[Ranma][FanFic] Furies 1-6

[allyn yonge]

Furies
by Allyn Yonge (all...@netscape.net)


The characters of the Ranma ź universe are the
creation and possession of the brilliant Rumiko
Takahashi. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and her
licensees (Shogakukan Inc., Kitty-Fuji TV, Viz
Communications Inc.) No copyright infringement is
intended. The characters of Sailormoon are the
creation and possession of the brilliant Takeuchi
Naoko. They belong to Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai, Toei
Animation, DIC, and all others associated with rights.
No copyright infringement is intended.

I would like to thank my pre-readers. Without their
tireless efforts and endless patience this fanfiction would not
exist.
Angel de la Hoya: first to volunteer as pre-reader. It
is solely due to his early and frequent encouragement that
this story is in it's final form.
Thiemo Guenther: should be co-creator due to his
detailed and exhaustive analysis.
Ken Wolfe:WOW. To have one of my favorite
authors offer C&C. (Secrets . . .simply incredible)
Dave Eddy: Another WOW.And another of my favorites.
(go read Nekophobia, right now.)
H-Packrat, who offered some telling criticism and
corrected a blunder on the part of the author.(and convinced
me that Akane's hands belonged in the "cookie jar". ^_^ )
Pre-readers are worth their weight in any precious metal
you choose. Pre-reading is a voluntary action . . .but
absolutely necessary to producing a readable work of fiction.
And good C&C is harder than writing. Without their efforts
this would be a much poorer story. I can not thank the
above persons enough . . .so I wrote them into the story. ^_^
As always any errors and omissions are MINE.

If you have read my "Love is a Battlefield" and "Bloodfist"
you know what I mean by [dark/WAFFy].
The following story contains some scenes of violence. There
are also some erotically suggestive portions. HOWEVER
there is nothing in this story that is not integral to plot
development. Plus I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
BEGIN Furies Chapter 1-6 of 13
167Kb

Furies

Prologue

Technicians and repair crews scurried aside as the tall
blond Senshi stalked down the hallway. At her best
Sailoruranus was not one to cross. At her worst . . . well
there might be more painful fates. The entire universe hadn't
yet been explored.
"Director Ras, how is the project coming?"
The elderly balding director of research bowed
respectfully. He was one of the few people in the
Imperium that had no fear of Sailoruranus. She
respected competency, whatever the field, while he
shared the Senshi's fanatic loyalty to the Imperium.
"Oh it is coming very well indeed. All support and
control systems have been implanted. There are no signs
of rejection this time. Your suggestion that we tear
out the original lymphatic system and replace it was
pure genius."
Sailoruranus waved the compliment aside.
"The fire control system checks out perfectly with
the secondary . . . "
Sailoruranus cut him off.
"And the primary weapon? How long until full power
tests?" The director frowned.
"That will take some time. I did warn you . . . "
"Show me."
Ras turned to a blank wall and waved a hand over
it. The featureless grey dissolved and was replaced by a
scene from hell. A tiny girl was strapped to an
upright cruciform. Clusters of wires, tubes and cables
sprouted from her nude body like weeds. In front of her
face, at eye level, a cluster of tiny colored hoops and
spheres whirled and danced like a swarm of gnats. To
one side and slightly behind her stood two women in the
garb of Senshi. The taller, dark haired senshi monitored
a bank of screens, while the smaller, aqua-haired senshi
stood by, idly tapping a neural whip against her thigh.
"Please. It hurts. Please." The whispered plea
seemed to go unnoticed as the two senshi conferred.
"It will stop hurting when you get it right. Now,
put the spheres through the hoops, without touching the
edges." The aqua-haired senshi pointed to a screen just
beyond the swirling spheres. On the screen a colored
alpha numeric series flashed past in a blur. "The screen
gives you your targeting priorities. Don't miss any,
don't get any out of order and it won't hurt." So
saying, she pressed the neural whip between the bound
girls legs and twisted the setting to high. The girl
screamed and arched against her bonds. If human strength
sufficed she would have snapped the battle steel bands
like tissue. Human strength did not suffice.
"Work through the pain." The dark haired senshi
commented. "You're losing focus. You'll never survive
activation if you can't work through the pain."
Sailoruranus looked down at the bound screaming
girl.
"What is her progress?"
"Oh, excellent, really excellent. None of our other
subjects have made it this far. You'll notice," Ras
pointed to characters scrolling across the bottom of the
window, "that despite the pain she is accomplishing her
task with better than sixty five percent accuracy. And
the pain inflicted by failure never degrades her
performance by more than twelve percent. There is no doubt
that she will be able to maintain control of the zero-space
insertion AND still retain control enough to translate back to
normal space without being destroyed by dimensional shear.
At this rate I expect we can have a full power test by the end
of the year."
"Unacceptable." The response was flat and
implacable. "I want a full power test by the end of the
week."
"That's impossible. We've cut rest and recovery
breaks to the minimum now and. . . "
"Eliminate them. You can feed her through a tube.
Add stims to keep her awake." She stared down at the
director. "There's a war coming Ras. I know it, you know
it. The Imperium is going to need every weapon to
survive. We need this one, no matter the consequences.

Chapter 1

Things were going badly for the Sailor Senshi.
Venus was down, bleeding form a score of wounds. Mercury
stood over her friend, trying to buy time for Venus to
recover, for the others to arrive.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The Millennial harp sang
as Mercury threw her most powerful attack at the
monster. Again. She was hitting the thing that looked like an
obsidian cockroach crossed with a scorpion. She could see
the strikes hit home on the creature that she had already
dubbed a 'Skroach'. Lightning blasted back at her from
flanges spaced symmetrically about the creatures body as the
creature shrugged off her attack. She had to do something. . .
"Shine Snow Illusion!"
The deadly storm blasted the monster to its knees,
or whatever it used in their place. Mercury had no faith
in her ability to actually stop the creature. Instead she
used the distraction to heave Venus over her shoulders
in a fireman's carry and run. She could hear the monster
raking the air with searching fire. At least the "Shine
Snow Illusion" seemed to confuse it a little. Her
"Shabon Spray" and even the "Double Shabon Spray
Freezing" hadn't done that much. Zig-zagging
frantically, Mercury pounded for a low wall. She threw
Venus into the depression behind the wall and tumbled
inelegantly after. There was a snapping sound as she
landed. For a moment she wondered if she'd left a pencil
stuck in her sash again. Then the pain almost blasted
the top of her head off. Biting back a gasp she dashed
tears of pain from her eyes, brought out her computer
and started checking Venus's injuries. She prayed Minako
would be all right. She prayed the monster wouldn't find
them and the others would get there soon. She prayed for
direct divine intervention. . . nothing fancy, just a few
angels with fiery swords and maybe a Buddha or three
when. . .
"The people of Tokyo work hard all week and deserve
a break on the weekend. For disturbing the peace of Odaiba
park, perhaps the only green and unpaved non-neonlighted
place in all Japan--- plus the place where I got my
first kiss, a place where all young lovers can go. . . "
"Will you blast it already!!" A peevish voice came
over the wall. Mercury was having a really bad day.
". . .to have quality time to. . . " Sailormoon sucked
a few cubic liters of air into oxygen starved lungs.
"But I worked really hard on this speech."
"Just do it!"
"Oh all right. ETERNAL MOO. . . Aaaaaaaa!"
"Aaaaa? What's Aaaa?" Mercury cautiously peeped
back over the wall to see Sailormoon frantically
dodging and leaping away from energy blasts.
"OAK"
Jupiter! They were . . .
"EVOLU. . . "
THWAK!!
. . .saved?
A blast from the creatures right hand smashed
Sailorjupiter into a wall and unconsciousness.
"Sailormercury!" The small black cat leaped over the low
wall into Mercury's lap. " You've got to help Sailormoon."
"Luna, I don't have anything left."
"You've got to.! It's your duty . . . "
"I don't have ANYTHING LEFT!" Mercury half screamed
as she frantically typed commands into her computer,
searching for a weakness in their foe.
"I can't do a 'Shabon Spray' let alone summon the
'Harp'." Ami pointed to her leg, twisted under her. "I
can't even get up without help." She tapped another
command into her computer. "And something is still
blanking the communicators. I can't get a call through
to the Outers."
"Mars?"
"I don't know if she heard the first All Call."
Frantically Luna looked over the wall as her princess
dogged and leaped to avoid the creature's attacks,
trying to gain enough time and space to launch her
"Eternal Silver Kiss" attack". Suddenly Sailormoon
turned on her opponent.
"MOOOON FRISBEEEE !" Hope blossomed in Luna's
face as the monster staggered under Sailormoon's oldest
but now seldom used attack.
"Ha, Moon dust. . . Eeeep!"
Sailormoon almost avoided the creature's return
shot. The near miss spun her around and slammed her into
a tree.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!! Usagi!!" Terror and despair broke
down barriers in Luna's mind that had existed since her
long cryogenic sleep. The crescent moon sigil on her
forehead flared and a call that had not been heard in
ten times ten thousand years went out. For the first
time since the fall of the Silver Millennium the
Imperial Rally summoned the Blood Guard to defend the
Royal Family.
"Luna! Look!"
At Sailormercury's cry, Luna looked up in time to
see the monster blasted back, away from the fallen
Sailormoon. Luna and Sailormercury watched in
amazement as a figure wreathed in flame charged the
fallen monster. Luna groaned in despair as the monster
fired a blast that caught their rescuer squarely in the
chest. To the astonishment of Luna and Sailormercury
the onrushing figure charged through the weapons blast
as if it didn't exist. Closing with the Skroach, the
figure smashed it with what appeared to be an axe or war-
hammer. The Skroach went down, stunned for an instant,
then lurched to its feet and soon the two were locked in
a furious battle. The action was too close and too fast
for Sailormercury to make out any detail. She brought
her visor on-line and started feeding data directly into
her computer.
With the naked eye the battle was incredible.
Viewed through her visor it was impossible. As Sailor
Mercury watched, the armored Skroach threw a flurry of
short savage blows at its fiery opponent. Sailormercury
suddenly realized that the monster was trying to gain
some
distance in order to employ its energy weapon without
destroying itself as well as its target. This was
equally obvious to its opponent, who refused to allow it
a millimeter's space as it clung grimly to the monster.
Sailormercury was puzzled by their rescuer's
defensive posture. No matter how tough it was, the
monster's blows would eventually kill or disable it. And
in this kind of battle a cripple was only someone
waiting to die. Suddenly she noticed an anomalous
reading coming from the mysterious figure. The power
readings seemed wrong. She tapped a few keys. Startled
at the result, she brought new sensors on-line and added
new commands. The Mercury-computer thought for a few
moments then chirruped a reply. Sailormercury stared at
the result. Her head whipped up to stare at the Skroach
and the figure. The GLOWING figure. Her head dropped
back down to the computer screen to see. . .

"oh dear "

God was knocking on the door, and he wanted in very
badly.

Sailormercury dragged herself back to
consciousness. Sucking in a deep breath, she immediately
choked on the layer of dirt covering her face. Brushing
her face clear, she looked groggily around to see Sailorvenus,
still lying unconscious and remarkably free of
dirt and debris. Propping herself shakily on one elbow
she scanned the rubble filled depression until she saw
"Luna!"
Sailormercury rolled over, grabbed the black tip
that just protruded above the loosely packed debris and
heaved.
"Ackkk, phhttt, bleah." Luna shook herself and
staggered a bit as she turned to face Sailormercury.
"What happened? Where's the monster? Where's. . . USAGI!
Where's Usagi?" Luna started to scramble to the top of
the wall when Sailormercury grabbed her by the scruff
and yanked her back down.
"Don't you mean where's Sailormoon?" Sailor
Mercury hissed. "Keep your head down till I can check
things out."
Sailormercury brought her visor back on-line. Then
in a move that surprised Luna, Mercury removed the visor
and cautiously stuck it above the wall, all the while
looking at her computer screen.
"Well, what do you see?"
"Do you have any Windex?" Sailormercury's voice
was strained.
"What! What!" Luna sounded frazzled. "What do you
mean? What do you need Windex for?"
"Because that's what you use to clean glass."
Luna popped her head over the wall before
Sailormercury could stop her. The monster had been
replaced with a six meter crater of vitrified rock and fused
sand that was still glowing white hot.
"Usa. . . Uh I mean. . . Sailormoon. Where is she!?"
"Over there Luna." Luna followed Mercury's pointing
finger to see Sailormoon still sprawled on the ground.
The tree that had rendered her unconscious had also
sheltered her from the worst of the blast and debris.
"Thank the Goddess she's all right."
"Venus and Jupiter are going to be fine as well.
Thanks for asking."
Luna just nodded absently at Sailormercury's
sarcasm, leaped over the wall and sprinted toward her
princess.
"Wait. . . never mind." Mercury muttered and
continued her scan. "Now where is. . . Ah ha.
There it is." Mercury changed filters on her scanner and
zoomed in on their mysterious savior. It appeared to
have sustained major damage, both from the monster's
attack and its own weapon, whatever that had been. Still
the monster was dead. . . Mercury glanced at the crater.
Beyond dead. And they were alive. That counted as a
victory in anyone's book. She looked back at her
computer. Their savior was in trouble. . . power levels
were fluctuating badly, and it seemed to be leaking a
viscous black fluid that sizzled and popped where it
spattered thickly on the ground. Sailor Mercury
shuddered as she got her first clear look at the thing.
It was twisted and bent. Its flesh and features seemed
to melt and reform as she watched, like wax in a flame.
Still, it had helped them. They should try to help it.
If for no other reason than that Usagi would want them
to help. She couldn't move but. . .
"Venus. Sailorvenus get up." No response.
"Sailor V, there's danger!" Nothing.
"LOOK! An Idol talent scout."
"What! Where? I've got my portfolio righ. . . Oh,
it's you? What's up?"
"Not much. Monster attacked. Trashed you, me,
Jupiter. Was about to kill Sailormoon when THAT,"
Sailormercury pointed over the wall at the figure,
standing amidst the devastation, "showed up, killed the
monster and saved us all. It's hurt. Maybe dying. I
can't walk." Mercury indicated her leg.
"It's broken or dislocated at the least. My senshi
form can control the pain but healing it is going to
take a while. Luna is with Sailormoon, and my scans
show that she's not badly hurt. I need you to check on
Jupiter. Then I'd like the two of you to see about
Sailormoon and our new friend."
"Friend? That!" Venus could see the figure clearly
now and her stomach clenched in revulsion.
"Friend!" Mercury repeated firmly, though she
sympathized with Sailorvenus's reaction.
"But. . . that thing is so. . . so. . . " Venus made a
face and shuddered in revulsion.
"We would be dead if not for that 'THING,'" Mercury
replied sharply. "And until and unless we find
otherwise, a friend. Now. . . would you please go check on
Jupiter?"
Venus grinned and hopped over the wall headed
toward Sailorjupiter's prone form while Mercury turned
her scanner on her own injuries.
"Come on Sailorjupiter, wake up." Venus ran her
hand over Jupiter's prone form with a gentle expertise
that would have surprised anyone not familiar with her
days as Sailor V. Sailorjupiter moaned and stirred
groggily.
"Ha, I knew your head was too hard to crack."
"Oww! Watch what you're doing."
"As soon as you're through complaining we need to
check on Sailormoon and then our new friend."
"Friend?" Jupiter followed Venus's pointing finger.
"Ewwww!!!"
"Never mind that. Can you stand?" At Jupiter's nod,
Venus helped Jupiter to her feet and the two bent, but
unbowed Senshi headed toward their princess. As they
passed by, their new "friend" suddenly seemed to notice
them.
"Seensssshhhii." The word was distorted almost
beyond recognition, rising and falling like the cry of a
lost soul.
"Seeennnssshhhiiiii." The figure stalked them, its
body wreathed in flickering flame like the fires of
hell.
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh! Is that all you can say?"
"'Run away' comes to mind, but we can't leave
Sailormoon. VENUS. . . LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Venus watched in dismay as her attack hit the figure with all
the effect of a lightning bug striking a main battle
tank.
"OAK EVOLUTION!"
"Good one Jupiter. I think you made it mad."
"As opposed to its former good nature?"
At Jupiter's strike, the figure produced a weapon,
which appeared to combine the features of a naginata
mated with a war-hammer, as designed by Salvador Dali
and fed growth hormones. It was big, sharp, nasty and
kept melting and reforming. Just like its master.
Jupiter and Venus readied their attacks, hoping a
combined strike might stop it. Or at least slow it long
enough for Usagi to escape.
"Stop!. . . Stop fighting."
"Usagi, what are you doing?" Luna's anguished cry
wrenched Venus's and Jupiter's attention from the
creature. They watched in horror as their leader, their
princess, their friend and reason for living limped
forward and placed herself between them and their
antagonist.
"It's all right. You don't have to be afraid."
Sailormoon's voice was low and soothing.
"IT doesn't have to be afraid!" Jupiter whispered
incredulously. "Well, that's OK, I can be afraid for both of
us." "Personally" Venus put in, edging to the side. "I've
always thought a little fear was a healthy thing."
Out of the corner of her eye Venus could see
Mercury dragging herself along the ground, grimly
determined to defend her princess. Usagi ignored the
commotion behind her, concentrating on the lurching,
shambling figure in front of her.
"I'm not going to hurt you. You saved me. You saved
all of us. You don't have to be afraid." Talking
soothingly, as if to a wounded animal, Usagi slowly
walked closer and closer. As she did so she released her
transformation and reverted from Sailormoon to
schoolgirl. The shocked hiss from her Senshi was nothing
to the creature's reaction. It backed away from Usagi as
if she were the devil incarnate.
"Seerrrriiiinnnnnniiiittttttyyyy!"
Usagi stopped, shocked to hear that name, no matter
how distorted, issue from the creature.
"Ssssseeerrrrrrinnnniittyyyyyy!
Mmmaaajjjjiiissssttttyyyyy!" The creature took a step
toward Usagi, then another and another. A fiery hand
reached for Usagi. Behind her, Venus cursed and tried to
maneuver for a shot.
"Ppprrrrinnnceesss? Ppprrrrriiiiinnnnceesssss!" The
hand jerked back and the creature spun in a circle,
scanning its surroundings. Then it looked up to see a
full moon, hanging just above the horizon. It froze for
a moment, staring at the huge, cratered surface.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!" With an awful cry, the creature
leaped away and quickly disappeared from sight.
Usagi stood staring after the creature, tears
cutting tracks in her dusty cheeks.
"Usagi!" Venus discarded concern for secret
identities in her concern for her friend. "Are you all
right? Did it hurt you?"
"Oh Minna-P" Usagi turned a grief stricken face to
her friend. "She's so sad and lost. So very alone." And
to Venus's dismay Usagi burst into tears.
"Come on guys." Jupiter said urgently, scooping Mercury
up in her arms. "We've got to get out of here." She pointed
toward the road where flashing lights and the dim wail of
sirens signaled the approach of the authorities. With that the
Sailorsenshi vanished, leaping through the rubble just as the
first van arrived on the scene. Uniformed police officers and
more discretely plain clothed technicians from the Public
Safety Investigation Division cordoned off the area with signs
that read "DANGER. GAS LEAK!"
An ocean and several time zones away an ensign looked up
from her console.
"Lieutenant . . .I've got something funny here."
"Funny how?"
"A thermal bloom . . .a big mother. Just outside of Tokyo,
on the bay."
Lieutenant Guenther peered over the ensign's shoulder at the
download from the Key Hole satellite that moments ago had
passed over Japan was now heading for mainland China.
"Five bucks says it's a gas leak."
The ensign was incredulous.
"Gas leak? That's fuc . . .that's ridiculous . . .sir. I mean
look at the energy output."
"Yeah. But the Jap's official response will be a gas leak.
They have a LOT of them . . .in this area. If it were me, I'd
think about going electric." He paused considering the
readouts.
"Still, that's a hellava output. Put a priority tag on it and
shoot it on to ONI."


Several seconds and almost as many kilometers away
a flame shrouded figure dropped to its knees in the
deserted corner of a night shadowed park. The flaming
corona brightened momentarily, then vanished with a
sharp crack to reveal a shaking form in a torn and
bloody school uniform. A trembling hand went to a tear
that ripped through cloth and flesh and came away
smeared with blood. The shadowed figure lurched forward
suddenly to land on all fours spewing bile and blood in
a wrenching convulsion.
"Who are you?" The whispered question came
hoarsely past vomit slimed lips.
"Who are you. . . what do you want?"
##Sta'nat nat o' la tres naz. Sta'nat!##
The figure rolled back up to its feet and staggered
out of the shadows. Star light and neon gleamed softly
off a cap of blue-black hair.
##Sta'nat! L'n trnn om'qin sar ivnrrl. . . ##
"SHUT UP. I don't understand. Just shut up. Leave
me alone. Please. . . "
Her mama and papa were laughing together and
looking at each other with love in their eyes. . . as the
earth rose up and smashed them. . . she was screaming. . .
##Sta'nat. L'n trnn. . . ##
. . .a deliciously cool breeze ruffled the puffed
sleeves of her gown as she walked in the gardens with
her friends. The center of her universe. . . a small girl
with hair so blond it was almost silver turned speaking
laughingly to her. Overhead she could see the full Earth
hanging like a blue. . .
##NTR'LANZ! STA'NAT. . . ##
. . . HATE. . . so much hate that she was sick with it.
Her lips drew back from her teeth and she lunged,
snapping like a rabid wolf. . .
"NO! STOP IT, STOPITSTOPITSTOPSTOP. . . "
Gasping like a trapped animal the figure whirled
and spun. . . slashing and kicking at phantasms that rose
and melted. . . and rose again.
"GO AWAY!! YOU'RE NOT REAL. YOU'RE. . . NOT.
."
Shadows. . . blacker than old sin, crawling through
the ruins of paradise, eating the light like maggots in
the belly of god . . .
"NOOOOOO! DAMMMMNN YOU!!"
A corona of light flared, dimmed then flared again.
A pulse of energy blasted into the heavens ripping the
sky. . . and barriers fell. . . and connections were made.
## . . .amage. Autonomous Defense Mode engaged.
Command Input required. Passive scanners working. Active
scanners on stage one standby. Initiating All-System
repair. Stealth. . . ##
The figure sank to the ground, blood mingling with
tears that had waited a hundred thousand years to be
shed.


"Oh Akane. You missed dinner. I wish you would call
if you are going to be late. I put a plate in the
refrigerator, but it's never as good reheated."
"That's all right Kasumi. I'm not very hungry."
"You're limping! And your clothes! Did you have an
accident? Should I call Dr. Tofu?"
"I'm fine Oneesama. I . . .tripped. I'm just a little tired. I
think I'll just go to bed."
"If you're sure." Worry was evident in the elder
Tendou sister's voice.
"I just need to lie down. But thanks for asking."
In her room, the youngest Tendou peeled off her
blouse. Impassively, she examined the massive bruising
on her side. Turning, she looked at her back in the
mirror. There too was bruising and a large gash running
from her right shoulder down and across to her left hip.
As she watched, the edges closed, leaving a red lump of
tissue. Even that would be gone in a few hours
##Regeneration in progress. Energy levels at 37%.##
She ignored the voice whispering in her head.
##Primary systems on line at 65%. Secondary systems
coming up. Primary weapon recycling.##
Akane moved to her closet and took out her
favorite yellow pajamas.
##Sensor sweep shows no hostiles within engagement
range.##
The pajama jacket slithered over head with a cool
silky feeling.
##Unknown targets detected. No weapon signatures
detected. Targeting priorities assigned according to
estimated threat level.## Akane slipped the pajama
trousers over her legs. As she did, pictures and numbers
seemed to scroll across her mind's eye. There was a
brief flicker.
##Input accepted. All targets re-classified as
friend. Defense priority Phoenix, second only to the
Princess. Self repair progressing. Estimated time to
complete. . .. ##
Akane swung out of her window and up onto the roof
with a grace and agility that would have flummoxed her
fiancé. ## . . .owering down main system while repair
underway. Active sensors to standby. Passive sensors set
to sentry mode.##
Akane let the voice whisper on. She settled on the
roof and looked at the moon hanging above her head. The
rough, pocked features leaped into sharp focus that was
not unusual for an observatory telescope but was quite
unusual for the unaided human eye. The night passed
quietly, except for the whirr and chitter of insects and
the silent voice whispering in her head as Tendou Akane
sat looking up at her dead world.

Chapter 2

Ami settled comfortably in the nest of cushions
Makoto had made for her. She stretched her injured leg
out and sighed in relief. It had been dislocated AND
broken. And even with a senshi's powers a green stick
fracture took time to heal. And it all hurt. A lot.
"USAAAAAGI."
Ami winced at Rei's shrill tone. She turned to see
the senshi of fire looming over Usagi.
"MY MANGA!" Rei snatched the magazine out of
Usagi's hand. "We're supposed to be having a meeting.
It's not for you to stuff your face and read manga.
You're going to sit here and pay attention for once."
Rei dropped down beside Usagi with an air of permanence.
"And not a word out of you!" she cut Usagi off as
she started to speak. "BE QUIET!. Sit. Listen. LEARN!"
Ami stifled a chuckle. Rei had been wild when she'd
found out about the attack and Usagi's injuries. She
hadn't let Usagi out of her sight since then. She was
sleeping over at Usagi's house and even following her
into the toilet at school. Ami had no idea how she had
arranged to be at their school, but had no doubt Rei was
going to be a permanent fixture until the crisis had
passed.
"I know a few things about what happened, not much,
but a little."
Rei and Usagi stopped their fighting and swivelled
to face Ami. Minako and Makoto joined the semi-circle
facing Ami.
"I'll divide this into two parts. First, our new
enemy. The Skroach . . ."
"Skroach?" Minako looked at Ami with a raised eyebrow.
"Um . . ." Ami blushed a little. "Well, yes. We . . .um . . .I
had to call them something and they look like . . ."
"A scorpion crossed with a cockroach!" Makoto
enthused. "An' we'll crush 'em just like a big bug." Makoto
was still angry about her poor showing and eager for a
rematch.
"Errr . . .yes . . .well as nearly as I can tell the Skroach is
some type of cyborg, though neither term is quite correct."
"Cyborg?"
"You know Makoto ,a robot, like Ultra Man."
"Not quite Usagi. Cyborg means cybernetic organism,
a melding of animal and machine. Although in this case,
the machine isn't like anything I've ever seen. And the
animal, well it's definitely not terrestrial."
"Well that's a relief." Everyone stared at Usagi .
"Well I'm tired of fighting all these terrible
things. It'll be nice to have something that's not
terrible." Rei jerked Usagi's head around.
"That's terrestrial. Terr-es-trial. NOT Terr-able.
Don't you know anything you stupid girl. You're going to get
killed. . ."
Usagi pushed her face close to the enraged fire
senshi until there noses touched.
"GOT-TCH-A!"
Rei stared, frozen, at the laughing moon princess.
Then with a howl of rage she launched herself at Usagi
knocking her to the floor. Rei began screaming and
shaking Usagi.
"You idiot. You stupid, stupid, useless, clumsy. . ."
Rei was sobbing uncontrollably. "You could have got
yourself killed, you could have died. Stupid, stupid
girl. You could have died. . ."
Usagi grabbed Rei in bear hug and started rocking
her back and forth.
"I'm OK Rei. I'm OK. Go ahead and cry. It's all
right. Everything is OK." She continued to cradle Rei
in her arms, stroking her back ,murmuring soothingly to
her until Rei's tears abated.
"Feel better now? Here, blow." She handed Rei a
tissue. Rei looked up shamefaced.
"I'm sorry. I. . . "
"It's all right Rei. Believe me, no one wishes you
had been there more than we do."
"That's right," Makoto added. "It was just luck I
was close enough to get the All Call before the
communicators went out." She turned to Ami. "How did
that happen anyway?"
"Perhaps I should start over. The new enemy seems
to be a cyborg, of alien origin. It's covered in some
kind of composite armor that's very tough." Minako and
Makoto nodded in unconscious agreement.
"Unfortunately the armor also kept me from getting
very good sensor readings. And I didn't manage to get a
sample to analyze." She turned slightly toward Minako.
"You saved all our lives yesterday."
"I did? I did! Well of course I did." Minako struck
a pose. "For am I not the agent of love and beauty,
called by the goddess. . . uh how did I save every one?"
Ami grinned at Minako's infectious exuberance, then
sobered.
"Your first attack damaged this just as it was firing." Ami
brought up a schematic of their attacker on her computer.
Everyone crowded around to see. "This 'gun', for lack of a
better word, warps space."
Everyone stared at Ami.
"I don't know how, but this 'gun' can warp space,
basically twisting anything it hits out of our space and
into another. It will destroy anything it hits and it
will hit anything it can see, within certain limits."
"Which are?" Minako was suddenly very serious. Ami
suspected she was seeing Sailor V, rather than Sailor
Venus.
"It was firing just as Minako's Crescent Beam hit; judging
from those readings it takes a lot of power. I'm guessing it's a
single shot weapon. Or has a very slow rate-of-fire, unless it's
got a power supply that I couldn't scan. Which is possible.
Secondly, there is no defense, or none that I can think of.
Maybe if I can get an intact weapon to sample.. And finally,
it seems to be very short ranged. This may be a design
limitation of the weapon or it may
be a safety feature. In any event, coupled with
everything else it gives the weapon a maximum range, in
atmosphere, of less than fifty to one hundred meters."At
the looks of relief on the other's faces she added a
stern warning. "You must understand, within these limits
this weapon is unbeatable. There is nothing that will
protect you. It will cut a battleship in two as easily
as you'd cut a stick of butter with a hot knife." Seeing
that her teammates were properly chastened she
continued.
"These 'cyborgs' are very strong and fast. In
senshi form we are faster, marginally. I think it's
stronger, but not as maneuverable as we are. It's got
another weapon. What's known in science fiction as a
'Blaster'."
"What's that?"
"A controlled discharge of very high energy. . . "
"You mean it shoots lightning bolts." Ami stared at
Usagi who gave her a gamine grin.
"Hey, I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
"No one could be."
Usagi nodded happily, then whipped around. "Hey,
pyro. What's that crack supposed to mean?"
Ami gently cleared her throat. The bickering
stopped instantly.
"I've evolved some tentative tactics to deal with
this enemy." She pulled some papers out of her bag and
passed them around. "This is a schematic of the thing.
I've outlined the weak points in red, with text
describing which attack should be most effective.
Obviously first priority in an attack must be the warp
gun. As long at that gun is intact we're at a great
disadvantage. The tactics I've evolved depend on
teamwork, our superior maneuverability and sniping at it
beyond the weapons maximum range." She paused and fixed
everyone with a very un-Ami like glare. "NO ONE is to
fight one of these things alone. Wait until we are all
together. If there's more than one of them, we have to
separate them and hit them five against one." She waited
a moment to be sure everyone understood.
"Now for our second visitor. It seems. . . "
"She."
"What?"
"She. You said it. It's a she. I mean she's the
it." Usagi foundered a moment. "I mean," Usagi
enunciated carefully, "that she is a she. A girl. Not
an it." At the looks from the others she went on
defensively. "Hey, I talked to her. And she's real sad
about something."
"Maybe 'cause she didn't get to fry us," Makoto
muttered sotto voice. Not sotto enough as Usagi glared
at her. Makoto shrugged apologetically and turned her
attention back to Ami.
"I couldn't get very good readings. And a lot of
the ones I did get don't make much sense. To start with
it. . ." She paused as Usagi gave her a hurt look. "To
start with SHE seems to be in a higher energy state." At
the blank looks elaborated. "All of her electrons appear
to have been kicked up to the next shell." The looks
slipped from blank to vacant.
"Essentially she seems to be in a gaseous state, an
animate plasma." Vacant became vacuous.
"A flame. She's a living flame, alright!"
"Jeeez. Get a grip Ami."
"Sorry." Ami flushed in embarrassment at her
uncharacteristic loss of temper.
"I have no idea how she maintains stability. I
mean, a plasma isn't normally stable like that. Not to
mention I have even less idea how she stays alive. Of
course you need to know that it was almost impossible to
get any readings through the. . . 'energy field', so this
might all be completely wrong." Ami paused to gather her
thoughts. "The only things I can be sure of are effects,
even if I'm not sure of the cause. For instance she
seems to be almost completely invulnerable to energy
weapons. The Skroach's blaster and Venus's 'Love and
Beauty Shock' had only minimal effect. Direct physical
attacks have slightly more effect, but she is incredibly
resistant to even those. She seems to have three
weapons." Ami ticked off a mental list. " Some sort of missile
weapon that fires slugs of extraordinary dense matter very
fast."
"Uh, how dense, and how fast?" Ami looked
embarrassed at Minako's question.
"I'm not sure. I only obtained partial reading from the
single time it . .uh . . .she used it to blast the Skroach away
from Sailormoon."
"It's not your fault Ami. Don't worry about it. I
think you're doing great. None of us would have the
slightest idea what to do." Ami smiled gratefully at
Usagi
"She has an energy weapon that she used that to destroy
the Skroach. I think it's," Ami's voice
dropped to a whisper, "a graser." At the half expected
blank looks she opened her mouth to explain.
"That's a. . . "
"A gamma ray laser. Cool."
Jaws kissed tatami all around the room.
"Usagi," Ami said faintly, "how do you know. . . "
"Oh, I love science fiction. I got sort of
interested from some of the video games." She smiled
brightly at the dumfounded faces.
"Uh, yes. Well as Usagi says, a gamma ray laser.
VERY powerful. Much longer ranged that the warp gun and
probably able to fire more often. I can't be sure
because I couldn't get a good reading on the power
supply. And lastly, the final defense is some sort of
variable geometry impact weapon. That is, it seems to be
able to change shape. I have pictures of what look like
a staff, a hammer, an axe and transitional forms as it
shifted from one shape to the next."
"Any thing else? I mean it seemed to recognize us?"
"What! You didn't tell me that Minako!"
"Sorry Rei, things were a little confused when we
met you after the fight."
Ami typed a few commands into her computer.
"All right, here's the video and audio from the
crea. . . from her."
All the senshi fell silent and listened to the
weirdly distorted voice.
"I've run it through several filters, just to make
sure. It's definitely a voice. She recognizes Venus and
Jupiter as senshi. At first she seems to think Usagi is
Queen Serenity, then seems to recognize her as Princess
Serenity. Here," Ami pointed to the screen, "she seems
surprised by something, turns around almost three
hundred sixty degrees. Looks up. Sees the moon. And here
she runs off. I don't know what kind of shielding she
uses but she disappeared off my sensors even before she
was out of visual range." Minako stared down at her
folded hands for a moment.
"All right Ami, what do you think all this means?"
Ami looked distressed.
"Minako, I don't have enough information to. . . "
"Give me your best guess Ami."
Ami was not fond of guessing , but for Minako. . .
"Well, we've defiantly got a new enemy.
Intentions, unknown. Capabilities, very powerful. But
with only one sample there's no way to know its total
abilities. I can only tell you that it's unlikely that
we've seen the worst they can do." Ami took a deep
breath.
"As for. . . the other. . . I don't know. She saved
our lives. If she hadn't come when she did we'd all be
dead. But she didn't seem to happy to see that we were
senshi. And I don't know what to make of her reaction to
Usagi, or Princess Serenity rather." Ami looked down at
her computer as if for inspiration then back up at her friends.
"I wish I knew what to tell you. Until we know more we've
got to classify her as a new enemy with unknown. . . "
"No."
The single word, silk soft, unrelenting as a drawn
katana, froze the assembled senshi.
"No," Usagi repeated firmly. "She's not an enemy.
She's hurt, angry, afraid. But she's not an enemy."
"Usagi," Makoto turned pleading eyes to her
princess and friend, "I know you want. . . "
"She's our friend."
Makoto looked despairingly into Usagi's calm
implacable eyes.
"Hai, Usagi. She's our friend."
Usagi swept the rest of her senshi with her eyes,
holding each with her gaze 'till they nodded in
agreement. Rei was last.
"Usagi, this is crazy! Luna would never. . . "
"Luna's not here. She and Artemis are out trying to
find our new enemy. Enemy," Usagi emphasized the
singular word, "not enemies. This girl is our friend.
And I'm sure that if I can just find her, talk to her,
maybe alone so she's not afraid. . . "
"You are NOT going anywhere alone." Rei grabbed
Usagi by the shoulders and twisted her around. "You are
not playing video games, you are not going to the mall
and you are NOT going out to make new 'friends'."
"But Rei. . . "
"But NOTHING!" Rei thundered. "If you even look
like you're THINKING of going off to find this 'friend'
I'm going to paddle your little princess butt until you
can't sit down for a month. Do you understand THAT!!"
"Yes Rei," Usagi agreed meekly. Rei nodded
satisfied. She would have been much less pleased had she
seen Usagi's crossed fingers behind her back.



*************************************************

"Kohanasan, please recite the attributes of the
Dragon." The young man in question rose and cleared his
throat before beginning.
"When the Dragon tries to ride the clouds and come
into heaven there happens immediately a furious storm.
The Dragon has the eyes of a tiger and the horns of a deer
and the body of a crocodile and the claws of an eagle and
two trunks like the trunk of an elephant. It has also a
moral: We should try to be like the Dragon, and find out
and adopt all the good qualities of others." Kohana bowed
jerkily to the teacher and sat down.
"Very good, Kohanasan." The teacher beamed at the
student his eyes searching the class until they settled
on. . . "Tendousan, would you please recite the virtues
of the Moon."
Akane looked blankly at the Sensei a slight tic
forming over her right eye.
"Tendousan," the Sensei repeated. "Would you
recite the virtues of the Moon please."
For a moment Akane sat, unmoving and unblinking her
attention turned inward. Then, suddenly, she seemed to
become aware of the teacher and bolted upright.
"Hai, Sensei. I can!" She paused, flustered and
spoke again in a very different voice. "Ummm. What was
the question?"
Sensei silenced the tittering class with a stern
look, then turned a disapproving frown on Tendou Akane.
"Tendousan, if you can not pay attention in class,
perhaps you shouldn't BE in class. Perhaps you would
prefer to stand in the hall. . . holding a bucket of
water?"
"Yes Sensei. . . I mean no Sensei. . . I'm very
sorry." Akane looked miserably down at her feet,
flushing at the renewed snickering of her class mates. So
miserable was she that she didn't notice when the mirth
stopped, like a dog run over by a train. Nor did she
notice the blazing look from Ranma that effected this
sudden influx of manners.
"If you would Tendousan. . . please recite the
virtues of the Moon."
"The Moon appears melancholy to those who are sad,
and joyous to those who are happy." As she spoke Akane
swayed a bit and put out a hand to steady herself.
"The Moon makes memories to those who travel, and
creates homesickness." Akane stared blindly ahead, a
slight tremor shaking her body, as if from some
suppressed emotion.
"When the Emperor Godaigo, exiled by the traitor
Hojou, beheld the moonlight on the seashore, he cried
out, ' The Moon is heartless.'. . . But she's not
heartless. She's not." This whispered protest was low
and shocking in its intensity. Sensei started to
reprimand Akane for departing from the established list
of virtues, then stopped as Akane continued .
"Our hearts ought to be. . ." Tears were streaming
down her cheeks and her voice was choked.
"Our hearts ought to be pure and. . . and calm. . .
like . . . like the light of the Moon. The light of
the Moon shines alike upon foul and pure, upon. . . upon
high and low." By ones and twos the rest of the class
started crying as well. . . not knowing why.
"That beautiful Lamp is neither yours nor mine, but
everybody's. When we look at the Moon, we should
remember that its waxing and its waning are the signs. . .
are the signs that the culmination of all things is
likewise the beginning of their. . . of their. . . end."
Akane dropped into her seat sobbing.
"I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry . . .I'm so sorry."


*************************************************

"I'm fine Ranma. So just stop following me around."
The object of Akane's ire was perched nonchalantly atop
the dugout roof.
"Hey, who says I'd WANT to follow an uncute chick
like you. I got to take PE class too, ya know," Ranma
stated righteously .
"Since when have YOU ever. . . "
It was perhaps just as well that Akane's furious
rejoinder was interrupted by Coach Eddy.
"Attention, please. Because of illness, injuries
and other factors the boys base-ball team will be unable
to field two full teams for the next few weeks. In order
that they not miss practice it has been decided to fill
those missing positions with the best members of the
girls soft-ball team." There were excited shrieks from
the girls (they adored the gajin English teacher and baseball
expert) and disgusted moans from some of the boys.
"Will the following girls please report to the base-
ball field as I call your names." The coach started to
read names from a list. As he did so there were sullen
mutters from the boys team.
"Man. This sucks." This came from a tall, thin boy
whose hair gleamed wetly with styling gel.
"Hey, wassa matter Tomo." Tai leered at the girls
as they trotted off to suit up. "Don' you LIKE girls."
Tai winked slyly. "Maybe Tomo likes. . . " Tai made a
rude hand gesture that indicated a boy who. . . was
different.
"I like girls all right," Tomo retorted hotly. ". I
just don't want 'em messing up practice. We've got a
good chance at the championship this year. . . we need
REAL practice. Not playing with girls."
"Yeah. . . but I wouldn't mind playing with some of
that!" Tai jerked a thumb at the girls who were running,
giggling, out onto the field.
"Ahhh Mannn." Tomo was really disgusted now.
"They're wearin' SHORTS. How the hell 'r they gonna'
SLIDE in shorts."
"Girls don' slide play'n softball," instructed one
of his sage comrades.
"Whooo!" Tai wolf-whistled. "Well they can play
soft-ball with ME any time. Would you look at that." He
pointed at the gaggle of girls swinging back in forth in
warm up exercises. Each time they twisted, white shirts
rose up, revealing a tantalizing band of bare girl
flesh.
"Especially that Tendou chick. Ya know I hear she's
really hot. I heard that she's done it with the entire
Kendo team."
"Ahhh man. That's stupid. She doesn't like boys." A
boy named Kieko leaned in close to whisper confidently.
"She only likes girls. I heard my brother and some
friends talking. . . "
"Bull," Tai retorted. "She likes boys alright.
Hell, she's always with some boy. . . or bein'
'kidnaped,'" Tai leered suggestively. "That Ryouga
guy's always hanging around and she's got Ranma livin'
with her an'. . . "
"But he's her fiancé," one of the other boys
protested.
"Fiancé!" Tai laughed. "Is that what you call it. I
say she just a little nanpa who'll give it away to
any. . ."
A cold shadow fell across Tai and he looked around
to see Saotome Ranma standing behind him holding a bat
in his hands.
"Do you know how many bones there are in the human
body?" Ranma asked conversationally. "Three hundred
fifteen. I had to learn all of 'em."
Ranma straight armed the bat, holding it between
the thumb and forefinger of each hand.
"An' how to break." Tai flinched as the bat snapped
with an explosive crack.
"Each. . . "
Ranma slid the broken halves, one over the other.
Another explosive crack, and he held four pieces of
wood.
"And every. . . "
BANG!
Ranma held eight splintered pieces of bat, and Tai
fell heavily to the ground as his legs gave way. Numbly
he stared up as Ranma loomed over him and crumbled the
shattered wood into dust that dribbled over Tai like a
pelting rain.
"You don't look so good. I think you should go
home. An' stay there 'till whatever problem you have. . .
is gone."
Ranma swept the rest of the boys with a look that
seemed mild, until you looked into his eyes.
"Anybody else got the same problem Tai's got. . .
they better go home 'till they're over it."



*************************************************

It had been too much to hope that the story
wouldn't get around. Akane was by turns embarrassed and
angry. And it didn't help any that Tomo, the opposing
pitcher had fanned her out her first two times at bat.
"Now, just take it easy Akane-chan," her friends
told her soothingly.
"Don't let this guy get to you," came another
voice.
"HEY! AIR HITTER!" Tomo's taunting voice drifted
into the dugout from the pitcher's mound. "Aren't you
gonna' come out and at least PRETEND to be a ball
player. I'll even throw underhand. . . just like a GIRL."
Akane made a noise like a rusty hinge as her back
molars met and tried to interpenetrate.
"Now Akane-chan," came the pleas from her
teammates. "The bases are loaded. This is our last out.
So just stay cool and. . ."
Akane stomped out to the batters box and planted
herself. A few experimental swings tore the air with
tremendous power, but little control. Ranma, at
shortstop, looked at her wild swings and sighed. It
would relieve a lot of her frustration if she could just
hit a good one. . . he watched another wild swing knock
some perfectly inoffensive electrons loose from the air
and sighed again.
The first ball was fast and outside. Akane's bat
hummed with the force of her blow.
"STRIKE ONE!"
"Come on Akane-chan!"
"You can do it. We believe in you."
Akane set her self, pounded the ground a couple of
times with her bat then brought it back over her
shoulder.
The ball was low and inside. Akane swung with
enough power to orbit the Tokyo dome. Unfortunately a
base ball is much smaller than a sports stadium. She hit
only air and almost went over with the force of her
blow.
"STRIKE TWO!"
"Hey. . . ONE MORE an' you can go home and play with
your dollies!" Ranma speared Toma with an incredulous
glance, wondering if he were suicidal or just stupid. He
stared at the pitcher for a moment, wondering if Toma
could absorb enough punishment to make it worthwhile to
let Akane pound him a bit or if. . . A sudden prickling
between his shoulders brought Ranma around. Akane. . .
Akane wasn't seething anymore. She wasn't grinding her
teeth. . . she wasn't mad. She was. . . focused. Ranma
turned and trotted quickly to the pitchers mound.
"HEY. . . Saotome, get back into position." Ranma
ignored Toma and dropped cross legged to the ground
beside the pitcher. Toma shrugged his shoulders and
began his windup. With the way this skirt hit it didn't
matter, anyway.
The ball was a slider, fast and impossible to hit.
His best pitch. Toma chose it just to show her up.
"STR. . . " The umpire started his call early. . .
anticipating what had come before.
There were three distinct cracks. The first as the
tip of Akane's bat went trans-sonic. The second occurred
when the core of the ball burst through the
disintegrating outer-covering. Ranma reached out from
his seated position, snagged Tomo by the sleeve and
tugged him gently aside as the core of the baseball
scorched through the space previously occupied by Toma's
head at Mach 1.2.
". . . IKE. . . uuuuu. I mean. . . uhhhhh. FAIR BALL!
TAKE YOUR BASES." Akane stared at Toma for a moment.
She turned and walked over to the dugout, replaced her
bat in the bat-stand with exaggerated precision, then
trotted toward first base as the first of her teammates
triumphantly crossed home plate.
Ranma let go of Toma's sleeve and the pitcher
rocked back into place, looking more like the statue of
a ball-player than flesh and blood. An acrid smell
wrinkled Ranma's nose and he glanced down to see a dark
spreading stain just below Toma's belt level.
"Aaaah Maaan!" Ranma grimaced. He looked stealthily
around to see that everyone was distracted by Akane's
home run. Quickly he removed Toma's jacket and tied it
about the frozen boy's waist.


*************************************************

Cooking class with Akane was always exciting. There
were always interesting sights, and sounds and smells.
Akane approached cooking the way marines approached a
hostile beach but with less restraint. . . and with a
level of violence that would have gotten her thrown out
of any properly run street gang. It wasn't that she
couldn't cook quite edible meals, her class mates
agreed. After all, she made a very. . . tasty. . . curried
rice. It was just that the struggle to. . . subdue. . . all
the evil ingredients. . . well, after that kind of fight
the poor dear was just too tired to cook anything
complicated. Besides, men were all unappreciative
pigs. . . who should be grateful for a hot meal to swill
down like the ungrateful swine. . . they probably spent
all their time with loose women while their poor wives
slaved to keep home and children. . . The discussion usually
dissolved into a general debate about men, with the
girls divided into two camps. One group favoring
castration and shock collars for husbands, while the
extremists. . . But not today. Today there was no light
hearted banter about boys. . . no excited anticipation of
the perfect souffle. . . Today Tendou Akane was
cooking. . . calmly. . . quietly. . . well, ALMOST quietly.
"Quit that. . . you'll spoil your dinner." Akane
absently rapped her right hand across the knuckles with
a spoon as said hand stealthily tried to scoop a dollop
of cookie dough out of a bowl.
Nervously her classmates squeezed together, like
sheep huddling against a storm.
"What do you think. . . beef for a main course?" She
cocked her head as if listening.
"Well. . . " She sounded doubtful. "I don't know. . .
do you really think. . . " Her face brightened and she
banged a fist against the counter top. "I'LL DO IT!"
The huddle of girls jumped and made a sound very
like. . . sheep bleating.
Happily, Akane began pulling ingredients from
cabinets almost dancing in her excitement. Mesmerized,
like someone who looks up and sees the lights of an
oncoming train, the cooking class watched Akane burble
happily to. . . herself. . . as she peeled, and chopped and
seasoned. . . occasionally stopping to rap the naughty
right hand that continued to make sneak attacks on the
cookie dough.



*************************************************

Delicious smells wafted down the hall as Akane
passed by, almost floating in her excitement. In her
hands, as delicately as if she carried the Imperial
Regalia, she held a covered tray. And on that tray. . .
Akane started to hug herself in her excitement. . .
remembered the tray in her hands at the last minute and
recovered with a gasp and a giggle. And on that tray. . .
oh it was wonderful. . . marvelous. . . beef. . . chicken. . .
trout. . . three vegetables. . . and for dessert. . . a
strawberry crepe. Delicate, paper thin, golden brown
pastry. It was all so perfect. She just knew that Ra. . .
Her mind stuttered away from the name. Anyway it didn't
matter. It was perfect. She didn't have to prove
anything to. . . to anyone. And anyway he. . . anyway some
people didn't appreciate good cooking. Still. . . it
would be wasteful. . . to waste all this food. Kasumi
wouldn't want her to waste food. Her mother. . . Akane
knew her mother wouldn't have wanted her to waste food.
Well then. . . there wasn't any choice , was there.
Absently Akane thumped a lower form student on the head
as he reached under the covering, rendering him
instantly unconscious.
She couldn't let this food go to waste. There was
really no choice. Akane batted aside the chemistry club
as they leapt salivating for the tray. . . No choice at
all. She'd just have to find Ran. . . find someone. . . so
all this food didn't go to waste. Filled with the golden
glow that comes from making the hard. . . but correct
decisions Akane turned the corner and. . .
"Ooow!" Stumbling back Akane twisted to keep the
tray steady. Offended at the inconsiderate person who
would stand in the middle of the hall she looked up. . .
and up. . . and UP.
"Oh. It's you." Akane raked the person with a long
up and down glance. "That's a new look."
"Do you like it? I know the old freak will." Akane
stepped back, startled at hearing a deep, human voice,
instead of animal sounds. The scorpion tail lashed
suddenly over Akane's head to smash into the wall. Akane
leapt aside with a distressed cry, covering the precious
tray with her body.
"Not bad, huh. And I've made some other
improvements." Taro Pantyhose swept his wings forward to
show a row of razor sharp teeth along the edge. Thick
tentacles lashed the air, each now tipped with a poison
spike.
"I've chased the old freak over half of China,
through India and back to here. It ends. . . I'm tired of
this. The old-man's got to change my name this time. Or
I'll. . . " A deep chuckle rumbled in the massive chest.
"Who am I kidding. I think I'll just kill him. . . whether
he changes my name or not. Hey, maybe I should just kill
fem-boy too and take HIS name."
"R. . . ranma!"
Taro looked down as if just remembering Akane's
presence.
"Heh. Yeah. Taro Ranma. Has kind of a ring to it.
And it's not like fem-boy deserves. . . " He sniffed the
air.
"What's under there?"
"Nothing that concerns you." As Akane tried to edge
past ,Taro snatched the tray and held it tauntingly above
her head as he removed the covering.
"Well, what do we have here?"
"Give that back!"
Taro held the tray just out of reach as he scooped
a claw full of beef into his mouth.
"Hey, this is pretty good. Who cooked it?"
"I cooked it," Akane huffed, offended.
"YOU!" Taro chuckled. Then paused as a thought
struck him.
"If YOU cooked it, then that means this is for fem-
boy." He looked consideringly at the tray's contents.
"That means that this. . . and this. . . and this. . .
you cooked for fem-boy." One by one Taro slid each dish
off the tray. Akane stood frozen as she watched all her
work, all her lov. . . all her work, land on the floor
with a splat. Finally, there was only one item left. . .
the crepe. The delicate. . . delicious. . . DIFFICULT crepe.
As if in slow motion Akane watched Taro nudge it,
teasingly, with the tip of a claw. . . closer. . . closer. . .
it teetered on the edge. . . gravity and pastry fought. . .
gravity won. And the golden confection tumbled through
the air. . . end over end. . . falling like a wounded
angel. . .
"Murderer!" The thought tolled through Akane's
brain. He'd killed it. Her poor, innocent crepe. It
never had a chance. . . And the rest. Gone. All gone. All
her hard work. . . S-P-L-A-T. Beef, chicken, fish. . . all
gone. It was too late to start over. . . where would she
ever find the ingredients. . .
SNAP!
Taro looked around startled. He thought he'd heard
something. . . well. . . SNAP. But what. . . He looked down
to see the Tendou girl staring at him.
"BEEF!" She raked him with eyes that made him. . .
uncomfortable. Like she was mentally undressing him.
Which was silly since he was already. . .
"CHICKEN!"
Involuntarily Taro's wings snapped back into the
closed position, tight against his body.
"Now just what do you think you're. . ." he started
arrogantly, Then hastily stepped back as Tendou Akane
slid toward him, graceful as a dancer, with a very
unhealthy light in her eyes.
"FISH!"
Instantly his waving tentacles stilled and curled
up out of sight.
"Uh. . . actually octopus isn't really a fish. . ."
Uneasily Taro began to back away. Step by step Tendou
Akane matched him. This was silly. HE was bigger. . .
stronger. . . faster. . .

Ranma jerked upright from his nap as a scream, like
a cat being skinned alive with a dull knife, pierced the
quiet day like a needle through the eyeball.
AKANE! Damn. He knew he should have stayed with
her. But cooking class. It was not a good thing for him
to stay around Akane when she was cooking. He had a
habit of saying. . . unfortunate things. And she was
already upset. . . and what could possibly happen. . .
Asking himself questions he couldn't answer Ranma
pounded across the grass toward the main building. The
wall exploded and. . . something. . . blasted overhead,
past Ranma and toward the empty swimming pool. He looked
up to see Akane, chest heaving, fists clenched, but
looking unhurt. Just as Ranma started up to her. . .
screams, lots of screams, sounded from the girls locker
room. Ranma froze. . . he wanted to go to Akane. But she
looked all right. . . and those girls sounded really
frightened. . . but Akane. . .
"Yo. . . Akane. . . you OK?"
She tensed for a moment. . . then looked down,
through the broken wall at Ranma.
"I'm fine. . . just. . . FINE!"
Akane turned and stalked off.
Ranma debated following for a moment, but the
screams were louder and more desperate. . . besides he
recognized that look. Better give Akane some time. . . a
lot of time. . . to cool off. Ranma dashed for the girls
gym. As he sprinted in through the front door a jet of
cold water hit him.
"Ranma-my-boy." An obscene little. . . something. . .
fastened leach-like between breasts that were just
forming.
"AAAAAA!"Ranma screamed and batted at the. . . thing.
He cringed as it nuzzled and fondled and. . . "
"GET OFF ME, ya old freak."
"Now is that any way to talk to your master?"
"You. . . ain't. . . my. . . master," Ranma panted as he
struggled to dislodge. . . Sprinting suddenly forward,
Ranma tried to crush. . . it. . .between him and a concrete
column. It. . . leapt off, just before impact, cackling as
Ranma reeled back, stunned from his impact.
"Heh, you'll never beat me at this rate. If you'll
wear this bra I'll train. . ." The obscene voice broke off
and. . . the thing. . . sprang aside, like a roach on a hot
plate, as Ranma launched a flurry of punches and kicks.
Ranma followed this up with a chi blast that sent. . .
it. . . tumbling outside the girls gym. Winded from his
exertions, Ranma was slow in following and lost track
of. . . it.
Laughing with the innocent glee of a dammed soul
the ancient pervert bounced along the halls of academia
looking for fresh meat. Suddenly, senses honed by
centuries of perversion and debauchery tingled. He could
sense what he needed. . . youth. . . innocence. . . virgin
flesh. It drew him. . . excited him, like blood in the
water attracted a shark Except the old pervert had less
conscience and more appetite as he skittered through the
corridors like some poisonous bug. The scent
was stronger. His groin tightened with the familiar
sweet pain. His heart pounded at the thought. . . first
there would be fear. . . fear and the desperate futile
struggle to get away. He liked that almost best of
all. . . almost. There!! He suffered a momentary pang as
he finally recognized his prey. Too old and tough. . .
still there were compensations. The thought of Soun's
revulsion. . . of her poor. . . departed. . .
"Oh, Akane. Just what a tired old man needs. . . a
fresh young thing to ease his declining years."
Akane looked up from contemplating the tops of her
shoes as she trudged along the empty hallways. She had a
brief impression of a giant cockroach. Then a blurring
in the air and a weight. . . a heaviness on the spirit
rather than on the body.
Happosai, master of arts martial and perverted
snuggled between the warm soft mounds with a sigh. Akane
was really too old, the old man thought regretfully.
Ahh, if only he could have gotten to her a decade
earlier, when she was in her prime. He thought wistfully
of how he first seen her. Young, tender, so full of
energy. He pictured her again in his mind. In her little
gi, sweat making dark patches in. . . interesting places.
In a darling little ruffled dress. With matching
panties. Ancient blood, cold and thick with centuries of evil,
heated at the remembering. He remembered other
things. Little Akane in the furo, water beading on her
soft skin. Her back to the window. . . she didn't notice
the thickening shadow creeping in the window. But soon
she would see. . . would cry out. . . would fight. . .
wiggling and twisting. . .
His pleasant day-dream was clouded by another memory.
Of a strong hand around his ankle. Being ripped from his
perch from the wall and thrown to the ground, to land like a
sack of garbage. Of looking up, and seeing . . . silhouetted
against the sky. . . an avenging angle ready to send his soul
to hell. He'd been afraid then. . . for the first time in years.
Afraid that the Kami's had finally come for him. Then he'd
realized it wasn't an angel, wasn't the Kami's , but something
worse. Much worse. Akane's mother.
He was the Master. No mere woman could beat him.
He'd started to teach her a lesson. . . but Akane's mother had
been swift and terrible in her rage. And Soun, the ungrateful
worm, had found his backbone and tried to. . . Happosai
winced as the scar that ran halfway around the inside of his
thigh and up his belly twinged in remembered pain. Still,
makeup and the right clothes could shave years. . .

SNAP!

"You disgusting little pervert."
That was no way to talk to her elders. It was
shameful the way Soun was letting Akane run wild. And he
would tell him so, just as soon as he could breathe again.
"You dirty little. . . "
Where HAD little Akane learned those words. . . and
where had she gotten the hydraulic clamp?
"Always looking. . . leering . . touching."
"Now Akane, you're very young. . . and must be guided
by your elders." Happosai leered up from his position
between Akane's breasts. "You have a responsibility. . . a
duty in fact. . . both to your family and your ryu. . .
After all, without ME there is no Tendou School. . . no
dojo." Happosai went on grandly, in a tone that he
imagined conveyed his importance and stature.
"I am the Master, and I decide who will be my
successor. Your father. . . your sisters, they depend on
you. Their home and livelihood depend on how well you. . . "
Happosai wiggled suggestively against her breasts.
"Listen to you? O-be-y you?" Akane's voice was
flat, toneless.
"Why yes."
Akane really was a bright girl, Happosai thought
fondly. Perhaps she wasn't too old after all perhaps. . .
"Akane, dear. You're. . . squeezing. . . too. . .
tight. . . "
"If you can still breathe. . . it's not too tight."
He really had waited too late, Happosai thought
regretfully. She'd grown up with this. . . attitude. Well,
perhaps her daughter. . . or Kasumi's. Now that was a
thought. A daughter of Kasumi's. His withered manhood
tightened at the thought. Kasumi's daughter, fresh,
gentle. . . easily frightened. A proper Japanese girl. And
if he started while she was young enough to be trained
properly. He shivered in excitement at the thought. But
first. . . Akane. . . misguided child. . . needed to learn who
the master was. Happosai knocked a hot coal from the
bowl of his pipe onto a chi point on Akane's hand, a
maneuver that worked well on Ranma. . . and worked on
Akane. The python grip loosened and Happosai slithered
out. He turned casually and. . . really quite lightly he
thought, rapped the iron bowl of his pipe against her
temple. He hated to do it. . . but it was cruel to let
girls have so much independence. It was a mistake to
educate them. And this silly business of letting them
own property, vote. . . learn martial arts. They started
thinking about things. . . talking back. . . resisting. A
little resistance was good, stimulated the juices. But
too much was irritating. No it was much better for them
if they learned young who the Master was. Another. . .
gentle. . . rap against the opposite temple sent Akane
reeling, blood tricking from her ear.
"Now Akane dear." Happosai moved close to the
stunned girl and tickled his pipe up and down her side
bringing the stem to rest at the tender juncture between
her legs.
"I think it's time that you learned some important
lessons. . . about life. . . proper respect. . . obeying your
elders." Happosai gave her a saintly smile. "Don't you
agree that it's time you learned these things. . . how to
behave like a good girl? The womanly arts. . . so that
you can please. . . your Master."
Akane's lips drew back from her teeth in an
expression that would have resembled a smile only if you
were a shark, accompanied by a low rumbling growl that
would have made a rock crusher lose bladder control.
Centuries of martial practice roused the ancient lecher
from his dreams of perversion. Angered by this obvious
sign of rebellion. . . and when he'd tried so hard to
treat her gently in recognition of her faulty
upbringing, Happosai brought his pipe slashing forward
intending to smash the nerve cluster just under the
breast. A move intended to paralyze the arm while
causing intense pain. An attack that Happosai enjoyed as
much for its devastating psychological effect. . . women
were very sensitive about attacks on their breasts. . . as
for the simple pleasure of watching them cringe in. . .
Happosai's strike stopped as suddenly as if he'd
slammed into Mt. Fuji. He blinked. . . the end of his pipe
vanished in Akane's fist. Akane made a sudden, sharp
motion and his pipe was ripped from his fist with a
quickness that peeled skin from the palm of his hand.
At this point any normal pervert with more than two
functioning neurons would have surmised that 'something-
had-gone-wrong' and slithered back under his rock.
Unfortunately, for Happosai he had sacrificed cognition
for perversion a century or so earlier.
"Master. . . " Akane purred, rather like a cat. . . a
large hungry cat.
"Ahh. . . yes. . . but you don't have the tone quite
right. It should be softer, demure. . . respect. . ."
"Mas .s .s .s .t .e .e .e . r." There was something
about the way Akane rolled the word around on her
tongue. . . not with respect. . . but as if she were. . .
tasting. . .
Before Happosai could decide if this was a good
thing. . . or a bad thing. . . a hand like a power shovel
clamped around his throat.
"urrrrrrrrr." Sounding like a leaking tire and
looking like toad-under-a-tire, Happosai dangled from
Akane's fist.
"Teach me. . . a lesson?" she questioned.
"With. . . this?" She rapped Happosai sharply between
the eyes with his own pipe.
"With THIS!" She rapped him again, harder.
"ullll ulll."
Akane seemed to take that as an affirmative. She
placed the stem of the pipe between her lips and drew on
it until the bowl glowed cherry red. She looked at the
pipe. . . she looked at Happosai. . . and smiled.

"Akane!"
Ranma bounded through the school grounds, peering
in window, looking on roof tops.
"AKAAANEEE!" He was getting worried. . . really
worried. No Akane. . . and the pervert was. . . Ranma jarred
to a sudden stop as the shrill terrified scream of a rat
being ripped apart by starving cats echoed across the
campus.
"Uh Oh."
Ranma turned and sped back toward the direction of
the sound. That hadn't been Akane's scream. . . he was
sure of that. . . well pretty sure. . . but whatever it
was. . . it might be dangerous. A whimpering noise brought
him to a sudden stop. Looking around he didn't see
anything. closing his eyes he extended his highly
trained senses and. . .
"Hi guy. What's up?"
Hopping down in the bottom of the pool that had
been emptied for cleaning and repair he found the
battered form of Taro Pantyhose huddled in the corner,
knees drawn up to his chin. Ranma noticed a variety of
interesting scars. . . was that from a. . . fork? One wing
dangled limply and two tentacles had been ripped
completely off his body. A sudden sound, like the
hunting cry of a mountain wolf broke the still air. A
shudder ran through the huge body. Taro turned to Ranma
with a wide eyed stare, like a baby owl.
"She scared me."
Ranma wrinkled his nose as an all too familiar
acrid odor assaulted his nose. He looked down at Taro's
feet and grimaced in wry sympathy.
"You're not the only one pal."
"She scared me." Taro repeated in a small voice.
"She. . . she tried to. . . eat me." His lower lip trembled
and his eyes filled with tears. "I don' like her. . . she
tried to eat me."
It didn't take much imagination to realize who SHE
must be. Ranma patted Taro's shoulder awkwardly.
"Nah man. I think she just wanted to hurt you
really, really bad," Ranma said comfortingly.
"She wanted to EAT me," Taro insisted shrilly.
While Ranma tried to think of how to respond to that,
they heard a skittering sound. A sound that reminded him
of cockroaches in the wall. Listening carefully Ranma
moved suddenly, shoving Taro's massive bulk aside to
reveal. . . a tattered bag of ground beef?
"Eeeeewww!" Ranma stepped back in disgust. Looking
around he found a stick that had been used to mix
sealant to fix cracks in the pool. Using the stick, he
flipped the disgusting mess over. It was even worse on
the other side. The. . . thing. . . mewled in panic and
tried desperately to scrabble through the concrete
bottom of the pool. Stepping forward Ranma took a closer
look to make sure. . . "Yeppers.". . . it was the old
pervert. . . bare from the waste down. Ranma shuddered.
The freak was disgusting enough under normal
circumstances. There were welts all up and down his
backside. . .it looked like someone had spanked him. . .
with. . . Suddenly Ranma noticed. . .
"Ahhh Man. That's gonna hurt commin' out." Ranma
looked at the tip of the perverts pipe protruding
from. . . he shuddered again in revulsion.
"Maybe a good dose of prunes. . . "
His stomach churned at the thought. Then again. . .
it couldn't happen to a nicer. . . whatever. There was a
sudden low pitched growl that seemed to shudder the
bedrock. The growl of a very big. . . very angry. . .
predator. The growl came again. . . Happosai commenced his
mad scrabble, trying to claw his way into the earth.
Taro whimpered and wrapped his tattered wings around
himself, rocking back and forth.
Ranma thought for a moment, considering what he knew of the
situation.
"OK, guys. Here's the deal. Old man. Hey, old man."
Ranma made as if to bop the pervert on the head,
stopping when he realized he'd have to touch him.
"Listen to me old man. . . or I let HER have you."
The scrabbling sounds stopped instantly.
"Here's what we're gonna' do. The two of you are
certified psycho's. . . you're always kidnapin' people,
blowing things up. . . startin' fights all over the place. An' most
of it's cause YOU" Ranma poked Happosai with the stick
."won't give Pant . . .uh . . .Taro here a new name.
Somebody's gonna get hurt they way you two act.., Old Man,
you 're gonna give the. . . you're gonna give Taro a new
name. You been jerkin' the poor guy around long enough.
You're his god parent for Kami's sake. You're supposed to
take care of him. . . not make his life hell. You're
gonna give him a good name. . . any name he wants. An then
you an' him are gonna go away. Whatever spot on earth's
the direct opposite of Nerimia. And stay there. Unless
someone asks you to come back. An' that's not gonna be
until you guys learn some manners."
Another angry growl, closer this time, forced a
frantic assent from the cringing pervert.
"OK," Ranma said hopping out of the dry pool. "I'm
gonna go distract Akane. I expect you guys to get gone,
real soon. An' remember. . . NO tricks. Or. . . " Ranma drew
a finger across his throat. The two figures huddled in
the bottom of the pool, listening to Ranma's retreating
footsteps. Suddenly a shadow fell over them from
above. . . a shadow with a female silhouette. The two
huddled together like frightened children.
"Gentlemen, have I got a deal for you," came a low
voice from above. "Today, only, transportation to the
Airport, tickets to the destination of your choice and
clean underwear."
The two looked up to see Tendou Nabiki grinning a
shark's grin down at them.
"And, for the two of you. . . a special price."


**************************************************

It wasn't fair, Akane thought resentfully. Kunou
blows out all the windows in the school, pretends to be
a ghost. . . Ranma and Ryouga regularly re-enacted the
warring-states period. . . Hinako Sensei, for goodness
sake, could have a full scale battle with Ranma on the
soccer field. And did anyone notice? NO, they did not.
But just let her break a little piece of the school. . .
Akane winced as part of the roof slid off onto the
ground with a crash of masonry and a cloud of dust.
. . .just let her break a little, a TINY piece of the
school. . . and every body acted as if. . .
"What pervert girl do to Ranma?" Akane snapped out
of her reverie to see another Chinese invasion.
"There's never a divine wind when you need one."
"What? What you saying?"
"Nothing," Akane replied wearily. "What do you want
Shan Pu?"
"Shan Pu want to know what pervert girl do to
Ranma."
"What? What are you talking about? I haven't
done. . . "
"Don't try to fool us sugar." Ukyou stepped from
behind a tree. "Ranchan's been following you around all
day like he was your shadow." Ukyou snapped her Spatula
into guard position. "Something's going on. . . "
"Indeed peasants. . . your feeble minds have struck
the heart of the target. Some foul sorcery no doubt."
The cool arrogant tones dropped from the trees,
followed closely by a tall figure that landed with
pantherish grace. Akane dropped her head into her hands.
"Hello Kodachi," she spoke from between her
fingers.
"Do not seek to sway the righteous anger of the
Black Rose, she who dwells among. . . "
"The lunatics," Ukyou muttered.
"Who dwells among the stars," Kodachi continued
firmly. "The light that pierces the darkness, the wind
that blows. . . "
"Shan Pu can feel big wind alright."
Ukyou stifled a chuckle as Kodachi swung around to
glare at the big Amazon. She started to say something
then turned back to Akane.
"Well peasant. . . what do you have to say for
yourself? Speak!"
"Go away, Kodachi. I have a headache."
"We all want answer." Shan Pu moved to Akane's
side, flanking her.
"That's right sugar. Something's going on, and we're
here to get answers." Akane looked up to find herself
surrounded. Ukyou was struck by the strange feverish
glitter in her eyes.
"I don't know anything about Ranma. Just. . . just go
away. I don't feel good." Akane dropped her head back
into her hands. "Just go away."
"Don't you ignore me!" The Black Rose's hand
snapped forward, releasing her ribbon like a striking
snake. As the deadly tip approached Akane, Kodachi felt
a brief tug. Startled she looked down to find her hand
empty. Looking back up she saw Akane, still with her head in
her hands, and the black ribbon curled at her feet.
"Pretty good, you take away crazy-talk girl toy."
Shan Pu slid forward a heavy mace in each hand. "Now you
try Amazon warrior." As she spoke Shan Pu launched a
straight blow that Akane would have to either block or
slip. If she blocked, Shan Pu would counter with the
second mace before Akane could recover. If she slipped
the blow, avoided it. Well, that would just move her
INTO Shan Pu's counter strike. No matter what Akane did
or did-not do. . . Shan Pu had her.
Her predatory smile of victory was jarred loose as
her mace smashed to a unexpected halt as Tendou Akane
CAUGHT the war-hammer in one hand. Shan Pu's arm went
numb to the shoulder and the mace dropped from
suddenly nerveless fingers. A lifetime of training brought the
second mace around in a crushing blow without conscious
thought. Akane's head came out of her hands at last. Her
free hand snapped forward. . . the heavy mace slammed into
her open palm. . . and stopped as suddenly and finally as
if it had run into The Great Wall. Stunned and off balance
Shan Pu stood frozen as Akane tightened her grip on the
heads of the two heavy steel balls. Shan Pu could hear
the metal collapse, see it crumple like rice paper and
her mouth went suddenly dry as two brown eyes made
contact with her violet ones.
"I. . . don't. . . feel. . . good."
Akane took a step forward with each word. . . and
Shan Pu, as well as Ukyou and Kodachi matched her step
for step. . . in the opposite direction.
"My . . . head . . .hurts."
Ukyou winced as the steel mace heads collapsed in
Akane's grip with a bang. Suddenly aware of the battle
spatula in her hands Ukyou, showing a rare prudence for
a resident of Nerimia, tossed it out of sight.
"Now Akane-chan. . ." she started pacifically. Akane
growled and Ukyou took a step back.
"My HEAD hurts. MY . . . STOMACH . . .HURTS! I don't
feel. . . "
Suddenly Kodachi was right in Akane's face, a surprising
look of sympathy and concern spread across her visage.
Looking about, she pressed a small white bottle in
Akane's hand.
"I quite understand. Please forgive me for
bothering you. I didn't realize. . ." Kodachi stopped
suddenly and drew herself up coldly. "We shall, of
course, finish this another time." Kodachi turned to go,
then looked back over her shoulder.
"Take two tablets, every four hours." With that,
the Black Rose vanished.
A look of astonished understanding passed across
Ukyou's face. She turned to whisper something in Shan
Pu's ear, then spoke to the bewildered Akane, who was
looking at the spot that had recently contained the
Black Rose.
"I'm sorry Akane," Ukyou said contritely. "I never
would have. . . I mean, if I had known. . . " She broke
off, embarrassed.
"Well, I know how you feel. . . and if I can do
anything. . . " She broke off again, and turned to leave,
dragging Shan Pu with her. As they left Akane could hear
Shan Pu's voice, disappearing in the distance.
"Why leave so quick. . . Shan Pu have good herb. . .
help pervert girl. . . bloat. . . cramp. . . "
Astonished and bewildered Akane watched as the two
antagonists went away, then looked at the small white
bottle in her hand.
"M. . . I. . . D"
Slowly she spelled out the romanji as she turned
the bottle in her hand.
"O. . . L"
Her shriek of embarrassed rage registered 4.3 at
the Tokyo earthquake center and prompted a second stage
alert.

**************************************************

"Yo, Akane! What's up?"
"Hi Ranma." Akane picked listlessly at her bentou.
Ranma looked at Akane's slumped form with concern.
"Everybody missed lunch 'cause you . . .Uh . . . anyway
would you like some of my bentou? Kasumi made
it." Ranma winced as he suddenly realized the
implications of what he'd said.
"Not that I'm saying your cooking's bad or
nothing, I just thought. . . "
"Thank you Ranma. That's very nice of you. I just
have a lot of things on my mind right now." Akane looked
up at Ranma's concerned face with a small sad smile.
"I'm not very hungry, but some company might be nice."
Flustered, Ranma froze for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I guess you've got things to do with
your friends." Akane sadly lowered her head .
"No, no,no. You've got it all wrong. Geez, Why dya
always gotta take me the wrong way?" Ranma plumped
himself down beside Akane. "If you want me to sit with
you, I'll sit with you." Ranma glanced at the students milling
around the partially demolished school." I got nothin' better
to do anyway." Ooops. "Uh I mean. . . that is I didn't mean. .
.uh. . . "
Akane sighed softly and laid a hand on Ranma's
leg.
"That's OK. I know what you meant. Thanks." Ranma
stared amazed into Akane's big brown eyes. He was struck by
how soft and warm they were. Ranma wiped sweaty palms
on his trousers. His pulse thundered in his ears. He was
dizzy. All he could see were Akane's eyes, and her lips.
Almost against his will he felt himself being drawn down,
down ,down. . .
"I've got to go! Here." Akane thrust her bentou
into Ranma's hands and dashed off. Ranma sat staring at
the bentou for a bemused second, then leaped to his
feet, scattering food everywhere.
"HEY! Hey, Akane. What's going on. Where're you
goin'?" He dashed after around the gym in pursuit, but
there was no sign of her.
"Hey, Akannnneeeee!" Ranma leapt form roof to roof
calling her name.


"Innncommiiinnng!"
Venus ducked behind a car, then rolled right. The
car and part of the roadway exploded in a shower of
steel and stone fragments.
"Mercury, where are they!"
"I'm trying!"
Sailormercury was belly down in a crater with only
her dismounted visor peeping over the rim. Sailor
Jupiter lay half on top of her, shielding her with her
body and firing 'Supreme Thunder' as fast as she could
generate power.
"WORLD SHAKING!"
"Dead Scream."
The combined attack of two of the most powerful
senshi blasted a small office building into dust.
"Got the bastard!" Sailoruranus was exultant.
"Yes, well that only leaves about a dozen more."
"Oh, don't be such a pessimist Sailormars."
"Would you let me go!"
Sailormoon struggled futilely in Sailormars grip.
Mars increased pressure on her headlock.
"Would you stop that. Baka." Sailorsaturn stood to
one side, Silence Glaive in guard position, Sailor
Neptune to the other side and slightly behind, guarding
their rear. Both very studiously ignored their princess
being womanhandled by the senshi of fire.
"Let me go. I've got to help them."
"Dammit, if you want to help, then stay here.
There's too many of them and they're to spread out. You
might get a few, maybe even a lot. But it only takes one
to get lucky. . . to get you!"
"I don't care." Sailormoon was sobbing in
frustration and fear for her friends. "I don't care,
I've. . ." Her head rocked back from the impact of Sailor
Mars slap.
"LISTEN! You're our big gun. We're only going to
get one shot at this. Let Ami find all of them. Let
Venus, Pluto and Uranus draw them out. THEN you can dust
them. But if you go out there now, we loose our
advantage. And maybe everyone dies."
"I'm sorry Rei, it's just. . . " Sailormars gathered
her tiny princess close.
"I know, I know. I'm scared for them too. You've
just got to. . ." A sudden rippling explosion of fire, and
steel brought them around in time to see Uranus and
Pluto buried under a twenty story office building.
"NOOO!" Sailormoon wrenched out of Sailormars's
grasp and sprinted toward her friends.
"Shit!" Cursing bitterly, Mars pounded after her
friend, followed by Saturn and Neptune. They caught
their princess as she skidded to her knees by the rubble
and started wrenching and clawing at the debris.
"Dammit Usagi." Fright had driven every thought
from Rei's mind except concern from her friend's safety.
"Dammit Usagi. You can't help them. Get out of the
open."
"I'm not going to leave them." Usagi didn't even
look around as she wrapped her arms around a stone that
was the size of a minivan and heaved. Nothing happened.
Her fingers biting into the stone until they bled, Usagi
set herself again, and heaved. Still nothing. Weeping in
frustration Usagi began beating and kicking at the
granite monolith baring the way to her friends.
"Sailormars is right, Sailormoon. There is
nothing we can do here. We must get you to a place of
safety."
Usagi wiped a grimy hand across a dirty tear
streaked face and turned to face Sailorneptune.
"Sailoruranus is down there! How can you leave
her? Don't you even care!." A slight tightening around
the eyes was her only response.
"Come on!" Sailorneptune repeated "We must get you
to safety."
Usagi stared at her senshi for a moment. Then her
face took on a hard set look.
"Usagi. . . " Sailormars started.
The Eternal Tier appeared in Sailormoon's hands.
Wings erupted from her back.
"ETERNAL"
"Princess, please. . . " Sailorsaturn was pleading
"MOON"
"This is not a good idea." Sailormars added.
"SILVER"
"OH SHIT!!" Sailorneptune grabbed her sister
Senshi, and leaped for cover.
"KISS!!!"
A really big noise slammed the three senshi into
the ground in mid leap. The resulting shockwave tumbled
Sailorvenus head over heels for thirty yards and left
Mercury and Jupiter deaf and dazed. Groggily Sailormars
dragged herself out from under Neptune and Saturn. She
looked around to see Eternal Sailormoon standing with
outspread wings, like an angel at the gates of hell. She
staggered toward Sailormoon, limping and cursing ribs
that she was sure were broken.
"I did it!"
Sailormars looked down where Sailormoon was
pointing. At first all she could see was blackness in
the pit Eternal Sailormoon had blasted. Then two pairs
of eyes, surrounded by layers of dirt and grease. . .
blinked.
"I've got them."
Mars looked to see Sailorvenus extending her chain
to the two at the bottom of the hole.
"I did it, didn't I?" Sailormoon repeated.
"Yes you did. Now don't do it again."
"OK, I won't," Sailormoon answered muzzily.
"And for goodness sake, put some clothes on.."
Eternal Sailormoon looked down to see that she was
in her formal Eternal Sailor Suit (i.e. not even a bobby
pin.).
"OK, I will." Usagi's eyes rolled up in her head
and she collapsed like an empty rice bag into Sailor
Mars arms.
"Ami. I need you."
Sailormars smiled wryly down at the grubby girl
in her arms. She was getting too old for this last
minute Usagi-risks-death-to-save-everyone stuff. Usagi
was going to be the death of her yet, if she didn't
learn a little common sense. The sudden appearance of an
enemy soldier shouldn't have been a shock, but it was.
Sailormars looked in horror as the glowing hellmouth of
a warp gun pointed at her. . . at USAGI! Rei moved in
what she knew was a futile effort to shield Usagi with
her body. Out of the corner of her eye she could see
Venus , moving in slow motion. Her hand coming up for a
'Crescent Beam.' But so slow. . . too slow. Rei wept
inside, not for her own death, but for Usagi, and cursed
herself for failing to keep the princess safe. Having prepared
herself for death, it was almost a disappointment when the
upper third of the enemy soldier vanished. Almost. Rei
blinked, unable to believe her eyes. Then trained reflex took
over and she leapt away, Usagi cradled in her arms.
>From behind cover she watched her sister senshi also
leap away as a fiery figure charged into the battle
zone. As she watched black Skroach popped out of hiding
and launched a storm of blaster fire at the newcomer.
They might just have well tried to stop a bullet train
with a paper sword. The figure raised her right arm and
a hurricane of needles moving at .3c ripped through the
invaders. Ten of the invaders were reduced to a fine
yellow mist in a fraction of a second. However using the
weapon seemed to have affected the newcomer for she
staggered and went to one knee, as if she were
exhausted.

##Princess located## the voice whispered. A grid
map of the area seemed to float before her eyes. On it
blinked icons, red for the enemy, orange for
the senshi and a bright pink for the princess. Red icons
were coming in behind and to the flanks of the
princesses position. Cursing her weakness Akane diverted
power to the contra-gravity unit and leaped.

Sailormars watched in astonishment as the fiery
figure suddenly seemed to soar up and over her head to
come down behind her.

##Warning. Accumulators at 43%. Field integrity
below 83%## the voice paused consideringly ##Hostiles
detected. Mutliple contacts. Requesting fire support and
power link.## There was a brief silence. ##Unable to
make contact. Negative fire support. Negative power
link.##
"No kidding," Akane muttered too herself. "They've
only been dead for about a hundred thousand years."
##Input not understood.##
"I said we're on our own."
##Acknowledged.##
"How are we fixed for weapons? Can we use the big
gun?"
##Insufficient internal power for energy weapon.
Sufficient power remains for a one second minimum power
burst from projectile weapon.##
"Is that the best we can do?"
##A larger energy drain will compromise shield
integrity.##
"Well, we don't want to do that now do we." Akane
shuddered mentally as the memory came to her of how. . .
unpleasant. . . and messy shield failure could be.
"Ok, time for a little attitude adjustment." A
short thick rod appeared in Akane's hand. Obedient to
her mental command the rod the rod expanded and formed a
beaked war-hammer topped with a triangular spike.
The hammer finished forming just as Akane lightly
touched down in the middle of a six 'man' formation of
the black soldiers. She had a brief moment to appreciate
the beautifully articulated obsidian armor that covered
her foes. Then the closest raised an arm and lightning
blossomed at less than a meter. Akane shivered at the
sensation, as if someone had poured ice water through
her bones. The soldier seemed surprised to see Akane
emerge unharmed from 'his' blaster fire. He raised his
arm for another shot when Akane pierced the top of his
skull with her hammer putting him out of everyone's
misery. Whipping her hammer free Akane brought it back
and around in a spinning arc, catching a second soldier
just below his 'ribs'. The hammer caught, just for a
second, slowing Akane's recovery as she wrenched the
hammer free with a cracking splinter of armored flesh
and a yellow spray of 'blood'.

Sailormars crouched behind the broken wall,
tending to her fallen princess as best she could. The
other senshi were busy fighting so she was on her own.
Despite her worry for Usagi and her friends she was
captivated by the battle between at least ten of the
enemy and their new 'friend'. All of Rei's doubts (well
most of them) had been removed along with the enemy
soldiers head, shoulders and torso. Anyone who saved
Usagi's life was a friend in Rei's estimation. Almost
gleefully she watched her 'friend' smash the head of one
enemy, then smash the chest of another. Then. . .
disaster. Helplessly Rei watched the war hammer stick in
the armor of the soldier. Just for a moment, but moment
enough for another soldier to come from behind and fire
its warp gun at almost point blank range. Rei summoned
her 'Mars Flame Sniper' knowing it was too late, and
knowing it endangered Usagi. It wasn't the smart thing
to do but it was the honorable thing. Besides, Usagi
would have approved.

The rubble strewn battlefield, close range weapons
fire coupled with the enemies unfortunately
sophisticated stealth field prevented Akane from sensing
the attacker behind her until the warp gun's power
signature peaked just before firing. And by then it was
much too late.
Akane felt as if she was being ripped to pieces by
barbed hooks. She doubled over as a blowtorch of energy
gutted her like a pike.
##Warning! Accumulators at 22%. Shield integrity
12%. Containment failure in 4.32 seconds. Warning!
Accum. . . ##
A normal human would have died instantly from the
pain . A dead man would have risen screaming from his
grave and a saint would have confessed to any sin to
make it stop. Tendou Akane was no normal being. One
hundred thousand years earlier she had been 'gifted'
with the deadliest weapon system the Silver Imperium had
been able to devise. A weapon system that had so
horrific an effect on the user that only four people had
ever survived its first use and three of those had
suicided rather that face it again. The fourth stood
squarely in the path of the black soldiers ultimate
weapon.

In centuries of battle the final weapon had never
failed them. Until now. They watched their strange
antagonist double over with a scream that even their
armor couldn't filter out. Disbelieving they watched the
figure straighten and turn toward them.

##Warning! Containment failure in 3.32 seconds.
Accumulators at 19%. Field. . . ##
"Arm Graser."
##Insufficent power. . . ##
"Override failsafes. Divert power from containment
shield."
##Anti-suicide protocols forbid. . .##
"Imperial Override. Serenity is in danger. Disable
all failsafes. Leave only enough power for a crash
translation to normal-space."
##Imperial Override accepted. Diverting all power
to graser.##
Akane gasped in pain as the containment field
flickered and dimmed. Her enhanced senses rapidly
spooled down to normal and her preternatural strength
failed as power went to her graser.
##Ready## whispered the voice. ##Ready to fire.#
Akane straightened, turned toward her opponents.
They couldn't believe she was still alive. As alien as
they were she could sense that much. They struggled to
bring their own weapons to bear. Blaster fire sparkled
and danced across her shield. She could feel it now in
her diminished state, like white hot iron punching into her
vitals. Enough hits like these could kill her. Or if
they hit her with another warp gun. If they had time. . .
##Target acquisition.##
Hellfire blossomed as a blade of gamma radiation
blasted through armor, stone, steel and flesh. Akane
spun, her remaining sensor capability questing for
hostiles as the deadly beam smashed black armored
soldiers into atoms. It was like using an H-bomb to kill
butterflies, only not as subtle.
##Power exhausted. Crash translation initiated.##
Akane screamed as flesh was stripped from bone,
bone from muscle and mind from body. She could feel her
body being twisted and crushed through dimensions only
dreamed of by philosophers. A normal translation was a
trip to hell. A crash translation was hell multiplied
with a few new torments added in.

Usagi regained consciousness just in time to have
Sailormars shove her to the ground and shield her with
her own body. She could hear the scream of steel and
stone vaporizing, smell the stench of ozone mixed with
burnt alien flesh. This was followed by an even more
terrifying scream. Usagi pushed and shoved herself free
of Sailormars. She could no more resist someone in pain
than a moth the flame. And Sailormars, like all of her
friends lived in fear of the day she would burn. Mars made a
desperate grab for Usagi's ankle, then lunged to her
feet after her certifiably crazy friend. Almost as
quickly as she started she slammed to a stop as she
rammed into the back of Usagi who stood frozen in place.
Sailor Mars started to berate her friend for
recklessness when she saw . . . Their
'friend' was crumpled on the ground, her fiery aura
crackling and sizzling like a burning corpse. Before
Rei's horrified gaze she watched the figures vaguely
humanoid form twist and flow like a blob of putty in the
hands of a madman. With an explosive crack what
appeared to be a battered girl in a torn school uniform
appeared.
Uasgi started to bolt out in the open toward the girl
only to be grabbed by Sailormars.
"Wait baka! You don't know if it's safe."
"I need to see if she's hurt."
"You need to put on some pants!"
Usagi looked down, only then realizing that in her
exhausted state she had not regained her street clothes
when she'd reverted from her Eternal Moon Angel form.
She looked up just in time to see the figure disappear
at a shambling run into the ruins.
Then Sailorjupiter and Sailorvenus showed up
carrying the injured Pluto and Uranus and it was too
late to follow.


**************************************************

Ranma had been drawn to the sight and sound of
fighting with a sick certainty that Akane was in
trouble. He almost missed seeing her torn and bloody
body lying like a heap of trash in an alley.

**************************************************
"So, you don't think it is a gas leak?" The DDO asked
the young ONI specialist.
"This just came in from a KH-11." The Lt. Commander
slid a folder across the cluttered desk.
"The spectral analysis of this . . .event . . .doesn't
match any possible type of gas explosion . . .unless the
Japanese are piping fusion plasma into homes."
The DDO swivelled slightly to face his other visitor.
"Recommendations?"
"Permission from National Command Authority to
activate local assets."
The DDO though a moment.
I'll pass that along to the National Security Advisor.
But I think the President will authorize. Any thing else?"
"Yes. It looks like another series of . . . accidents . .
.are beginning in Japan. In light of the last situation I think we
should move some other assets . . .just in case."
The DDO knew what that meant.
"We're stretched a little thin at the moment. Do you
really think that . . ."
The nondescript man reached out and tapped on a satellite
photo.
"Someone blew a chunk of prime Tokyo real-estate to
hell and gone." The finger indicated a graph next to the photo.
"With what looks like an x-ray laser. A laser of this power . .
.who ever controls this, holds the balance of power. I'm not
happy about the Japanese having this and not telling us. And
that's assuming they control it. In someone else gets control . .
.the Chinese, some break-away Balkan state. . . I think this
needs to go to NCA as a FLASH priority."
DDO closed his eyes in thought a moment.
"All right. I'll send your recommendation. The Navy
isn't going to be happy about this. It's their call but I can't
think of any close assets except the Lincoln and the Stennis.
And they're on their way to the Indian Ocean."
"That's their decision. In the meantime I suggest you
place your local assets on stand-by."
DDO smiled thinly and reached for a secure phone.
"This could be considered and unfriendly act Dr. de la
Hoya."
"Not at all. We are merely concerned about events that
may have an adverse effect on an old friend and important
trading partner."

**************************************************

An ocean away a telephone rang.

"Moshi mohsi."
"Harunachan. It is so good to hear your voice."
"Who is this?"
"Come now." The big voice boomed over the handset,
good natured and laughing. "Don't tell me you have forgotten
your old Uncle Heiro?"
"U . . .uncle Heiro?"
"Oh . . .I can tell you thought I had forgotten YOU.
You should have known better. I have just gotten into town.
Why don't you meet me for tea. You can tell me everything
that has been happening."
The jovial voice rattled off the address of a very fashionable
tea house and a time to meet. As the phone clicked to
disconnect Sakurada Haruna slumped bonelessly into a chair.



**************************************************

Nine billion miles from earth a relay closed.
Computers analyzed data and decisions were made. Another
relay closed and engines powerful enough to melt a
continent roared into life.

Chapter 3

"OK, Akane. What's going on? What happened to you?"
Akane let her head roll on the pillow until she
faced her irate fiancé.
"What do you mean Ranma? Nothing's going on. I
just fell down."
Ranma made a sound of disgusted disbelief that
sounded remarkably like a fruit bat choking on a peach
pit. Interestingly this same sound had been used by
generations of Saotome men to also convey joy, anger,
sorrow, propose marriage, ask/give directions and ask
for seconds at breakfast.
"Why don't you believe me?" Akane whispered in a
pitiful voice that would have wrung tears from a stone
devil.
"It's not going to work Akane."
"What isn't?" she snuffled.
"The 'pitiful me' stuff. I saw you last night after I
brought you home."
"Saw?"
"In the kitchen, eating the ham."
"I was hungry."
"The whole ham."
"Really, really hungry."
"You ate the bones , two spoons and a fork."
". . . . ."
Ranma dropped to his knees beside Akane's bed.
"Look Akane, I want to help. But you've got to tell
me what's going on. How did you get hurt?"
"I fell, I tell you."
"Sure, from the top of Tokyo Tower! I SAW you in
that alley. You looked like something a buzzard puked
up."
"Ewwww!"
"Yeah, and by the time I got you home you only
looked like you'd gone skinny dipping in a gravel pit.
Now. . ." Ranma waved a hand over Akane's reclining form,
"you just look like hell."
"Why you pervert! Are you making fun of my. . . "
Ranma put a gentle finger against Akane's lips. She
froze, a frisson of. . . something. Hot and cold flashes shot
through her body like summer lightning. Ranma too seemed
mesmerized by. . . something. Slowly, as if Mt. Fuji were tied
to his hand, Ranma moved his finger from her lips.
"Shut up," he whispered hoarsely. A shudder ran
through his body.
"Just shut up." Fiercely. "Don't lie
to me. You might fool the others but I KNOW." His
fingers clenched on the bed spread. "I know you're in
trouble. Bad trouble. Let me help. Please."
The whispered plea was more than she could endure.
"I. . . I want to tell you but I can't."
"Can't? Or won't? You don't trust me do you?" Akane
wanted to cry at his devastated look. Her hand shot out
and snatched his sleeve as he rose to leave.
"NO! No, that's not it. Never that. I. . . you. . . "
Akane floundered as unnamed, very new emotions warred
with commands that had been old before neanderthal-man
learned to chip flint.
"You're my best friend."
Ranma looked like he'd been hit by a train.
"I trust you more than anyone I know."
A second train roared over him.
"You're an insensitive, arrogant jerk. . ."
Ranma whimpered a bit as the train backed over him.
"But you're the bravest, most honorable, handsomest
man. . . "
It really wasn't fair slamming a bus into him, he
thought groggily but still hanging in gamely.
"And I love you so much it makes me sick
sometimes."
THUNK.
"But I promise I'll tell you everything as soon. . .
Ranma? Ranma! Get up! What's wrong?"



**************************************************

"Tsukinosan?"
"Yes, what may I do for you?"
"I am Tendou Akane. I'm here to see your daughter.
About a project."
"Oh. School. Well Usagi's in her room. Come with
me, I'll show you the way."
It had been remarkably easy, Akane thought to
herself. Accessing the census data base, cross indexing
with school records and running a filter to eliminate
all but her current target had been the work of
seconds. . . literally. The hard part had been losing
Ranma. 'The hentai baka,' she thought wryly. He might be
a pretty fair martial artist (OK, a great martial
artist, her conscious prodded her) but he was no match
for Imperial technology. She had fold-space generators,
contra-gravity lift capability, stealth shields. What
did he have? She laughed, picturing him leaping and
bounding from roof to roof. She could see him, dripping
with sweat. His almost transparent clothes plastered
against his body like a second skin, outlining every
delicious. . .
"Aaaaak." What was she thinking? The strain was
getting to her. It would be over soon. She concentrated
on following Tsukinosan up the stairs as readiness
reports from her implants. purred in the back of her mind
##Accumulators at 87%. Primary weapon at standby.
Graser at 100% charge, on line. Projectile weapon,
magazines topped off. Weapons Off Safe, ready to fire.##
Boy would Ranma be surprised if he knew what she
could do now. She pictured them sparing in the dojo,
Ranma dancing away as usual. Only now, SHE was faster,
stronger. She could see the surprise on his face as she
captured him, held him helpless. How he would struggle
to get away. Even then he'd never admit that she'd
beaten him. That BAKA! Well she'd just sit on him till
he admitted defeat. No, that wouldn't work, he'd hurt
himself trying to get away. Well, she'd just have to tie
him up. But he was clever, he might have a knife or
something. Then she'd have to search him. Thoroughly.
But how to make him admit defeat. To surrender to her.
She couldn't hurt him. She could never hurt Ranma. Then
it came to her. She would dress him in girls clothes.
She'd dress him in girl clothes and not let him change
until he admitted she beaten him. She would transform
him. Peel his cold, wet boy clothes off. She's have to
pat him dry so he wouldn't catch cold. Then she would
dress him in soft, frilly, feminine garments. How he
would hate that. She could see the petite red-headed form
now, arms and legs helplessly bound, water glistening
where it had gathered in the sweet hollow between Ranma-
chan's breasts. Blue eyes looking up at her pleading.
How she would beg. . . Akane, Akane. . . Akanesan.
Akanesan. . . Akanesan? Ranma would never call her. . .
Oops!
"Akanesan! Are you all right. You look flushed. Do
you have a fever?"
"Uh, I'm just a little thirsty."
"Oh, I'll bring some tea then."
They reached the top of the landing and turned
toward Usagi's room.

##Sensors detect no hostiles within engagement
range. No active senshi emissions detected. Dwelling,##
a schematic of the Tsukino home popped into existence,
##contains two targets.## A blue moving icon and a pink
stationary one appeared.
**The Princess!** The identification was followed
by a sharp hard hunger.
##No weapons signatures found. Dwelling composed
of formed organic products, silicates and zero class
metals.##
'Wood, glass and nails,' Akane thought. The voice
continued.
##No passive defense, no armor, no alarm systems
detected.##
'Soft target,' Akane thought. The princess was
completely undefended. Rage boiled within her, hot and
sick.
**Soft target.** Came the agreement..

Usagi was bored. She'd been ordered to stay in her
room. ORDERED! What good was being a princess if you
always had to do what other people said to do? But the
other senshi, inner and outer had insisted. Rei wold
have been here but Pluto wanted her to do a fire reading
in conjunction with Mercury's computer search and
whatever it was that Pluto did. Rei had wanted Usagi to
stay at the temple, but Pluto and Mercury had been
afraid their search efforts might attract the enemy. So
she was exiled to her room with strict orders not to
stir out, keep her communicator open and her
transformation broach handy. She was so bored she'd even
finished her homework. She'd read all her manga, twice.
She was just wondering if a third reading might reveal
some hidden message in the manga when. . .
"Come in!" She wondered who could be at the door?
The senshi wouldn't knock, Luna would come in through
the window and Mamo-chan was still in America. Who. . .
? Her mother opened the door. Behind her. . . at first
Usagi though it was Ami. This superficial resemblance
vanished when the girl moved forward. Ami had never
moved with such ponderous grace, and barely leashed
power. The room crackled with energy and Usagi wondered
how her mother couln't sense it.
"Who. . . "
"I'm here to talk about the moon project," the girl
interrupted before Usagi could speak.
Usagi froze as the stranger impaled her with a hard
gaze.
"Oh, astronomy." Usagi's mother was delighted. "How
exciting. I'll go make some snacks for the two of you." The
door closed behind her leaving Usagi alone with the strange
girl. Usagi backed away, nervously clutching her
transformation brooch. She wasn't afraid exactly. She
was just being. . . cautious. Perhaps she should transform
now. But if it was a mistake. . .
what if it WAS a project she'd forgotten.
"Heh" Usagi cleared her throat nervously. "Ummmm . . .
I'm sorry but I've forgotten your name." The
girl continued forward, like a force of nature. Usagi
noted her heavy, athletic build, the calluses on her
hands, the empty eyes.
"I, uh, I really don't remember a moon project.
Could you tell me about it?"
Usagi was almost out of room and completely out of
nerve. This silent, grim stalker was unlike anything
she'd ever faced. Her mouth was so dry she could hardly
talk. Quickly she tried to think up a good speech.
'Silent, frowny faced people take the. . .' No, no that
was no good. Maybe something like. . . 'Scaring the pee
pee out of innocent school girls. . .' Usagi's back hit
the wall.
"Eeep!"
The silent girl shot a fist toward Usagi's face.
There was a shimmering twisting tear in space, like
crumpling a sheet of paper. An evil beaked war-hammer
topped with a spike appeared in the fist. Usagi just had
time to recognize the weapon before it was whipped up
and down in a short savage motion. The girl dropped to
one knee as the head of her massive weapon thudded at
Usagi's feet, but her head was unbowed and her eyes
never left Usagi's.
**Sharn ta. Xlaintse, ta ras Neeph. Ra Shach Ran.**
"Huh!"

Chapter 4

Akane's eyes looked despairingly into the
uncomprehending face.
**She doesn't understand. Could I have made a
mistake? So many years. So many, many years. Could I be
wrong?** She looked deeply into the delicate figure
before her, looked with eyes that had nothing to do with
Imperial hardware. This was the Princess. Her mind
whirled and danced, searching for Japanese equivalents
for the "Tongue of Tongue's" that the Princess no longer
seemed to know.
**Sharn ta, Centurion. Thirty forth Phalanx.
Imperial Blood Guard. Command me Princess.** she added
when the Princess seemed unsure of what to do.
"Uh. . . uh. ." Usagi floundered, then heard her
mother returning.
"Aaaak. My mother. She can't see you like this!"
Horrified, Usagi watched the girl spin toward the door,
her massive hammer rising to strike.
"NO! No. Stop." The girl froze in place. If Usagi
hadn't seen her move, she'd have thought it was a
statue of a girl. Her mother was coming closer.
"Quick, hide that hammer thingy! And act normal."
The hammer vanished as the door was opening.
"Am I interrupting something? Are you and Tendousan
getting any work done?" Usagi's mother placed a tray
laden with food on a table.
"Not at all Tsukinosan. Usagisan and I were just
getting acquainted."
Usagi stared dumfounded as the robotic killer of
moments before reverted to a school girl, conversing
normally with her mother. This was too much for her.
Usagi needed help. And she knew just where to find it.
"Mom, we're going to the library and. . . "
"LIBRARY! Oh Usagi, you make your mother so proud."
Tsukino-san fell weeping on Usagi's shoulder. "I never
dreamed I'd live to see this day."
"Moooom. I'm not that bad." The tears magically
disappeared and Usagi looked suspiciously into her
mother's laughing eyes.
"You were pulling my leg," she accused..
"Just a little, dear. Call if you're not going to
be back for dinner."
"OK," After her mother had left Usagi turned to her new
friend.. "We're going to see some friends of mine. Uh,
what's your name?" There was no response.
"That 'Shorn to', no. . . ah." Usagi thought
furiously. The strange words, like liquid silver, seemed
to tickle her brain, the meaning just out of reach.
"Ah. . . wait. . . wait. 'Sharn ta', that's it. '*Sharn ta' is that
your name?" Silence.
"Sharn ta, what does it mean?"
**Weapon 4.**
"Ewww. That's no good." Not, Usagi hastily added,
"that your parents weren't good people. I'm sure they
tried hard. I mean, it's not easy to come up with good
names. I mean look at me, I the moon rabbit. And my
boyfriend Mammo-chan. . . "
This rapid fire speech and random leap from topic
to topic quickly overwhelmed both the human and
electronic logic centers. Frantically the battle
computer implant sought to make sense of Usagi's
chatter.
##Initiating medical scan. No psychotropic drugs or
posions detected. Brain function nominal. Physiology
within nominal parameters.##
At a loss to deal with this hyperactive behavior
Akane finally reached out a tentative hand and lightly
touched her Princess.
"Oh. Sorry." Usagi blushed. "I was thinking about
Mamo. . . " Usagi shook herself. "Anyway I was thinking
about. . . someone. His name means 'earth protector'. So,
I KNOW it's really, really hard to come up with good
names. Wait, wait. Mama called you Tendou, that means
'the way of heaven'. That's pretty. What's the rest of
it." Usagi took a breath just as 'Sharn ta's' medical
protocols were about to kick in to counteract a possible
attack against the princess using psychotropic drugs.
Thus distracted she took a miserable fraction of a
second to comprehend and analyze Usagi's question.
**Sharn ta. Xlaintse, ta ras Neeph. . . **
"No! Your name. N - A - M - E" Usagi carefully
spelled. "Your name is Tendou . ???" Usagi waited
expectantly. The question seemed to affect the girl
deeply.
Concerned Usagi watched a shudder run through
Tendou Akane's body. She blinked, looking bewildered. . .
and her body seemed to collapse somewhat from the
confident stance of moments before.
"Akane.. Tendou Akane," came the whispered reply.
Usagi looked at the down cast eyes and slumped figure.
"Hey!" Usagi grabbed Akane's hand. "You call me
Usagi, OK. And I'll call you Akane. Or maybe Akachan.
You like that? Is that OK? Friends shouldn't be so
formal."
"Friends?"
The voice was so small and lost that Usagi wanted
to cry. She couldn't believe the strong, deadly girl had
been replaced so quickly by this sad and lonely figure.
Usagi made a quick decision.
"Hey, you like video games?" HA! And Rei thought
she couldn't make priorities. "And Ice-cream? There's a
new ice-cream place on the way. With a hundred and six
flavors!"
Tendou Akane/Weapon 4 of the Imperial Blood Guard
stepped back from the raw lust burning in Usagi's eyes.
"Ice cream and video games. Chaaaaaaarrrrrrge!!"
Sensors at maximum and weapons off safe, the last Blood
Guard of the Silver Imperium followed her Princess. . .
into battle?
**************************************************

"That BAKA. When I find her she's going to wish
she'd never been born. I'm going to skin her with. . . ."
Hino Rei had been raging ever since they'd stopped
by the Tsukino home to find Usagi gone. With a strange
girl. Rei had started off damming Usagi's ancestors,
who seemed to consist largely of unwed barnyard animals,
unwashed gaijin and lower daemons. She had then
proceeded to detail exactly how she was going to
demonstrate the error of her ways to Usagi. This seemed
to entail a great many small iron instruments, large
wooden appliances and an appallingly creative
imagination.
"We're going to find her Rei." Makoto had been
repeating that like a mantra for the past hour.
"Ami, anything?"
Ami glanced away from her computer to Minako. The
inner senshi had decided to search as one team, the
outers as another. The decision to stick together was
based on the strength of the new enemy. Alone, the
senshi could be destroyed piecemeal. Even Rei had seen
the sense in that, eventually. The inner senshi were
scouting using Ami's computer and Rei's psychic senses.
The outer senshi were using the Aqua Mirror and whatever
Pluto could/would provide. Luna and Artemis made a
third search team. They'd insisted that no one would
notice two harmless, ordinary cats.
"Nothing. I can't pick up Usagi or the crystal. And
it wasn't in her room so she took it with her."
"Usagi's smarter that we give her credit," Makoto
put in. "And she's got good people sense. She wouldn't
go with anyone she. . . "
"USAGI!!" Minako turned at Rei's scream to see Rei
disappearing into. . .
"CROWN VIDEO!" came the senshi chorus.
The rest of the inner senshi began to entertain
visions of mayhem and murder, or at least bending Usagi
around the edges for the worry she'd cause them. The
entered the game parlor just as Rei grabbed Usagi by the
shoulder and wrenched her off her stool.
"What the HELL do you think you're doing? I
should. . . "
Rei's plans went unvoiced as she suddenly levitated
across the room and into a wall. Makoto rushed to her
friend and was doubled over by an iron fist to the gut.
A flashing spin kick smashed her into a Sailor V game.
"I am the pretty sailor suited soldier Sailorvenus. . . "
Ami looked at the game startled, then realized . . .
"When did you transform?" Ami hissed.
"I ducked out when Rei went flying. Now, go
transform. I think I'm going to need help."
Venus turned back to her audience.
"A-hem. I am the Pretty. . . urrrp." Sailorvenus
gasped as a power clamp closed around her throat.
Another closed on her leg and she was heaved through the
window.
"I the name of the Planet Merc. . . Eeeeek!" The
warm hearted genius girl dropped to the floor, missing a
side kick that would have taken her head off and rolled
under a game machine. The protective shadow suddenly
disappeared and she looked up to see the VERY heavy
machine held effortlessly aloft. Analytical to the last
Sailormercury wondered how many bones would break on
impact and if it would hurt much.
"Akachan. Stop that."
Saved! Sailormercury had never been so glad to
hear that gently chiding voice in her life.
"Now put that game down before you break it. It's
new and I haven't played it yet."
". . . ."
"The game might break," Mercury muttered as she
pulled herself off the floor."What about breaking the
senshi?" Peripherally she could see arcade customers streaming
for the back door and against the wall she could see someone
on the pay-phone. Probably calling the police. She was
brushing herself off when she heard. . .
"CRESENT. . . "

"NO. . . " Mercury swung around, her hands up in a
warding gesture.

"BEAM. . . "

". . . don't." Sailormercury finished weakly as the
beam struck the small dark haired girl squarely in the
back. To Sailormercury's amazement the girl only
grunted as the beam impacted and went to one knee.
"Uh oh."
Sailorvenus's thoughts were untranslatable as she watched the
girl take a crescent beam, then get up, her jacket charred and
smoking.
"Aka-chan." Usagi rested her fingers lightly on
Akane's sleeve, which anchored Akane in place more
firmly than steel chains.
"Hi, Sailorsenshi," Usagi chirruped. "The Youma ran
away just as you came in. You can catch them if you
hurry."
"Youma?" Sailormercury parroted stupidly.
"Yes. You know. . . Youma. . . the ones that were in
here, causing everyone to act crazy." Usagi swept a hand to
indicate the few remaining patrons, huddled under and behind
game machines." The ones you saved us from. You can catch
them if you hurry."
"Ah, right, Youma. Save everyone. Come on Sailor
Venus. Lets hurry after the Youma."
"But,but,but." Sailorvenus was dragged away, doing
a credible imitation of a two-stroke engine with dirty
plugs.

Chapter 5

"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Usagi
asked again.
"I'm fine." Akane had been carrying Rei since
they'd left the game parlor. Makoto limping along behind
Usagi couldn't keep her eyes from straying to the
charred hole in the back of Akane's jacket.
She wasn't happy about the situation but didn't
know what if anything to do about it. One the one hand,
Usagi seemed perfectly at ease with this Akane person. And
"Aka-chan" seemed perfectly content to follow Usagi's lead.
Even to the extent of accepting that nick name. "AKAchan".
How on earth could even Usagi have given someone a name
like that?
On the other hand Akane had, in a matter of seconds,
taken out all four inner senshi. True only Ami and
Minako had been transformed, yet Makoto didn't think it
would have made any difference if all four had been
transformed. She rubbed her sore belly and grimaced at
how easily she'd been overpowered. She'd lost to
stronger opponents before, but this girl was incredible.
Makoto had the uneasy impression that Akane had
identified her as an accidental nuisance rather than a
serious threat when she'd slugged her. She looked again
at the silent girl, carrying Rei as easily as a small
purse. A small empty purse. Akane had picked the
unconscious Rei up to carry her at Usagi's request and
Makoto shivered as she suddenly realized that Akane
would twist Rei's head off with as little effort and
less emotion if Usagi asked her too. Makoto also didn't
like the way Akane would suddenly cock her head as if
listening to distant voices. And she REALLY didn't like
the way she would softly mutter to herself. . . as if
answering the voices.
"We're here."
Makoto started at Usagi's cheerful announcement.
She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't
noticed how far they'd come. Usagi started up the steps
of the shrine when Akane stopped her with a hand on her
shoulder, shifting Rei to a one armed carry with an easy
indifference that told Makoto volumes about the girl's
strength.
"Who should be here?"
"Uh, what do you mean, Akachan?"
"There are six individuals in the shrine. Two
appear to be Sailormercury and Sailorvenus, powered
down. They are located there." Usagi followed Akane's
pointing finger. "There are four individuals in the
outer shrine. Two men, one small, between sixty five and
seventy years of age and a younger male approximately
sixteen to twenty years of age. There are also two
females one approximately sixty years old and a second
in her forties." Akane went on to describe "Grandpa",
"Yuuichirou" and two women who were unfamiliar to both
Usagi and Makoto.
"Go check out the shrine." Akane's voice was flat
as she turned cold eyes on Makoto. " The Princess will
wait here."
"Now just a minute. . . " Makoto bristled at being
ordered by this stranger.
"Akachan. What's wrong? It just sounds like
'Grandpa' has some visitors to the shrine." Usagi put a
restraining hand on Makoto even as she spoke.
"I have no hard intelligence on enemy intentions or
capabilities. They may be able to hide themselves from
my sensors or they may have human agents. I will not
let you go blindly among strangers. Sailorjupiter will
act as a scouting element. If it is an ambush it is
better to trip it with an expendable unit."
"Akachan!" Usagi was appalled "Makoto-chan is my
friend. I won't use her like that! There's got to be
another way."
"There are two alternatives. We can leave this
place. . ."
"Or?"
"I can destroy the Shrine and everyone in it,
reducing the chance of ambush to zero."
"There's a third way, Akachan." Usagi sounded
exasperated. "I can just walk up the steps and say
hello."
"Unacceptable!"
"Well, you can't really stop me can you? I'm the
Princess." As Akane opened her mouth to speak, Usagi
continued, "And I'm Sailormoon. I've been fighting the
bad guys with my friends for a long time now. WITH my
friends, not behind them. I don't send my friends to do
anything I won't do." Usagi looked up at Akane with
compassionate eyes. "They don't like to see me in
danger, any more than I like to see them hurt. Any more
than I want to see YOU hurt Akachan. That's what being
friends is all about. You look after each other. And I'd
rather have friends than all the kingdoms and crystals
and palaces in the universe." With that Usagi bounded up
the shrine steps, shrieking happily.
"Aaaammiiii. . . . Minnnnaaaaa-PPPPPPP.
Weeeeeee'rrrrreeeee hhhheeeeeerrrrrreeeeee!!!"
Makoto looked at Akane staring after Usagi with
stricken eyes and felt a moment's compassion.
"You'll get used to her. It's a wild ride being her
friend, but worth every bump."
"I am Blood Guard." Makoto almost missed the
anguished whisper. "Blood Guard have no friends."

Chapter 6

"This is crazy," Hino Rei hissed at her companions.
"In HERE fixing snacks while Usagi is out THERE reading
manga to her new friend."
Minako winced, either at Rei's harsh whisper or
Usagi's characteristic laugh that shuddered through the
air like the mating call of a castrated moose.
"I don't know about you. . . " Makoto eyed the
arrangement on the plate with a critical eye. With
millimeter precision she move a bean-jam bun a hairs
breadth to the left.
". . . but given a choice between making snacks and
reading manga or being pounded into the ground like a
bent nail, I'll take snacks and manga."
"I say we can take her," the fire senshi retorted.
"If we all hit her together. What do you think Ami?"
The good hearted genius girl paused from measuring
tea into glasses.
"I think, that if all of the senshi, inner and
outer combined their powers in one massive blow. . . " Ami
held a glass up to the light and examined the level with
pursed lips. With the same care she would have used
defusing a nuclear bomb Ami carefully poured tea from a
pitcher into the glass.
". . .while Akanesan was asleep. . . "
Satisfied with the results, Ami carefully put that
glass down and picked up the next in line, repeating the
procedure.
". . .I think we could probably seriously irritate
her while suffering no more than 100% casualties."
Rei stared at Ami, popeyed. Makoto closed Rei's
drooping jaw with a gentle finger.
"You're kidding, right. She can't be that
powerful." Rei finally found her voice. Ami turned
serious eyes on the rest of her friends.
"I'm not kidding. Oh, we could probably take her if
we really tried. Maybe even without the outer senshi.
But it would seriously weaken us in the attempt." She
fixed Rei with a stern look. "I've got serious
reservations about Akanesan myself. But she's not
actively hostile right now. We've already got one new
enemy, we can't afford to make another."
"And she did save us, or Usagi at least, twice,"
Minako added.
"But what about the game parlor? She just attacked
us for no reason."
"You may not lay hands on the princess."
"AAAAAAAAAA!" Rei shrieked as the strange voice
suddenly spoke in cool even tones behind her. Small,
strong fingers snatched the tray of snacks from the air
before it could spill.
"The princ. . . Usagi wanted more snacks." Akane
turned to go.
"And you do everything Usagi asks don't you."
Fright made Rei more sarcastic than usual. "Just like a
good dog."
Akane froze in the doorway. Slowly she turned.
Empty brown eyes fixed Rei like a missile targeting
system. Step by slow inexorable step Akane approached.
Rei backed one involuntary pace, then held her ground.
Around her the other senshi wondered if they could
transform in time to save their friend. Snack filled
tray held steady in one hand out to the side Akane
stopped directly in front of Rei, no more than the width
of a cheap paperback separating them. Rei was startled
to notice that she was taller than Akane by several
inches. Then again Akane's diminutive stature might make
it more convenient for her to pull Rei's spine out
through her belly button. Akane rose on tip-toes till
she was almost nose-to-nose with Rei.
"WOOF!"
"If you'll excuse me," came a tiny voice from
Minako as Akane disappeared from the kitchen, "I need to
use the bathroom."
"Well at least," a very shaken Ami added, "we know
she has a sense of humor."
"Sort of. Hey wait up Minako." Makoto called after
her friend. "I need to change my panties too."

"So do you have any hobbies Akane?" Usagi burbled
around a pork bun, like Diogenes with a mouth full of
pebbles. "Rei likes to sing and write songs. She wants
to be an Idol. And Minna-P is a great athlete. She's
really good at volleyball. Do you like volleyball? I bet
you'd be good. I'm not very good at sports. Could you
tell? But I like to watch."
Fragments of words and food sprayed the air
impartially. The senshi were used to this behavior, but
watched their visitor in trepidation. Akane sat
motionless and expressionless under the verbal and
culinary assault.
"Ami likes to play chess. Do you play chess? I play
chess. Well not really. I like to pretend that I'm the
princess. I know it's really a queen, but I pretend I'm
a princess, and the chess board is a beautiful ball
room and we're all dancing and this handsome knight,
who's really the prince in disguise, and I know it's a
king, but I pretend. . ." The senshi watched fascinated as
Akane, with exquisite precision, plucked pieces of bean-
jam, pork, maple and other assorted sweet buns from
Usagi's hair and clothes, like a tigress grooming her
cub.
". . .swimming. I'm not very good but Ami is great. I
think she loves swimming more than anything except
thinking. And you can think while swimming, I think."
Usagi turned her beautiful eyes to Akane. "Do YOU like
to swim? We could go to the beach and swim together.
That would be lots of fun. I like the beach."
Worriedly the senshi noticed Akane jerk slightly
and a shudder run through her body at Usagi's words.
". . . koto is really strong. People were afraid of
her, but I wasn't because of her good bento. I think
bento tells you a lot about people. I can always tell
about people by the food they make. Makoto is a great
cook. She wants to start her own restaurant. Do you
like to cook? I bet you're a good cook."
Akane started to jerk and shudder.
". . . to the beach and have a party. You and Makoto
could cook and. . . "
Noises like a rock-crusher choking on a Honda
emanated from Akane's now visibly shuddering body.
"She's having convulsions," Ami exclaimed.
"No," Rei snarled, "she's powering up for an
attack.
"She's laughing," Usagi comfortably asserted,
patting Akane gently on the back as she writhed on the
floor like an eel in a blender.
"Whooooo! Coooookkkk." Akane's heels drummed on the
floor. "Hehehehehe! Swiiiimmmmmmm!" She banged the floor
till the walls shuddered. "I'll go swimming, then cook.
NO! Cook first, then swim." She howled, tears streaming
down her face. "NO! NO! I've got it, I'll cook WHILE I'm
swimming."
"Feel better now? Here, blow." Usagi pressed a
tissue into Akane's hands. "Now why don't we have a nice
talk. I'm sure you must have some questions. I know we
do."
"You did that on purpose!" Akane accused wiping her
face with another tissue.
"Well, everybody was getting all serious."
"I'm Blood Guar. . . "
Usagi shushed Akane pressing a finger to her lips.
"You're my friend Akachan. Nothing else. And none
of this "Blood Guard have no friends" stuff. What do you
think this is, a remake of the Forty Seven Ronnin? I've
got very good hearing." Usagi added at Akane's amazed,
questioning look.
"Do you mind if we ask you some questions Tendou-
san?" Ami asked quietly.
Akane's eyes lost focus for a moment and her lips
moved silently. Her eyes came back into focus and she
turned to face Ami.
"All right. Ask. I'll answer if I can."
"Just who are you, where do you come from?" Minako
asked.
Akane's lips quirked in a smile at some private
joke.
"Which life time?"
Minako seemed stumped for a moment, then grinned.
"OK, you've got me. Let's start with. . . are you a
senshi?"
Minako had a brief thought that perhaps she
shouldn't have asked that question as a look of
murderous rage passed over Akane's face. Then Akane
shook herself slightly and the look passed as if it had
never been.
"No, I am not a senshi."
"Well, what are you?"
"Ami-chan, you shouldn't be so blunt."
Ami blushed, but persisted. "I know you have great
power, but I'm not sure what kind of power, where it
comes from or how. . . "
Akane's eyes lost focus again and she seemed to be
involved in some internal debate. The senshi were
starting to become concerned at their guest's actions
all except for Usagi and Rei. Usagi because she didn't
notice anything unusual, and Rei because she'd never
stopped being concerned.
"The Silver Imperium was a master of all space."
Ami started as Akane suddenly began to speak.
"Not just of our space, that we normally perceive,
but all spaces, all dimensions. And with that ability. . .
with that ability they created. . . paradise." Rei
shivered at the bitterness she heard in Akane's voice.
"Uh, excuse me," Minako squeaked embarrassedly,
raising her hand "but what do you mean? Why did this
make them so powerful?"
Akane thought a bit, them began a quick sketch of
stick figures on a napkin.
"OH, KAWAII!." Usagi exclaimed. " Look Minako!
Isn't this. . . " She snatched the picture from Akane and
spun around to show Minako. And as she did her long hair
whipped through the air and swept a crystal bowl from a
low shelf.
"Ooooh! Rei I'm so sorry. I. . . "Usagi's voice
trailed off as she noticed Akane staring at the crystal
shards.
"A . .Akanechan? Are you all right?"
Akane didn't appear to hear Usagi and remained
staring at the broken glass for another silent moment.
Then, slowly, carefully she scooped up the broken glass
in both hands.
"Akane! Be careful. . . you'll cut your. . . "
Even as Usagi cried her warning Akane brought her
hands together, pressing the glass fragments together.
As the gathered senshi watched, amazed, the brittle
razor sharp bits of glass melted and flowed like wax.
"What are you. . . "
"Ami! How is she. . . "
Oblivious to the startled babble surrounding her
Akane focused on the semi-liquid mass in her hands.
Under the watchful gaze of Usagi and her friends Akane
gently molded the glass with quick delicate motions. As
the senshi watched a cloud of tiny crystal butterflies
arose from a pool of water. A crescent moon was
reflected in the rippling pool. Standing sentinel around
the pool were four figures. To the north, a majestic
tree, its towering green branches tangled with captured
lightning. Broad limbs and sturdy trunk stood as a
bulwark against any danger that might threaten. In the
east, a cool blue river flowed into the pool while in
the north burned a brilliant fire bathing the pool and
the butterflies in a golden light. And in the south. . .
in the south a phoenix rose from a bed of red flame. . .
beak open as it cried warning. . . wings outstretched
protectively. Silently Akane handed the finished work to
Usagi.
"Akane-chan. . . it's beautiful."
Almost against her will Makoto reached out to trace
the tree with a gentle hand.
"I've never seen anything like this. I wish I could
make something this beautiful."
"So do I," Akane said wistfully, looking at the
creation of her hands.
Ami blinked at this odd statement. Before she could
ask about it Akane had retrieved the napkin with the
stick figures and continued her explanation of Imperial
technology.
"Now imagine that this is a two-dimensional world
called flat-land. The people living here can go left and
right, up and down. But they can never go OUT. They
can't even imagine the possibility. But suppose some one
from the THIRD dimension, ours, appeared in flat land.
The flat landers would never be able to see all of her,
just a thin cross section. They could never hurt her or
even catch her. By moving OUT of their world into the
third dimension she would seem to disappear or walk
through walls. She could travel instantly to any part of
their world, or reach inside of their bodies. The flat-
landers would be helpless against her. The Silver
Imperium mastered the ability to travel among different
dimensions."
"How many dimensions?" Ami asked fascinated.
"How many would you like? There are as many
dimensions as you can conceive." Akane thought for a
moment.
"The Imperium could fold an entire world, like you
would fold this piece of paper," Akane pressed "flat-
land' into a small square "and as easily move it" the
paper went into her pocket,"or destroy it." Akane tore
"flat-land" into strips and let the pieces flutter to
the floor.
"Whaaaaa. You killed them!" Usagi looked teary eyed
at the torn scraps and scrabbled to piece them together.
"Baka! It's not real." Rei stormed "It's only make-
beli. . . " She paused as Akane put a hand on Usagi's
shoulder.
"Forgive me, Princess."
Akane gently removed the paper from Usagi's hand.
Pressing them between her palms she closed her eyes and
concentrated. It was different this time. The calm
almost ecstatic look that had accompanied the previous
creation was gone. Instead as they watched her features
seemed to melt and run together. Her body seemed to
shimmer and the air around her shifted and twisted. As
suddenly as it had begun, Akane snapped back to
normalcy. She opened her hands and handed Usagi "flat-
land", restored and unblemished.
"How. . . " Ami couldn't believe what she had just
seen, let alone what her computer was telling her. Akane
had, somehow, un-torn the paper. As impossible as un-
burning a log. But she had done it.
Akane sat silent and bloodless, panting as if she'd
run the Iron-man. Twice. In plate armor. Usagi,
concerned, cradled Akane's head between her palms. A
white light flared. When it faded Akane sat blinking in
astonishment, completely recovered.
"Princess! You should not. . . "
"Hush, I was just being silly, crying over nothing.
YOU should not do things that could hurt you like that."
"You are my princess. My life is yours."Akane said
this with such simple certainty that Usagi and the
senshi were struck dumb. Minako was the first to recover
her voice.
"Ok, what was that all about. How did you do that?
How do you do any of the stuff you do?"
"As I said, the Imperium mastered dimensions. They
could travel through all space and time. My abilities
are based on that technology."
"You move through different dimensions?"
"Through them. And between them."Akane raised her
shirt and outlined a faint angularity beneath her skin.
"This implant generates a. . . I suppose that dimensional
shift is the best approximation. I am shifted, randomly
from dimension, to dimension. But this shift is not
instantaneous , and because of this small 'dwell time'
it is possible for me to remain between dimensions. . .
what they termed 'zero space'. The theory was that as
long as I was in 'zero space' I was invulnerable."
"Yeah, but you've been hurt. I saw you bleeding."
"Minako!"
"Sorry, Usagi. Sorry Akane. But I saw you bleed . . .or
something."
"Oh, I was bleeding alright. And if my containment shield
is weak things can . . .uh . . .leak through."
"But . . .it was BLACK . . .and it ate holes in the
ground."
"Passing through dimensions changes physical
characteristics." Akane tilted her head to one side, as if
listening to . . .someone." As a matter of fact . . .Sailorjupiter
liked to pass biscuit dough through the eighth dimension
before baking . . .said it made a really light and flaky biscuit.."
There was a moment of stunned silence at this pronouncement
before Minako broke the impasse.
"Umm . . .but what about your being hurt . . .I mean if
this . . .uh . . .zero-space stuff makes you invulnerable . . ."
Well, I wouldn't be much use if I stayed always
between. . . "
"You wouldn't be able to affect anything in THIS
dimension," Ami exclaimed excitedly, then blushed as she
realized she'd interrupted.
"That's right. So the implant phases me into this
dimension, briefly. The phase generator can control how much
of . . .me . . .is in any dimension. Usually just enough to act in
normal-space. The rest of me stays 'safely' in zero-space. That
takes a lot of energy though. And while that allows me to
interact here, it also allows others to act on me. I can be hurt,
but it's very hard to do so It's also . . .uncomfortable"
Everyone winced at this obvious understatement. "Having your
body spread through several dimensions is a little
like . . ."Akane pause trying to think of a suitable analogy.
"Imagine sticking your hand through a meat-grinder to get to
your pencil-box. . .putting the hand back together on the other
side . . . writing your class notes . . .pulling BACK through the
grinder . . .and putting the hand back to normal. That's what it
feels like . . .only not as comfortable."
"But . . .doesn't your 'containment shield' protect
you?" Ami questioned. "And what is that 'plasma' effect?"
"The containment shield does just that . . .it 'contains
me', like a pitcher holds water. It keeps me from being . .
.umm . . .lost. . . .like water pouring out of a busted pitcher.
Only in my case it would look more like dynamiting a rotten
apple." Akane put her fingertips together and drew them apart
in an expanding motion. ."Boooom." Usagi looked sick at the
notion of Akane exploding and the rest of the senshi didn't
look much better. "And by 'plasma' I guess you're talking
about the shield/n-space interface. I don't have the math to
explain it exactly but what you're seeing is me or a cross-
section of me spread through several dimensions. I've never
seen it myself . . .never thought to look for a mirror . . .but
I've been told it looks . . .strange."
"I've got a question!" Rei challenged. Everyone
turned to look at her. "Well, I do have a question. Why
did you show up now. And where have you been. I mean
were did you get all of your weapons and. . . stuff. . ."
she trailed off weakly.
"Where did YOU come from!" Akane grinned at the
dirty look Rei gave her. "In my case someone called me."
"Huh?"
"Someone, I don't know who, sounded the Imperial
Rally. All Blood Guard have to answer. Even dead ones."
Usagi gapped at that last statement.
"Are. . . are you a GHOST Akachan?" Akane gave a real
chuckle at that.
"Don't get me started again. No, I'm not a ghost.
And until a few days ago I was a normal girl. Well
except for being the re-incarnation of a dead moon
alien." She trailed off muttering to herself. "And
except for the Chinese bimbo, and the ghost-cat, and the
demon doll and Saffron and. . . "
"Uh Akane, are you all right?"
"Sorry, sorry. Just thinking about something else.
No, until the Imperial Rally 'woke' me up I was just
ordinary girl. And when I woke up my spirit, I guess you
could say, called my weapons out of storage, like you
call your weapons out of storage when you transform."
Ami started to ask another question when Usagi spoke up.
"It's getting late." She pointed out the window
where the evening shadows were gathering like ravens.
"Akachan must be tired. We should let her go home
and rest. We can see her later and talk some more."
Usagi took Akane's hand and led her toward the door,
effectively ending the inquisition for the night. "I'll
see you later Akachan."
"You can talk to me anytime. I'm going home with
you." Usagi looked startled, which didn't begin to
describe Rei's expression.
"That Blood Guard thing again." Usagi frowned.
"Akachan, let's not fight over this. I'll be fine."
Akane looked mutinous and Usagi continued.
"Look, I've survived Beryl, the Doom Tree, Galaxia
and Entrance Exams. I'll be fine. And if there's any
trouble I'll call. I promise." Usagi stopped as she had
a sudden thought."Um, we need to get you a
communicator."
"That's not a problem. I have a full spectrum
communications facility built in."
"I'll bet you do," Rei muttered.
"What did you say Rei-chan?" Rei grasped Usagi's
arm possessively and glared at Akane.
"I said I"LL take care of Usagi." Akane blinked,
then grinned suddenly.
"Well, that's all right then. I remember how
concerned Sailormars was for the princess's safety
during the Silver Imperium. It was amazing how dedicated
Sailormars was." Rei preened involuntarily under the
praise.
"You were especially worried about kidnaping."
Akane speared Rei with a sideways glance.
"You insisted that the princess should know how to
escape if she were kidnapped and tied up. Why you would
sometimes spend days working with the princess." Usagi
was afraid that Rei would burst into flame, without
benefit of the "Mars Fire" under the interested gaze of
her fellow senshi.
"Although, "Akane said consideringly, "I was never
quite sure why both of you had to be naked."
"Why you sly. . . "
"Should we call you Hino or Hentai Rei?"
"Rei! And you a priestess!"
"NO, NO, NO!" Rei protested frantically "It's not
like that, I never. . . I don't remember. . . It's not my
fault!" she wailed.
Usagi winked at Akane as she and the senshi turned
to walk home.
"Now Rei," Akane heard Usagi berate her friend, "it
seems to me that you've been neglecting your duties. As
soon as we get home tonight I think you should start
training me again. I'm sure we can borrow some scarves
from my mother and. . . "
"Usssaagiiiii!"
Akane chuckled again and headed
home. She hadn't felt so free, so happy since. . . well
she'd never felt this way. She thought about the wicked
gleam she'd seen in Usagi's eye and almost felt sorry
for Rei. She wasn't so bad for a sen. . . for one of
them. None of them were. There was still a lot of
pain. . . and hate. But it had been over a long time ago.
Maybe she could let it go. One hundred thousand years
was a long time to hate. Maybe she could even
forgive. . .

"Black dome close."
A tall figure with long dark hair that gleamed with
strange highlights stepped through a door that didn't
exist, from a place that had no name. The figure looked
down at the trapped Akane.
"You shouldn't have run away. You knew that I would
find you. . . in time."
Akane glared at her captor, eyes blazing with a
helpless murderous rage as leakage from the Time gate flooded
her mind with memories.

END Furies Chapter 1-6 of 13
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