Chapter Text
Queen Serenity, ruler of the Silver Millennium, lay within a pool of Youma guts and her own blood, that didn’t really matter to her though. Nor did the fact that she was dying. Her death was just going to be another, hopefully the last, tally mark of this long bloody war. She was but another name amongst the massive list of casualties. Including but not limited to her daughter, her lover, her subjects, entire planets all slaughtered by Queen Beryl and her army of Youma. She hated how weak they were, how unprepared they had been, how they had been blindsided by the betrayal, how in the first few days of the war amidst the chaos and disarray entire planets had simply gone dark, stripped of all life.
She hated how much of a failure she was, sure there were survivors; who were now settling upon the only inhabitable planet left in the solar system. But they were so few in numbers, and so much would be forgotten simply because they had to focus on surviving. She felt a bitter laugh echo from her throat, a bloody cough soon followed it. What a Queen she was, the monarch who led her people and was powerless to stop their downfall, she was a fool .
She was proud of only one fact, in her final moments she had given everything in the fight against the hordes of Youma. They had bled, died, and been vanquished in large swaths, it had not been enough but she had reaped vengeance while she could. Now however, she was left with nothing, no more power, no more subjects, just her thoughts as she slowly faded from the world.
She had given the last of her magic to seal Beryl and her Youma away, then ensure that her daughter and the Guardians would be sent forward in time and end up reincarnated. They would be needed, she knew her seal would fail, and they would be the ones to stand against the tides in the future to ensure that life did not perish from the galaxy. She only hoped they would be ready to face the horde, and better equipped next time around.
Well, all of the Guardians except one, Sailor Pluto. She felt a twinge of regret, she had done something much worse to that Guardian, she had locked and bound her to the Gates until the threat had passed. She felt guilt bubble within her, either that or it was the last of her life blood sloshing out. Still what she had done was unforgivable, especially knowing how much of a burden she had placed up on her and how much it would destroy the woman in a death much more insidious that what Serenity was afforded.
How much it would destroy her to be the last remaining remnant of a once system wide empire. One who had to sacrifice a large part of who she was in order to operate in the future, after all her species was now fully extinct. Still the scouts would need a leader in the future and Stensuana was the best choice to lead them. The queen tried not to think about how she had really been the only choice, the only one left . So much death, so much chaos.
Stensuana would hate her for what she had done, but such was the burden of the crown, someone needed to ensure the continuation of the realm. Her daughter was already dead at the time and each scout had given their life to buy minutes in hope they could turn the war around. She scoffed to herself a splatter of blood dribbling down her chin, there had been no turning it around, just a desperate attempt to stall for time. Even her final act was more of the same. Her realm was now nothing but ash and ghosts. It was a pyrrhic defeat.
She felt a tear start to fall down her cheek and mingle with blood along its way. Everything she had loved, everything she had held dear was dead, everything... She gave a ragged gasp, her eyes dimming, everything had been for naught. She could only pray that in the future her daughter would be able to fight back against the horde. That this was not to be the end, that somehow her little girl would find a way to do what she had not. To find a way to defeat Beryl and save humanity. She prayed for all she was worth that it would be better this time, that the death of half a trillion people had not been for naught.
Yet as she lay here dying she began to feel bitter and angry. Why couldn't she have protected her people? Why couldn't she have seen this coming? Why did they take so long to learn to fight back? Why had she not prepared the scouts for combat? They had just relied on their power and brute force to act as a deterrent but when push came to shove they were woefully unprepared for actual combat. Why had she not taken immediate action? A thousand questions rang in her mind with no answer but her own ragged breath.
In that moment she found herself wishing that she had another chance, wishing that they had stumbled upon the plot sooner, wishing that she had trained the scouts, wishing that she could have avoided the fall of her kingdom and death of so many. Wishing that her daughter still lived.
She closed her eyes and then, a final wheezing breath escaped Queen Serenity and she knew no more. As she passed on her final tear finished its trek down her face and started to fall towards the floor.
No one alive was around to watch as the bloodied tear crystallized on the now cold lifeless moon.
But there were billions of dead soldiers, smiths, craftsmen, ordinary people who layed down broken, their undead sight bore witness towards it.
There was no one alive to witness the tear’s fall, but massive wails and whimpers of the dead sang a silent symphony speaking of the fall of a tear, of the fall of an empire.
The magic that saturated the air warped it and changed it into something more.
No one, yet so many watched, as it fell and just before it hit the ground it disappeared in a flash.
But a billion dead soldiers gave a last gasp of hope.
That was the last anyone would see of that tear for thousands of years. A tear that had a purpose, one fueled by Magic, Desire, and the final pure wish of a dying Empire.
Ranma was in the midst of finishing up a kata when a familiar voice disturbed his concentration. He cocked his head to the side and heard a commotion just outside the Dojo’s front gates, along with a familiar voice he wished he could forget. Happosai was out front doing something, which meant that he should really check it out. He didn’t trust the bloody pervert.
It still stung that people called him the same thing as
him
as if he was no better than that panty stealing, shower spying, groping bastard. Though part of him wondered if he was worse for being a gender changing
freak
?
For secretly being happy about his curse.
He sighed and shared a glance with his reluctant fiancée, she frowned before giving him a nod, the two of them heading off to investigate. Ya know it was days like today that made this whole fiancée business not too bad, despite what he oft said the Tomboy was rather cute, and on days where they got along it was… it was nice. He shook his head and ignored those thoughts, she would never love a
pervert
like him, so it really didn’t matter. Except it did because honor demanded he see this through, and he was nothing if not honorable, it was really all he had.
He sure felt like being
nothing
.
As he opened the gate he was unsurprised to see Happosai sitting out front with a large selection of junk in front of him. Yup, the leech was trying to sell stuff to make ends meet. He sighed and was about to say something when he felt his gaze drawn to something within the pile of junk, it was a red handle and it seemed to reach out to him, demanding his attention.
He was so absorbed by the object that he completely missed the fact that Xian Pu and the old ghoul had arrived. It was like nothing else mattered, like the only thing he should focus on was whatever this object was. He reached out slowly for that tantalizing red handle, his body thrumming as he made contact. He was so absorbed with this sensation coursing through him, that he didn’t notice the world seeming to stop around him. Cologne was frozen mid rant, Xian Pu reaching for some worthless junk, Happosai was mid eye roll, and Akane was staring queerly at Xian Pu’s top. It was like only he and the object existed in this moment.
His gaze was locked onto the device, and as he flipped it over he was surprised and disappointed to find that it was only a hand held mirror. It felt like a momentous thing was supposed to occur but in the end it was just a silly cute mirror, nothing of note. He readied to toss it onto the pile of junk when a bloody crystalized tear appeared in a flash and then fell onto the surface of the mirror. He was instantly blinded as pain and power coursed through him in a blinding flash.
Time resumed, Cologne continued her rant, Happosai finished his eye roll, Xian Pu dug through the trash unable to find anything of interest, and Akane continued to stare at Xian Pu. It wasn’t until Xian Pu turned towards where Ranma had been to demand that he try the new ramen that they all finally realized Ranma was missing.
Queen Beryl of Earth tried to keep a sneer of disgust and rage off her perfect face as she watched the ten cent courtesan masquerading as the kingdom's Princess, enter and immediately begin making doe eyes at Prince Endymion. She felt herself bristle and despite her best efforts the rage she felt for the strumpet continued to build within her. How dare she make eyes at the man she had all but claimed. The most offensive part of course was seeing the light blush adorn her beloved's features as he met the pitiful princess’s gaze, it was as if all the hints, and late night meetings they had meant nothing , he was supposed to be hers and yet…
She could not wait for her plans to come to fruition, she couldn't wait to have her vengeance. Within two years the Moon Kingdom would know the taste of her scorn and disdain, and they would come to curse the name Princess Serenity, because this was all her fault. She was stealing the man Beryl wanted from her and she would not take such an insult lying down. Everyone knew that she had all but claimed him, they knew he was to be hers but the Princess did not care, and her slight would not go unpunished. She took a moment to simply breathe and plaster her usual serene smile on her face, no need getting caught because she couldn’t keep proper decorum. It wouldn’t be proper after all, and she was the epitome of a proper Queen.
Still this farce of a ball was clearly thrown for the benefit of the prissy Princess, so she could make eyes at Beryls prize, it was sickening. She had thought better of Queen Serenity. Already she was counting down the time until she could leave without offense, she had a long way to go, sadly decorum must be maintained. How droll, oh well she might as well mingle and try to figure out if any of the other rulers felt similarly, the solar system was a large place after all, perhaps she could find those that would make great leaders for her Youma. Ones that could stand beside her as the kingdom was reforged into something better . Yes perhaps this night could be made into a positive, despite the obvious snuff in her direction.
She hadn’t made it more than a half dozen steps, when a blinding flash erupted silencing everyone. The sheer amount of magic was staggering, it made the Queen herself feel insignificant. Was this a show from the Queen? Did she suspect her betrayal? Beryl felt dread overwhelming her until the wave of power passed, and the cause of the commotion became obvious, as well as the insight that the Queen was not behind it. Judging by the reaction of her guards and her own visible shock.
She glanced over at the interloper, surprisingly he was most likely an Earthling, seeing as he was what appeared to be fully human. Granted humans resided on every planet, but they were often the minority outside of earth, and finding those with completely human features in the court outside of Endymion’s lineage was rare. Still the man lay on the floor in a striking fashion, he wore the most peculiar red silk shirt, and black silk pants. It was quite the fashion statement, in that it did not fit in at all with the standard of the kingdom. It seemed both practical and fashionable. The young male, about 19 if she had to guess, pushed himself up and glared at some shattered object on the ground. Was that what had teleported him here?
Before anyone could approach or say anything he began speaking in a strange language, one that she was shocked to say she didn’t know. She prided herself on knowing all the languages of the Earth, well she didn’t speak them all but she could recognize them when spoken. This was an unknown language to her, just who was this man ? Also if she were a betting woman he was not saying pleasant things, judging by his angry expression. She found herself liking him more for his obvious display of anger.
“Guards.” The Queen's voice was full of hesitation and intrigue, “take hi…” It appeared her voice drew the attention of the young man as he turned around and jumped into the air in shock. Beryl felt her jaw drop as he jumped several meters into the air with an ease that suggested such a feat was easy for him and fell with a grace that would put court dancers to shame. Of course that was when she got a look at his face, his sharp beautiful stormy blue eyes, his striking black hair, she felt her heart skip a beat and her mouth go dry.
Who was this man?
She was vaguely aware of the man speaking again in that unknown language, and everyone else was starting to finally begin moving and talking amongst themselves as they realized this was not planned and he was an Interloper. His body tensed as he saw the guards approaching and he lowered himself into a stance that even Beryl could tell was designed to wreak bodily harm. The more he moved the more he simply fascinated her.
The conversation between him and the Queen was clearly not getting anywhere, so of course that was when the prissy bitch stepped forward, hands glowing with a spell. Beryl in spite of herself, found herself rightfully impressed, for all that she lacked in decorum never let it be said the Princess was quite the spell caster. She let the spell fly and despite his best efforts it nailed the man in the chest.
“Ow! Fucking shit! What the hell you stuck up little punk, what was that fo?” He staggered on his feet groaning as a hand went to his head. “Do ya got any idea how much it hurts to have something shoved into ya damn head?!?!? Also using magic on someone is just asking to get yo ass beat.” He popped his knuckles and glared.
She felt a chill run down her spine at his casual disregard and disdain for the Princess. Now this was her kind of man. Also he has an adorable accent, how quaint. Though she could not place the accent and that made him all the more mysterious. She was glad someone had called the Princess on her lack of decorum even if he himself did not seem to follow said guidelines.
He was clearly not from around here, which just made it all the more intriguing. A power that could break through the shields of the Moon Kingdom’s prized castle and teleport people into the heart of the kingdom? Yes , that could be very useful for her upcoming vengeance. Not to mention the power and aura he excluded, she wanted…. No. She needed him on her side. She must have him, he would make for a great concubine.
“ Yeah?! Well you’re the one who …” Oh, there the Princess goes again. Always waffling about justice this, or love that, or worse just swooning over her Endymion. Someone as Inhuman as her should know her place, especially since she used petty magics to make herself appear more human. All the people here should know that humans were clearly the superior race, and the others obviously grew to imitate them. Why it could be seen in action, the coupling with humans added more human features to each generation, even if a tainted bloodline stayed tainted, no matter how much they tried to hide their deviation.
The man blinked and looked around the room as if just noticing the rest of the audience for the first time. “Lady, I ain't got an idea how I got here, or where even here is… if I had to guess this some kind of fancy meeting of J̵͓͎̹̀̑u̴̞͂̉͝s̵̢̪͒̊̾e̶̫̠̋̕n̶̺̹͊̆̆k̸̬̃y̸̖̦̪̌ȍ̷̲ victims? Guessin, ya fell into the Spring of the drowned Fox-girl?”
What a peculiar word, despite having common shoved into his brain it still did not translate. Though what he said held nuggets of information into his character. And she liked what she was seeing.
“You think we’re going to be victims of your twisted magics?” She resisted the temptation to sigh aloud, there went their ‘esteemed’ future leader misinterpreting and jumping to conclusions.
“Wha- ya related ta Kuno or somethin?” The man replied looking bewildered and confused. The Princess ignored this and spoke up.
“Senshi, capture this interloper before he can do any harm to the delegates. I shall shield the delegates. Still if you would be so kind, Please take this outside.”
Honestly what a farce, using the guardians who were known to be strongest in the realm to capture one man. What a tyrannical dictator really, a sadistic smile crept over her face. Honestly Beryl almost felt like thanking the Princess for showing why a change in leadership was almost necessary. This could be quite fortuitous. After all, he had clearly not intended to be here given his response but she was so clearly not thinking or listening. She was just reacting like the stuck up Princess she was.
Committing a social faux pas like that in front of so many delegates and the Queen herself? Maybe this evening will turn out well after all. When they inevitably lock him up, she would claim rights by virtue of him being human and have him extricated to earth. There she could study him and figure out the magic that brought him here. As well as possibly corrupt him. Perfect .
“With pleasure my Princess.” came the reply from… hmmm what was the Senshi Jupiter's name again? The leech, whatever her name was, didn't matter, she was from Jupiter so it was irrelevant; those parasitic monsters from Jupiter were all the same. Didn't her name start with a T? Hmmm it was good she didn't need to say her name and could just call her by her station. Either way she would be dead within two-three years. She doubted they would last long in war.
Following the declaration Sailor Jupiter gave a smile and all but disappeared moving as fast as the lightning her people were so proud of. What was truly shocking was that she watched the man blink in surprise before moving his arms as if attempting to bl… a crash echoed forth and the man was sent flying backwards at a high speed crashing through the wall.
Had… the Senshi of Jupiter just executed him? Even Beryl hadn't realized just how savage these protectors could be, perhaps she needed to be more cautious if they were this blood thirsty. Then again she is a Leech. What did I expect? She thought in disgust. Well she could use his death as a rallying cry, showing just how little the crown cared for humans.
Though she had to admit, one thing she didn't expect was the look of horror on the Senshis face.
“Yo-you-your majesty! I swear I didn't hit him that hard! Just hard enough to take him down, not through the wall!” Her panicked voice did little to soothe the anger Beryl felt, they had just executed the man. Another thing that was supposed to be hers.
“Ya kno…” Everyone froze upon hearing that voice, herself included it wasn't possible and yet.
The dust settled and there standing outside in the courtyard, popping his neck and rubbing his shoulder stood the man. Beryl licked her lips and stared in disbelief, she needed him.
“If I was a lesser martial artist that might have knocked me out, as it was, I had to break the wall to bleed off some of the energy from the attack. Still that all ya got? Sure, you’s fast, and got power, but ya got no skill to back it up. Also the hell is wrong with the gravity here? I feel so… light. We on the fuckin’ moon or what?” He had a look of wonder and awe on his face at that part, still she had to wonder why he was so surprised by the gravity. Also di-did he not realize that yes they were on the moon? That couldn’t be, and yet…. Still his shock was understandable; the Moon was designed for the less evolved after all.
“Anyways, are we doin this? Cause honestly I wouldn't mind a good spar. Well assuming ya got more than just speed,” he gave a cocky smile and once more settled into that stance that radiated confidence, and violence .
Beryl’s face was flush with need, she slowly bit her lower lip just imagining how taunt his muscles must feel, she quickly hid her expression behind a fan. The way he oozed confidence and cockiness was just divine . He was perfect . She was still struggling to believe that there truly was someone that could stand up to the power of the Senshi. She was glad she wasn’t the only one shocked by the fact he was still standing, he may not have realized it but he was making a statement. The Guardians were not as all powerful as everyone believed. Her smile became much more feral behind her fan.
Jupiter grit her teeth and moved again, apparently taking offense to what he had said. She clearly intended to end the fight. Except the man simply took a step and dodged out of the way.
“ See? That's what I am talking about. Sloppy.” He proceeded to side step the next attack as if it was obvious what was about to happen. Beryl had barely even been able to track the attack using magic to enhance herself. Yet he didn’t even turn to face her before dodging the next strike, she gulped as she watched him dodge attacks with a grace and ease that showed he was a true master over his body. It was simply gorgeous to watch him move. “Also ya got this build up of energy that just makes it so obvious that you are about to charge.” He dodged another attack and had the gall to laugh, “and that killer intent ain't helpin’ ya none. You’s jus’ gonna hurt yo-self girl.”
Beryl licked her lips, her heart pounding in her chest, her face flush, her entire being was focused on this delectable specimen in front of her. He would be hers .
When Jupiter made her next attack he jumped, his leg snapped out as he twisted mid leap making connection with the Senshi as she dashed by. The hit reverberated through the crowd and was enough to send the Guardian sprawling across the ground where she bled off speed until she crashed into the wall. Silence reigned supreme, Beryl was not the only one whose jaw was on the floor in shock. The guardian groaned and tried to rise before staggering back to the ground.
“Also your battlefield awareness is shit , all that power don’t mean a thing if ya can't hit anyone.” He said from his spot high in the air, it was only now everyone realized just how high he had flung himself in the air, he was floating lazily through the air without a care in the world. Just how strong were those delectable thighs.
“ Theressa ! You’ll pay for hurting her, interloper !” Cried out the rather small Senshi of Venus, she was, of course, as inhuman as the rest of them. She took to the air with the aid of her wings, the filthy insect. The parasites seemed to love each other so, it was almost funny how they flocked to one another.
“In the name of the Moon I punish you! Venus Love Me Chain: Binding!” The woman summoned her fabled chain whip and lashed out at the airborne target clearly intending to use the fact he was in the air and thus be unable to dodge to her advantage.
He looked nonplussed by her casual display of power, though he did seem interested in her weapon. “Is it a weapon made out of..” she couldn’t quite make out the next word. “Or is she pulling a Mu-Tzu? Huh, I guess they are more trained than I gave ya credit for.” He lifted his leg as the chain came close to him and simply jumped off the chain mid air. That should be impossible, that was impossible, there should be no way he could do that. Yet he had done it and with such an ease . How ? She had detected no magic; it was pure body control, and if she didn’t miss her guess a small amount of something else… but he couldn't have access to that could he? “Ya know, I was hoping you would be more skilled, havin’ a weapon and what not, but clearly I was wrong.”
Venus growled, her mandibles chittered and her fluff poofed up. She whipped her chain around intending to strike the airborne acrobat from behind. He rolled his eyes, twisted himself mid air, grabbed her chain and grinned. “Also, ya ain't got the muscle to be throwing around a move like that.” Beryl was entranced as she watched him flex showing off his sculpted arms before he heaved yanking the Senshi towards himself. She could not believe what she was seeing, how was a human able to do what he was doing?
It seemed that being in the air was not a detriment to the young man, if anything he seemed more at ease within the air. The both of them sped towards one another after his yank on the chain, he rotated and it was clear he was about to deliver a devastating axe kick to the Senshi of Love only to pause and hesitate, his eyes went wide. It didn’t take long to understand why when a cry of, “Supreme Lightning Lance!” echoed forth. It appeared that Jupiter had gotten to her feet glowing with power as she launched the lightning bolt at the airborne target.
She watched as he twisted, then kicked off the Senshi of Love, pushing both of them out of the way of the devastating attack.
“Ok, elemental attacks? Huh , how are you’s doing that? Can ya show me again? I gotta learn to do that.” He said as he propelled himself off the side of the castle and down onto the ground once more, surprising the bloodsucker with his speed. His smile and excitement was infectious.
Sailor Juipiter growled and began to charge up another attack, as Sailor Venus took back to the air and let out a cry of, “Venus Crescent Beam!”
Jupiters own attack was not far behind, “Supreme Lightning Lance!” He dodged both attacks with a look of excitement on his face.
“ Ya both got elemental attacks ? Is this early christmas? Ya shouldn't have! Also damn gotta learn how to do that! Mind tellin’ me how ya’s are doin that?” He sounded so excited as he continued to dodge the elemental attacks. He had started to work up a sweat, which glistened tantalizing on his skin in the sunlight. She wanted nothing more than to lick it off him.
She snorted as a chunk of the wall was blown apart by magic, really in a way the Senshi of Venus was a reflection of that arrogant stuck up Princess. Both used light magic, both had a reckless disregard for property damage, and both were bugs she’d crush under her heel. Seriously though, the last time the Princess had shown off her magic for Prince Endymion, she’d had to find people to repair all the marble palisades of the ballroom. What is wrong with the Senshi! At least Dark magic was far more subtle, the magic of sophisticated beings.
“Enough, the three of us shall end this.” The Senshi of Mercury stepped forth, her Arch-mage robes billowing with the power she held. “I’ll keep him still! By the power of Mercury’s Frost! Frozen Sea!” The ‘lovely’ toad thought it was time to utter meaningless catch phrases of Mercurian mages. Like yes the entire solar system knew Mercury was fabled for it’s Ice magic, how unoriginal could they be. The stupid Highmage always was one for theatrics. And really Freezing the entire floor and coating it in a layer of ice? Was she trying to create more damage? As it was the garden was likely a write off, a snap freeze would kill most of the plant life.
“ No , the four of us will end this, it has gone on for too long. Spirit Flame Strike!” Well this fight was likely now over; which was a shame she wanted to see him fight more but he would be no match for the four inner Senshi. She shot a glare at the Fish and the Snake, how dare they strip her of her entertainment. Still this had been very informative, even if it was a shame.
However, to her and the court’s utter shock and her delight, the man was not ready to call it quits. He took one look at the frozen terrain before launching a punch into the ground with such power that she could feel it shake the ground underneath her, her very being shaken even from this distance. The ice all around shattered with that single punch thus giving him more stable footing. Just how strong was he? She bit her lower lip and felt her eyes dilate as she continued to watch him fight.
He seemed intent to just study the scouts watching their attacks and dodging each strike. Judging by the frown on his face he was still trying to figure out how they made their attacks… did he really not know who they were? Did he not know they were connected to a Cosmic Power? Humans could not replicate this feat, well theoretically they could if they were able to access and manipulate their own life force. She could see him muttering to herself but was unable to hear the words, until he dodged close enough for her to hear him mutter.
“It is like they are pulling it from within themselves, are they using ki? Like, it don’t make no sense they ain’t got the training for it to be Ki… right? Well if they can do it as untrained as they are, it shouldn’t be too hard… Right well ain't no harm in trying, pull out your ki and build upon it, let it build until you are ready to unleash it…”
She raised an eyebrow, he did know about ki…. And was he really about to attempt a Ki attack in the middle of battle? Such a feat had not occurred since before Senshi had risen to power, most thought of as simply a myth, she of course knew differently as her Youma fed off life force and Ki attacks were one of their weaknesses. For beings that ate life force it always baffled her that they were weak to Ki attacks, but such was life. She continued to watch him enamored by his confidence, as it was clear he thought he could do it, if given enough time which was ridiculous. Surely he could not just replicate these attacks by watching and adapting especially since they weren’t using Ki it wasn’t possible… Right?
To her, and everyone else’s shock, he started to glow as he literally accessed his KI. It-it wasn’t possible ? Yet clearly it was , this sealed his fate before he might have been able to escape her grasp but now… Now there was no other option, she would have him. He was hers. “YAH!” He thrust out his hands and a tiny bit of Ki shot forth. Most people sniggered and laughed at what he had done, but most people were not Queen Beryl. She knew the significance of what he had just done, it may not have been a perfected attack but what he had just accomplished was something of Myth and Legend. He had accessed his own life force, and then formed it into an attack only to launch it outwards. Once perfected that would become a devastating attack, one that would rival if not dwarf the Senshi, one that could turn the tide of the upcoming war.
Especially if he could teach others to do so.
Still in his distraction he missed the wind up of Jupiter who dashed forward and landed the first attack since this whole thing started. She watched as he was thrown to the ground and into a puddle that had formed from Mars melting the ice with her fire.
When he arose from the water everyone froze in disbelief. “Every damn time,” the person muttered under her breath. He was not a he at all, they were not even human, they were a Starlight. As standing where the delectable hunk should be was a woman wearing the same outfit and with flowing pink hair. There was no mistaking the change in the beings characteristics as she had a rather…. ample chest. Beryl gulped and looked over the woman biting her lip, she was dainty and beautiful, yet you could sense the power residing within her all the clearer. It was a perfect contrast where he had been buff and chiseled, she was lithe and gorgeous. Honestly she was not sure which form she preferred. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t get both. The starlight glared at everyone, “What?”
She had no problems with starlights, while sure they were rather… alien , but they were at least humanish in nature somehow, the only difference being that they had an inborn ability to shift genders. That was close enough, besides with both bodies looking so… delectable, she just had to get ahold of them for herself. A Starlight concubine would be fitting for a Queen of her station.
Before the fight could resume a loud THUNK echoed forth, and the starlight staggered forward for a moment, swayed upon her feet then fell to the ground out cold. Standing behind her in a human guise stood Sailor Pluto wielding a staff, “my apologizes for my lateness my Queen I was distracted with my duties. I have taken care of the interloper, what do you wish done?”
“Take them to a holding cell for now, I will talk to them later.” The Queen looked hesitant and thoughtful, though that was understandable as four of her greatest power houses failed to take down one intruder.
“As you wish, my Queen,” As Pluto gave a bow her illusion wavered for a moment revealing the feathery predator that lay underneath. Part of her respected the Plutonians, after all they were once from her planet though had fled with the aid of the Moon kingdom before a catastrophe had wiped out most of them, allowing Humans to inherit the earth so she supposed she couldn’t dislike them too much. They would make great servants, beautiful and entertaining ones. Especially after a few generations of intermingling with humans.
Beryl was glad this ball had been thrown, it had proved to be the greatest thing the prissy Princess could have done. She smiled and glided out of the ballroom and through the destroyed garden, relishing in all the damage that had been done in an attempt to subdue one individual. One who was going to be her best weapon in the upcoming war. She just needed to collect her new toy. She would need to make a case for earth to intercede on her behalf and help the Starlight which meant figure out an excuse to come to their defense. For now though it was time to alter plans, she would have to delay her invasion but that was fine. It would be worth it in the end.
As consciousness returned to Ranma, he had many regrets. The first was picking up that damned mirror, seriously what had come over him? Second was allowing that fucking light show the princess or whatever did to hit him, ‘cause apparently having a whole other ass language shoved into your skull was bloody painful. The third thing was not noticing whoever had clobbered him, he was fairly certain whoever it had been had not held back. He could respect that it had been a great sneak attack showing a dedication to the art of hidden strikes. He could just as well wish to fucking beat up the bastard who fucking got him from behind . The last thing he regretted was not getting that final attack right, he had been so close but he had been missing something .
Oh well, he would figure it out given time. He is Ranma fucking Saotome and he was the best of the best, no matter how stubborn or wrong the power felt, he would bend it to his will. Because s he was the best .
He should have sensed his attacker coming, yet he hadn’t, and that was exciting. He couldn’t wait for a rematch, not that he was getting one any time soon judging by his current accommodations.
He sighed and relaxed upon the surprisingly comfortable bed he found himself on, granted anything was comfortable when compared to sleeping on the rocks he had been forced to sleep on during his trip. Pops had said it would toughen him up, and make him manly. He wasn’t sure about the manly part but it sure had made sleeping anywhere else easy. So maybe the training was worth it? Even if it had been a tad uncomfortable few years. The path of the Martial Artist was fraught with peril and adversity.
Still in the end this wasn't the worst prison she had ended up in, after all there were no Tendous, Amazons, or crazy suitors, and there weren't any Kunos wasn’t around! Now that had been a horrible experience, especially since Kuno had no reason for being in the prison at the time other than to bother him. So all in all as long as he didn’t have to deal with Kuno this was actually one the best place to be. No, Konatsu I have totally normal and reasonable standards.
As he continued to lay there he started to replay the spar in his head, his opponents had been insanely powerful and tough, but they lacked discipline and skill. It was confusing, the powers they had displayed were well beyond what they should have been able to wield. Whoever their teacher was should be ashamed. His own performance was a mixed result, the first part of the fight he had done spectacularly if he said so himself. Which he just did. He even said so out loud in the empty cell, just to spite Genma, because Ranma knew he would be foaming at the mouth with insults if he had witnessed what had happened. Then they had thrown around elemental attacks and he had gotten too hyper fixated on trying to figure out how they did it and trying to replicate their attacks. Which of course was where he started being sloppy, he had figured they were no match for him so he had missed an attack, and as a result had been hit into the puddle that had been formed.
Which of course resulted in his biggest failing, allowing himself to be attacked from the shadows.
S
he couldn’t wait for the rematch
. She felt a smile worm its way onto her face, so wide it almost hurt.
Ranma didn’t really know why he felt so strongly right now, but he felt so free . It was something new and visceral, like if a ball of lead in his belly had melted away when he had passed the mirror. Which was a strange realization to have in a cell.
Wouldn't last, it never did Gemma would find her and training would resume once more, he knew that, of course he knew that. The bastard was too fucking stubborn, like a tick lodged between his vertebrae. He sighed, trying to stamp down on the hope that was growing within him. After all that, he could longer avoid thinking about the fact that he wasn’t in Nerima any more, hell he was fairly certain he wasn’t on Earth any more. What with the way gravity feeling so wrong, leaving him feeling so light on his feet that she could have sworn she could fly. Then there was the fact that when he had been knocked out of the fancy ballroom he had been greeted with the sight of a sky full of stars along with a giant blue-green marble that he was fairly certain was Earth .
Which really didn’t make sense as he was fairly certain there weren’t supposed to be no damn castles on the moon! Or air!
Also the continents looked oddly wrong. He had traveled and seen maps, he knew what they were supposed to look like, and what he had seen… Well, that was not it. He decided the best course of action was just to not think about it for now.
He sighed and forced himself to sit up on the bed, and look around, he was in a fairly barren room that only contained a bed, a toilet, and a single heavy iron door. In other words he was in some sort of jail cell and under arrest, which was rather rude considering he had no idea how he had gotten here or why they had attacked him. actually the whole thing didn’t make sense. They were all dressed up fancy like, and had just instantly decided he was the bad person because he had been magiked into their ballroom. Then again, honestly his pop had probably ripped them off somehow.
Or perhaps wrongness was so inherent to her that they knew she needed to be dealt with before she infected their world with her presence too. Maybe she was the scam her dad had inflicted on these people.
Stupid pops.
He grumbled to herself and flopped back down on the bed, whatever. He hated being trapped in a place, it gave her too much time to think. He didn’t like being introspective, it made her feel awkward and like a freak. Wrong . He shouldn’t spend time thinking about things that hurt him when he could think about martial arts. So he focused on the only thing he really could right now, the fight and his attempt to use KI as a weapon. He could tell he was getting close, she had managed to bring forth her KI and build it, but then there had been a disconnect. Something about her life force felt wrong, like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. Still she had almost managed it, just a bit more practice and she would be able to pull it out in a fight with no problem. She just needed to figure out how to get his KI to work properly.
Which meant messing with KI, it ain't like s he had anything else to do so for now it was trial and error time, figure out what he had done wrong and fixing it for next time. Having a ranged KI attack would be awesome. That was the pinnacle of the art, being able to manipulate your own life force, to be a true master of oneself… She was looking forward to figuring this out and proving that Ranma Saotome was the best of the best.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a key being inserted into the heavy iron door, it was time to get some answers. He hopped off the bed and turned to face the door. In walked the older sister (?) of that fox-girl that had hit him with the light that shoved this entire new ass language into his brain.
“Hello young starlight, we have much to discuss.”
“...The hell is a Starlight and should I be mad you called me it?”