All of Tokyo had watched the death of their champion Sailor Moon and of the boy who had helped to destroy the evil that had threatened their city and the world. All mourned the loss of those who had sacrificed themselves so that others could live. The Scouts and the Nerimians had been impacted most by this loss and all of them cried for many days as they sat around telling stories about their friends.
After much debate the four remaining inner Scouts had decided to tell Serena’s parents about their daughter’s secret identity. They cried long and hard over their daughter’s death, but they also wore looks of pride upon their faces when they weren’t crying. Their daughter had been the savior of the world after all.
Even though there had been no bodies, a great funeral was held in which all of Tokyo either attended or watched on TV. The four Scouts carried Sailor Moon’s empty coffin while Ryoga, Mousse, Genma, and Soun, carried Ranma’s. Everyone cried again when they were laid to rest in mother Earth’s bosom. Plans were soon underway for a great statue to immortalize the two warriors.
Searching uncovered one of the stones which had been the cause of all this, but of the other stone there was no sign. It was deduced that the demons had gotten to it first.
All of this took about two weeks and then it was time to put the past behind and prepare for the future.
Akane stood on the back porch staring up at the setting sun. Tomorrow cologne would start training them for what lay ahead. Although she looked foreword to the training her heart still hung heavy with the loss of Ranma. She felt a hand grip her shoulder and she turned to see Darien standing next to her. “I never thought about what it would be like to have him gone,” she said turning back to the sunset. “He was such a big part of my life. Now I feel empty inside.”
Darien nodded in understanding. “I feel the same way. I never imagined what I’d do without Serena and now that she’s gone I can’t think of anything but her smiling face.”
A tear ran down Akane’s cheek and she turned and buried her face in Darien’s chest. “I miss him so much,” she sobbed. “I never told him I loved him and now I’ll never get the chance.” Darien held Akane close to him, his own tears running down his face. “It hurts Darien. It hurts so much.”
“I know Akane. I know.” The two of them stood holding each other for a long time. Each trying to comfort the other while sharing the same pain.
Sailor Pluto stood in the center of a ring of large chairs, all around her was dark except for the white marble floor beneath her. There were eleven chairs and each chair sat a person. Pluto stood facing a man with a long white beard dressed in green robes embroidered with lightning bolts. “Have you found them yet Sailor Pluto?” asked the man in a voice like thunder.
“No Lord Jupiter. I have had no luck in my search.”
“You must find them soon. The Earth is doomed without them.”
“Why must we find them soon for?” asked a man dressed all in red armor. One hand rested on a large sword sheathed at his waist while the other twirled a knife. “I think the others can hold out for a while without them.”
“You just want to see your avatar made leader of Earth’s defenders, Mars,” said a woman dressed in a skimpy silk dress that revealed more than it hid.
“Maybe you think yours would be better suited, Venus. I can just see it now. ‘Let’s give the demons lots of love and maybe they’ll leave’. Only a warrior can lead the warriors of light against the darkness.”
“Enough,” bellowed Jupiter. “I will not have you quarreling over stupid matters at such a critical time. We have much more important matters to discuss.” Jupiter turned back to Sailor Pluto. “If you have not found them then perhaps you have found the other one we seek.”
Everyone turned to look at a woman dressed all in purple. She had long black hair that set off her pale complexion. Embroidered on her dress was a stylized ‘h’. “I still have not been able to find her,” she whispered.
Jupiter rubbed his temples. “All will be lost if we cannot find her soon. She is as big a threat as the demons. You must find them soon Sailor Pluto.”
“I will do all I can, but only time will tell what the results of my search will be.”
“That is exactly why you are in charge of this search. The fate of not only Earth, but also the entire galaxy rests in the hands of those two warriors. You must find them.” The chairs and their occupants slowly faded away into the darkness until only Sailor Pluto and the marble floor were left. A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she turned to see the shimmering form of Queen Serenity standing there.
“Things are bad now and they are bound to get worse.”
“I find it sad that not even death can free you of the burdens of this mortal world my queen.”
Serenity laughed. “You of all people should know that death is not always an end. Now come, we have much to do.” Pluto nodded and the two figures disappeared.
Two figures moved through a shadowy forest. Drops of water dripped from trees as a result of the night’s rainstorm, but the dampness didn’t seem to impede the two any. One of the two people was a short girl about fifteen or sixteen with long red hair. She wore a black and red cape and oversized shoulder plates adorned with red stones. Her tunic and pants were red and a strip of yellow clothe stretched across her chest. At her side swung a small sword.
Most people who didn’t know the girl wouldn’t have been scared of her, but any trying to take advantage of her apparent weakness would have been in for a world of pain. Despite appearances she was definitely not weak. And of course anyone who wanted to get to her would have to go through her companion. He was a tall man with long blonde hair and he wore blue armor. A large sword hung at his side and he was very proficient in its use.
“Tell me again why were out here Lina,” said the man.
“I’ve already told you three times Gourry,” said the woman vehemently. “I felt a strange surge of magical energy. The last time I felt it was when I was learning magic and my teacher accidentally summoned a beast from another dimension. The creature seemed to be half cat and half rabbit and it ate almost all of the crops before we could get it back to where it belonged. It seemed to have an affinity for carrots and we used them to lure it into its home dimension.”
Lina heard snoring and turned to find Gourry asleep. “WAKE UP YOU IDIOT,” she screamed.
“Wha…what? Oh Lina it’s just you.” Gourry looked around then turned back to Lina. “So why are we out her?”
Lina smacked herself in the head. “Never mind. Just look for anything strange.”
“You mean like that?” asked Gourry pointing.
Lina looked where he was pointing and saw to people lying unmoving on the ground. She moved toward them preparing a spell just in case they were hostile. Whether they were hostile or not she couldn’t tell upon reaching them because they were both unconscious. One was a red headed girl with a pigtail and the other was a blonde with two of the funniest ponytails she had ever seen. Both looked hurt and were wearing rather strange and torn up clothing.
“Yes Gourry this constitutes something strange. Now help me get them back to camp so we can find out who they are.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m curious. I really don’t think their from around here.”
To be continued...
