The Best of Times...
By Ozzallos
A Fukufics (dotcom) Production
“Hai,
they rode in, fifty strong,”
“Nigh, they fought till the last was gone.”
“Baseball bats in hand,”
“Hockey Sticks low”
“T’was the brave host”
“Of the
--The
Part Four
“Sailor Nova?” Michiru arched an eyebrow
as she repeated the name skeptically. Usagi, Ami, Minako and Rei nodded in
unison.
“Don’t tell me you actually believe this claim…?” Haruka rolled
her eyes, leaning in closer to woman with wavy sea-green hair sitting next to
her. “Or don’t you remember Sailor Titanium?”
Usagi’s face took on a pout. “How were we supposed to know she
was just a fan?”
“Oh, let me see…” The dishwater blonde began to tick the facts
of life off on her fingers. “She couldn’t transform, she didn’t have any
magical powers, she didn’t have a henshin stick and
wait, her magical weapon was a piece of pipe that was spray-painted and
sprinkled with glitter!”
“But she was nice…” The girl alternately
known as Sailor Moon shuffled, avoiding eye contact.
“GrrrRRR….” Haruka growled in
annoyance. Mercury stepped forward to forestall the potential confrontation
building.
“While we didn’t get to see her transform or unleash a magical
attack herself, I can guarantee you that whatever it is she has for a weapon is
not a pipe with glitter.” This seemed to gain a fraction more of the
pair’s attention. “The weapon she dispatched five youma
with reeked of elemental magic. The girl herself was lightning fast.”
“What did she look like?” Makato
asked from her seat on the floor.
“Red shoulder length hair, blue eyes and a
crimson-white fuku.” Rei supplied. “About my height, in fact.”
“And the weapon?”
“Eeek!” Usagi squealed with fright
from the unexpected voice behind her, leaping halfway across the room in the
process. Moon whirled around to confront her tormentor. The woman with long
green hair simply favored her with a neutral stare. “DON’T DO THAT!”
Michiru smirked and Setsuna Meiou simply repeated the question
as the blonde struggled to keep from hyperventilating “A staff, just over a
meter long with a detachable bladed ring on one end and a crescent blade on the
other.” Ami described the weapon in question and Pluto cocked her head
curiously.
“And the elemental magic?”
“Fire and Ice.” She replied, wary now that something close to
an emotion was playing along the mysterious woman’s face.
The crack in Setsuna’s armor wasn’t lost on her best friend
either. “What’s wrong, Puu-chan?”
“Just…” She stared at the Chibi
Usagi, who stared back with rapt curiosity. She turned back to Ami. “Did you
get a picture of it?”
The cobalt blue haired girl smirked. “Better
than that.” She flipped open the Mercury link and pressed a few keys.
Seconds later, a holographic projection of not only the staff, but its wielder
sprang to life in mid air. “I was so shocked I didn’t get much, but that’s her
and the weapon.” The room’s occupants gathered around the hologram, wondering
at the image of Sailor Nova frozen in a striking stance with what looked to be
one wicked looking staff.
“That’s the weapon?” Haruka asked, her previous resentment
loosing a bit of its edge.
“I think I’m jealous.” Michiru commented. Her envy wasn’t
necessarily limited to just the staff.
The sharp intake of breath tore their attention away from the
image and focused it squarely on Pluto. “Puu-chan?”
The tiny pink-haired girl asked tentatively.
Setuna took a moment to collect herself.
“If I’m correct, we have just received a substantial boost in firepower.” She
paused, then in a lower voice, “And I didn’t think any of them made it
forward…”
“You mean this Nova is for real?” The handsomely dressed
blond asked, skepticism returning to her voice in full force.
“Quite possibly.” Pluto continued. “While
her name doesn’t ring any bells, that weapon was used only by the
Queen’s elite guard.”
“I thought we were the Queen’s guard?” Hotaru asked, no
longer content with simply watching this new event unfold around her.
Setsuna nodded. “Today you are, but back in the Silver Millenium, the Queen was protected by a full security
contingent. You functioned as her sword, as it were, while the Alpha Guard was
her shield. Of course, we can’t afford that sort of luxury at present.”
“She’s my bodyguard?” Usagi asked with wide eyes, hardly
able to believe that she’d rate personal protection.
“And Small Lady’s” Setsuna nodded once more. She glanced at Chibi Usagi, who was now uncharacaristically
still, staring at the hologram. “Though to be honest, I’m not sure how our
situation is going to alter that arrangement. Like I said, we’re stretched
pretty thin as it is. We can’t exactly afford to tie up somebody with that much
firepower on strictly guard detail.”
“Exactly how much power are we talking, here?” Rei asked the
question that was now on everybody’s mind.
“To even be considered for the posting, Alpha Guard candidates
had to undergo no less than ten years of intensive combat and survival
training. After that, a minimum of three years as a
protective detail specialist. After that, they had to pass a full
battery of loyalty screening reviews.“ Setsuna
outlined. “Even after they have been accepted, the training never stops. Trust me, you do not want to go through even a fraction of
that.”
“That, I can believe.” Usagi stated reverently. “After the five
youma…”
“Hmmf.” Haruka sniffed. “I’ve
taken out ten in a single attack.”
“…Destroying an entire city block in the process.” Rei pointed out, earning
her a menacing glare.
“You’ll have to forgive us if we don’t take her qualifications
at face value.” Michiru stated icely.
“Exactly.” Haruka agreed as she cracked her knuckles.
“We’ll be more than happy to establish her bona fides.”
Setsuna’s eyes widened as blurry mass suddenly took shape
behind the dishwater blonde and her partner, solidifying into a female form
that consisted of fiery shoulder length red hair, crystal blue eyes and one
mean looking Staff of Ascension.
“Is that right?”
If there was one unwritten rule of villainy Ranma had noticed
over the years, it was that bad guys talked entirely too much. Normally those
conversations followed along the lines of some self-absorbed tirade, or what
Ranma had come to know as the “Why I became a villain” speech. Usually it was Akane’s kidnappers that liberally indulged in this past
time, though Kuno- while not a villain per se –was the worst offender. How he
could go on about “foul sorcerer” this and “enemy of women” that for a whole
hour was beyond the pigtailed boy’s comprehension, but that wouldn’t stop him
from using that time constructively. They all seemed to so enjoy so much that
Ranma began to wonder if, in fact, they were contractually obligated to prattle
on so.
Apparently, The Meddler had a similarly loose tongue, and Ranma
smiled as she listened to the group from the safety of stealth.
Sailor Nova’s introduction to the small team of Senshi had been
a complete success and Ranma was proud in how her training had paid off in
spades. It had taken hours upon hours of practice, but the fruits of her labor
resulted in three dead little monster in one shot, while the other two fell
pathetically in melee combat. Sufficiently impressed, she decided to play the
mysterious magical girl role to the hilt and disappear right in front of them,
leaving tons of unanswered questions. It also provided her with the perfect
opportunity to gather intelligence as they rushed back to inform the others.
Sailor Nova didn’t have to wait long.
It wasn’t an hour later that the group had gathered at the
Nova smiled as Setsuna Meiou literally helped her rewrite the
plan. Sailor Nova, an elite reincarnated bodyguard? Sure
she was! To the Princess? Of
course, of course. Just call me Sailor Bad Ass, thankyouverymuch.
Not only that, but it was exactly the opening she needed. Who better to cozy up
to this Princess than somebody sworn to protect her at all costs? Sailor Nova
cast and evil smile toward Setsuna…And to warn you of all threats, foreign and
domestic.
Nabiki would have been proud.
“You’ll have to forgive us if we don’t take her qualifications
at face value.”
So not all the Senshi were oblivious after all, Nova realized,
remembering how the other three girls had de-transformed right outside their
own apartment. Whatever. Can’t
expect everything to go smooth as glass. That’s when she heard her cue.
“Exactly. We’ll be more than happy to establish her
bona fides.”
Sailor Nova took the opportunity to drop the Umi-Sen-Ken cloak directly behind the two girls and watched
the entire room’s eyeballs widen to the size of dinner plates. Hikaru and Michiru wondered if they had something on their
face for a moment until a voice spoke up behind them.
“Is that right?”
“EeeEP!” both Senshi instantly jumped
across the room, nearly mowing down the rest of their team in the process. Even
through the shock of seeing the new Senshi for the second time that day, Usagi
Tsukino knew irony when she saw it and tried to suppress a fit of giggling
unsuccessfully.
“WHAT ARE YOU LAGHING AT, MEATBALL HEAD!”
Haruka fumed as she picked herself off the floor, thoroughly embarrassed. She
couldn’t have set the new Senshi up any better if she tried.
“Excuse me, but did you just insult the Princess?” The
wording was polite, but the redhead’s tone had the consistency of liquid
helium. She took a step past Usagi, bringing her staff to bear.
Usagi’s laughter died as if it were cut down with a chainsaw,
her eyes returning to their dinner plate diameter. Her new bodyguard was
apparently deadly serious. “Um, you know, it’s okay…”
Sailor Nova paused in her advance. “I mean, it happens all the time.”
“All the time?” Nova’s tone dropped to
absolute zero and Moon instantly realized she had just sentenced Haruka Ten’ou to a painful death.
Uranus was up now, but she was mentally sweating bullets behind
that tough-as-nails mask. Not only was Sailor Nova real, but she had
just located their meeting site, infiltrated the structure, seen their civilian
identities and used goddamn cloaking magic to scare the snot out of her
and Neptune. She could even feel the power roll off that staff of hers, which
most definitely was not a pipe coated with glitter. It took a bit longer
than a moment before she gathered enough wits to speak, desperately trying to
match the woman’s demeanor.
“You don’t honestly think we’re going to take your claim at
face value, do you?” Behind her, Michiru rested a mental finger on the panic
button that would transform her to into Sailor Neptune should her partner need
backup.
A slight smile crossed the frosty Senshi’s features. It held
absolutely no emotion. “The only claim I’ve made is to break every single bone
in your body if you insult the Princess ever again.” She paused, her
face gaining a thoughtful look. “Do you know how many bones are in the human
body?” Usagi paled. It was a reaction mirrored by nearly everybody else in the
room, save one person.
“HMMffppht…” Moon and Pluto turned
their attention to Chibi, who seemed to be convulsing
uncontrollably. “BWAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAH!” The
massive eruption of laughter smashed the tension between Nova and Uranus, and
all eyes were now on the small, pink haired lady who was cackling madly. “Oh!
Oh! It’s too.. too.. BWAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Tears were gushing out of her eyes
as she hit the floor rolling. A sweat drop collectively fell from the foreheads
of the other room occupants.
“What the…?” Hotaru wondered, leaning down to the girl giggling
uncontrollably before them.
Nova stared as well, her opponent completely forgotten. “Um, is
she okay?” the pink haired girl’s fits of laughter seemed to be
subsiding and she opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on Ranma once more and the
laughter continued in earnest. “Riiiight.”
Sensing that she had somehow overstayed her welcome, she turned back to Sailor
Uranus. "I'll see you later." Then the Senshi reactivated her
cloak and was gone.
Pluto sensed the change and found the spot where the new Senshi
once stood empty. “Damn!” The curse seemed to help Chibi
rein in her convulsions, though looking at her green
haired friend produced the exact same result as if she were looking at Sailor
Nova herself.
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!”
Setsuna Meiou was thankfully that the bedroom walls
were mostly succeeding in drowning out the Small Lady’s incessant laughter. In
fact, moving to the next room was an absolute necessity since catching sight of
the green haired Guardian of Time would repeat the entire process over again;
eliminating any chance that something constructive might be accomplished
concerning Sailor Nova in Chibi's presence.
Now on the bed before her sat two cats, one white and one
black. Each bore the marking of a yellow half moon on their foreheads, and both
the only survivors of the long dead Silver Millennium.
“Anything?”
The white cat cast a slight glance over to the black one at its
side, who produced the feline equivalent to a shrug. Having deferred, Artemis
spoke first. “There is definitely a high level of magic surrounding her, though
it’s impossible to tell how much of it is due to the staff.”
Setsuna nodded in agreement. “The staff is definitely
authentic, and from Ami’s description, she knows how to use it.”
“Even her mannerisms are what I would expect of the Queen’s
Own.” Luna commented. “Had we been back in the royal court, I would have no
doubts that she would follow through with that promise.”
“She still might.” Artemis quipped, to which the black cat
nodded her agreement. “Regardless of the magical background noise from the
staff, there’s no doubt she’s very powerful. Have you considered the time gates
to learn more about her?”
Setsuna frowned. “If I remember right, that won’t be an
option.” Both cats looked at her curiously now. “Members of the Alpha were
magically sealed to be untraceable and untrackable.”
“Makes sense.” The black cat concurred. “Wouldn’t
do to have the Queen herself traceable through the Elite guarding her.”
“But the cloaking magic is definitely something I don’t
recall.” the Senshi added. “But then, my memories aren’t exactly one hundred
percent after I…” her voice trailed off as she remembered
the incident in which she did the one thing she was absolutely forbidden to do
on pain of death: Bring time to a complete stand still. She had done so and the
resulting reincarnation had done wonders for her memory. "Could have been
a secret project for all I know." Luna nodded knowingly, as did Aretemis. Both had massive holes in their own memories, a
side effect from the stasis and trip forward through time. Likewise, the remainer of the Senshi who had been killed during the
holocaust itself were still struggling to regain
theirs.
Luna looked over at Artemis. “So, does the name Sailor Nova
ring any bells?”
“Not a one.” He replied, stretching on the bed. “Not that the
Alphas were exactly sociable to begin with.”
“Looks like we’re stuck playing the waiting game
then.”
Setsuna sighed. Like the future sister in-law of a certain pigtailed martial
artist, Sailor Pluto was a creature that thrived on information. Depriving her
of that sustenance for prolonged periods of time was not only stressful, but akin
to psychological torture. Still, that wouldn’t stop her from asking Ami to take
a crack at it with the Mercury Computer.
“Indeed.” Luna agreed. “Speaking of which… What in the world
did you do to Small Lady?”
Dusk was claiming the suburb of Nerima when Ranma
Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts and not somebody
who had anything to do with the Sailor Senshi stepped through the gates
of the Tendo Dojo. The precautions he had taken getting back to this point were
enormous, doubling back on himself no less than five times under cloak before
finding a vacant alley to change and return to the dojo as a guy. Ranma
double-checked himself one more time to ensure that no magical girl gear
remained on his person before turning the door handle and stepping back into
his old life.
As he walked into the core of the house, Ranma reflected on his
day and considered it nearly a complete success. Well, almost. Except for that last part with the insane pink haired girl.
Other than that, her appearance at the temple had gone better than she possibly
could have hoped. Not only had Sailor Nova made a lasting first impression, but
she’d also found a wedge to use against Setsuna. Just how big of a wedge
remained to be seen, but it was better than what she had first started with.
Ranma walked into the living room with a spring in his step,
expecting to find Kasumi fixing dinner. What he found instead was three girls
gathered around the TV, staring at it intently. There was a forth girl, but she
was occupied with a ball of yarn. It was also really bad luck that she was a
cat girl and just happened to be the first to notice him. “Ranma
husband home! Reow!”
Try as he might, Ranma found it impossible to produce a saving
throw versus robotic cat girls and the glomp landed
with ease. Ranma stiffened, but otherwise remained rooted in place, eyes
clenched shut. “NotacatgirlNotacatgirlNotacatgirlNotacatgirlNotacatgirl…”
he repeated the litany as if it were a life preserver. The martial artist was
now operating solidly under the premise that if he said it enough times, maybe
it would actually come true. The litany continued until interrupted by Kasumi.
“Now Nuku-chan, what did we say about
Ranma?”
Nuku Nuku slowly
untangled herself from Ranma’s arm. “Mmmmm… No glomp on Ranma husband?”
“Very good.” Kasumi smiled, and the cat girl returned an
even brighter one. “What else?”
The smile vanished in favor of a look of intense concentration.
“Ranma husband… Is not a cat?”
“Excellent.” The smile returned to its previous intensity. “Now
come back over here so that Ranma can relax.” Nuku Nuku favored the martial artist with one last look of
adoration before bouncing back over to Kasumi and the neglected ball of yarn.
The pigtailed martial artist cracked an eye open to find the cat girl safely
occupied by the yellow sphere of thread. Incredible. Simply in-freaking-credible.
“Uh, thanks Kasumi…” Ranma managed to push past his near brush
with insanity and Kasumi smiled warmly.
“Did you hear, Ranma-kun?” She asked and Ranma gave her a blank
look.
“Hear what?”
The eldest sister pointed at the TV, which now showed some sort
of firefight in progress. “There’s a new Sailor Senshi…” Kasumi’s eyes sparkled
as she turned back to the TV while Ranma’s mind raced furiously.
Another Senshi? He thought as he stepped
over to the gathering of sisters. I missed one! Letsee,
there’s all the planets, The Meddler, the fool in the
Tuxedo… How many could there possibly be—
“And that’s when the new Senshi, Sailor Nova arrived on scene
to dispatch the Youma ravaging Juubon
with ease. As you can see here from Channel Seven’s exclusive footage, this
beautiful Guardian wastes no time dispensing justice…”
“Erk!” The trio turned around to
find Ranma white as a ghost.
“So what do you think, Ranma-kun? A new
Senshi!” Kasumi gushed. “It looks like I’ll have to update my collection
soon. How about you?”
The martial artist twitched, staring at a close-up of the
redhead on TV. “Er… Just another
stupid magical girl?”
“Are you kidding?” Akane blurted practically in his face now.
“Have you seen the way she moves? She’s the Ultimate Magical Pretty Youma Killing Guardian of Love and Justice!” Ranma’s cheek
had now developed a nervous tick as he looked from Akane to Kasumi to Nabiki,
then back to Akane. “I’ve GOT to get me one of those staves!”
“It is quite imposing.” Kasumi commented. “Still, I think
Sailor Moon is the best one of the team. After all, this Sailor Nova might have
the same problem Tuxedo Kamen had.”
“HA!” Akane was now fully engaged in the debate, allowing Ranma
to inch away. Slowly. So very,
very slowly as not to attract attention. “That was because he is a
man and all men are perverts. Like those Starlights.
Anyone can see that Sailor Nova is nothing like them.”
A very large sweat drop rolled off Ranma’s forehead.
“Come on, Akane,” Nabiki tilted her head. “Even you have to
admit Tux is kinda cute. Dark and
mysterious… Probably rich too.”
Kasumi looked at her sister. “How do you know?”
“The tuxedo.” She replied. “You don’t get that quality at
rental stores.”
“No way.” Akane stated flatout.
“Believe me, I know perverts when I see them. I mean,
what kind of guy throws roses at his opponents?” Nabiki and Kasumi looked at
one another with realization.
“Kuno.”
Akane folded her arms in smug self-satisfaction. Both sisters
shrugged and Ranma took that as his cue to exit before things got any weirder.
He looked at the continuing news update on the TV. Or worse.
Sailor Pluto was getting worried. She adjusted the
gates to another timeframe and frowned. Where was that boy! She flicked the
staff horizontally and the view from the gates showed Crystal Tokyo in all its
glory… Which now stood a thirty eight point three chance of
becoming a reality.
Ranma Saotome.
The name left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she returned to
her searching. He really wasn’t deserving of it, but it had to be done. She
knew why he was the way he was. Intimately, in fact, but the fact was that it
was either him or Crystal Tokyo. It’s either kill you, nullify you or doom
humanity. And where was he now? Fiancee number one? No. Two? No. Three? No. The cat girl? Negative. The Lost Boy? Damn it. The Amazons?
Nope. Setsuna was getting frustrated. Maybe the insane girl?
Not there either. Her brother? Talking
to some tomboy pigtailed girl. Damn, damn, damn! Where was the chaos
ridden upstart?
Setsuna Meiou paused, calming herself. It didn’t matter. He’d
return to the dojo eventually. And when he did, she’d be waiting. The Guardian
of Time made preparations to unleash her version of a tactical nuclear weapon
and focused the gates on one Makoto Kashiwagi.
“Well maybe they have some in this place.” Akane
theorized, pulling the redhead into a different a different store.
Ranma sighed. “Come on, Akane. They only found out about her
yesterday. They ain’t gonna
have nothin’ out yet.”
“And how would you know?” Akane ask sharply.
“Because even the merchandizing around Sailor Titanium didn’t
hit the stores until at least two weeks…” Ranma noticed Akane taking an unusual
interest in his explanation. “Um… Not that I follow that stuff or nothin’”
“Right.” Akane snorted. “Pervert.”
Ranma shook her head and was about to follow her in when her
progress was interrupted by a certain insane kendoist.
“Pigtailed girl!”
Ranma froze. Dammit, I just can’t
catch a break today, can I? “Alright, what is it, Kuno?”
“I just wanted to offer my enthusiastic congratulation on your
new posting.” Kuno elaborated in his usual flower manner. “It is surely one
befitting of a woman as vibrant and energetic a yourself.”
Akane rejoined the pair. “New posting?”
“But of course!” He exclaimed. “Could it be that the radiant
Tigress Akane douth not know that the Pigtailed
Goddess has been accepted by thy beautiful guardians of Love and Justice to
become Sailor Nova?”
Ranma’s face totally drained of blood as he looked at Kuno in
disbelief, then Akane, who stared at Kuno with a quizzled
expression on her face. It took her a moment to get the words out. “Ranma? A Sailor Senshi?”
“Indeed it is the truth! It could be none other.”
Akane looked at him a moment longer. “AH
HAHAHAHAHAHHA!” It was the second time in so many days Ranma watched a
girl erupt into uncontrollable laughter. “Ranma…! A-A-A Sailor Senshi! WAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“Well its not THAT unbelievable.”
Ranma grumbled under her breath while Kuno was more than slightly taken back.
“Verily, I can see where such a prestigious title would invoke
considerable jealousy.” Kuno commented and Akane’s
laughter abated slightly.
“Jealous?” Akane asked. It was a rhetorical question. “Of Sailor Ranma? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Both redhead and Kendoist stared
after the cackling girl as she waded deeper into the mall, now oblivious to
them both. Kuno broke the moment first. “Perhapse it
is for the best that only one shall date my magnificence at a time.”
Ranma tried her best to hide the urge to dispose of his body in
a most gruesome manner, since there was still work to be done. After that, then
she could dispose of his body. The pigtailed girl activated “pretty-please-Ranma-with-extra-cute-don’t-you-just-love-me-with-sprinkles-on-top”
mode and smiled brightly at the upperclassman.
It was time for the Ranma Saotome Anything Goes School of
Payback, Step Two.
“Oh, Sempai I would love to date with you!” Kuno’s
eyes lit up upon hearing this most magnificent piece of news. “But for now, I
cannot!”
“And why is this? Is it not the foul Saotome that keeps your
heart enslaved so?” His voice burned with resentment.
“Oh no, that’s not it at all!” Ranma countered sweetly. So sweetly
that honeybees would have wretched. “But since I have
become a Guardian of Love and Justice, my superior insists that any man that
would take my hand must measure up to her standards.”
“Truly? Who is this woman that I must date in order to
prove my worth?” Kuno pressed, heedless of the troubled waters he was sailing
into.
“I don’t know if I should tell.” Ranma played coyly. “She has
very high standards and demands her suitors to wear a suit and dark sunglasses
at all time!”
“Hmmf!” he dismissed the minor
detail. “It is a fashion I shall adapt to easily in order to win your hand.
What is this maiden’s name?” Ranma never stopped smiling throughout the entire
exchange, but Tatewake failed to notice the feral
turn it had developed.
“Would you like her address too?”
Sailor Mercury tapped furiously at the clamshell
Mercury Computer link. Furiously, because she was standing right smack dab in
the middle of a all out youma
incursion. “I think I’ve got a lock on the gate they used this time!”
Venus went on the offensive, her Love Me Chain slicing a youma clean in two. “That’s great, really
great!” she fumed indignantly. “Now put that thing away and give us a
hand!”
“Shabon spray!” A glittering misted blew
past the complaining blond, shredding the youma
creeping along her flank back twenty feet and into a nearby building.
“Show off.”
The situation wasn’t like their last engagement; the one where
Sailor Nova had arrived to boister their numbers. No,
this situation was much worse. The hideous grayish-pink youma
had poured out of the flickering porthole en mass and now the Senshi were
outnumbered twenty to five. No, make that eighteen to five, Sailor Venus
amended, giving the two dispatched monsters a final look before wading back
into the target rich environment.
A golden yellow arc streaked past her head and into a wayward youma, and her first thought was of the Senshi they could
so desperately use help from right about now. No, that wasn’t a burning disk of
death, Minako realized. Sailor Moon jumped in beside her to recover the tiara
that had all but gutted another wayward demon. They were all making good
headway, but they knew this attack was different, evidenced by the fact of a
very large youma standing in the center of the mob.
Rei had taken a pot shot at it earlier with a Soul Fire attack, earning her one
irritated super-youma, who in turn directed more of
the lesser youma at her specifically. After that, the
Senshi's tactics were altered by Ami—Don’t attack the
big one until the fodder was cleared out first.
Another Youma fell as the frail
looking Senshi with midnight blue hair ran it through with perhapse
the only weapon that would match Sailor Nova’s staff in terms of sheer
exoticness. Saturn pulled the Silence Glave from its
newest victim, panting. She had lost count of how many more there were to go.
Not that she had much time to count as another one clawed its way toward her…
Ranma Saotome watched the battle rage from a nearby
rooftop. Yep, the Guardians of Love and Justice were up to the necks in it once
again, simply ripe to be bailed out. Of course, they were probably hoping
Sailor Nova would show up and lend her own brand butt kicking to their little
war down there, but not this time. This time somebody else would be paying them
a visit.
The martial artist unbound his pigtail and a mane of black hair
flow wildly in the windy night. From the breast pocket of his black business
jacket, he withdrew a pair of intimidating black sunglasses. Ranma slid them on
and straitened the matching black tie that contrasted against the white shirt
before pulling a bokken from weapons space.
There was no doubt... He made this look good.
One moment, Sailor Mars was ass deep in youma and the next, a dark blur
accompanied by a flowing blue line erupted around her, decimating the ranks of
monsters in front of her. Body parts flew as the quasi-female demons were
dismembered before her very eyes, shocking both groups into breaking contacts
by mutual consent. Left in the center of the neutral zone was one of the most
handsome men the Senshi had ever laid eyes on, clad in in
black business suit, white shirt, tie and pitch black shades. Even Usagi, who
was hung up on Tuxedo Kamen had to agree that he
looked positively scrumptious.
He flipped the glowing blue blade around on reflex and turned
back toward the enraptured Senshi, flashing warm smile. If it weren’t for the youma behind him, the girls would have melted right there
on the spot.
“My apologize fair maidens if I hath
startled you.” The suit clad avenger apologized in smooth, modulated tones.
“However I cannot abidith by such wicked magics any longer, especially when used against such
visions of beauty as yourselves.” The Senshi’s eyes
sparkled collectively. So romantic! The suit now turned to the remaining youma, numbering thirteen strong. “The vengeance of heaven
is slow, but sure. Unfortunately for you, I'm not. Prepared
to have thy ass kicked!”
The elder youma frowned, its
semi-feminine voice grating through the night air. “And just who the hell are
you, exactly?”
The person in question raised his glowing sword high. “I am the
Terror that cuts through the night! I am the defender of Love and virtue! I… am
Prince R!”
The girls jaws dropped in unison. “Sugoi!”
The larger youma ground its fangs
down. “Then that's what they’ll place on you tombstone… Assuming there’s enough
left of you! ATTACK!” The lesser youma
responded to the command instantly, all twelve attacking simultaneously.
Instead of leaping out of the way or dodging the attacks, Prince R simply stood
their oozing confidence. The girls weren’t even worried. Their claws raked in
and at the last possible second, ‘R’ whipped the bokken
through a spiraling frenzy that decimated the attacking force. More body parts
were forcibly separated from their bodies in a most violent manner and the
glowing shaft of power sliced through the last one twenty seconds later. The
elder youma took a step back, it’s
bony mane quivering with trepidation.
Prince R inspected the remains before turning the point of the
glowing wooden sword on the last survivor. “I would have a word with you foul
creature. Thou thinkth thy can dispoil
such ethereal beauty and live? Nay, I cannot allow such!”
Unlike the other youma, this
particular beast had actually been genetically engineered to think, albeit in a
limited manner. Still, it was a virtual genius compared to its smaller
brethren. That small intelligence provided the youma
with two options. Fight or escape. It’s limited
bandwidth brain considered the two and decided it had virtually no chance to
escape. When coupled with its natural predatory instict,
the correct path became crystal clear.
“ROOOWWWWRrrroOOOLLL!”
As before, the Prince remained perfectly calm until the elder youma was virtually on top of him. In that moment, he
planted the blade into the earth and flipped skyward on the handle. From there,
physics did the rest as the charging beast flew headlong into the blade’s
glowing blue edge with enough momentum to run it all the way through. Ranma
landed behind the creature and pulled the blade from the ground. The monster
took its last breath and split cleanly in half along its entire length before
disintegrating into ether.
Prince R took the measure of his decomposing opponent before
rewarding the awestruck Senshi with another melting smile. “While I have
enjoyed thy company immensely, I must depart for the night. Fairwell maidens of Love and
Justice!” With a final bow, the new Prince departed at bluring speeds, leaving five smitten Sailor Senshi in his
wake.
…While somewhere else in Juuban, another bokken wielding Prince clad in a similar black suit and
glasses began to stalk Setsuna Meiou for the right to date one pigtailed
goddess.
Author's Notes; For those of you who have
been asking (and none of you have), I think the theme song for this entire
series should be "Hang On" by Smash Mouth. Give it a listen
and you'll quickly realize why :D
Makoto Kashiwagi; I ain't
tellin.
Special Thanks: To DCG,
Yarrow, TriMatter as well as the rest of the Fukufics crew. Props also go out to Delta-Theta.
These people provided me with inspiraration and even
the occasional scene as i wade through this maddness ;p
Thanx!
Artwork; B Connolly was kind enough to illustarate
a depiction of the Staff
of Ascension, Sailor Nova's weapon of choice. You can find it on my main FFnet page. A pretty accurate piece of art, I think.
Hope you continue to enjoy the series, cuz
we still have a ways to go! Next up, Kuno, Happosai
and Mako-chan!