“Okay, so now what?” asked Sailor Sol as she and Sailor Moon stood in the shadow of the floating palace trying to find a way to get to it.
“Well, I don’t know if it will work, but we could try a Sailor Teleport.”
“A what?”
“A Sailor Teleport. I’ve never tried it without all of the Scouts, but we don’t need to go very far so it might work with just the two of us.”
Sol looked up at the floating castle and then back at Sailor Moon. “It’s worth a try I suppose. How does it work?”
“First we have to link.” Sailor Moon held out both her hands. Sol looked at them for a second and then took them in hers. “Okay, now we have to draw as much energy as we can while concentrating on where we want to go. You can’t have any stray thoughts or else you might end up in a wall or something. At least that’s what Amy tells me.”
Sol’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure this is safe?”
“Well, I’ve never had any problems with it before. Do you have another idea of how to get in there?”
Sailor Sol sighed. “No. I guess we’ll just have to take our chances with this.”
“Good. You can use your transformation phrase to help you focus your energy. I’ll try to guide this as well as I can since you haven’t been trained in all of your powers yet. Ready?”
Sol nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Than let’s do this.” Sailor Moon closed her eyes and Sol followed her example. “Moon Crystal Power!”
“Sol Star Power!”
Energy began to gather around the two Scouts. Swirls of blue and gold surrounded them, penetrated them, and slowly lifted them into the air. The ground around them shuddered and cracked, some pieces following them into the air. Then with a sudden bang the energy around them exploded. The stone around them shattered and the two girls disappeared leaving a small crater in the ground where they had stood.
Cologne suddenly came awake. As she did she made sure that her eyes remained closed and that her breathing emulated the rhythm of one still asleep. She had not been in a deep sleep, she always slept light, but the sudden wakefulness was still slightly disorienting. As she lay there still pretending to be asleep she cast her chi out to find what had awakened her.
She found that the room was empty and so she opened her eyes and sat up. The soft light of dawn was slowly seeping through the window, but she knew that it had not been the light that had caused her to wake. Going into a meditative state, she cast her mind back to see if it could remember what it had tried to bring to her attention. It did. Seconds before waking up there had been a large surge of power to the east.
The form the energy had taken was strange to her, but the energy itself was not. Cursing silently to herself, Cologne made her way out of her room and towards the living room. As she scanned the room of sleeping people she found what she was looking for, an empty futon next to the couch where Darien slept.
Her cursing growing more intense, Cologne made her way up the stairs to the room where her future son-in-law slept. Opening the door she found that it was empty and that the window at the back of the room was hanging wide open. “Damn them!” she spat as she turned to wake the others. She didn’t know what they would be able to do, but she knew that they had to do something.
Sailor Sol’s eyes snapped open as soon as the shifting sensation disappeared. Examining her surroundings, she placed one hand on her stomach. That whole experience had given her a slightly nauseous feeling.
The first thing that popped into her head upon seeing where they were was “black”. Everything was black. The ground they stood on, the walls of the castle, everything. Bending down she placed one gloved hand on the ground. It was smooth, but not slick, and she could feel the fact that it was cool even through her glove.
“See, I told you it would work,” said Sailor Moon. There was a hint of fear in her voice, but there was also excitement.
Sol replied nothing as she turned to study the castle towering over them. The fact that the castle was entirely black made it hard for her to distinguish any real features. It was like looking at a shadow, all she could determine was a general shape. Looking around closer to the ground she found a set of stairs a few yards away. They looked like they led to an opening, but she couldn’t tell for sure.
“This place gives me the creeps. It’s all dark and spooky even though the sun is up.”
Sol nodded in agreement. “The faster we get this over with the happier I’ll be.” She pointed to the set of stairs. “I think we might be able to get in over there.” She began walking toward the stairs and sailor Moon fell in next to her.
They watched their surroundings closely, but there was no sign of anything. There wasn’t even any noise. As Sol put her foot on the first stair, though, something did happen. A globe of darkness so black it stood out against the castle walls appeared at the top of the stairs. As they watched it cautiously, it slowly rose into the air and then suddenly shot straight at them.
Throwing themselves to either side of the stairs the two Scouts narrowly avoided the sphere. As Sol hit the ground pain shot through her mid-section causing her to bite back a cry. Clutching at her wound and taking short breaths she turned to face the stairs. Sailor Moon stood on the other side studying the ground where they had been standing and frowning. There wasn’t a mark to be seen on the stone. Sol had little doubt that the blast would have marked them though.
Laughter pulled her attention to the top of the stairs. There was a woman dressed all in gray standing at the top of the stairs watching the two warriors. “My lord said you would be coming here. I didn’t think it would be this soon though.”
“Who are you?!” demanded Sol.
“Are you the one who hurt Darien and the others?” demanded Sailor Moon seconds behind Sol.
“I am Taneth and if you are referring to those fools at the dojo than yes, that was me.”
“Your going to pay for what you did!” shouted Sailor Moon, tears running down her face.
“We’ll see who pays for what,” laughed Taneth. “This should be a simple matter. Neither of you look to be in any condition to fight.”
Sol ground her teeth together. They were tired and hurt it was true, but she was pretty sure they could defeat Taneth. It was finishing the fight in a condition good enough to face what was beyond her that worried Sol. Using her Super Nova attack would probably be enough, but it would exhaust her. Looking over at Sailor Moon she found her holding her scepter with a look of intensity on her face.
Maybe she could distract Taneth long enough for Sailor Moon to use her scepter. She wasn’t sure it would work, but it was the only plan she could come up with. Returning her gaze to Taneth, Sol found her holding a small ball of dark energy in either hand.
“Now you will die,” said Taneth as she raised her hands over her head.
“Dead Scream.” A ball of purple energy accompanied the words and Taneth was forced to throw herself forward to avoid the blast as it slammed into the ground behind her.
Sol, along with Moon and Taneth, began searching the area in confusion, looking for the source of the blast. They found her standing a few yards away dressed like a Sailor Scout and holding a staff shaped like a key.
“Sailor Pluto!” exclaimed Sailor Moon. “What are you doing here?”
Pluto looked at Moon with cool eyes. “I have come to help of course.”
Sol had been staring at this new arrival trying to figure out where she had seen her before. When Pluto spoke understanding hit her like lightning. “You’re the lady from the park!”
Pluto turned her gaze to Sol. “Yes,” she answered even though it hadn’t been a question.
“I don’t care who you are,” said Taneth from her new position half way up the stairs. “You’re going to die along with these other two.” She brought her hands up over her head, this time forming one large ball of energy.
“Deep Submerge!”
“World Shaking!”
Sailor Sol stared in shock as two energy blasts shot between her and Sailor Moon. One was blue and traveled through the air while the other was orange and sped across the ground. Both of them shot up the stairs toward Taneth, who threw herself off of the side of the stairs to avoid them.
“Who…? What…?” wondered both Sol and Moon as they turned to find the source of the attacks. Standing behind them were two more Sailor Scouts. One had long green hair and a green sailor outfit. The other had very short blonde hair and was dressed in blue.
“I am Sailor Uranus,” said the blonde.
“And I am Sailor Neptune,” said the other.
Pluto gestured toward the now empty staircase. “The way has been cleared for you. Go now and face your destiny. Everything will be explained to you when you return.”
Sailor Sol and Sailor Moon looked at each other and nodded. Moon turned to the new Scouts. “Thank you for your help.”
Sailor Neptune smiled. “It’s the least we can do for you princess. But now you must hurry. The darkness inside grows with each passing moment.”
Heeding the advice, the two warriors began ascending the stairway. They hadn’t gotten very far when Taneth once again began to move towards them. A yellow energy blast slicing across her path stopped her dead in her tracks. Sailor Sol turned to see Uranus holding a glowing sword out before her.
“Your fight is now with us demon,” said Uranus.
Taneth glanced at the Scouts on the stair and then turned back to the other three. “Very well human. My lord will dispose of these other two.” A black sword appeared in her hand and she moved to engage Sailor Uranus.
Seeing that their path was indeed clear, Sailor’s Sol and Moon began once again hurrying up the stairs. As they reached the opening Sol glanced back in time to see Taneth’s black sword meet Uranus’s yellow sword in a flash of light and shower of sparks. Silently wishing the three fighters good luck she turned and passed beyond the threshold of the castle.
“So you fancy yourself a swordsman do you girl.” Said Taneth as she moved towards Sailor Uranus. “Well let’s see if you’re any good.” With a sudden burst of speed she closed with Uranus and brought her sword down over her head.
Uranus managed to bring her sword up to block and there was a flash of light and a shower of sparks as the two blades met. This didn’t slow either fighter though, and they continued to hammer away at each other. They danced around the stairs swords flashing back and forth as either tried to find a hole in the others defense. Sailor Pluto and Neptune could only watch and wait because any attack they made risked hitting their friend.
After several minutes of fighting, Taneth disengaged and moved several feet away from Sailor Uranus. A small smile spread across her face. “That was a good warm up girl, but I grow tired of this. I think it’s time I ended it.” Dark energy began to pool around her feet and slowly rise upward. Soon her entire body was covered in a translucent layer of darkness.
With a wild laugh she once again moved to engage Uranus. This time the speed and fury of her attack put the Scout entirely on the defensive. Taneth advanced as Uranus fell back doing everything she could to ward off the deadly blows. Numerous nicks and cuts were appearing on her face and arms where her defenses had not been good enough.
Suddenly Taneth dropped her shoulder in a feint and Sailor Uranus fell for it. She screamed in pain as the black blade passed cleanly through her left shoulder. Her sword fell from her hands and she fell to her knees clutching her wound, which was bleeding freely. Taneth raised her blade high over her head. “Game over girl.”
“Nooooo!” screamed Sailor Neptune as the blade fell toward her lover’s head.
Inches above the wounded Scouts head the blade was intercepted by a staff. A surprised Taneth looked around into the cold eyes of Sailor Pluto. Twisting her staff around the blade, Pluto swung it upwards and sent the sword flying out of the demon’s grasp. Bringing her staff back around she smashed one end of it into Taneth’s head. Taneth stumbled back, pain and rage flashing across her face.
“Not only does it look good, but it makes a good weapon to,” said Pluto with no hint of emotion in her voice.
“You will pay for that,” spat Taneth. She made to go for her lost sword but Sailor Neptune sent another blast of water across her path. Taneth rolled to avoid it and came up firing several black energy blasts from the tips of her fingers. Neptune managed to avoid most of them, but one slammed into her shoulder and one grazed her thigh. Letting out a cry of pain she stumbled backwards.
Seeing Neptune taken out of the battle by her barrage, Taneth turned to deal with Pluto. As she did, a purple energy blast slammed into her chest. She was sent flying backwards, but she was able to roll with the blast and come up on her feet. Smoke rose from a small hole burned into her shirt, and her skin was blistered and red.
“You are becoming quite an annoyance. It’s time I exterminated you pests.” In one motion she brought her hands up and unleashed a large beam of dark energy. Pluto tried to block with her staff, but it wasn’t enough. The wind was knocked from her as the blast crashed into her stomach and she fell to the ground moaning in pain.
Taneth began laughing as she slowly moved toward the keeper of time. “I will destroy you three and then I will find your friends and destroy them. Then I will sack this pathetic city and torture its citizens. Your defeat will be complete and our victory will be absolute.”
Taneth took another step toward Sailor Pluto and suddenly her eyes widened in surprise and shock. Black blood trickled from her mouth as she looked down at the sword buried to its hilt in her chest. Her eyes moved to those of Sailor Uranus’s and her mouth worked silently.
“You were overconfident,” said Uranus. “You thought I was out of the fight simply because I was wounded. You were wrong and now you are finished.” Taneth slowly fell to the ground her mouth still working as her brain tried to comprehend what had happened. A few seconds later the life left her eyes.
Pulling her sword free of the demons lifeless body, Uranus went to check on Neptune. Aside from a few wounds she was fine and the two moved to Sailor Pluto. There was a large whole in the stomach area of her outfit and her wound looked rather serious, but she was still alive.
“So what now?” asked Neptune as the three Scouts sat on the cold ground nursing their wounds.
“Now we wait and pray,” answered Pluto. “There is nothing else we can do. It’s all up to Ranma and Serena now.”
Sailor Sol watched as another pair of black armored men passed the dark corridor that her and Sailor Moon were hiding in. She assumed they were guards, but they only looked straight ahead as they walked. The two of them had passed several such sentinels and had been able to avoid combat with any of them.
“Who do you think won?” whispered Sailor Moon.
Sol shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can hope.” The sounds of combat that they had heard for several minutes after entering the castle had died down a few minutes ago. She still wasn’t sure whether that was because the battle outside had ended or because they had penetrated deep enough into the castle to block outside noise. Either way she had more important concerns at the moment.
The footsteps of the guards receded down the side corridor and Sol signaled for Moon to follow as she began moving toward the direction the guards had come from. Sailor Moon grabbed her arm and stopped her before she could go very far though. “What?”
“Do you have any idea where you’re going?”
“Not really. I figure if we just keep heading deeper into this place than eventually we’ll find the what we’re looking for.”
Sailor Moon hesitated for a moment then released Sol’s arm. “I guess that’s all we can really do. Maybe we should ask one of the guards for directions.”
“Umm… I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re a guy and you think it’s unmanly to ask directions.”
“No, I’m saying that because I don’t want to have to fight for the information! Now come on, let’s find the guy behind all of this.” Sailor Sol began moving down the corridor and Sailor Moon followed muttering about male stubbornness.
All of the corridors they had found had either been completely dark or poorly lit. The stone on the inside was black like the outside and it seemed to suck up the light generated by the few torches lighting some of the passageways. They had passed a few iron doors all of which were set flush into the walls and securely locked. All and all it didn’t seem like a very friendly place.
Suddenly the corridor the two Scouts were following ended abruptly in a large cavernous room. Numerous glowing orbs that seemed to hang in the air unsupported fully illuminated the room yet none of their light seemed to pass into any of the corridor entrances that surrounded three sides of the room. One wall was a huge window that looked out over Tokyo and, even though it appeared to be crystal clear, it let none of the suns light into the room. In the center of the room sat a large throne and behind it was a large stone circle inscribed with runes. There was a man sitting on the throne.
The man stood up as the Sailor Sol and Sailor Moon entered the room. He had long black hair and a thick beard that hung down to the center of his chest. He was dressed in black robes that hung to the floor and hid everything but his head. The man smiled and Sol took a step back. It was like seeing a shadow smile.
“Well now,” he said in a deep voice, “it seems you actually managed to make it to my chambers. I must say I am rather surprised you managed to get past Taneth. I figured she would have easily destroyed you.”
Sailor Sol put on a cocky grin. “Your pathetic minions aren’t anything compared to us. In fact I don’t think our fight with you is going to take more than two minutes.”
“Just as cocky as I heard you were.” The man turned his gaze to Sailor Moon. “And do you have anything to say before we began this.”
Sailor Moon nodded. “You will pay for the pain and destruction you have brought to this city and my friends. In the name of the Moon I will punish you.”
The man began laughing. “Two overconfident young whelps. What chance do you have of beating me?”
“Let’s find out.” A golden aura suddenly exploded into existence around Sailor Sol as she prepared for her Super Nova attack.
“I don’t think so boy,” said the man. He raised his hands, which had been hidden in his robes, and suddenly a geyser of boiling water erupted under Sol’s feet. She had no time to panic as the water engulfed her and forced her back into her true form. The transformation ripped her out of her Sailor Scout form as well and that caused mind-numbing pain to shoot through her body. Ranma crashed to the ground gasping for breath. “I can’t let you use that attack of yours. It’s too powerful for even me to handle.”
Sailor Moon kneeled down next to Ranma. “Are you okay?”
Ranma raised himself to his knees. “I’m fine. How did you know?” he demanded of the man.
“I have studied the information on the battles our forces have had and the people who have fought in them. I found it strange that two fighters of opposite sex could be so alike. Then I remembered hearing a tale of cursed springs a few hundred years ago. It was only a guess, but it looks like I was right.” Ranma smiled. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m a Scout or not. I’ll still be able to beat you.”
“We will see. My minions are as nothing compared to me. Now you face the Lord of Shadows. Now you face Dolgoth.” Dolgoth flung his hands outward and a wave of darkness slammed into the two fighters. They slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground.
Ranma was back on his feet in an instant and charging the Shadow Lord. He threw punch after punch and kick after kick, but it was like trying to strike a shadow. Dolgoth seemed to be everywhere and nowhere and Ranma couldn’t lay a hand on him. “Is this all you have,” taunted Dolgoth. Suddenly a hand came to rest on Ranma’s chest and pure force hammered into him. Once again he slammed into a wall, but this time he was much slower to regain his feet. His wound was causing burning pain and his tired body was already beginning to feel the effects of this fight.
Dolgoth began moving toward where he stood. “Moon Scepter Activation!” Dolgoth whirled just in time to catch the crescent shaped blast in the chest. The force of the impact moved him back a few steps, but that appeared to be the only effect. “No way,” exclaimed Sailor Moon as she lowered her scepter.
Taking advantage of Dolgoth’s momentary distraction, Ranma launched his own attack. “Mooko Takabisha!” The orange blast shot toward Dolgoth, but he raised a hand and it slammed into an invisible barrier a few feet away from him.
“See how useless your attacks are against me. You stand no chance of winning this fight. Bow to me now and I may spare your miserable lives.”
Ranma assumed a fighting stance. “We bow…”
“…to no one,” finished Sailor Moon.
“Fools.” Dolgoth flung a hand at each warrior and dark energy shot from his fingertips.
“Hi no Ryu!”
“Sakebu no Fushichou!”
Blue fire and unseen waves leapt to meet the dark energy. They collided in an explosion of sound and light that made the sun in the sky seem dim by comparison. Dragon’s fire and Phoenix’s cry fought black lightning as the light battled the darkness. Suddenly a black aura exploded around Dolgoth and the dark energy smashed through the barriers put before it. Ranma and Sailor Moon screamed in pain as the Shadow Lord’s attack struck home.
“Im…Impossible,” gasped Ranma as he clutched at the black spot burned into his shirt where the lightning had struck.
Sailor Moon lay on her back one hand over her wound the other desperately hanging on to her Moon Scepter. “H…How could he stop our most powerful attacks?”
Dolgoth laughed, the black aura dying around him. “If those were your most powerful attacks than I’m surprised you got this far. It’s obvious that without your friends you are nothing. And without you your friends are nothing as well. You have lost this war and now I will make sure that everyone in this land knows it.”
Ranma tried desperately to do something as Dolgoth moved toward his throne, but he was too weak to move past a kneeling position. Sailor Moon couldn’t even sit up. The Shadow Lord pushed some buttons on the arm of his throne and then turned back to the fallen warriors. “I will make your deaths slow and painful so that no one will think to challenge me again.” He raised his hands and darkness surrounded the Dragon and the Phoenix and pain engulfed their bodies.
Darien stood in the backyard of the Tendou Dojo watching the castle along with the rest of Earth’s defenders. The flashes of light and explosions that they had seen up there had stopped a while ago and all had been still since. “Do you think their okay?” asked Mina for the third time.
“We’re not even sure that was them,” said Amy.
Ryoga turned to look at her, “Who else could it have been? Everyone else but Akane is here and she’s still in bed with a coma.”
Amy nodded, “I suppose you’re right, but in their condition I can’t see them fighting more than one fight. If that was them than where are they now?”
“Maybe they’ve defeated the main force behind that castle,” offered Mousse.
“I doubt that,” said Cologne. “There wasn’t nearly enough power bouncing around up there to have been the final battle. The fools should have stayed here like I told them to, but knowing them they’ll probably still be trying to fight when their half dead.”
“Would you have them do anything less?” asked Darien.
Cologne hesitated for a moment then shook her head. “No. If they weren’t willing to give everything they had than they wouldn’t stand a chance against the evil that dwells in that castle.”
“Look!” exclaimed Shampoo pointing. “In sky.”
Everyone looked to the sky where she was pointing and gasped. Hanging in the sky above the castle were the images of Sailor Moon, Ranma, and a man dressed all in black. The man seemed to be laughing as he raised his hands and caused darkness to engulf their friends. Darien couldn’t hear anything, but he could see the pain twisting the faces of the two fighters and he watched as their mouths opened in silent screams.
“We have to do something!” shouted Darien as he rounded on Cologne. “They’re dying!”
Cologne just continued to watch the sky with sad eyes. “There is nothing we can do for them. They have to pull out of this by themselves.”
“I can’t believe that! There has to be something we can do.” Cologne shook her head.
Ukyou watched the scene with tears in her eyes. “We can’t let Ranma die. We can’t let either of them die!”
Ryoga clenched his fist. “They won’t die!” he shouted. “Ranma’s strong and so is Sailor Moon. I have faith that they’ll be okay.”
“He’s right,” exclaimed Lita. “They’ll pull through, we just have to have faith in them.”
Darien turned back to watch the horror in the sky, every silent scream tugging painfully at his heart. Help me, said a voice in his head. Please Darien, help me. “Serena!” he screamed. “I have faith in you. You have the strength to beat this. Don’t die Serena. Please don’t die.” The last came out as a whisper.
Akane walked down a dark corridor made of red stone. She didn’t know how long she had been walking down this tunnel or where it led or even where she was. Suddenly mist began billowing out of the walls and floor in front of her. This was the first thing that had happened since she had begun this journey and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She assumed a fighting stance just in case it was dangerous.
The mist gathered before her and got thicker and thicker, but it didn’t advance toward her. Eventually it reached a point where it no longer changed, but instead just hung there. Akane couldn’t see anything in the fog, but soon she began hearing a voice calling to her from deep within the wall of white. “Akane,” came a quiet voice filled with pain. Curious, she moved into the fog in search of the voice.
As she moved deeper into the fog the voice got louder and she could tell that whoever was calling her was in a lot of pain. Suddenly the fog parted before her and she was standing in a large room. Hanging in the air about ten feet in front of her was the shackled form of Ranma. The shackles looked like black lightning bolts that covered his entire body and it was obvious that they were causing him a great deal of pain.
“Ranma!” she exclaimed.
“Akane,” he cried in almost a whisper, “help me. Please help me.”
Akane ran up to him and began trying to pry at the shackles. When she touched them, though, they sent pain coursing through her body. She tried again and again to get them off, but the pain was too intense and she wasn’t strong enough. “It’s no use Ranma. I’m sorry, but I’m not strong enough. There’s nothing I can do.” She collapsed to the ground and tears began falling from her eyes.
“Believe in yourself,” came Ranma’s hoarse whisper. “Believe in me. Please Akane.”
Akane looked up at Ranma’s form hanging before her. Drying her tears she stood up and, ignoring the pain, took Ranma’s head in her hands. She lifted it from where it rested on his chest and looked deep into his eyes. Then she brought her lips to his and kissed him long and deep.
There was a flash of light and suddenly Akane sat up in the bed she had been sleeping in. She blinked a few times and looked around. A dream? she wondered. Her lips still tingled with the kiss she had given Ranma, though, and she knew that it had been real. She could hear shouts and cries from outside and curiosity drew her out of bed. As she stood up, though, a wave of nausea crashed into her and she held one hand to the bandages on her head. The nausea quickly passed and she made her way downstairs.
The first thing she saw upon going into the backyard was all of her friends standing around staring up at the sky shouting and crying. Rei turned around as she came out and Akane could see the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.
“Akane!” exclaimed Rei. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Akane didn’t hear anything Rei said because her eyes were now riveted on what hung in the sky. Ranma and Sailor Moon in the power of a man all in black. “Ranma!” she screamed, but even as she did she noticed something. They were both beginning to get to their feet.
Ranma forced himself to ignore the pain as he stood up. Across the room he could see Sailor Moon also getting to her feet. Dolgoth had stopped laughing and was now trying to put more energy into the pain he was causing the two fighters. Ranma let out a wordless shout as his battle aura erupted into view throwing off the darkness that had surrounded him. Sailor Moon was glowing with a pale light that was blocking the darkness that had trapped her as well.
“How is this possible,” demanded Dolgoth. “You should both be almost dead.”
“We can’t die now,” said Ranma. “Our friends are counting on us.”
“The world is counting on us,” added Sailor Moon, “and we will not lose.”
When Akane had kissed him in his mind Ranma had felt something open up deep inside of himself. Now he searched for the power that had been awakened. He found it pulsing inside of him eager to be unleashed. He took hold of it and its warmth engulfed him. His battle aura changed from brilliant orange to shimmering blue. Across from him he could see Sailor Moon’s aura become a fiery red.
Dolgoth looked from fighter to fighter, fear growing in his eyes. “What is going on? How can you have this kind of power?” He sent bursts of dark energy flashing at either warrior, but they fizzled when they hit the auras.
“This is where it ends Dolgoth,” said Ranma in a cool tone of voice.
“This is where you pay for all the pain and suffering you have ever caused,” added Sailor Moon. She let out a wordless shout and the aura around her erupted into a bird of fire. Ranma did the same and his aura exploded into the air as a dragon.
Dolgoth’s eyes went wide with terror. “The Dragon and the Phoenix!? You are the Dragon and the Phoenix! How is this possible!?” His shouts were drowned out in the explosions of power around him.
Simultaneously Ranma and Sailor Moon thrust their hands before them and the beings towering above them shot forward with a roar and a shriek. Dolgoth tried to use his power to defend himself, but it was no use. The Dragon and the Phoenix fell upon him and his power was shattered. He screamed as the power of the light ripped through him and crushed him under its weight. The energy in the room suddenly exploded outward and shattered the walls and the giant window that made up the room. The ceiling and everything above it were also destroyed as the power ripped it’s way upwards.
Ranma wasn’t sure how long it was before the energy they had unleashed finally dissipated. It seemed like an instant, but at the same time it also felt like a million years. Sweat beaded his forehead and he felt like he had run a hundred miles. He slumped to his knees and surveyed what was left of his surroundings. Strangely the only thing left standing in the room was the stone circle. Everything else, including walls and ceiling had been completely obliterated. The smoking form of Dolgoth lay unmoving in the center of the room. Looking past the fallen enemy he saw Sailor Moon on her knees across from him and smiled. “Looks like we did it.”
Sailor Moon smiled back. “Sure does doesn’t it.”
Ranma forced himself to stand and watched Sailor Moon do the same. “Time to go home.”
“Y…Your…not…going…anywhere.”
“Impossible,” exclaimed Sailor Moon. “That came from Dolgoth.”
Ranma watched in horror as Dolgoth slowly rose to his feet. All of the hair had been burned off of his head and his eyes were no more than smoking craters, but he was standing before them.
“You managed to destroy me, but I will make sure that before I am completely dead you to will die.” As he stood there dark aura began pulsing around Dolgoth. Ranma put himself in front of Sailor Moon to try and protect her, but he wasn’t sure what good it would do. He couldn’t throw a punch if his life depended on it, which it did.
As he watched the darkness around Dolgoth got darker and larger. Suddenly it exploded outward with an ear-shattering boom. Ranma felt pain like never before as the darkness washed over him. He felt like his skin was being ripped away and his nerves were being flayed. He heard a scream and he thought it might be Sailor Moon, but he also thought it might be him.
Suddenly he saw a green light through the darkness and the pain. It cut a swathe through the dark cloud that enveloped him, and bathed him in a green glow. Behind him he saw a red light envelope Sailor Moon. The light surrounded him and penetrated him and just as the pain was becoming unbearable darkness consumed the world.
Akane watched as the top of the castle erupted in an explosion of red and blue. The explosion was so bright she had to shield her eyes. When it cleared she could see the images of Ranma and Sailor Moon still hanging in the sky. Laying on the ground before them was the dark mans lifeless body. “They did it,” she whispered. “They won.”
Around her cheers and shouts of joy broke out from her friends. She could also hear the cries of joy rising from around Tokyo. Almost everyone had come out to watch the hero’s of the light fight the darkness. Tears of joy ran down her face and she saw tears in the eyes of the others as well. A sudden shout from Cologne silenced everybody’s cheers.
“What is it?” asked Darien.
Cologne pointed at the sky and everyone stared in disbelief as the form of the dark man once again rose to his feet. Silence once again covered Tokyo as everyone watched to see what happened next. Akane’s breath caught as darkness surrounded the man. Suddenly the darkness exploded outward blackening the sky and enveloping Ranma and Sailor Moon.
She watched as the top of the castle became a beacon of darkness that slowly spread out to cover the entire castle. Suddenly the darkness imploded leaving nothing behind. Everyone stared at he sky in shocked silence. “Ranma,” whispered Akane.
I love you, said a voice in Akane’s head. I’m sorry I never told you before and I’m sorry I’ll never be able to tell you again. Goodbye Akane. “Ranma!” screamed Akane.
Darien watched as the darkness imploded, a fist suddenly clutching his heart. I’m sorry, said a voice in his head. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough. Please tell the others I’ll miss them. I love you. Goodbye Darien. “Serena,” whispered Darien. He fell to his knees and began weeping uncontrollably.
Cologne watched as one by one the warriors around her dropped to their knees and wept for their fallen friends. Even Ryoga cried. “I’m sorry everyone,” she said. “I tried to spare them this fate, but they would not listen. I’m sorry.”
Darien looked up at her, pain etched in his face. “You didn’t know this was going to happen.” Cologne looked away without saying anything and Darien got to his feet. “You didn’t know this was going to happen did you?”
Cologne looked Darien in the eye before she spoke. “And it will come to pass that in a great battle against the shadow the champion’s of the light shall depart this world and this shall herald the coming of Earth’s darkest hour. That was from the prophecies and yes I did know that this was going to happen.”
The hurt and betrayal in Darien’s face was obvious. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell them?! We might have been able to prevent this!”
“She didn’t say anything because I forbade her to,” said a voice from behind Darien. He whirled to demand who was there, but his words died on his lips. Standing before them was Sailor Pluto accompanied by two unknown Scouts. All of them looked tired and hurt.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but it could not have been avoided even had you known the prophecy. Knowing would have just gotten more of you killed.”
“How can you know that?” demanded Ryoga. “Who are you anyway.”
“I am Sailor Pluto, the keeper of time. I know what I know because I have seen glimpses of the future. I did what I did to protect the Earth.”
“Our choice,” said Akane with tears streaming down her face. “It should have been our choice. Their choice.”
“Maybe so, but what’s done is done and now you must go on. The evil that threatens the Earth still exists and you must prepare for what is to come. Without the Dragon and the Phoenix the fight against the darkness will be tougher than ever before. This is Sailor Uranus and this is Sailor Neptune.” The two Scouts each nodded at the mention of their name. “They will help you in the struggles ahead.”
“And what about you?” demanded Rei in a tear choked voice. “What are you going to do?”
“I have things that I must attend to now. I will help you at times, but you must not count on me being there.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t,” said Rei.
Pluto nodded and a portal appeared behind her. Without even waving she stepped into the portal and disappeared. When she was gone Darien once again rounded on Cologne. “You will train me like you trained Ranma,” he demanded in a cold voice. “You will make me strong enough to destroy the darkness that threatens the Earth and avenge Serena.”
“And you will train me,” said Akane.
“And me,” said Ukyou. And everyone including Neptune and Uranus gathered around Cologne and swore to the destruction of the evil which had taken their friend, their princess, and their lover.
