The Dark Lords of Nerima, Chapter Twelve [R/SM cross]

[claymade]

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon in any way, shape or form. All associated characters, trademarks, etc. are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just telling some stories about them.


(previous chapters can be found here)



Chapter Twelve: Full Measure



Jadeite's sudden arrival caused Ranma to do a rapid reevaluation of his strategy. His gaze flickered across the remaining combatants. Tuxedo Kamen and the Darkmistress were squared off against both him and each other. The Senshi and the last two Inquisitors were further down the street, spreading out as the reacted to this new turn of events. And there, climbing back to his feet over by ground zero, was Ryouga.

In the space of a second Ranma weighed the positions of the players, the possible actions they might take, and the threat that each posed. In the second after that, he made his decision.

He leaped through the air, using Tuxedo Kamen's head as a stepping stone, and driving the man's top hat down over his eyes in the process. From there he aimed himself toward where Ryouga stood, calling back over his shoulder at the other two as he went. "Sorry, guys! Bigger fish!"

Behind him, he saw the Darkmistress try to take advantage of her temporarily-blinded enemy by shooting her lightning at the masked man. He, for his part, went into a desperate evasive pattern as he yanked his hat off his head.

Ranma heard one of the Sailor girls cry out "Tuxedo Kamen!" and then caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, rushing in that direction. But most of his attention was already focused on the most recent arrival to the party.

The pigtailed fighter skidded to a stop next to Ryouga, a fair distance away from the still-smoking crater. "Thought maybe you could use a hand, P-chan..." he remarked.

Ryouga shot him a dirty look. "Keep out of this, Ranma!" he growled. "I don't need... you... to..." his voice trailed off as he took another long look up at the man hovering over them. Craning his neck, Ranma looked as well.

The Dark General wore power about him like a cloak, the feel of it practically choking the air. It wasn't a ki aura, not like the ones Ranma was familiar with, but it was palpable nonetheless, and it reeked of magic. The blond man hung there, arms crossed as he floated effortlessly, looking down as though regarding a pair of ants crawling around on the sidewalk.

Ranma felt a chill run down his spine. Beside him, Ryouga licked his lips. "Then again..." he allowed slowly. "It... might not be such a bad idea. Just to... you know... make the fight go faster."

"Right," agreed Ranma, as he watched the lost boy step back into a fighting stance. "Don't want to keep the girls waiting."

Even as Ranma spoke, Jadeite began to descend, finally touching down with a tiny swirl of dust at his feet. He then walked toward them, until he was only a few feet away. Crossing his arms, he looked down imperiously at the two boys. "So. You are the ones who have been giving the Black Section such trouble," he mused. "I expected something a bit... more."

Ranma snorted, stepping back into a fighting stance himself. "Bring it on, Blondie," he said. "We'll just see who's gonna disappoint who."

Jadeite raised an eyebrow at that. There was a moment of silence as the three of them regarded each other, during which Ranma's mind was thinking furiously. The Dark General stood at ease, unconcerned, watching the two martial artists with an expression of near-boredom.

Ranma glanced over at Ryouga, a quick agreement passing between them. Their initial line of attack was decided without words. It was communicated in an instant, in the meeting of the eyes, in the positioning of their guard, in the shift of their weight. It could only have been detected by someone who knew their styles as well as they each knew the other's--through long, painful experience.

And then they attacked.

Ryouga took the lead, launching himself straight at Jadeite, while Ranma cut left to flank the Dark General, angling in from the side. The lost boy arrived first, showering Jadeite with blow after blow. But Jadeite merely levitated a few inches into the air, floating quickly backward to keep out of Ryouga's range, while occasionally leaning around any attacks that got too close. Their foe's expression was one of mild curiosity, as he observed the blows being thrown at him.

Then Ranma arrived, with a series of lightning-fast kicks that forced Jadeite to change his course and veer away. The two boys pressed their attack furiously, catching the Dark General in a pincer between them, until he was forced to uncross his arms and block some of their techniques.

Jadeite continued to give ground, fending them off with one arm when necessary. At the same time, he flexed the fingers of his other hand, drawing dark power into his palm. Ranma let out a hiss of breath. He's charging up for another one of those big blasts!

The pigtailed fighter intensified his attacks, trying to interrupt the General before he could fire. But it was in vain. Jadeite thrust his palm out toward them, releasing the accumulated magical power in a huge burst.

Both martial artists leaped aside, the attack blazing through the space between them. It shot down the street, eventually striking a parked car and ripping it apart in an explosion of magical energy and exploding gasoline.

Nor did Jadeite relinquish the offensive. He continued to shower them with more blasts of magic from both hands--less powerful than the first one, but coming rapid-fire now. The near misses ripped through the air, blowing large chunks out of the storefronts behind the two boys, as they struggled to keep one step ahead of the onslaught.

Ranma ducked low under one of the bursts, then jumped backward as another slammed into the street where he had just been crouching, showering him with debris. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryouga rip two fistfuls of headbands from around his forehead and hurl them at their opponent.

The spinning projectiles scythed toward the Dark General. Then, the instant before they hit, something shimmered through the air, centered around Jadeite's outstretched palm. The next thing Ranma knew, the bladed fabric was deflecting harmlessly against some kind of barrier.

It was mostly invisible--although each time it was struck, the pigtailed fighter could see faint ripples in the air that suggested its circular outline. Jadeite was using one hand to maintain it, while using the other to continue his attacks.

Ranma dodged, while sizing up this new development. He's got an energy shield too, huh? he thought. That's... gonna be a pain to deal with.

And worse, there was no telling what else the General might be keeping up his sleeve...


**********


The Darkmistress snarled, leaping quickly backward across the rooftops, dodging a flurry of roses and a hurled Moon Tiara. Two enemies faced her, just as before... but unlike before, these two enemies were acting in complete concert.

Tuxedo Kamen took the fore, keeping up a never-ending hail of roses, and also acting as a shield to prevent the youma from reaching close-combat with Sailor Moon. Taking advantage of this, the human girl was free to launch her own weapon at the Darkmistress with utter impunity. And while the roses were troublesome enough to avoid, that tiara was nothing short of deadly. Already she had had more than one close call.

Behind them, Sailor Mars was acting as a rearguard to keep the remaining Inquisitors at bay, sweeping back and forth across the rooftops with her flame. She was only just managing to hold her own--but she was preventing the two youma from giving the Darkmistress support.

The corpse-like youma thrust out her arms, discharging bolts of red lightning at both her assailants, driving them back a bit and giving her some breathing room. Involuntarily, she glanced down at the street below, where Jadeite was facing off against the two humans. Curse him, she thought savagely. That should be me facing them--and him dealing with these Senshi like he's supposed to!

But she knew she could not press the issue. As much as she wanted revenge on those humans... she dared not cross Jadeite so openly.

Even though it meant that her chance to kill them would soon be lost for good.

Then the Moon Tiara was shooting toward her head again, and she drew her attention back to the threat at hand. She swerved around the Moon Kingdom weapon, and then, flexing her fingers, she moved to bring the fight closer to her foes.


**********


Beneda cowered within the alleyway, terrified to watch what was going on outside, and yet unable not to. Jadeite. Jadeite had come after her personally. One of Queen Beryl's chosen. Her lord and master. The very person whom she had orchestrated all this to try and appease. He had come to deal with this matter himself.

She looked on, breathless, as Ranma and Ryouga hurled themselves at him again and again, their arms and legs blurring in from every angle in countless techniques. The Dark General fended them off, sometimes blocking with his own hands, sometimes simply creating a force shield if they started to press him too hard. He spun back and forth, easily keeping the two at bay, often retaliating with bursts of magical power that sent them scrambling to evade.

Even as Beneda watched, a jump kick that Ranma had aimed at Jadeite's skull instead struck a force shield dead-on. The next second, pigtailed fighter was blasted violently away, the shield sending the force of his own kick recoiling back into his leg.

Immediately Jadeite spun to his left, twisting out of the path of Ryouga's lunging punch. The Dark General placed a hand between the boy's shoulder blades as he went by, discharging a quick magic blast directly into him that sent the boy flying. Then the blonde man ducked, as Ranma's leg sliced overhead from behind.

He's playing with them... The realization swept over Beneda with a cold chill. Letting them get so close, going hand-to-hand with them... those aren't his usual tactics. He's fighting them on their own level.

And despite that, they still hadn't managed to so much as touch him...


**********


Ryouga let out a cry of pain as the magic blast exploded right into his back--a cry that was cut off as he hit the ground hard, tumbling end over end. Taking control of his momentum, he rolled back to his feet, only to see the Dark General simply hovering there, arms crossed.

"Is this it?" Jadeite asked. "After all the trouble you've given us... is this really the limit of your abilities?"

Ryouga bared his fangs in response, then launched himself at Jadeite again with a growl. The Dark General only gave him an amused smile, lifting a hand and forming an energy shield between them.

The lost boy swerved, trying to get around the barrier, but Jadeite simply moved his hand to follow. Ryouga attacked high, attacked low, searching for an opening. His arms and legs battered ceaselessly against Jadeite's magical protection, his bones aching from the reflected force of his own blows. Yet he could not get past the shield; every maneuver he attempted was instantly countered by a slight motion of Jadeite's arm.

And no matter what he tried, that damned smug smile remained on his foe's face!

Roaring in fury, Ryouga abandoned his attempts to outmaneuver Jadeite. Drawing back his fist, he swung it with every ounce of strength he had, throwing all his weight into the blow, driving it all straight into the center of the shield.

The sound of the crash echoed through the air. Jadeite's eyebrows went up slightly, as the barrier shook from the colossal impact, violent ripples coursing through it. For a moment, time seemed almost to stand still, as Ryouga continued to push forward with all his might, his fist vibrating wildly against the shield of magical power...

...and then the reflection came, blasting back into Ryouga's arm and sending him spinning through the air until he slammed face-first into the pavement. Above him, he could hear the crackle of energy as Jadeite hurled another energy blast down at his prone form.

Then he felt Ranma's hands grab hold of him, as the pigtailed fighter dashed in with staggering velocity. He wrenched the lost boy out from under the descending attack, while using the same motion to flip himself over it.

Ryouga used the momentum of Ranma's pull to twist himself upright, planting his foot and springing off to the left. Ranma, meanwhile, was spinning through the air directly toward Jadeite's still-erect shield. The General smiled, in anticipation of the inevitable collision--

--and then the magic blast that Jadeite had fired at Ryouga hit the pavement, detonating just as Ranma was in the perfect position. The pigtailed fighter rode the explosion upward, using it to make an impossible, last-instant, midair course change that carried him over the shield before Jadeite could react.

Immediately Ranma's hand shot down, his fingers digging deep into Jadeite's hair and latching hold. The young martial artist used the grip as a fulcrum, swinging all his accumulated momentum around in a wide arc as he drove his knee straight into the Dark General's face.

Jadeite reeled back through the air, his hovering becoming unsteady as he tried to put some distance between them. Although he left a few clumps of his hair behind, he succeeded in breaking away from Ranma--

--only to fly straight into a punch from Ryouga. The lost boy had anticipated his rival's maneuver, and had moved to cover Jadeite's escape route. His blow drove the General back toward Ranma again, the two boys converging at a run to trap their enemy between them.

Then, just before they reached him, the General shot straight up into the air. At the same time, he collected a huge surge of magical power and hurled it straight down along the path of his ascent. Both boys skidded to a stop, leaping quickly back the way they had come. Then the blast hit, ripping another huge crater into the ground, but by then both martial artists had gotten clear.

Floating about three stories above the street, Jadeite touched his jaw gingerly, wiping away the small trickle of blood that was running down from the corner of his mouth. He looked at his red-stained fingers for a moment, and then his eyes hardened.

"Very well," he said at last. "No more games."

Then, gritting his teeth and thrusting out his arms, he began to rain down torrents of destruction on them.


**********


Running along the rooftops, the Inquisitor wrenched hard on the chain extending from her arm, guiding the heavy wrecking ball as it swung straight toward Sailor Mars' head.

The Senshi threw herself in a forward dive just in time, and the weapon ripped through the air just above her. But she had hardly done so when the other Inquisitor charged in at her from the side. Sailor Mars rolled away from the new attack, snapping off a few short bursts of flame as she went, but they did little to dissuade the oncoming youma. And by then the other Inquisitor had swung her wrecking ball around high, bringing it plummeting down at the girl.

Scrambling to her hands and knees, the Senshi lunged headlong in the only direction she could--off the roof. The youma hissed in annoyance as her wrecking ball smashed harmlessly into the building below. Still, she knew that the overall course of the battle was theirs. They had the human on the run.

The Inquisitor quickly reeled in her weapon, even as her partner leaped off the building in pursuit. With the fight back on the ground, Sailor Mars now had to face the full effect of her opponent's ability, as the youma used the force of her landing to drive both her arms deep into the earth.

Twin earthen fists exploded straight up from underneath Sailor Mars. The human jumped backward, but was still thrown to the ground as the two pillars clipped her feet. She tumbled away, making a desperate retreat as both youma pressed their attack.

All pretence of an offensive on the young Senshi's part had been abandoned; it was now nothing more than a rout. The two youma attacked her, and attacked her, and attacked her, each strike closer than the last. The girl's breath was coming in gasps now, and it was obvious that she couldn't keep ahead of them much longer. They pressed their attack even more viciously, hemming her in, going for the kill...

...and then, without warning, the area around Sailor Mars was swamped by a wave of thick mist, completely obscuring her from their sight.

The two Inquisitors whirled, to see the blue-clad figure of Sailor Mercury standing on an adjacent rooftop. She had one hand clutched to her side, in obvious pain, but the other hand held out resolutely toward the battlefield, keeping up her concealment spell.

Then Sailor Mars jumped out of the mist, taking a defensive position next to the now-recovered Senshi. As soon as she did so, Sailor Mercury dropped to one knee, and the mist faded. Evidently, it took a toll on her to keep it up in her injured state.

Two on two, now... the Inquisitor thought. Still, one is already injured.

We're wearing them down...


**********


Countless bolts of dark magic poured down from the sky, each one blasting deep into the street below. Ranma ran, dove, twisted and contorted himself to thread through the pounding bombardment. Ryouga, further down the street, was doing likewise.

The pigtailed fighter risked a glance upward, to see that Jadeite had drifted slightly lower, decreasing the range--and decreasing the time that the martial artists had to dodge. He was still far too high to attack directly, though. It would be impossible to dodge his attacks in midair; if they jumped at him, he would easily shoot them down before they got within striking distance.

But such thoughts were abruptly shoved to the back-burner, as Ranma frantically cut his forward run, flinging himself into a series of backflips to avoid Jadeite's latest pattern of attack. The last flip, he had to dig his fingertips into the concrete and twist into an awkward, sideways cartwheel as the General corrected for that evasion too.

Dust and flying shrapnel choked the air to every side, as he fought to keep one step ahead of their foe. Gotta think of something, quick! he told himself. We're not gonna be able to keep this up much longer!

He continued to run, circling, trying to match his course against Ryouga's on the other side of the Dark General so that their enemy would have trouble trying to track both of them at the same time. Just one opening... I just need one opening!

And then he saw a chance. Jadeite's attention seemed to linger a little too closely on Ryouga, for a little too long--and Ranma immediately acted. Swerving to run directly at the hovering sorcerer, he launched himself into the air, hurtling up at his target.

Then, just before he reached the Dark General, Jadeite calmly swung his hand behind himself. And, without even looking, he discharged a quick burst straight into Ranma's chest.

It felt as though Pantyhose Taro had stomped on him. Ranma howled, the force of the detonation stopping his ascent and blasting him back groundward. Even as he fell, he saw Jadeite turn, charging up for a second, even more powerful attack.

The General thrust both hands down at the falling Ranma, unleashing an immense stream of magical power. The martial artist raised his arms in a hopeless attempt to block--

--and then a yellow-and-black blur slammed into Ranma from the side. The lost boy grabbed hold of his rival as they collided in midair, twisting him out of the path of the blast... and then hurling him right back up at Jadeite once again.

Ranma's body skimmed just along the edge of the beam of magic, and he saw Jadeite's eyes widen at the sudden reversal. Then the pigtailed fighter was on him, grabbing the Dark General by the wrist and using the hold to twist himself around, driving his foot straight upward into the General's jaw.


**********


A short grunt of pain escaped Jadeite's lips as his head was snapped back by the force of the kick. He reeled in midair, bright spots flashing across his vision.

Nor, despite his complete inability to fly, did the human let up the assault. As this 'Ranma' fell from the first kick, he grabbed hold of Jadeite's ankle, using it to flip himself underneath the Dark General and back up behind him, planting another kick into the man's rib cage.

Jadeite whirled, hand outstretched, trying to get a shield in between them. But the boy was in too close. He caught the arm on its way around, using it to twist himself behind the General again and deliver a spinning elbow to the side of his head.

It went on and on, the human springing and whirling around him in an unbelievable display of aerial combat. However, the intricate acrobatics required to keep himself aloft--and out of Jadeite's reach--were limiting the opportunities he had to attack. And Jadeite was getting his feet back under him now, his guard re-solidifying as he began to roll with the blows. Soon, it was Ranma who was on the defensive.

At last, Jadeite managed to get a force shield up in front of one of Ranma's kicks. The recoil sent the boy flying away, toward the top of a nearby building. Smiling, Jadeite raised his hand, charging another blast to send after him.

Then he heard something coming at him from the side. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see another attack from the human's ally.

And it was... but not quite of the sort he had been expecting. Instead of a bandanna-clad human, the sight that greeted his eyes was one of the abandoned cars, flipping end over end as the massive hunk of metal hurtled toward him.

Jadeite's eyes widened, and he spun as fast as he could, unleashing his charged-up blast into the oncoming vehicle. His magic tore the car in half, detonating the gas tank as the two pieces shot by on either side of him. The explosion filled the air around the General with blazing fire, and he threw up his arms to try and protect himself.

And then Ranma was there, leaping straight through the flames to get at him, his legs scything long, fiery trails in the air as he slammed a kick into the side of Jadeite's head, then used the force of that kick to swing him back around into another one.

"Hope you liked your time flying around up here!" the human shouted, as he attacked. "Because you're--" He grabbed Jadeite by the head, driving both his knees into the General's face. "--going--" He switched the grip to his foe's collar, delivering a punch that knocked Jadeite practically horizontal. "--down!" And with that, he stomped down with both feet directly into Jadeite's torso.

The Dark General fell. Pain was blossoming all over his body, his control over his flight spell momentarily broken. He struggled to reactivate it, and at last managed to slow his descent, taking aim at the human still high above him--

--just as a flying kick crashed into him from the side. Jadeite was flung through the air once more, until at last he hit the ground, tumbling end over end before finally reaching a stop.

With an effort, Jadeite forced himself back up to his hands and knees. He knew he had only moments. Already he could hear rapid footfalls, as the bandanna-wearing human followed up his kick with a charge straight at him.

There was only one option left. He hadn't wanted to use it unnecessarily--not in a battle as open and chaotic as this, with so many potential attackers. The amount of concentration it required cut dangerously into his situational awareness. And worse, it would be all for nothing if these foes had the proper counterspells.

But at this point, he had little choice but to try.

He lifted his head, locking eyes with the oncoming human, who was pounding toward him, fist upraised. Then Jadeite focused his will, extended his hand... and made a small lifting gesture.

And just like that, the human was no longer charging. Instead he hung suspended in midair, his legs churning uselessly beneath him. "...the hell?" was his incredulous reaction, as he tried futilely to twist himself free of Jadeite's invisible grip.

Jadeite's response was to laugh. "It's called telekinesis, boy," he explained. Then he thrust out with his hand, sending the human shooting away as though he had been fired from a cannon.


**********


Beneda's hands dug into the sides of the alley wall, as she peeked around its corner to watch the raging battle. So many times it had seemed as though Ranma and Ryouga were inches from death, and yet each time they had pulled through, managing to continue their grueling, all-out war.

The youma's breath had caught in her throat when she had seen Ranma actually topple Jadeite, sending him plummeting earthward right into Ryouga's waiting attack. Could they... actually do it? she wondered. Could those two actually beat even a Dark General?

And what if they did? What would that mean for her? This was her master, the one whose wrath she was attempting to placate! She knew that Jadeite would be more than willing to write off the loss of any number of his subordinates if it resulted in the Senshi's death. She had been counting on it. But a personal defeat?

What was she supposed to do?

Those worries, however, were suddenly interrupted by much more visceral ones. As she watched, Ryouga's follow-up charge was stopped cold by a simple gesture from Jadeite, lifting the human up into the air. Then, with another motion, Ryouga was sent hurtling away at a horrifying velocity.

His body smashed into the wall of a store right next to her, punching straight through it. She heard a flurry of subsequent crashes as he plowed through the building's interior walls, the sounds coming so fast that they seemed to blur into one, only ending as he burst out the building's other side.

Beneda ran down the alley to the other end, looking frantically for Ryouga. She soon spotted him, lying on the ground in a heap, with a toppled telephone pole lying over him--evidently what had finally stopped his flight.

Even as she ran toward him, though, he was starting to move again, pulling himself slowly, woozily back to his feet. He stumbled, staggered, coughed up a little blood... but still somehow managed to stand.

Then he shook himself angrily, clenched his fists, bared his fangs, and with an angry battle cry he ran to rejoin the fight.

Except that he ran in the exact wrong direction.

Beneda wasted precious seconds in disbelief, before belatedly realizing what was going on. "No Ryouga!" she finally screamed, starting to chase after the disappearing figure of the lost boy. "You're going the wrong way!"


**********


Ranma's feet had barely touched ground when he saw Jadeite fling Ryouga through the building without even touching him. Aw crap, was the thought that immediately went through the pigtailed fighter's mind. Can't let him catch me in that!

He sprang forward, bearing down on the Dark General in a blur of red. Jadeite spun to meet him, hand outstretched. It was a contest of pure speed, held between the two already-injured combatants.

Ranma barely managed to reach his foe in time. He twisted himself sideways, leaping past his foe before the General could get his hand around and grab him. As he shot by, he managed to deliver a spin kick to the back of Jadeite's head.

Jadeite rolled with the blow, taking to the air again as he skimmed rapidly along the street. The pigtailed fighter jumped back after him--but this time Jadeite got his hand around in time, and Ranma was caught in mid-leap. The next instant, he too was hurled like a human bullet toward one of the now-deserted buildings.

The young martial artist crashed through a large storefront window in a shower of glass--which he immediately turned to his advantage. His hands shot out, plucking the jagged shards out of the air and throwing them back at Jadeite with machine-gun-like speed.

Snarling, the Dark General raised a shield to deflect the attack--and the force propelling Ranma promptly vanished. Hah! the boy thought, as he smashed through the store's first interior wall. Looks like he can't do the lifting thing and the shield at the same time!

Without Jadeite's continuously applied force, Ranma only broke through the first wall, and put a serious dent in the second. From there, he crumpled forward onto his hands and knees. His vision was swimming, but he forced himself to roll sideways, taking cover behind the remains of the wall. If he can't see me, he can't grab me... I hope.

After a few seconds spent gathering himself, he crawled over and peeked around the edge of the hole his body had made. Jadeite was still standing there, apparently having taken the opportunity to pull himself together a bit as well.

For a while longer, the only sound that Ranma could hear was his own labored breathing. He could feel the sweat trickling down his body, mingling with the blood from where the glass had cut into his back. His ribs ached fiercely from the blast he had taken earlier, combined with this latest attack.

Then Jadeite broke the silence. "Very well, human," he rasped out. "If you're determined to just hide in there..."

As he spoke, the Dark General raised both his arms. A moment later, two of the abandoned cars drifted over, floating in circles around him.

"...then have a taste of your own medicine!" With two savage motions, Jadeite hurled both vehicles. Ranma's eyes bulged as the metal projectiles shot toward him at impossible speeds. He threw himself to the right, the first one just barely missing him as it tore through the building like a sledgehammer through tissue paper. Then Ranma dove for the ground, flattening himself out as the second howled by overhead. The air displacement from each pulled violently at him.

Breaking into a run, the pigtailed fighter dashed madly through the store, even as Jadeite sent car after car crashing in after him. Soon the building itself began to crumble from the damage, the entire structure falling in on itself. Ranma just barely managed to reach the far wall--and break through it to the adjoining store--before the store he was in came crashing down completely.

He ran on, dodging furiously, Jadeite's assault coming even faster now. Ranma sprinted through that store as well, jumping, rolling, diving between the hurtling automobiles. He used every scrap of cover he could find to stay out of Jadeite's sight as he ran--sometimes even using the oncoming projectiles themselves. He fled through that fast-disintegrating store as well, and into the next one--

--and then froze. Too late, he had sensed a single, faint presence.

This store was not entirely abandoned.

Swearing violently, knowing that Jadeite's next volley was already on its way--that every fraction of a second might mean life or death--he ran as fast as he could toward where he had sensed it from. On arriving, he saw that it was a young boy, maybe four or five, cowering behind a row of shelves.

Already the cars were exploding through the walls, tearing through the shelves in their path as though they weren't even there. Ranma grabbed the kid, then sprang up over the first car, ricocheted off the ceiling in a diagonal to avoid the second one, spun around the third. He couldn't go as fast holding onto the kid like that, but he still managed to roll underneath the fourth--

--the fifth got him. He almost managed to avoid it, but it clipped him on the way by. He managed to throw the kid clear just before impact... and then everything became a whirling kaleidoscope of pain. He was spinning, spinning, the ground drawing nearer and nearer...

But he never landed. An invisible hand grabbed him in mid-fall, yanking him out of the store and back into the street, pulling him until he hung face-to-face with the Dark General once more. The blond-haired man was smirking victoriously.

"So..." Jadeite mused. "It seems you are somewhat durable. Let us try something a bit more... definite this time." With that he raised his hand... and Ranma was propelled skyward, ascending until he reached a dizzying height.

Far, far below, Ranma could see Jadeite's tiny figure twisting its hands, and then he felt his body being rotated. He thrashed futilely, trying to right himself somehow, but soon he was held completely upside down.

Then, with a lurch, Jadeite drove him back down toward the street, headfirst.

Wind stung Ranma's eyes as he accelerated and accelerated and accelerated. He tried again and again to somehow twist free, but it was no use. Jadeite held him on his course, speed increasing with every second, as he neared the devastating impact--

--and then, without warning, Jadeite was engulfed in a veritable swarm of spinning yellow-and-black bandannas. The Dark General jerked away, instinctively throwing up his arms to protect himself as the bladed fabric slashed into him. One cut him just above the eyes, another barely missed his throat, while many more carved up his arms and chest, staining his uniform red. Ryouga was charging straight at Jadeite, hurling his weapons with every step.

Jadeite's grasp on Ranma had been broken by the attack, and Ranma immediately flipped himself into a spread-eagle position, maximizing his air drag as much as he could. At the same time, he angled his fall, guiding it. Thanks to Jadeite, he would still have a huge amount of momentum at the end of this... and he knew exactly where he wanted to deliver it.

The Dark General had managed to get his shield up, and was warding off the bandanna swarm, when Ranma dropped down on him like a hawk. Jadeite glanced up at the last second, and desperately raised his shield to meet him--which allowed the bandannas to cut into his torso once more. For his part, Ranma twisted into a midair somersault, and then swung his leg straight down onto the barrier in an immensely powerful axe kick.

The shield vibrated crazily under the impact, flashes of magical energy discharging along its surface, smoke rising up from it--and for a moment Ranma thought he might actually smash through it. But the barrier held, reflecting the accumulated force back into Ranma's leg.

Which had been the original plan. Ranma angled his body so that the force on his leg simply threw him into a backflip. He spun through the air, twisting between two bandannas as they buzzed in to carve more gashes into Jadeite's torso. While upside-down, Ranma drove a his fingers down into the street below and swung himself around, redirecting the force of his flip around into a kick that caught Jadeite in the side of the knee.

Ranma felt something snap, and the Dark General stumbled backward. The blond-haired man used his flight spell to try and catch himself, as he fought for balance...

And then Ryouga was there, using the crouching Ranma's head as a stepping stone as he leaped over his rival. He grabbed Jadeite's flailing arms at the wrists, pulling the General in toward him as hard as he could, while at the same time kicking out with both feet straight into the man's chest.

There was an audible crunch, and then Jadite went flying away, the force of the kick tearing him out of Ryouga's grasp. He tumbled along the ground, finally coming to rest on the other side of the street.

Both martial artists ran after him, aiming to beat him to a bloody pulp. They would give him no chance to regain the initiative. As one, both of them raised their fists, striking downward toward his prone body--

--just as his body dissolved gracefully into purple light, vanishing. Both their punches slammed harmlessly into the concrete.

Wha--? Ranma thought, stunned. Then his eyes widened. Oh crap, it's teleportation! He's--

The two martial artists whirled, to see Jadeite, now propped up on one knee and much further down the street. Before they could do anything, the Dark General lifted both his arms, and Ranma and Ryouga were dragged into the air simultaneously.

The lost boy's hands shot to his headbands... but Jadeite didn't give him the chance to use them. Flipping his hands over, he slammed them both back down into the road with earthshaking force, each impact creating a small crater. And he kept up the pressure, his teeth clenched, a vein throbbing in his forehead, crushing them with all the magical force he could bring to bear.

"Now..." he rasped, raw venom filling every word. "Die. Die like the bugs that you are!"


**********


Back in her hiding place in the alleyway after chasing down Ryouga, Beneda had formed the shuriken on her hand before she even quite realized what she was doing.

When her conscious mind caught up, she couldn't even explain it to herself. The idea of personally attacking a Dark General was suicidal enough in its own right--but even more so was the act of defiance it would represent. There would be no more chance of reclaiming her place after an act like that. She would be an enemy of the Dark Kingdom without any chance of recovery. And a sheer, unreasoning terror gripped her at the very thought.

And yet she wanted to do it. That was the truly terrifying thing. The instant she had realized the situation--the instant she had seen both Ranma and Ryouga crushed into the ground--she had felt the urge to come to their aid. She didn't want to see them die like this! She didn't!

Slowly her arm began to rise toward Jadeite, as her thoughts waged their bloody battle within her. She was trapped. Her situation was impossible. Even if she did try to side with the humans, she had already committed herself by starting this deception. She knew it could not be kept up forever. Sooner or later they would find out. They would know what she had done to them.

Somehow, that idea scared her almost as much as what the Dark Kingdom would do to her.

And yet, for some reason, she still sighted down her arm, across the trembling blade that she could launch with a thought. It would be so easy. Just attack.

Just turn her back on everything she had ever known.

Just resign herself to a fate worse than death.

Beneda sighted her weapon.

And hesitated.

And hesitated.

And then, in a flash of movement, someone shot into view, running down the street at Jadeite from behind.


**********


The crushing force of Jadeite's power was immense, grinding Ranma down until he felt as though his bones were about to crack. He could feel each of his heartbeats pounding in his brain, and a haze of red was encroaching on his vision.

With Herculean effort, he managed to lift an arm slightly, stretching it forward before the incredible pressure crushed it back down. Digging in his fingers, he used the grip to pull himself, inch by inch, along the shattered road toward Jadeite. The distance between them might as well have been across the ocean in Ranma's current state, but he dragged himself onward nonetheless.

It was getting harder and harder to force air in and out of his lungs now. He didn't think he had much time left... but he didn't really feel any fear. Just a dull anger that it was going to end like this. He twisted his head, trying to give the Dark General one last glare...

...and saw something that made his blood freeze in terror.

Ukyo, running at Jadeite from behind, battle spatula upraised.

She drew nearer and nearer, and for a moment Ranma almost thought she would catch the Dark General off-guard. But even as focused on them as he was, he detected the threat at the last second. Whirling around, he managed to snap off a single hasty blast into Ukyo's chest.

Ranma's heart fairly stopped. The scene played out in slow motion before him. The bolt of magic detonated, flinging the limp body of his childhood friend through the air like a rag doll.

And for that one, fatal moment, Jadeite's attention was completely off Ranma.

"You son of a bitch!" The scream tore itself from Ranma's throat, as raw, molten fury boiled through him. He planted a foot under him, and launched himself murderously toward the General.

Jadeite tried to spin back around... but Ranma covered the distance between them so fast that he fairly vanished from sight. He poured all that accumulated force into a punch that crashed into General's jaw, breaking it with a single blow. A second punch slammed into Jadeite's gut, jackknifing his body.

The Dark General crumpled toward the ground--but Ranma did not let him fall. He grabbed hold of Jadeite with one hand, lifting him back up and holding him in place. Then, calling on all his strength, calling on all his anger, he drew back his other hand.

And he began to punch.

Countless punches, tearing into Jadeite so fast they could not be seen. The only thing visible was the effect on Jadeite's body as he jerked and writhed under the assault. Ranma punched. And punched. And punched. And punched.

And then, knowing he could only manage one more, wound his fist all the way back and swung it with all his might.

The sound of the impact was like a gunshot. Jadeite spun crazily through the air, flipping end over end, until he finally hit the ground face-first, flopping into a broken heap.

Ranma, for his part, crumpled to his knees, doubling over and gasping for breath. All the damage he had sustained during the fight was catching up with him once again, combined with the exertion of that final push. Colorful spots were swimming across his vision, and he felt himself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. His right arm felt as though it were on fire.

Still, he managed to slowly, painfully raise his head, looking over at Jadeite's fallen body. A tiny, vicious smile managed to tug at the corners of his mouth, as he confirmed that the General remained flat on the ground.

Gotcha, you bastard.


**********


The Darkmistress laughed as she fired her lightning down from the rooftops with both hands. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars both scrambled to get out of the way, falling back into a huddled knot with Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Kamen. They had joined ranks again, all of them completely on the defensive now, devoting everything they had just to staying alive.

Warily, the four humans backed away, watching for further attacks. The Darkmistress noticed, however, that the girls were having a hurried, whispered conference as they did so. Determined to break it up, she went on the offensive once more, leaping down to the ground and racing toward them, her power blasting away.

All of them moved to evade, scattering off in different directions: Sailor Moon to the left, Sailor Mars to the right, the injured Sailor Mercury backward, with Tuxedo Kamen staying close by her. The Darkmistress went after that pair, leaving the other two to her subordinates.

As the corpse-like youma closed, Sailor Mercury drew herself up, gritting her teeth, a look of determination on her face. "Shabon Spray!" she called out, sending another wave of mist across everything in the vicinity.

The corpse-like youma smirked, as she looked into the murky cloud. So desperate that they're trying to hide from us in their smokescreen... she thought. A mistake they won't live to regret.

Using hand signals, she motioned the other two youma into the mist. Such tactics might work against lesser youma, but she had trained her Inquisitors in all manner of assassination skills, including killing without the aid of sight. In laying down a blind over the battlefield, she thought gloatingly, the Senshi had actually hobbled themselves far more than their foes.

Silently as wraiths, the three youma moved forward. Although they stayed within a yard or two of each other, soon all they could see of their allies were dim outlines. In spite of herself, the Darkmistress shivered from the sudden cold. There was something unnatural about this fog, something that seemed to leech slowly away at the very power inside her.

Nevertheless, they continued on. Their every sense was alert, ready at any moment to attack. Glancing around, the Darkmistress looked for a moment over at the youma to her left--

--just in time to see the Moon Tiara come shooting through the mist, and with absolute, surgical precision, cut the Inquisitor's head clean off.

The Darkmistress's eyes went wide. And, as she felt the grains of wildly spraying youma dust bounce off her face, she realized the terrible underestimation she had made of the Senshi's magic. This fog wasn't a two-way blind. They couldn't see where the Senshi were... but the Senshi were perfectly able to target them.

And that realization led to another one: We're in the middle of a killing field.

"Out!" she screamed, the word tearing at her throat. "Out of the mist, now!"

The remaining youma obeyed without hesitation, turning and running for her life. The Darkmistress fled in a different direction, hoping to divide the pursuit. But she had hardly taken a few steps before instinct told her to hit the ground. An instant later, a flurry of roses hissed overhead.

Rolling back to her feet, she continued to run. She ducked and swerved blindly, trying to be a difficult target for the invisible attackers that were out there... somewhere. How much has the mist expanded since we entered? she thought, looking wildly back and forth, knowing she could be cut down at any moment. It didn't cover this much ground on our way in!

Off to her side, the shifting tendrils of fog suddenly glowed a furious orange, carrying the light from a huge burst of flame. Immediately afterward, a cut-off scream informed her that she was the last youma remaining in this fight.

Then the outline of a building wall loomed into view, and she swerved instantly for it. She plowed into it with her shoulder, breaking through into the store on the far side... where the mist had not yet penetrated. Her dive carried her onward, sliding along the floor. She rolled over as she went, training both her hands back on the hole she had come through.

For several long seconds, nothing came through it. Slowly, she drew herself back to her feet, keeping well away from the opening as she caught her breath, trying to come up with a plan to turn this situation around.

The Senshi had her outgunned at this point; that much was clear. Even without this cursed mist, she would not have relished the thought of facing all four of those enemies by herself. No, at this point subtlety was her best chance for killing them.

Taking a deep breath, she began to creep deeper into the store, moving farther and farther away from the opening, while also activating a cloaking spell that she had designed personally--the most powerful one of its kind in the Dark Kingdom.

This was not over. She would wait patiently, until a suitable opportunity presented itself. The Senshi were welcome to hide in their mist. It just meant that she would need to keep out of sight for a little while as well.


**********


Sailor Mercury peered at the side of the building through the blue tint of her now-lowered visor. She studied the readouts flashing in front of her eyes, made a few quick adjustments with the Mercury computer to compensate for the stealth magic that their foe was using, and watched as a wireframe representation of the Darkmistress superimposed itself on the wall, along with various graphs detailing her energy level and damage status.

Then she turned to Sailor Mars--who by now had charged up the Fire Soul at her fingertips to quite astonishing levels. Sailor Mercury extended her arm, pointing to where her visor indicated the youma was standing. "There."


**********


The section of wall in front of the Darkmistress suddenly exploded inward, as a stream of fire tore through it, raging directly at her. Desperately she threw herself to the side, but she was unable to dodge fully. The youma screamed as the magic flames ate away at the right side of her body, igniting her robe.

She rolled along the ground, thrashing, trying to put out the fire. Even through the horrible, searing pain, she knew that she had only seconds before the next attack. She rolled to her hands and knees and dove forward, just as a second Fire Soul ripped through the wall behind her.

The Darkmistress skidded along the floor... and she knew deep in the pit of her stomach that this time, she had lost. Her right arm and leg were hideously burned, barely functional, and her enemies could track her despite her best efforts to remain concealed. Her only hope now was escape.

She slammed her good hand to the ground, concentrating as hard as she could. A circle of magical energy, dark red, sprang into existence at her feet. This was her last resort. True teleportation, like that of a Dark General, was beyond her ability... but she did have one spell that was designed to recall her directly to her sanctum in the Devil's Keep.

It was just a question of whether she could cast it in time.

She clenched her eyes, focusing everything she had into enacting her desperate magic. Sailor Mars was doubtless charging up another Fire Soul at that very moment. It was a race.

The youma felt the writhing strands of magic falling into place, drawing closer and closer to completion. Almost there, almost there... She clenched her teeth, straining as she had never strained before...

Then the largest Fire Soul yet exploded through the wall, radiating terrible heat, bearing down on her like the breath of a dragon.


**********


Outside, Sailor Mercury peered through her visor, then glanced down at the Mercury computer to check the results of Sailor Mars' latest attack. She punched a few keys, then looked up.

"There's no more trace of her," she announced. "That one must have done the trick."

Sailor Mars nodded. "All right!" she said. "Then let's go wrap this up!"


**********


As soon as Ryouga saw the berserker fury with which Ranma went after Jadeite, the lost boy knew that there was no way he was getting any further pieces of the Dark General for himself. Instead he pulled himself to his feet, ran over to where Ukyo lay, and knelt down beside her.

"Ukyo!" he said in an anxious tone, shaking her gently. "Hey, Ukyo!" His relationship with the girl might not have been as old or as deep as Ranma's was, but he still considered her a friend. If anything happened to her...

A soft groan rose up from the okonomiyaki chef, and she shifted slightly. "No, Ranchan..." she mumbled, almost unintelligibly. "Remember, today it's pork. It's tomorrow that we serve the squid tempura as the special..."

Ryouga let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-snort. At least one of them was having a good dream--for Ukyo's idea of "good", at least.

Soon, Ranma came staggering over, swaying woozily and looking well more than half-dead. He sank heavily down to his knees next to the two of them. "Is she all right?" he demanded.

"She's a little banged up, but other than that she seems fine," answered Ryouga. "Well, except for her taste in men... but that's no worse than it ever was." He only realized how spent Ranma really was when the pigtailed boy couldn't even muster the energy for a dirty look in reply.

After a while, Ranma spoke up again. "That's... good. Still, we really oughta get her out of here." Ryouga opened his mouth to agree...

...then slowly closed it again, his eyes looking up to the rooftops.

Standing atop one of the nearby buildings, looking down at them, was the blonde-haired figure of Sailor Moon. Nearby stood Sailor Mercury, and on the opposite side of the street perched Tuxedo Kamen.

The lost boy slowly got to his feet, licking his lips. These odds were... not the best. Ranma would be of little use in a fight now, given how exhausted he was, and Ukyo was out cold. He was fairly confident he could take any one of them alone, but all three of them at once...

Suddenly he frowned, an unsettling apprehension starting to build in his gut. Wait a minute... three? he thought, looking back and forth between Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Tuxedo Kamen.

Where was the red one?


**********


Beneda leaned heavily against the alley wall, feeling sick to her stomach.

Relief had washed over her upon realizing that Ryouga, Ranma and Ukyo were all right... but even that relief had felt dirty, in a way that she could not put words to. They had all survived... but no thanks to her. She hadn't acted, and Ukyo had been hurt--perhaps badly.

She kept replaying the events back and forth in her mind, over and over again, trying to convince herself of what she would or wouldn't have done if Ukyo hadn't intervened. It seemed as though the question would drive her mad. The thought of how close the boys had come to death...

Because of her...

With all her might she tried to block out the thoughts, to just stop thinking. It was too painful. She had never had to deal with anything like this in the Dark Kingdom--and in that moment she wanted so very desperately to get back there.

In the Dark Kingdom, she had been safe. Safe from ever experiencing this kind of incomprehensible hurt, this sense that she had... failed someone else. Safe from crazy humans who did terrible, terrifying things to you, like caring what happened to you, and worse, making you care what happened to them.

It was all insane, she told herself. Insane, thinking people could actually live this way. She repeated it like a mantra. Insane, insane, insane, insane...

Suddenly, a flurry of movement shook her out of her trance. Ryouga had broken away from Ranma and Ukyo, and was running... toward her. She frowned, puzzled. He was running like a madman, in fact, at a dead sprint, raw fear written across his features. "Beneda!" he screamed out as he ran. "Behind you!"

The youma turned--and there, in the center of the alley, stood Sailor Mars. Her hands were clasped tightly together, a huge ball of fire blazing at her fingertips, her long black hair flying around her. Her eyes met Beneda's, and the youma quailed under her gaze--like that of an avenging goddess.

"Fire... SOUL!"

The blast roared down the alleyway, filling it completely, leaving no space where it could possibly be avoided. It ripped apart the walls on either side as it went, reaching out hungrily for her. Beneda threw her arms up futilely, knowing that it would not make the slightest difference--

--and then she felt a pair of hands clamp onto her shoulders. She was wrenched back through the air with incredible speed, just barely ahead of the onrushing flame. Ryouga swung her fully around to the opposite side of him, crushing her tightly to his chest, bending himself over her, wrapping his arms around her, as he braced himself.

Then the Fire Soul hit.

The lost boy let out a howl of agony, as the wall of searing flame broke across his back. He staggered, his knees almost buckling, but somehow he managed to stay on his feet. The stream of fire blazed around them, and even shielded by Ryouga's body, Beneda could feel the horrible, blistering heat as it raged past to burst out the mouth of the alley.

On and on it went, Beneda trembling against his chest in incomprehension, Ryouga's iron grip on her never once slacking. The fire burned, and burned, and burned away at him...

And then, at last, it was over--the fury of the flames finally spent.

Slowly, disbelievingly, Beneda raised her head. Ryouga was looking down at her. His legs were trembling, his eyes were glassy and unfocused, his breath was coming in short wheezes. The sickening stench of burnt flesh was beginning to permeate the air. "R- Ryouga?" she whispered, barely audible even to herself.

Ryouga's reply was a small, relieved little smile. Then he slumped forward, crumpling bonelessly.

"Ryouga!" Beneda screamed, her hands shooting clumsily to catch him, his weight bearing them both to the ground. She could not think. It felt as though her mind had been snapped in half by what had just happened. "Ryouga!"


**********


Oh, hell... With an effort, Ranma raised his head, looking over to where Ryouga lay crumpled in Beneda's arms. This is really, really bad.

Self-confident though he was, even he knew that there was no way he could take on all four of those Senshi maniacs, not when he was as weak as this. Their last real hope had vanished when Ryouga had been taken down.

Still, there was no way he was going out without a fight. Wobbling, he fought his way back to his feet, his vision blurring in and out of focus. He glared at the assembled Senshi, gritted his teeth, and then clenched his hands into fists.

**********

Sailor Mars lowered her hands, a little unsettled in spite of herself. That... hadn't been the way she had expected things to go. What kind of villain jumped in front of a fireball for one of his minions?

But she steeled her resolve. It had been them who had attacked the Senshi unprovoked, after all. Not to mention what they had done to poor Luna! If they wanted to surrender, she would hear them out... but until then, she wasn't going to drop her guard. In fact, for all she knew, he had only done that because the youma had been a vital part of his plan. There had to be a reason why they had recruited her from the Dark Kingdom, after all...

Even as she followed the train of thought, she saw that the pigtailed enemy was getting back to his feet, taking a fighting stance. The Senshi of flame narrowed her eyes. So, they wanted to play this to the end, then. She clasped her hands together, conjuring a point of flame there, ready to fire at a moment's notice...

...and then she crumpled like a puppet with her strings cut.

There had been no warning, no premonition of danger, no sense of anyone approaching. Only a soft poke between her shoulder blades, and another to her lower back. The next thing she knew, she was pitching forward, control over her limbs completely lost.

The ground rose up toward her, and she tried desperately to break her fall, but her arms simply refused to respond. But before she hit, a strong pair of hands caught her from behind, lowering her gently the rest of the way. "Quickly!" she heard a man's voice call out above her, calm but urgent. "Let's go!"

Even as he lowered her down, she saw the youma lift the burnt boy and race away down the alley. At the same time, the pigtailed boy grabbed the girl at his feet, threw her over his shoulder, and began to stumble unsteadily toward the alley himself.

As he fled, Sailor Mars saw Tuxedo Kamen swoop into view. He looked over, and she saw his mouth twist into an angry expression when he saw her prone body. He ran after the retreating pair, but before he could catch up to them, a short-haired girl dashed out of the alley and launched herself toward him in a flying kick.

He caught the attack easily on his cane, and then the weapon extended to drive into her stomach, sending her flying back in the direction she had come. But doing so cost him valuable time, allowing the pigtailed boy to reach the alleyway, and he even managed to catch the short-haired girl with his free arm in the process. Tuxedo Kamen followed after them, moving in a blur of black.

Then a man stepped into view, interposing himself between Tuxedo Kamen and the retreating trio. He was tall, wearing dark clothes and a pair of glasses. His hands were raised, palms outward. "Stay back," he said, his voice placid and composed. "I've no desire to--"

At that point Tuxedo Kamen reached him, swinging his cane at the man's head in a blinding strike. But the man spun, flowing underneath the attack in a movement of impossible grace and speed, and the masked man shot harmlessly past him. That's strange... thought Sailor Mars. I thought that guy was trying to stop Tuxedo Kamen from--

Then the black cane tumbled from Tuxedo Kamen's suddenly-limp fingers. His legs crumpled beneath him, dropping him to the ground, and he slid to a stop in the middle of the alley. No way! Sailor Mars thought, her eyes widening. I... I couldn't even see what he did to him!

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury had reached the mouth of the alley, and were looking on in shock at the scene before them. Sailor Moon had her tiara out, ready to throw at a moment's notice. But the new arrival was simply backing away, covering the retreat of his allies as they made their escape.

Soon the enemies had vanished from sight. Unheeding of them, the two Senshi ran over to where their fallen comrades lay. Sailor Mercury knelt down to scan Sailor Mars with the Mercury Computer, while Sailor Moon started to shake Tuxedo Kamen frantically.

"What did he hit us with?" muttered Sailor Mars, craning her head to look up at Sailor Mercury while tuning out Sailor Moon's tearful babbling. "Some kind of magic? I can't move my arms or my legs..."

The blue-clad Senshi frowned, her eyes scanning back and forth across the Mercury computer's display. "No..." she said at last. "No, it's... not magic at all." Then she looked up. "I think it will fade eventually, but we ought to get out of here. We're in no condition to fight right now, and we don't know what kind of reinforcements are on their way."

Sailor Mars nodded. They needed to regroup, needed to figure out their next step. And they needed to find Luna--if the cat had even survived the enemy's attack.

Reaching down, Sailor Mercury pulled Sailor Mars to her feet, slinging her over her shoulder. Seeing this, Sailor Moon proceeded to follow suit with Tuxedo Kamen, and together the four beleaguered defenders of love and justice made a hasty exit.


**********


With a groan, the Inquisitor pulled herself upright, her mind a dazed muddle. What had happened to her? Fragments of memory tumbled through her head. She remembered a fight... A pigtailed human attacking her Mistress... Rushing to her aid... Then that accursed Tuxedo Kamen arriving... And then the pigtailed fighter again... His fists beating away at her... His foot hurtling toward her head...

Then blackness.

Slowly the masked youma opened her eyes... and gaped at the sight that met them. She was still in the same street that she had been fighting in... but now it was completely wrecked. The road was cracked and shattered, with countless craters of various sizes scattered everywhere. One of the nearby buildings was burning, and a few others had been reduced to nothing but rubble. Even many of the ones that were still standing had numerous gaping holes blasted in their structure. She looked back and forth for signs of her allies... but could find none.

Except... except over there, lying sprawled out on the street, face-down...

A cold chill ran through her. No, she told herself, as she walked closer and closer. No, even the thought was utter foolishness. There was no way that it could possibly be...

Reaching the body, she knelt down and flipped him over, revealing the bloodied, almost-unrecognizable face of Jadeite.

They... defeated a Dark General... The mere thought was a terrifying one. A Dark General! What manner of beings are we facing?

But then she shook herself. The Darkmistress will know what to do, she thought resolutely. Even if we have to call in the entire army and raze this ward to the ground! We won't let them beat us.

Leaning in closer, she saw that Jadeite was still breathing. He was still alive--if just barely. After a moment's thought, she reached down and threw him over her shoulder. She would make a quick sweep, try to find as many other survivors as she could, and then head back toward the Dark Kingdom.

The Darkmistress would know what to do.

[Sky]

Wee!

He leaped through the air, using Tuxedo Kamen's head as a stepping stone, and driving the man's top hat down over his eyes in the process. From there he aimed himself toward where Ryouga stood, calling back over his shoulder at the other two as he went. "Sorry, guys! Bigger fish!"

This may be a British versus American English thing, but I use leapt here. Also, drop the and.

That was one hell of a fight. The part with Jadeite raising Ranma up into the air and then forcing him into a nosedive only to have Jadeite lose concentration, Ranma correct his bearing and slam into Jadeite made me raise my eyebrow. Just how high was Ranma?

[claymade]

This may be a British versus American English thing, but I use leapt here. Also, drop the and.

From what I can see in a brief internet search, it does indeed seem to break down on the UK/American lines, although both seem to be acceptable. I'll play with that--and I will axe the "and" for certain, as you say.

That was one hell of a fight.

Thanks!

The part with Jadeite raising Ranma up into the air and then forcing him into a nosedive only to have Jadeite lose concentration, Ranma correct his bearing and slam into Jadeite made me raise my eyebrow. Just how high was Ranma?

Well, he did start really high up, and the other part was that since Jadeite dragged him over near him to begin with, he didn't actually have that far to shift his course.

Or at least, that was the idea, anyway. I'll play around with that as well. Do you think that basic idea could have mitigated the skeptical feeling you had--i.e. noting that it was only a minor aiming, or something along those lines?

[juandelacruz]

That was one hell of a fight.

I second that.

spreading out as the reacted to this new turn of events

I think you forgot the 'y.'

I'm wondering why the Senshi went after Beneda, and not after Jadeite and/or the other surviving Inquisitor. Moon or Kamen could have dusted the two while Mars went after Beneda.

[claymade]

I second that.

Thank you!

I think you forgot the 'y.'

Ha ha, so I did... Good catch.

I'm wondering why the Senshi went after Beneda, and not after Jadeite and/or the other surviving Inquisitor. Moon or Kamen could have dusted the two while Mars went after Beneda.

Hmm, do you mean the surviving Inquisitor at the end of the chapter? The thing with her was, she was unconscious 'till the fight was over, so they were focusing on the active enemies. And Ranma had already taken out Jadeite by the time the Senshi finished off the Darkmistress and her two helpers.

Is there anything that would have helped make the sequence of events more clear, or anything that I could remove that was confusing as far as that went?

[juandelacruz]

Hmm, do you mean the surviving Inquisitor at the end of the chapter? The thing with her was, she was unconscious 'till the fight was over, so they were focusing on the active enemies. And Ranma had already taken out Jadeite by the time the Senshi finished off the Darkmistress and her two helpers.

Is there anything that would have helped make the sequence of events more clear, or anything that I could remove that was confusing as far as that went?

Well, the sequence of events are clear enough for me; I understood that Jadeite and the Inquisitor were unconscious. What's bothering me is that if the Senshi were willing and capable of sneaking up on a youma to fatally shoot her in the back, then why wouldn't they finish off Jedeite and the Inquisitor? It would be a simple matter of throwing roses and/or tiara from where they were standing on the building. Unless they didn't detect the two like how they detected Beneda in her hiding place. It's just a bit of inconsistent behavior for me. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

[Spokavriel]

Really nice end to the fight. Even though I was looking for problems I missed all the ones others mentioned. Probably because of multitasking.

What about the Inquisitors that were knocked out before the fight really started? Is the quick sweep going wide enough to pick them up too?

Will you finally have some Senshi perspective scenes without our main characters in them for the post fight reactions next chapter?

With Jadeite taken out like this just how much is this going to escalate everything above what was the normal operations in Sailor Moon? Can the Dark Kingdom afford to step things up to that level?

Just how much of the precious energy they need to revive Metallia is being wasted to have this amount of effort for nothing. I do not see Beryl even being able to sit on her throne over this.

Energy is needed desperately if they have to have this much cost in their activities. And from cannon they NEED the energy. They haven't been able to gather enough to have reserves to retaliate to this level of threat.

[Sky]

Well, he did start really high up, and the other part was that since Jadeite dragged him over near him to begin with, he didn't actually have that far to shift his course.

Or at least, that was the idea, anyway. I'll play around with that as well. Do you think that basic idea could have mitigated the skeptical feeling you had--i.e. noting that it was only a minor aiming, or something along those lines?

That would do it. It's not the course correction in and of itself that got me - I had the impression that it was a large course correction.

[PCHeintz72]

Crap... I had hoped Jedite was dead.

[Spokavriel]

Can't kill him that quick. It would have been nice since he's annoying but now he gets to be tormented by the other Darn Generals.

[PCHeintz72]

Can't kill him that quick. It would have been nice since he's annoying but now he gets to be tormented by the other Darn Generals.

It would have sent a clear message. It would have been a symbol. Something no side could ignore.

"Do not mess with us"

Not just to the Dark Kingdom, but to the Senshi. They managed to go further against Jedite in one battle, than the Senshi managed in the entire time fighting.

They (Ranma/Ryoga), outmatched, outgunned, with overwhelming odds, with little assistance, took out the bulk of a battle group with Jedite as reinforcement after they were already worn down a bit. With Senshi serving as distraction.

As it is, once recovered, assuming Beryl lets him, he is going to be chomping at the bit on this humiliation, and may come with even more forces to take out the 3rd party.

I am curious on one point, I cannot remember when in Ranma canon this was and a bit tired to check, but why was the senkins not used here? Ditto for MT, HSH, and SSH.

[CRBWildcat]

If I had to wager a guess, sometime before those techniques were learned.

[PCHeintz72]

If I had to wager a guess, sometime before those techniques were learned.

I checked... it is. Here:

Chronological Note: Relative to the timeline of the Ranma 1/2 manga, this story is set several weeks before the start of the Shi Shi Hokodan arc.

[claymade]

Well, the sequence of events are clear enough for me; I understood that Jadeite and the Inquisitor were unconscious. What's bothering me is that if the Senshi were willing and capable of sneaking up on a youma to fatally shoot her in the back, then why wouldn't they finish off Jedeite and the Inquisitor? It would be a simple matter of throwing roses and/or tiara from where they were standing on the building. Unless they didn't detect the two like how they detected Beneda in her hiding place. It's just a bit of inconsistent behavior for me. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

Ah, okay, I think I understand now. Yeah, the difference, as I had thought of it, was one of threat prioritization. The KOed youma and General aren't as big threats as the very much active youma who might shoot you in the back--and has, indeed, already tried to do so--if you go to engage Ryouga without taking care of her first.

Really nice end to the fight.

Thanks!

What about the Inquisitors that were knocked out before the fight really started? Is the quick sweep going wide enough to pick them up too?

Will you finally have some Senshi perspective scenes without our main characters in them for the post fight reactions next chapter?

All will be revealed in due time...

With Jadeite taken out like this just how much is this going to escalate everything above what was the normal operations in Sailor Moon? Can the Dark Kingdom afford to step things up to that level?

Just how much of the precious energy they need to revive Metallia is being wasted to have this amount of effort for nothing. I do not see Beryl even being able to sit on her throne over this.

Energy is needed desperately if they have to have this much cost in their activities. And from cannon they NEED the energy. They haven't been able to gather enough to have reserves to retaliate to this level of threat.

Hmmm... I'm not writing the youma's powers or some such as working in the sense that they'd drain the central reserve of energy being sent to Mettalia, at least not directly. Their fights against the Wrecking Crew have cost them soldiers, but that's about it, and the Dark Kingdom is pretty much the embodiment of the "We Have Reserves" principle...

That would do it. It's not the course correction in and of itself that got me - I had the impression that it was a large course correction.

Ah, gotcha. That change will be made. Thanks for pointing it out!

Crap... I had hoped Jedite was dead.

Unfortunately, that would be quite impossible to do at this juncture, the way the plot needs to go.

They (Ranma/Ryoga), outmatched, outgunned, with overwhelming odds, with little assistance, took out the bulk of a battle group with Jedite as reinforcement after they were already worn down a bit. With Senshi serving as distraction.

Actually, even if you count Beneda as a Neriman rather than a Juubanite, by the numbers each team defeated exactly half the battle group--seven apiece. Didn't even plan it that way, to tell you the truth; it was just the way it turned out.

As it is, once recovered, assuming Beryl lets him, he is going to be chomping at the bit on this humiliation, and may come with even more forces to take out the 3rd party.

Mwahahahaha...

I am curious on one point, I cannot remember when in Ranma canon this was and a bit tired to check, but why was the senkins not used here? Ditto for MT, HSH, and SSH.

As you mention later, Senkens, MT and SSH were not used because they don't know them yet. HSH, on the other hand, was not used because none of the magic-based fighters put out a powerful enough battle aura to make it a meaningful factor. Plus, there's the problem of getting Jadeite to follow you in a spiral...

[Spokavriel]

I was thinking more of the energy cost in transporting enough of those reserves into Tokyo to keep fighting on this scale. The main large transfers of people happened in the "Temple Bus" situation and the way it goes it seems most of those transfers of people was powered by the energy of the abducted more than anything else.

Really the Negaverse seems to be reluctant to allow more than 3 out into the world at a time without the movements being powered by stolen energy to preserve their stores being used to revive the demon queen.