Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Reflections of Ruin ❯ A Destiny of Stars, Part I ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

One... if two people are in love,

Two... both of them to hell will go,

Three... even if they kill everyone,

Four... a signpost to hell they will find,

Five... a rain of blood follows where they go,

Six... purified and changed,

Tears have all dried up.

- Youma: Curse of the Undead - Counting Song

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The moon shone brightly through the open window in Ranma's bedroom, filling the room with a gentle silver light. Strange shadows flickered on the walls, and the curtains stirred in the breeze. Saturn no longer, Ranma Saotome stood in the middle of the room, facing a seated Akane Tendo. Akane was staring at her, and her expression was odd. Ranma couldn't tell what she was thinking.

“Explain this to me, Ranma,” Akane said. Her tone was completely flat, giving no indication of her feelings on the matter.

Ranma looked down. “... I...”

SHIFT

“... She saved Sailor Moon,” Michiru said, shaking her head. “It doesn't make any sense.” They were in Haruka's apartment, sitting by the side of the indoor pool. The moonlight shone brightly through the window, and the lights in the pool filled the room with a flowing kind of watery light.

“Does it change anything?” Haruka asked.

Michiru met her lover's gaze. “She's still Saturn. I know the dream-message as well as you.”

“The Silence is coming. The ruin of the world is approaching. Only the true Messiah can use the Holy Grail and save the world.” Haruka looked away. “The three Talismans hidden in pure crystal hearts will summon the Grail.”

Michiru nodded. “Three lives in exchange for the salvation of mankind. That's not such a bad sacrifice, is it?” Her eyes looked haunted as she spoke.

Haruka couldn't meet Michiru's gaze. She stared down at her hands and said nothing for a long moment.

The gentle, watery light rippled across the walls, and the faint smell of chlorine waifted up from the pool.

Several blocks away, Akane glared at Ranma. “What? You thought it might be fun to run around at night dressed in a seifuku with those sailor floozies? You're unbelievable! Is this what you've been spending all your time doing?”

“What! No! Akane, it ain't like that at all!”

Akane wasn't listening. “Do they even *know* what sort of pervert is running around with them? You didn't tell them you were really a guy, did you? I bet they'd be horrified if they knew what kind of a perverted freak you really are!”

Ranma flinched. Akane had always known how to hurt her, ever since the first day they'd met. “Would you listen to me!?”

SHIFT

Outside, the night was clear, and the moon shone brightly down upon the street. The sounds of the city were a distant thing at this hour, limited only to the occasional passing car.

Five women stepped out of the shadows and looked up at the building. This was where the target lived. Ordinarily, they would never work together like this, but things had changed, and their tactics had needed to change, too. There was too much risk of outside interference to leave this to only one operative.

The women checked their respective weapons, nodded to each other, and headed inside.

Akane rose to her feet and stepped forward challengingly, her battle aura manifesting itself visibly. “Listen to you! I can't even trust you! You damned...”

Ranma cut her off. “Damnit, Akane, shut up and listen to me!” she yelled, and in her anger, her eyes flashed purple for a split second, and the sigil of Saturn appeared on her forehead.

Akane fell silent, staring at her fiancée.

“The only reason I'm like this is because of you. When I was fighting that stupid Phoenix brat, I had a choice: I could either become this... this ... this freak, or I could let you die. The thing is, no matter how much you annoy me, I couldn't just let you die. I love you! Letting you die woulda been like... like dying myself. So yeah, I chose to become this way. I became Saturn, and I gave up my manhood to save the only thing that was more important to me than that: you. Now I've got this power, and those girls need my help. There's people out there trying to steal people's souls or something - I don't understand exactly, but they're killing people. It's a martial artist's duty to defend the weak, so yeah, I'll wear a stupid girly seifuku if it's the right thing ta do. If that makes me a pervert, or a freak, then I'm a pervert, and a freak!”

Michiru sank onto her back, with her legs bent at the knee and still drifting in the pool. It seemed as though their conversation had ended, so she took a seashell from where it rested next to her and put it to her ear to hear the ocean in it. It calmed her as it always did, and for a moment, all she could hear was the roar of the waves, and all she could feel was the ocean spray. The scent of seawater rose over her, and she smiled.

Haruka spoke softly, “It's not fair, going into your own world like that.”

Michiru opened her eyes. Haruka had drawn near to her again, and was smiling sadly. She raised an eyebrow.

“Don't leave me alone out here,” Haruka said.

Michiru's expression softened, and she took Haruka's hand in hers, and rested her head against the other girl's shoulder.

SHIFT

Opening the door was a simple matter for the Witches 5. A simple injection of nanites into the lock was all it took. The lock unbolted with a loud click. Checking their weapons for a final time, the five women headed into the building. It was time to end this, once and for all.

The anger drained out of Akane's expression, and she looked at Ranma in wonder. “Ranma,” she whispered. She could see it now. He could see it in her gaze. What he'd given up for her. What he'd sacrificed so that she would live. He had sacrificed `himself.'

For a moment, an overwhelming feeling of heartsickness rose up in Ranma's breast. For a moment, she felt the heart-stopping terror of who `he' had been and what `she' had become, and though she knew it would never be so, she saw `herself' as an old woman, frail and gray, living out the winter of her life in this form that he should never have possessed to begin with. Mercifully, the moment passed, and the horror subsided. Tears burned in Ranma's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She looked at her fiancée, and she waited for her response.

Akane stepped forward and pulled Ranma into a sudden embrace. She wrapped her arms around the red-head and burst into tears, murmuring over and over, “I'm sorry.”

Ranma stood there, shocked by the sudden physical contact. Then she embraced Akane in turn, and smiled gently. “Hey, don't be like that. I'd do it again in a second, ya know.”

Sniffling, Akane let go of Ranma and stepped back. “Can I see her? Your other self?”

Ranma nodded, and with a brief look of concentration, allowed the energy of the change to wash over her body. The first thing that appeared was a crystal broach at her neck; everything else rippled out from that, flowing out into the now familiar uniform of Sailor Saturn. The whole transformation took less than a second.

Akane's expression clouded over as she looked at Ranma's transformed body. She felt strange. Like she was walking underwater. Everything became muted and hazy except for the Sailor Senshi who stood before her. “I...”

Need. Intense physical *need* for this person, this pervert, this girl. It nearly overwhelmed the Tendo daughter. She wanted Ranma. She wanted to be Ranma. She was never supposed to have been Akane Tendo: she was supposed to be Ranma. Akane didn't know how she knew it, but in that moment, she knew that it was the truest thing she had ever known.

Michiru's eyes widened as a sudden premonition came over her. Instantly, she was on her feet, transformation pen in hand. “Haruka. Transform now!” she hissed.

“NEPTUNE PLANET POWER! MAKE UP!”

“URANUS PLANET POWER! MAKE UP!”

Shimmering light surrounded them each for a few moments as the magic of the Silver Millennium coursed through them, stripping the two women of the carefully layered disguise that their human rebirth had placed upon them, peeling back the layers until their bodies matched their true souls' Eidolons. Filled with power, Uranus and Neptune turned towards the door just in time to see it burst open, and a cloud of thick gas fill the room, sweeping over the pool like a living thing.

The two warriors of the Silver Millennium did not blanch; in their true forms, they were more than a match for a mere tranquilizer gas.

The first of the Witches through the door was a young woman with short blonde hair and gold eyes wielding a peculiar staff.

She never had a chance.

Two blasts of planetary magic took her full in the face the moment she stepped into the pool area, and she went flying back through the door and into the far wall with a sickening crack.

“MIMETE!” a female voice cried out. “Damn you Sailor Senshi!”

Battle was joined.

Akane seized Ranma and kissed her passionately; Ranma stared at her for a moment, shocked by her actions.

“A... Akane, what...?”

“Shut up, Ranma,” Akane replied.

Ranma shook her head, stepping back. “Wait, Akane, this is... I mean, this? Now?”

Akane nodded, her eyes shining. “I love you, you pervert. I need you. Now.”

Ranma dropped the Silence Glaive - it landed point side sideways - and allowed Akane to pull her down onto the bed. Her thoughts were racing. She needed... she needed to... “Akane...” The twin horses of love and lust went trampling through Ranma's brain, and rational thought departed from her. “I love you too,” she whispered.

Then the clothes came off, and there was no more time for conversation.

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

Ten minutes had passed since the arrival of the Death Busters, and the apartment was smashed. The walls were blacked with soot, and furniture lay broken scattered across the main room. Most of the main room was obscured by the flames that now burned there out of control, the legacy of the Fire Buster's discharge. Mimete's body was still there. Or what was left of it. The fire had not been kind to her remains. Smoke poured freely through the doorway that led to the pool area, where Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune lay insensate, barely breathing, their hearts barely beating. In the distance, the noise of approaching sirens could faintly be heard.

It was in the midst of this chaotic scene that a woman suddenly appeared, fading into existence near the edge of the pool. With supermodel looks, dusky skin, long green hair and garnet eyes, she was certainly striking. She was dressed in a strange kind of seifuku, and she held a key-shaped staff in her left hand.

Sailor Pluto looked down at the fallen bodies of Uranus and Neptune, and sighed.

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

Reflections of Ruin

by P.H. Wise

A Ranma/Sailor Moon/Cthulhu Mythos Crossover Fukufic

Chapter 7 - A Destiny of Stars, Part I

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 contains small amounts of dialogue from Episode 110 of Sailor Moon (Uranus tachi no shi? Talisman shutsugen). I didn't write that, either.

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Morning dawned bright and glorious over Tokyo; the smog haze was lifted by the breeze, and the air was so clear it nearly sparkled. The sounds of the city drifted through Azabu Juuban; on the horizon, storm clouds were gathering. The typhoon was approaching, and in spite of the words of every weather forecaster, it was headed directly for the capital. Even now, at this early hour, preparations were being made for the coming storm.

At the Hikawa Shrine, Rei and the other girls were busily putting up storm shutters and taking down anything that might tear free in the high winds that were to come. Mamoru was on hand, lending his assistance.

“Do we really have to do this so early?” Usagi asked. She was bleary eyed, and still wore her pajamas - she and the other girls had slept over at the shrine last night.

Rei rolled her eyes. “When should we be making preparations, odango atama? When the storm is already here?”

“Unfortunately,” a new voice cut in, “It appears that this is what we must do. The storm is upon us, and we have nothing in place against it.”

The girls and Mamoru turned in surprise. There, standing at the entrance to the Hikawa Shrine, was Sailor Pluto.

“Pu!” Chibi-Usa cried.

Pluto smiled faintly. “Hello again, Small Lady.”

“Sailor Pluto!” Usagi whispered.

The daughter of Chronos turned and swept her gaze across those assembled in the courtyard, nodded faintly, and spoke. “Come. We have much to discuss and little... time in which to discuss it.” She put a strange inflection on the word `time.' She walked across the courtyard and into the shrine's residence.

The others exchanged glances, nodded, and followed.

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

The morning light filtered through the open window. Ranma had been awake for nearly an hour now. She lay in bed naked beneath the blankets, with Akane's arms wrapped around her. She was watching the other girl sleep, a strange, contented smile on her face.

She could get used to this.

Last night had been incredible. Ranma had never imagined that such sensation was possible. It had been clumsy and awkward at first, but later, after the initial fumblings... She shook her head. The warm afterglow was only now beginning to fade away. Here, with Akane sleeping at her side, she felt... happy.

The door opened, and Ranma looked up. Her father was there at the door, in panda form, come to wake her up for their morning practice. The old panda looked at the state of the room, with Akane's clothes strewn about, a discarded senshi fuku on the ground, and the strange Glaive lying close at hand. His gaze fell upon the occupants of the bed, and then his eyes met Ranma's. There was no recognition there; Ranma had not detransformed last night, and the magic protecting her identity was still in place. Who was this strange red-head in bed with Akane?

Ranma sat up, letting the blanket covering her fall to her waist. “Jeez, Pop,” she said, “Get out and close the door already.”

*Now* there was recognition. The Panda's eyes widened. He held up a sign: `Boy!? Uh... I'll just be leaving.' He backed out of the room and slid the door shut.

Her sleep disturbed by the sound of voices, Akane stirred and opened her eyes. “Ranma?” she asked sleepily.

Ranma looked down at her lover and smiled. “'Morning, Akane.”

Akane held up a hand in front of her eyes and stared at it for a moment. “I'm still me,” she whispered. She sounded disappointed.

Huh? “Uh, yeah. Were ya expecting somethin' different?”

Akane shook her head and sank back into the blankets. “... I'm not sure.”

A faint beeping filled the room. Ranma blinked and looked around for the source. After a moment, she realized where it was coming from: she reached into subspace and produced the ridiculously girly, garish pink watch that the Senshi had given her the other day.

“What's that?” Akane asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Ranma shrugged. “Somethin' the Senshi gave me. I think it's a like a radio or somethin'.” She flipped it open with her thumb, revealing a small video screen on which Usagi's face appeared. Right. Great job of concealing the secret identity, there.

“Saturn?” Usagi asked.

“Yeah?”

Akane peered over Ranma's shoulder at the device. “That's... pretty weird, Ranma,” she said.

“Ranma?” Usagi repeated, sounding very shocked.

Ranma glared, though she really wasn't that upset. “Nice going, Akane.” She looked back at the video screen. “Whaddya want, Usagi?”

Usagi seemed to recover from her surprise at having learned Saturn's identity. “We're having an emergency meeting at the shrine. Pluto is here. Something's happened to Uranus and Neptune.”

Ranma thought about it for a moment. Pluto was there? ... For a moment, the dream-memory of Pluto's face seemed real enough to reach out and touch. She looked down at Akane, who was looking up at her questioningly. Yes. Yes, she would go. If only to see if her dream-memory really was a memory, or just a dream. “I'll be right there,” she said, shut the communicator, and stuck it back into subspace. Ranma glanced down at Akane. “I gotta go.”

“I'm coming too,” Akane said.

Ranma shook her head. “Wait here, Akane. This doesn't involve you.”

Akane glared at Ranma and tossed off the blankets before rising to her feet. “If it involves you, it involves me. I'm going.”

She really was gorgeous.

Ranma sighed. “Fine, but if ya get kidnapped, I'm gonna let Ryouga rescue ya this time.”

Akane didn't dignify that with a response. She grabbed her panties and stepped into them, pulling them up onto her. Then she went fishing for her bra.

Ranma got up, glanced down at the discarded senshi fuku, shrugged, and started getting dressed in her normal clothing.

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

As Ranma and Akane walked up the steps leading to the Hikawa Shrine, silence hung heavily between them. Akane had tried talking to Ranma when they'd first set out, but Ranma had been lost in thought, and was still.

Sailor Pluto. A warmth of remembered affection rose up in Ranma at the thought of that woman. Was she really going to meet with her previous incarnation's mother? Would it be like she remembered? Were they even really memories at all? She could remember... Ever since that first dream, memories had been surfacing at odd times. Some were good memories, bringing with them warmth and joy, some were bad, bringing with them sadness and pain. And some, like the memory of gettin' all hot and bothered from making out with some dude in the Saturn palace (whose name she outright refused to remember), made her feel violently ill. She took that as an encouraging sign. If she could feel ill at what had come to her as a `good memory,' it meant that she wasn't becoming someone else. Something about that guy seemed vaguely familiar, though. Something about those fangs of his. Eh. It wasn't important, and she certainly wasn't interested in pursuing THAT relationship ever, ever again. Whatever her preferences may have been in that life, she was only interested in girls in this one.

Ranma glanced at Akane and smirked. “C'mon, tomboy,” she said, “I'll race you to the top!” She bolted off towards the top of the stairs.

Akane blinked, smiled, and then took off after Ranma.

When they reached the top of the stairs they found Usagi waiting on the steps of the shrine residence. “Saturn!” she called, waving. Then she noticed Akane. “Ano, Akane-san? What are you doing here?”

“Aren't you supposed to be protecting your secret identity or somethin'?” Ranma asked.

Usagi flushed red, simultaneously embarrassed and horrified.

“You forgot, didn't you.”

Usagi nodded, thoroughly ashamed.

Ranma laughed and shook her head, then glanced at Akane, who also had a look of amusement on her face. “Akane's here because she's nosy.”

“Hey!” Akane said. She glanced at Usagi. “Just because this dummy has to run around in a seifuku fighting evil doesn't mean I'm going to let him do it alone.”

Usagi raised an eyebrow at that. Akane had called Ranma `him' again. “I guess that's OK. But everyone's waiting inside. Come on.” She opened the door and stood beside it.

Ranma and Akane exchanged glances before walking across the courtyard and through the door. Usagi followed them in a moment later.

The other girls were all there, sitting around a small table which housed various snacks and treats. Makoto, Minako, Ami, Rei, Chibi-Usa, Sailor Pluto, Mamoru... wait, Mamoru wasn't a girl. Well, he was kinda girly with that sensitive guy attitude, but he wasn't technically female. ... Wait a minute, Sailor Pluto? Ranma's eyes flashed back over to the green-haired Senshi who sat in the corner, looking impassive. The woman's eyes widened ever so slightly as Ranma entered the room, but otherwise maintained her cool. It wasn't surprise. It was something else. Something Ranma couldn't quite place.

Ranma's heart leapt. Pluto looked exactly like she remembered. The same features. The same green hair. The same dusky skin. The same garnet coloured eyes. The same uniform. “Pluto,” she whispered. After a moment, it occurred to Ranma that everyone was staring at her. No. That wasn't right. They were staring next to her. She glanced at Akane. Oh! “Hey. Uh, I uh, brought Akane.” Well, everyone except Chibi-Usa was staring, that is. Chibi-Usa was only smiling fondly, like a person reliving a treasured memory.

“Does she know?” Rei asked. Her expression was guarded, but then, so were the expressions of everyone else in the room short of Chibi-Usa.

“That this pervert is running around at night in a seifuku fighting evil?” Akane asked wryly. “I heard.”

Ranma looked irritated for a moment. “If I'm a pervert, what does that make you?” she asked.

Akane blushed, and said nothing.

Minako looked from Ranma, to Akane and back, and then nodded to herself. Something was definitely different between Ranma and Akane since the last time she'd seen them. The physical intimacy between them was much stronger. Even the way they sat together was different, casual touches much more common, and not withdrawn, not apologized for. Where before their body language had been the body language of friends, now it seemed more like... She grinned widely. “How was it?” she asked.

Ranma blinked. “Huh?”

Minako's grin did not diminish. “Last night. How was it?”

Mamoru and Ami looked embarrassed. The other girls gave Minako surprised looks.

“Minako-chan!” Usagi whispered fiercely as she settled down next to Mamoru.

Sailor Pluto rose to her feet, calm and imperious. “Now that everyone is here,” she said, “I'll begin.”

Everyone ignored her.

“Do you really think their relationship has become a physical one?” Ami asked, blushing at the thought of it.

Ranma and Akane stared. It was like watching a train wreck in progress. They couldn't look away.

“Minako-chan is perverted!” Rei said. “It's not right for two girls to do that sort of thing together!”

Usagi held up Rei's collection of lesbian manga. “Um, Rei-chan, you have these.” She said.

Rei went apoplectic. “USAGI!” she yelled, snatching the offending stack of manga out of Usagi's hands and quickly stuffing it into a nearby closet. “Those are not for you!”

The Inners (except for Rei) started giggling, and Pluto's eye developed a minor, barely noticeable twitch.

After a moment, Ranma realized that Minako was still staring at her expectantly. “Look,” she said at last, “Whatever we do together ain't none of your business, so drop it, OK?”

Akane nodded her agreement, surprised by such rampant maturity from her fiancé.

Disappointment flashed across Minako's face.

In the next room, Luna and Artemis, who were hiding so as not to be seen by Saturn, shook their heads incredulously.

“Maybe now she'll sympathize with us,” Artemis said.

Luna nodded long-sufferingly.

“Enough,” Pluto announced, and the severity of her tone cut through the conversation like a knife. “All of you will listen. Now.”

Immediately she was bombarded by a hail of questions from those assembled. “Where have you been?” “Why did you wait so long to contact us?” “Why haven't you been helping against the Daimons?” “Is that really your natural hair colour?”

Pluto shot a cold look at Minako, who had asked that last question. Minako wilted, and sank back into the cushion she was sitting on. “Where did you expect me to be?” Pluto asked, raising a delicate eyebrow. “You know my duty.”

The others fell silent at that. Ranma and Akane only sat and watched for the moment.

“I cannot leave the Gate of Time unguarded, Sailor Moon,” Pluto said, looking directly at Usagi. “It would be disastrous for the Gate to fall into the hands of an enemy, even for a moment.”

Usagi nodded. Then something occurred to her. “Ano... if you can't leave the Gate of Time unguarded, who's guarding it now?”

The faintest ghost of a smile graced Pluto's lips. “Mirai,” she replied.

The others looked confused. “The future is guarding the Gate of Time?” Ami asked.

Pluto didn't reply to that, but gestured. A moment later, the bodies of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune appeared floating in midair, and gently drifted down to the floor.

Ranma blinked. Those two... what the hell had happened to them? She'd never sensed anything quite like it - their Ki signature was practically nonexistent. It was like they were... halted, somewhere before the point of death. “What the heck?” she asked.

The reactions of the others were more dramatic. Usagi gave out a frightened shriek at the sight of the two Senshi appearing out of thin air, and the others all surged to their feet before they recognized who it was that had appeared. Ami moved to check their vitals a moment later.

“I don't hear a heartbeat,” Ami said.

“I have used the power of the Underworld to suspend them between life and death,” Sailor Pluto announced. “It was the only way to preserve their lives after the loss of their Pure Heart Crystals.” She looked across those assembled. “Uranus and Neptune have failed. The Death Busters have found the first two Talismans - within these two.”

“WHAT!?” came the shout from five voices simultaneously.

Akane looked to Ranma. “What's a Talisman?” she whispered.

Ranma shrugged.

“The two Talismans must be recovered,” Pluto went on. “We cannot allow the Holy Grail to fall into the hands of evil; it would mean the end of the world, and the dawning of a new age of darkness.”

“What about Uranus and Neptune?” Usagi asked.

Pluto met Usagi's gaze. “What about them?” she echoed.

“We can't just leave them like this! Can't we put the Talismans back inside them?”

Makoto spoke up then. “Why would we want to do that?” she asked. Her expression was hard.

Usagi looked at Makoto, horrified. “Mako-chan!”

Rei cut in. “She has a point, Usagi. These two have done nothing but put innocent people in danger ever since they first arrived. They kept talking about how some sacrifices are necessary, and how they were willing to let innocent people die if it would save the world. Why should we help them? Why shouldn't we just take the Talismans and save the world? They're not innocent people, Usagi.” She glanced at Ranma. “Besides. They tried to kill Saturn. What does that say about them?”

Usagi rose to her feet. “We can't do that!” she insisted. “Even if the Talismans are the only way to summon the Holy Grail, we can't do it at the expense of people's lives. Although those two would probably be willing to be sacrificed, it's still wrong! Even if they're not innocent people, Uranus and Neptune are good people. They were only fighting for what they thought was right! They may have thought that some sacrifices are necessary, but I can't accept that. I won't start down that road. You can't get to a good end through bad means. But if we all get together, we can find another way.” She looked directly at Pluto. “Nobody has to die.”

A murmur went through those assembled, and the four Inner Senshi knew in that moment that they would gladly die to protect their Princess.

Ranma shifted in her seat. She had no love for Uranus and Neptune, and while she couldn't deny the rightness of what Usagi was saying... she shook her head. No. She wouldn't let such gloomy thoughts intrude here and now.

Pluto smiled, her cool appearance having finally been cracked by Usagi's impassioned words. “It is good to see you, my Queen,” she said warmly. “I'm glad. It will be harder to save them than it would be to simply reclaim the Talismans, but it is possible.” She held up her hand, and the jewel on the top of her staff floated into the air in front of her. “This is the garnet orb: the third Talisman. If I can get close enough to the other two Talismans, I can use its power to restore them to their rightful owners. It will not be easy to get that close, however.”

“Do we even know where these two objects are being held?” Akane asked, speaking up at last.

Everyone (save Ranma) looked at her, surprised that she would speak.

“What? It's a reasonable question.”

Pluto produced a set of photographs and placed it on the table in front of the group. “The Death Busters are headquartered in this building: the home of Soichi Tomoe. I haven't been able to ascertain if he is directly involved or not, but we should consider him a potential threat at least.” Each of the pictures was of a large mansion on the other side of Azabu Juuban. Every entrance and exit was covered, every door, every window, and as much of the interior as could be discerned from the outside. Pluto had done a thorough job. “We must act quickly. The Death Busters are not the only threat; the Walker in the Storm is approaching.”

“The Walker in the Storm?” Ranma asked. Something about that title tickled her memory.

Pluto nodded. “An ancient enemy of humanity. He has been summoned by... other forces here that oppose the completion of the Death Buster's plans.”

“Why aren't you getting their help?” Akane asked.

Rei looked uncomfortable for a moment. “... You're talking about those monsters that have been fighting the Daimons, aren't you?” she asked.

“I am,” Pluto replied. “The Esoteric Order of Dagon is active in Tokyo, and they will also have to be dealt with. They are no friends of the Death Busters, but they are no friends of humanity, either.”

“The Esoteric Order of Dagon?” Ami asked. Her thoughts were racing. She knew that Dagon was a deity worshipped by the Philistines in Biblical times... was this organization some sort of descendent of that religion?

Mamoru spoke up then. “They're Chaos Spawn, aren't they.” It wasn't a question. At the questioning glances the others shot his way, he continued. “When the Silver Millennium fell, Earth was left undefended for ten thousand years. Many enemies have taken root here during our long absence.”

Sailor Pluto nodded, and when she looked at Mamoru, there was a little more respect in her eyes than there had been. “Endymion-sama is correct.” She looked thoughtful. “I had thought the Esoteric Order of Dagon was no friend to Ithaqua, either, but it seems that the enemy of their enemy is their friend.” She redirected her attention to those assembled. “They must be dealt with, in time. But if we are to retrieve the Talismans and save Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, we must act now. Today. If we wait for the storm, the Talismans will pass to Ithaqua, and we will not see them again.”

The others nodded, and they began planning their attack on the Death Buster's headquarters. Even as Mamoru and the girls settled down for their planning, Pluto glanced at Ranma. “Saturn,” she said. “Come with me a moment.”

Ranma rose to her feet, and then glanced down at Akane. “Uh, be right back?”

“You better,” Akane said. It was clear she was feeling a little like a fifth wheel in this situation. Still, she looked determined.

Ranma went out into the courtyard with Pluto.

“You shouldn't be awake,” Pluto said as soon as they were out of earshot of the residence.

So much for a happy reunion with her dream-mother. Ranma blinked. “Huh?”

“There is not yet any threat on the scale that would awaken your power,” Pluto said, her voice carefully controlled. “Why are you awake, Sailor Saturn? Do you intend to destroy this world?”

“What?” Ranma asked. “No! I ain't got any plans to destroy the world. Why does everyone keep askin' me that?” She looked at Pluto. “Besides. You're the Guardian of Time, ain'tcha? You should know.”

Pluto looked very faintly irritated for a moment, and Ranma had a moment of satisfaction. She'd gotten under the woman's skin. It was a small, petty thing, but there it was. “News of my foreknowledge is greatly exaggerated,” she said. If it was humor, it was deadpan humor.

Ranma smiled in spite of herself, allowing the dream-memories to come to the surface. “I remember,” she said. Sailor Pluto was the Time Gate's guardian only; she was there to prevent its use, not to abuse its power herself. While her connection to the Gate did grant her some insight into destiny, and some sense of major events that were to come, the rumors of omniscience that had followed her even in the Silver Millennium had never been anything but rumors. “Look,” Ranma said. “I ain't gonna blow up the world. I got someone here I need ta protect. I became Sailor Saturn to save her from some overgrown firebird, and I'm not gonna do anythin' that would put her life in danger.”

Pluto nodded. “I see.” She looked closely at Ranma. “You've changed,” she said after a moment. “You're not how I expected you to be.”

Pot to kettle: you are black. “I don't even remember most of that life. I'm Ranma Saotome now, and I ain't changin' how I am just because I was different in some past life.”

“Fair enough,” Pluto replied. She turned and headed back inside. “Come. We have a rescue to plan.”

After a moment, Ranma followed her. She didn't really care about Uranus and Neptune - heck, she didn't even really *like* Uranus and Neptune, and had planned to give them quite a beating if they'd kept on attacking her like that, but seeing them lying helpless, stuck between life and death... she wouldn't wish that fate on her worst enemy.

Ranma nodded determinedly, her decision made.

They had a rescue to plan.

END CHAPTER 07