Chapter Five

“Super Ranma:  Dark”

 

            “Ranma!”  Goku shouted down into the mountain.  “Ranma!”  He had felt the shift in the boy’s aura.  It still wasn’t correct, but it was a lot closer than it was before.  “Ranma, are you down there?”

 

            “Goku?”  A faint voice came from the mountain.  After a couple of seconds Ranma flew out of the crater, apparently restored to his original form.  He flew up to Goku, holding his head.  “What happened?  The last thing I remember was talking to some whacko in a cape.”

 

            Goku put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “That whacko was Kunzite.  He transformed you into a youma.  Are you all right?”

 

            An evil grin crossed Ranma’s face.  “Better than I’ve ever been.”  Ranma’s knuckles on his lowered hand extended into crystal knives, which he quickly thrust into Goku’s stomach.

 

            “Ahhhh!” Goku shouted in pain.

 

            Ranma twisted the blades in Saiya-Jin’s stomach before withdrawing them and flying back a distance from Goku.  “Foolish monkey!  You’re are far too trusting.”  Ranma’s features shifted as he transformed back into Ramadan’s form.  “That wound is not immediately fatal, but you will die in a short amount of time.  That time will be enough for me to slaughter the others that are on their way.  You’ll just be helpless as I slaughter you’re son and granddaughter.  I’ll also kill that Moon Princess and that ill-tempered fiancée of mine.  All of them will die as you watch and feel the life drain from your body.”

 

            “No!” Goku charged toward Ranma who easily evaded the punch.

 

            Ranma retaliated with a kick to Goku’s ribs that sent the Saiya-Jin flying a short distance.  Ranma laughed.  “Fool!  Did you really think that your transformation was a match for this form?  Let me show you my full power!”  Ranma released his hold on his Ki.  His form glowed golden with the confidence that Ranma now possessed.  With no conscience and no doubt in his new found powers, his Ki level soared to greater heights than he had ever felt before.  His Ki level currently easily matched the Super Saiya-Jin Two, especially with the help from the fact that the Saiya-Jin was already injured.  Goku had quickly realized that that was the point of the initial strike, to bring him down to Ranma’s level.

 

            “Fight it, Ranma!  Remember who you were!” Goku pleaded.  He still had several tricks up his sleeve, but he didn’t know how his body would react in the injured state it was in.

 

            Ranma laughed more.  “Fool!  I do remember who I was, but I’m so much more now!  I am the greatest martial artist in the world, and after I kill you, I will be the most powerful fighter in the universe!”  Ranma brought his hands up in front of him.  “MOKO TAKABISHA!”

 

            Goku felt Ranma’s Ki level raise and saw the blast headed toward him.  He easily dodged to the side.  Ranma was suddenly right next to him.  Ranma threw a punch into the same spot on Goku’s ribs that he had kicked before.  The Saiya-Jin lost more blood as the blades on Ranma’s hands broke his skin and cracked his ribs.  Goku shouted in pain.  He quickly shot up and away from the pigtailed martial artist to try to recover his defense.

 

            Ranma followed him and shouted, “DON’T MOVE!”

 

            Goku froze in place.  I can’t move anything!

 

            Ranma closed the distance between them.  “MOUKO KAIMON HA!”  The Ki-charged double punch and kick sent Goku flying to the ground.  Ranma threw another Moko Takabisha at Goku.  The impact and Ki blast exploded, forming a huge crater.

 

            A distance away, Uub shook as if startled.  Sailor Moon, riding in his arms, noticed this.  “What’s wrong?”

 

            “Goku’s power level is dropping!  I felt Ranma’s change and rise, and now Goku’s is falling.  The battle isn’t going well.”

 

            “Can you fly any faster?”

 

            “Not without shaking your teeth loose.  Without proper training, your body can’t handle fast flight.”

 

            “Can you fly faster than the speed of sound?”

 

            “Yes.  I’ve been doing it for a long time.  At times I can even move faster than the speed of light.”

 

            Moon’s eyes opened wide.  “Wow!  That’s amazing!”

 

            “Not really, considering the amount of people that can do it.” Uub continued in a nonchalant tone.

 

            “How many?”

 

            “How many what?”

 

            “How many people can fly faster than the speed of light?”

 

            Uub thought for a second.  “A least ten.”

 

            Moon’s eyes went wider.  “Where are those people?  We could use their help!”

 

            “They’re all over.  At least two are in your town.”

 

            “Why don’t they help us?  We could use a hand with the youma and the dark kingdom.”

 

            “Because Kami forbids it.”

 

            “Why would he do that?”

 

            “I don’t know, but I’m sure he has his reasons.  He is the Kami after all.”

 

            “How often do you talk to Kami?”

 

            “Everyday.”

 

            “Wow!  You must be a very spiritual person.  Even more than Mars-Chan.”

 

            “I don’t know about spiritual, but I just crash at his place for a while between training journeys.”

 

            Sailor Moon was on the verge of suffering an information overload.  She shook her head to try and get it back on straight.  “How much longer until we get there?”

 

            “In another minute or so.  I just hope Goku can hold him.”

 

            A short distance away from the battlefield (and moving much faster) was Goten and Pan.  Both of them were Super Saiya-Jin, and they were traveling at top speed to get to the battle.

 

            “Something’s happened to dad!” Goten shouted.

 

            “I felt it too!” Pan replied back.  “I felt Ranma’s Ki rise to match Goku’s.  There’s no way Ranma should have that kind of power!”

 

            “Something about what that Kunzite joker did must have done it.”

 

            “No way!  I felt his power level when we fought in Juuban.  Ranma had a could amount of power, but he couldn’t amplify it to this level.  Something else has happened!”

 

            “We have to hurry!” Goten and Pan’s aura’s flared even brighter as they kicked it into overdrive.

 

            A distance behind them (with the gap increasing by the second), Akane was trying desperately to get to Ranma.  She knew Ranma’s aura better than anyone else on the planet.  She felt his confidence go through the roof.  He was actually on par with Goku!  If the situation wasn’t so dire, she’d be proud of him.  As it was, she knew that Ranma needed her, now more than ever, even if he didn’t know it.

 

            Back at the battlefield Goku felt his power waning as he started to suffer from blood loss. Ranma stood over him with a cocky smirk on his face.  “What’s the matter, old man?  Having bleeding problems?”  Ranma threw his head back and laughed.

 

            Goku just looked at him and grinned his cocky smirk.  “I’m not finished yet.”

 

            Ranma looked at him.  “What?  You think the others will be here in time to save you?  They’ll only get here in time to die.”

 

            Goku’s smile broadened.  “Nope.  I’ve still have some tricks up my sleeve.  Or should I say belt.”  He reached his hand under his belt to try to find his emergency stash.  He started to pat himself down when he didn’t find it.

 

            “Looking for this?” Ranma held up a lone senzu bean.

 

            Goku just looked at him in amazement.  “How did you?”

 

            Ranma laughed again.  “Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Umasen-Ken, the perfect technique for the quiet thief.  I could steal all the clothes off your back and you wouldn’t even know it.  You’re finished monkey, just die as you watch me kill the others.”

 

            Goku’s face screwed up into a scowl.  “That’s the second time you’ve called me that!  Where did you hear that?”

 

            Ranma just stood there with the ever-present cocky smirk.  “I’ll let you try to wrack your simple mind for an answer.  No point in relieving any of your suffering.”

 

            Goku flew up to the same level as Ranma.  Ranma still held the Senzu bean in his hand, taunting the Saiya-Jin.  Goku started to gather his power once again.  I hope my body stays in one piece long enough.

 

            Ranma felt the power build up.  “What are you doing monkey?  Trying to get the bean?  I’ll have you know that I have seen you’re current speed and I will easily have this out of your reach before you can even think about following.”

 

            Goku raised his eyebrows.  “You haven’t seen this!  KAIOUKEN!”  With a burst of speed and power, Goku stood behind Ranma chewing on the recovered Senzu bean.  Ranma could only stand there in shock as Goku swallowed the bean and was immediately restored to health.  “Now we’ll try this again. This time without the deception.”

 

            Ranma restored the smirk to his face.  “Life IS deception.” Ranma faded from sight completely.  Goku looked around frantically trying to locate where he went.  He couldn’t sense him anywhere.

 

            “Where did he go?”

 

            “I’m still here.  You just have to find me to defeat me.” Ranma’s voice seemed to come from all around him.

 

            Goku punched for the spot where he had last seen Ranma.  Nothing.

 

            “You’ll have to do better than that.  You think I’d actually stay in one place?” Ranma laughter came forth again.

 

            Goku sensed a flicker of Ki whenever Ranma spoke, but it wasn’t enough to get a lock on the pigtailed martial artist.  Goku closed his eyes and concentrated.  There had to be a way to find the boy.  “There!” Goku turned and fired a Ki blast behind him.  The ground exploded from the impact.

 

            “Not even close.  This is getting boring.  How about I give you a something I learned from a wandering Musk.  HITO RYU-ZAN HA!”

 

            Goku barely had time to react before Ki blades were flying everywhere around him.  He evaded most of them, but a few did get through his defenses.  Goku launched himself at the source of the blasts.  “You gave away your position!”

 

            Ranma stood there with the smirk on his face.  His started to build up his Ki again.  “Ever think I wanted you to find me?”  At the last instant Ranma flew backwards away from the Saiya-Jin.  “RYU SEI HISHO!”

 

            Goku chased after Ranma and suddenly found himself being blasted on all sides by multiple Ki blasts.  “What the?”  He shot straight up into the air away from blasts.  He turned to find Ranma again, only to see that he had faded from perception again.  “Come out and fight Ranma!”

 

            “We both know that you’re more powerful.  There’s no point in doing something stupid like being honorable.”

 

            “Ranma!  Stop this!  You need to remember that you’re a good person!”

 

            “I’m not good.  I’m great.”

 

            Goku’s back erupted in pain as he felt his back being ripped to shreds. He screamed in pain as it felt like several knives had been stabbed into his back.  Ranma appeared in front of him and fired a Ki blast directly into Goku’s face.  The blast knocked the Saiya-Jin end-over-end toward the ground.  He impacted and made yet another large crater.

 

            Ranma stood and watched the Saiya-Jin get back to his feet.  “I’m getting bored.  You have great power, but no real technique to speak off.  I need more of a challenge.”

 

            “Why don’t you try me on for size?!”

 

            Ranma turned to see Uub standing in front of Sailor Moon.  “Well, well.  That makes a party of four.  I’m still looking for the full set of seven, but I can kill you all and then deal with the others as they arrive.”

 

            “You arrogant fool!”  Uub’s aura flared to life as he charged Ranma.

 

            “No Uub!” Goku tried to warn Uub, but it was too late.

 

            Uub charged at Ranma and started throwing punches and kicks at him.  Ranma just dodged the punches and started to spiral.  Ranma taunted him enough to keep the dark skinned man from cooling off.  Ranma finally reached center of his spiral, right above Goku.  “HIRYU SHOTEN HA!”  The desert erupted in a gigantic sandstorm.  It swept up Goku and Uub.  The sand blinded them, and they couldn’t get their bearings.

 

            Sailor Moon stood on the side trying to keep her footing.  Her heel slipped and she started to be sucked in by the whirlwind.  A hand on her shoulder stopped her flight.

 

            “Don’t get carried away princess.”

 

            Moon looked over her shoulder and saw Ranma behind her.  “What do you want?”

 

            “The only thing I want from you is the Silver Crystal.  Now hand it over and I’ll kill you.”

 

            “Don’t you mean ‘or’ you’ll kill me?”

 

            “No, I’ll kill you.  If you don’t give it to me, I’ll break your legs in four pieces, and then I’ll start torturing you.  You give me the crystal now, and I’ll kill you quickly.”

 

            “Why do you want the crystal?”

 

            Ranma rolled his eyes in the back of his head.  “I don’t want it.  Beryl wants it, so I my mistress wants it, so I have to get it.  Now shut up and give me the jewel!”

 

            “No!” The blonde tried to pull away from Ranma, but he just dug his claws into her shoulder.  He extended his claws into her shoulder, and she screamed in pain.

 

            “Stop being difficult princess.  I have five other people to kill here, and then I have to go back to Juuban and kill everyone there.  I’m a very busy man, so cough up the gem!” He twisted his hand, opening Moon’s wounds further.  Some of the sand that had been blowing around started to land in the open wound.

 

            Sailor Moon started to cry in anguish.  “Stop it!  Please!”

 

            “Just give me the crystaaaarrgh!” Ranma’s hand ripped out of her shoulder out of reflex.  He looked at his wrist and a rose was lodged in it.  He turned around.  “Endymion!”

 

            Endymion brought out another rose.  “It’s my mission to take the Silver Crystal.  You’re mission is just to destroy the Sailor Senshi.  What are you doing playing around out here with these others.”

 

            “Well, Dark Prince, I’m here to take the crystal.  I don’t answer to you, Kunzite, or Beryl.  I’m taking the crystal, and if I have to kill you to get it, then so be it.”  Endymion threw the rose at the martial artist turned youma.  Ranma caught the rose easily and crushed it.  “If you think that’s supposed to scare me, you’re in for some serious disappointment.  You are all pathetic like my mistress says.”

 

            “Who are you working for now?  Kunzite made you.”

 

            “None of your business.  I’m taking the crystal from the Princess.”  Ranma turned around.  “Princess?”  He looked about, but she had crawl away while he was arguing. 

 

            “Now look what you’ve done.  You’ll never find her in this storm.”

 

            Ranma smiled.  “Watch me.”  He disappeared again.

 

            At the same time that Ranma and Endymion were arguing, Goku was in the middle of the storm trying to calm Uub.  “Uub, you have to calm down, or the storm won’t stop!”

 

            “I can take care of this, Goku!  I can beat this!” Uub started to power up more, causing the winds to travel faster.

 

            “Stop it!  That’s the secret of this technique!  I’ve watched Ranma do this several times; the victim powers it!  Calm down, and it will stop!”

 

            “I can beat this, Goku! I’m going to take care of this little breeze, and then I’m going to take care of that youma!”

 

            “Uub, calm down!”  Goku saw that the young man wasn’t going to calm down.  He made his way to where Uub was.  He chopped Uub on the back of the neck knocking him out cold.  Goku grabbed Uub and threw him over his shoulder, and then he killed his Ki to dissipate the storm.  He looked around.  The only thing he saw was a man in a tuxedo wandering around.  “Endymion!”

 

            Endymion looked up at the sound of his name.  “Who are you?  How do you know who I am?”

 

            “I’m one of the defenders of the planet.  I make it my business to know all of its friends and enemies.  What are you doing here?”

 

            “I’m here for the Silver Crystal!  Don’t get in my way!”

 

            “Or you’ll do what?  Throw a rose at me?  Give me a break.  You’re not good enough to give me a disappointing fight.”

 

            Endymion’s jaw dropped at the insult.  He was speechless.

 

            “Get out of here!  We’ll deal with you later.” Goku fired a Ki blast at Endymion’s feet. 

 

The dark prince was flung backwards and rolled a few times.  He slowly got back to his feet.  “I’ll get you!”  With that he went back to the negaverse to heal.

 

Goku started to scope out the landscape.  He saw Goten and Pan arrive.  They flew over to him.  “What’s going on?”  Pan asked.  “Where’s Ranma?”

 

Goku kept looking around, extending his senses to try and pick up Ranma’s Ki.  “I don’t know.  I lost him in the sandstorm.”

 

“What sandstorm?” Goten was confused.

 

“It’s a long story.  Right now we need to find Ranma.”

 

“I’m closer than you think.”

 

They all looked around to find the source of the voice.  The only thing they saw was a crystal spear coming toward them.  Pan and Goku managed to dodge fast enough, but Goten had a slow start and caught the spear in the leg.  He screamed out.

 

Goku dropped into a stance.  “Pan, get that out of his leg.  We have to stop him quick, before he learns how to use that youma form more.”

 

Pan grabbed the spear lodged in Goten’s leg.  It exploded on contact.  They both yelled in pain as fragments of the spear struck them.  Pan managed to brush off the pieces that struck her, but Goten wasn’t that lucky.  The pieces worked their way into his already open wound.  They started to disintegrate and work their way into the surrounding skin tissue.  The wound started to turn black.  Pan saw the reaction.  “Grandpa!  Goten’s wound is turning black!”

 

Goku shook his head.  Ranma had managed to injure both him and Goten.  Things were not going that well.  “Pan, take Goten and Uub back to the lookout.”

 

“You can’t leave yet.  The fun is just beginning.”

 

The ground that the three Saiya-Jin were standing on turned into a huge sinkhole, burying them into the sand.  Ranma appeared above the hole and fired a superheated Ki blast at the sand pile, turning it all to glass.  “That should keep them for a little while.  I still have some business with a certain little princess.”  Ranma cracked his knuckles and walked away.

 

The princess in question was exploring the cavern that Ranma made when he first impacted in this region.  There are only two things in this world that Tsukino Usagi was really good at:  crying and running.  Right now she was doing both.  She couldn’t fly, so all she could do was try to find a place to hide until the others got Ranma under control.  She ran through the caverns and tripped over a rock.  “OOF!  Why does this always happen to me!”  She started crying in earnest.

 

“What’s the matter, little princess?  Having trouble staying upright?”

 

She turned around to see Ranma back in human form.  She felt relieved until she saw the sinister look in his eyes.  “Stay away from me!”

 

“I only want to help you.”  Ranma picked the smaller girl up and threw her against the cavern wall.  He gestured with his hand, and two crystals launched from his hands and pinned her shoulders to the wall.  “Now, give me the Silver Crystal and I’ll give you a quick death.”

 

“No!  You’ll never get the silver crystal!”

 

“Over your dead body?”

 

“I never said that!”

 

Ranma laughed.  “How can you possibly hope to defeat Beryl when you are so weak?  I can’t believe Beryl fears you.”

 

Moon sniffled and set her jaw.  “I’m the Beautiful Senshi Sailor Moon.  In the name of the Moon I’m going to punish you!”

 

“Nice speech from a little crybaby pinned to a wall.  Just call forth the Silver Crystal, and I’ll end your suffering.”

 

Sailor Moon’s expression hardened with determination. “Never.  I’ll never let you take it.”

 

Ranma threw up his hands.  “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time on you, when I could be killing Saiya-Jin.  If my mistress didn’t want this gem so bad, I’d just kill you now and get on with the wholesale slaughter of the others.”

 

“Ranma, this isn’t you.  Akane told me about you.  You’re good and kind.  You aren’t a killer.”

 

“What does that stupid tomboy know?  I killed a god!”

 

“You killed a god for her!  You sacrificed everything for her!”

 

“I was foolish!  I gave everything for her, and what did I get for thanks:  A mallet on the head.  Now that’s gratitude for you.  Every act of kindness met with violence.  I think the world would be better off if I did kill her!  In fact, when she gets here, I think I will.  Right here in front of you.  You can watch as the life drains from her eyes.  Maybe then you’ll be more willing to give me what I want!”

 

“Noooo!”

 

At that very moment at the back of the cave, Akane had arrived and found Ranma and Sailor Moon. Ranma hadn’t picked her up because he was too preoccupied with moon and keeping his senses alert for when the Saiya-Jin would bust out of their glass prison.  He wasn’t actively sensing Akane.  He had just picked up that she was on her way and dismissed her as a minor threat.  Akane had heard the whole exchange and fell to her knees on the cave floor.  Like Moon, she had felt some relief at seeing Ranma back in human form, but upon coming into earshot, her hopes were dashed on the rocks.  Her heart also ached as she heard the truth in Ranma’s voice.  She had been a terrible person.  Even from the first day they had met.  She had offered him friendship, and then quickly went back on it when she found out he wasn’t a girl.  She suddenly remembered all the times that she had malleted him.  Sure he had deserved it a few times, but there was some times that he had tried to say something.  Maybe he had an excuse for some of the perverted and compromising situations that Ranma found himself in.  Then when they had arrived here.  She had made him mad enough to leave, and they were supposed to be here trying to get a new start on their relationship.  It was definitely different.  Of course she didn’t think that going homicidal was what Ranma had had in mind.

 

She stood back up.  She knew what she had to do.  She had to save Sailor Moon and Ranma, and there was only one way to do it.  She turned and walked with a determined stride to where Ranma and Moon were.

 

Ranma in the meantime had produced another crystal blade and was slowly making his way back to Sailor Moon.  “Time to start producing crystals, Moon girl.  Otherwise I’m going to start carving, and we’ll see what I find.  Who knows, I might find it in your appendix…Or maybe your stomach…Or maybe your heart.  How does open heart surgery with a dull knife sound?”  Sailor Moon screamed at the top of her lungs.  “Yup, that’s what it probably sounds like.”  Ranma’s smile widened and became more evil.

 

“Ranma, let her go!”

 

Ranma continued to smile and turned around.  “Well if it isn’t my fiancée.  Me and the Moon Princess here were just talking about you.  How have you been?”

 

“Ranma, stop this!  This isn’t like you at all!”

 

“Akane, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that today…”

 

“You have enough to buy yourself a clue.”

 

“Not a bright way to save someone’s life.  Especially yours.”

 

Akane had been running on habit and didn’t realize what she had said.  She socked herself in the jaw.  “Ranma.  That’s not what I meant.  Ranma…I…I may have been wrong.”

 

Ranma’s expression changed to one of curiosity.  “About?”

 

“About all the times I malleted you.”

 

“Y’think?”

 

“Ranma, I’m sorry about all those times.  I’m sorry that I didn’t appreciate you more, or listen to you more.  I promise I’ll be more understanding and listen more, if you just come back to me.”

 

“Very nice, but why should I do that?  I’ve found happiness.  A little fighting, a little murder; what more could I need?”

 

“What about love?”

 

“I could take up rape too.  I’ve already got Sailor Moon here in the right position.”  Moon’s eyes grew to the size of her celestial namesake in terror.

 

“No, Ranma!  My love!  Ranma, I love you!”

 

Ranma froze in shock for just a second, and then his face returned to the sinister grin.  “Nice try, but no cigar.  You can’t defeat me that easily.  You were just trying to lower my guard so you could get in a cheap shot.”  Akane fell to the ground, crying.  “Now you’re turning on the water works!  How low can you go, Akane?”  He started to walk toward her, brandishing the crystal he was going to torture Sailor Moon with.  “Time to die, Akane.”

 

Akane looked up into his eyes with tears streaming out of hers.  “It’s not a trick.  I really love you, Ranma.  I’d do anything for you.  I’d gladly give up my life if it brought you back to your senses.”

 

Ranma raised the knife over his head, ready to plunge into his fiancée.  “It won’t bring back goodie-two-shoes Ranma, but it will make me feel a lot better!” He plunged down and stopped an inch away from her.

 

Akane had closed her eyes in anticipated of the final blow, but it never came.  She looked up to the crystal aimed right between her eyes.  Her eyes widened and she looked up beyond the crystal and onto Ranma’s face.   He was sweating from the amount of effort it was taking to thrust the knife forward.  He even brought his other hand to help push the crude blade forward, but it still wouldn’t move.

 

“Why can’t I move?”  His feet started to step backwards as if on their own.  “What’s going on?”  The knife dropped from his hands and he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.  He yelled out in pain, and then passed out.