the night. A sphere of blue energy went flying out of the shadows beneath the cherry trees. As the sphere left, it briefly illuminated two human female forms.

 

The attack blasted off the upper right part of the creature's chest and sent it flying to the ground, quite dead.

 

A moment later, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune emerged from the shadows and looked down on the rapidly dissolving remains of the beast.

 

“A new enemy,” Uranus said, thoroughly disgusted by the thing's appearance.

 

“It looks that way,” Neptune replied. “We'd better be careful. The sea is beginning to rage...”

 

END CHAPTER 04