A crowd was gathered at Kami’s Lookout. Dende stood watching over the edge with Goku at his side. Uub looked on from over Goku’s shoulder. Behind them stood Vegita was looking everywhere except for over the edge (you’d never catch a Saiya-Jin prince being curious). Piccolo was in the lotus position hovering over the white pavement of the lookout, a white aura surrounding him. Goten and Maron were sitting off to the side with Gohan and Videl, discussing wedding arrangements, tips, etc. All in all, it looked like a Saiya-Jin family reunion.
Goku took a quick look around. “We’re still short two.”
Dende kept watching over the edge. “Not to worry. Bra doesn’t have enough power to concern me, and Trunks is tied up.”
Goku looked at him. “Nabiki has him tied up?”
Dende chuckled. “No, not literally.” They won’t get married for some time yet…
“So why are we all here?” Vegita asked a little bit irritable. “I’m a busy man!”
Dende turned to him. “You’re all here so I can keep an eye on all or you easily and have others to help if one of you decides to interfere.”
“I told you I wouldn’t interfere. Isn’t that good enough?”
Dende shook his head. “I’m sorry, but under the circumstances, you are needed here.”
Vegita harrumphed, sat down in the lotus position, and acted bored with the whole thing.
Goku looked at Dende. “Why can’t we interfere?”
“This has to be handled by their generation. If they are to be the next guardians of the earth, they can’t be relying on the old.”
Goku nodded at the wisdom. He had tried that several times before, but it almost always came down to him though. But this time was different. Dende had told him that under no circumstances was he to interfere with the coming battle.
Dende’s heart was breaking on the inside. Dispite his appearances, he hated what Setsuna had asked him to do, stand idly by while the kids were fighting. He knew full well that the power gathered on this lookout was enough to stop Beryl in her tracks, but Setsuna had said that things had to happen in a certain way, but they were just kids! How could he let them die? He had always trusted Setsuna in the past, but now, he wasn’t sure.
In the shadows of the palace that stood on the lookout, Setsuna was a stone facade, emotionless shell on the outside, but a rage of emotions on the inside. She so wanted to spare the Sailors from their fate, but she knew things had to happen in such a way. Could there be another way? No, the future had to happen. “I’m sorry, my princess.” She whispered.
Back at the Hikawa Shrine preparations were under way. The sailors were preparing for the fight of their lives, the final battle with Beryl. One way or another, it had to end here. The Sailors were all transformed and ready, while off to the side, three new sailors were still adjusting their suits. “Damn these things are uncomfortable.” Ukyou swore. She was trying to fight the never-ending battle against the fuku super wedgie. She was dressed in an identical match for Sailor Mars’ red fuku.
“Shampoo think this stupid idea!” Shampoo was having her own problems with her Sailor Venus outfit. She was making adjustments around the bust area to make being confined in the small outfit more comfortable.
“For once, I am in total agreement with you two.” Akane was fussing about trying to keep her skirt over her hips. The blue Sailor Mercury outfit matched Ami’s perfectly; just the occupant didn’t exactly match the slight figure of the Mercury princess. “Remind me again why we’re doing this?”
The real Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer. “I have told you three several times: The dark kingdom is obviously waiting for us. They will have youma waiting their for the actual Sailor Senshi. You five will take point and attack the way the youma aren’t used to, hand-to-hand. By the time they figure out that you are not Senshi, we will have made it to Beryl. The five of us combined should be enough to handle her.”
“So why don’t you just take on the youma like you usually do?” Akane was one again fidgeting with her outfit.
“There will more than likely be youma specifically attuned to our powers. The sunspots on the sun are making access to dark power easier. They no doubt have received enough power to find ways around ours. That is why you will take them on in a way that they are not used to.”
“Shampoo still think this outfit too small!”
“Says the woman who showed up in a dress that just barely covered the subject.” Sailor Jupiter commented from the side.
“You I kill later for touching airen!”
Jupiter snapped her attention to Shampoo. “What?”
Shampoo went over to where her other clothes were piled up and pulled out the latest issue of The Weekly Dokkiri. The cover was Ranma being glomped by Sailor Jupiter. The caption read, ‘Jupiter Finds the Sun of Her Universe!’ “You is obstacle, and obstacle is for killing!”
Jupiter swallowed hard.
Akane batted the magazine away from the amazon. “Enough Shampoo! We need to work together!”
“Shampoo still owe you.”
“Try it.” Akane said flatly, her aura leaping to life. She increased the intensity to where it was lighting up the room like a roman candle.
Shampoo took a step back, and exploded in an aura of her own. “You not the only one training! Great-Grandmother decide it time for Shampoo to learn advanced Amazon techniques!” The two auras started dueling for superiority.
“Stop the fighting!” Sailor Moon cried. “We have to cooperate if we are going to win!”
“Plus, I want a home to come home to.” Mars said under her breath.
With the indomitable will of the Moon Princess that could not be denied (and the fact that Usagi always had ways of making people be friends), the two dropped their auras. Shampoo glared at Akane. “We finish later.”
“I thought you were going to kill Jupiter later.”
“Shampoo flip coin to see who go first.”
Ukyou stepped between the two before they got started again. “Okay, enough you two!” She pointed to one side of the room. “Akane in that corner and…” She pointed to the other side. “Shampoo in that corner. No more talking until we leave!” The two pouted, but did as the chef asked. “Where is Ran-Chan anyway?”
“I’m not wearing it I tell you!!!” Ranma-Chan’s shrill voice came through the wall.
“Come on!!! If I have to, you have to!!!” Pan’s voice came shortly after.
“BUT I’M A GUY!!!”
“Not now you aren’t.” Venus’ amused voice came shortly after.
Mars sighed. “It was like pulling teeth getting Pan into her fuku. It must be sheer hell getting Ranma into his.”
Akane felt Ranma’s Ki leave the grounds. “OH NO YOU DON’T!!!” Came Pan’s voice once again. Ranma’s presence quickly returned to the shrine. After a couple of minutes of the sound of flesh striking flesh, the door to the back room opened. Pan came out first in her Sailor Jupiter outfit, pulling along a reluctant red haired Sailor Moon.
“That sight is worth all the discomfort in the world!” Ukyou laughed and started rolling in the floor.
“Sure is!” Akane couldn’t help but agree. She joined the okinomioki chef on the floor.
“Shampoo no think it so funny.” She snickered. “Just kidding! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!”
Ranma-Chan’s skin was starting to turn the same color as her hair. She was trying desparately to find some room for her breasts in her outfit while trying simultaneously to keep the dress from riding up. “How in the hell do you guys wear this thing?!” She shouted at the senshi, who were, by the way, also rolling on the floor.
Between gasps for breath, Mercury managed to answer. “Magic!”
Ranma-Chan wasn’t amused. “I hate you all.”
Pan combed out a few tangles in her hair. “Look, you’re not the only one embarrassed. My legs are dying from exposure!”
Ranma-Chan looked at the young Saiya-Jin. “You do look like you could use some sun on those things, or is your new tactic blinding the enemy?”
Pan slapped the redhead on the back of the head. “Baka!”
Akane stopped mid chortle. “Hey! That’s my job!” She got up walked over to where they were. “And you do it like this!” She pulled out mallet-sama and proceeded to drop Ranma-Chan to the floor. Everyone in the room sweatdropped.
Jupiter leaned over to Mars. “See. What did I tell you?” She murmured under her breath.
“You may have a point,” The Senshi of fire glanced at the pair. “But, he did have that one coming.”
Jupiter was appalled. “I don’t think the punishment fit the crime! The slap was enough.”
Mars just shrugged.
Mercury coughed to get everyone’s attention. “All right everyone. We need to discuss a couple of things first.” She turned to Ranma-Chan and threw a pen looking object at her. “Here’s the Henshin rod of Sailor Earth. Luna gave it to me. Hold it over your head and say the first thing that comes to mind.”
Ranma-Chan raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired Senshi. “Okay, whatever.” She held the pen above her head. “This is REALLY STUPID!”
Ami tapped her foot impatiently. “No. Try something like; Earth Power, Make Up!”
Ranma-Chan rolled her eyes. “Earth Power Make Up!”
All the senshi looked on in expectation.
Ranma-Chan cringed, but looked up when nothing happened. She shook it a little. “I think it needs new batteries.”
Mercury slapped a hand over her face. “No, you are not Sailor Earth.”
“Whew! That was close!” Ranma-Chan tucked the rod into her outfit. “Now that that’s out of the way, can we get a move on?”
“Pan should try next!” Usagi urged.
Pan looked at her with a just-try-me expression. “Not in this lifetime, sister.”
“We really must be going.” Mercury glanced at her computer again. “Time is getting short. Luna already told us how we are going travel to the Arctic D-Point, where the entrance to the dark kingdom is. We are going to use our Sailor Teleport, but we can’t take anyone with us. We need to figure out how to get the rest of you there.”
Ranma-Chan waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. You guys go first, and I’ll get us there.” The attending members of the NWC (Nerima Wrecking Crew), all looked at Ranma-Chan like she was nuts. “What?”
“How are YOU going to get us there?” Pan asked, her hands on her hips.
Ranma-Chan held up two fingers and stuck the tips to her forehead.
Pan’s eyes went wide. “Oh no!”
Ranma-Chan raised her eyebrows, a wide grin spread across her face. “Oh yes! I think I figured it out.”
“But you’ve never tried it before! How are you going to carry ALL of us?”
Ranma-Chan gave her a sly grin. “Trust me.”
Akane’s eyes went wide. “Now I’M worried.”
Mercury’s computer gave a loud chirp. “There’s no time to lose! Just do what you have to!”
Sailor Moon stepped to the middle of the room. “Let’s go!” She held her hand out in front of her.
The other senshi stepped to the center and did likewise, forming a circle with their hands touching in the center. “Sailor Teleport!” They all chimed in unison. With a flash of light, they were gone.
“All aboard!” Ranma-Chan stepped into the place where the Senshi vanished. “Just grab a hold of me.” Shampoo glomped her hard enough to knock her down and cut off her circulation. “Not like that.” She managed to force through clenched teeth.
“Sorry, Airen.” Shampoo stood back up, Ranma-Chan following shortly after.
“Okay. Let’s try that again. Everyone put a hand on my shoulders.” The pseudo senshi did as she asked. “Now be quiet, I need to concentrate.” Ranma-Chan put her middle and index finger of her right hand to the middle of her forehead. She reached out with her Ki like she had felt Goku do before. She found where the Senshi had gathered, having them all grouped together like that made a strong beacon for the instant transmission. Reality started to fuzz around them, and they were gone!
That instant the Sailor Senshi were waiting patiently for the rest of their strike force. Just then, they appeared! Only a couple things struck them as odd: One, the pseudo senshi were all ten feet off the ground. Two, they were all upside down.
“WHAM!” The world’s first five-person simultaneous face plant in the snow.
Ukyou pulled her head out and spit out a mouth full of snow. “Nice landing, sugar.”
Ranma-Chan shook the snow out of her hair. “Hey! Any landing you can walk away from…”
Shampoo came over and glomped onto Ranma-Chan again. “Shampoo too too cold!”
“Hey! Have you no shame!” Ukyou shouted. Wish I’d thought of that first.
Pan pulled Shampoo off of Ranma-Chan. “Use your Ki to keep you warm. Cologne should have taught you that much.
“But Shampoo want excuse to hold Airen, sister.” Shampoo whispered into Pan’s ear.
Pan rolled her eyes. “Like that wasn’t obvious.”
Ranma-Chan stood up and waited for everyone to get situated. “All right, time for us to play decoy. You girls ready?” The senshi nodded. She turned to his fiancées. “Okay, now at the first sign of trouble I want you three gone. I don’t want you guys hurt.”
“Hey!” They all shouted at once.
“I’ve been training as hard as you!” Akane protested.
“Great-grandmother show me how to fight as good as color change hair girl!” Shampoo shouted.
“And I’ve been working out with weighted clothes, jackass!”
“I’M FIGHTING!!!” They all chorused.
“Ranma, I think you better humor them this time.” Pan whispered aside.
Ranma-Chan watched as the girls’ anger auras were starting to melt the snow under them. “I think you might have a point there.” She whispered back.
“We’ll hold back and sneak around when you attract the youma.” Sailor Moon explained.
“Great, a booby trap.” Ranma-Chan deadpanned.
“And we’re the boobies.” Pan said in the same tone.
Ranma-Chan pulled her outfit back in place. “Okay, so let’s do it then.”
They all began to march toward the source of dark energy that the moon cats had told them they had found before Kunzite had found them. As they approached the source, the ground in front of them exploded! They were all thrown back as five youma literally grew out of the ground. They looked like plants with multiple vines for arms.
Ranma-Chan cleared her throat. Time to do the acting stuff. “I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of peace, love, and all that girly crap, I’m going to beat you to a pulp!”
“Not quite what we rehearsed…” Akane muttered.
“Hey, I forgot. I’m improvising.” Ranma-Chan crouched back and drew his hands together. “KAMEHAMEHA!” He unleashed a the Ki blast at the gathered youma. They all dodged aside. They all chose their targets and attacked.
All the girls had their hands full. Ukyou was keeping her vines at bay with her battle spatula. Shampoo had pulled two swords out of nowhere and was cutting away, only to see the vines grow back. Ranma-Chan was launching Kijin Raishuu Dans at the youma, again the vines grew back as fast as they were cut. Pan and Akane were still trying to blast it with Ki blasts.
“All right! I’m getting tired of this!” Pan powered up and charged at the youma. She started punching one of the youma’s torsos. Vines wrapped around her from behind. “Gah!” Light flashed as Pan’s energy was drained from her.
“Get away from there!” Ranma-Chan launched a vaccum blade and cut the vines that were holding Pan. “Don’t touch the vines! They’ll drain your energy!”
“That’s how they were planning to beat the Senshi!” Akane observed.
“Fall back!” Pan shouted.
They all dropped back while Pan and Ranma laid down Ki-blast cover fire. Ukyou leaned on her spatula. “How do we beat them? They grow back their vines faster than we can cut them!”
“And they move too fast for us to hit with our Ki blasts.” Akane added.
Shampoo got a big smile on her face. “Shampoo have idea!” Everyone looked at her like it was a once in a lifetime occurrence. “Hey! Shampoo not stupid! There only one person here who stop vine girls.”
They all just stared at her.
An irritated look passed over the Amazon’s cute features. “Airen! You stupid girls!”
Ukyou and Akane facefaulted. Akane was the first to get back up. “He’s already tried his stuff! What can he do?”
Shampoo smiled a ‘watch-this’ smile. She put her hands on the snow and started concentrating her Ki. The snow melted and formed a small pool. Shampoo dropped her Ki and quickly splashed herself before the water refroze, and transformed into her cursed form. She dried herself off with her Ki before she froze to death.
“I get it!” Ukyou grabbed Shampoo. “Hey! Ran-Chan!”
Ranma-Chan turned her attention away from the youma. “What?”
“Catch!” Ukyou chunked Neko-Shampoo at the redhead.
Ranma-Chan caught the cat and it took all of half a second to figure out what was in her arms. “C-C-C-CAT!!!” Shampoo quickly glomped onto her face. Ranma-Chan started running back and forth in front of the battle. Pan and the youma sweatdropped. “CAT! CAT! CAT! CAT!” was all she chanted. Finally she dropped in the middle of the battlefield. Shampoo scampered away; she knew her job was done. The youma resumed movement at the apparent ‘game on!’ signal.
But before any combat could resume, a deep demonic, “Meeeeoowww…” Came from the kneeling redhead. Her hair started to grow back, and her skin started to turn gray.
“That’s not supposed to happen.” Ukyou was too shocked to say anything else.
Akane clapped her hands over her face. “Oh no! Not again!”
Ranma-Chan completed her transformation, into a female Neko-Ramadan. “MEOW!!!” She bellowed at the top of her lungs.
The youma didn’t know what to think. Here was an enemy, all of the sudden it was giving off friendly vibes. They decided that they had better dispatch whatever it was. The five youma converged, vines reaching out.
Ramadan waved her hand, fingers extended. The first youma was sliced to ribbons. It transformed to dust. The second youma latched onto her back. Ramadan arched her back like a hissing cat. Crystal spikes flew out of her back and impaled the youma. With another growling ‘meow’, dark energy coursed through the crystals and vaporized the youma.
Two of the three remaining charged at the transformed Ranma-Chan. Ramadan arched forward and fired the crystals at the oncoming youma. They were thrown back and pinned to the ground. The red-haired youma pounced on them and started shredding them with her crystal claws.
At that moment, the Senshi were making a wide circle around the battle, oblivious to the transformation that Ranma-Chan had undergone. They arrived at the site of the portal to find Beryl and Endymion looking into a smaller portal, watching the battle going on across the field. To say that Beryl was confused would be a vast understatement. “That’s Ramadan, but she was male before…and none of the senshi are using magic! That senshi turned into a cat!”
Endymion got a closer look. “Those aren’t the real senshi.”
Beryl glared at him. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now Carnac the Magnificent, where are they?!”
“Right behind you!”
Beryl turned to see all five sailor senshi standing on the ridge above them. Sailor Moon stepped forward. “For stealing the energy of innocents and taking the love of a young woman, in the name of the Moon…”
Sailor Mars stepped forward, a determined look on her face. “Mars!”
Sailor Venus crossed her arms. “Venus!”
Sailor Jupiter dropped into a stance. “Jupiter!”
Sailor Mercury held her head up despite the fear in her heart. “Mercury!
“We will punish you!” They all challenged Beryl.
“Endymion!” Beryl commanded. “Dispatch the Sailor Senshi!”
Endymion pulled his sword and charged at them. “Endymion-sama…” Moon watched as he charged them.
“Lookout!” Mars pushed Sailor Moon out of the way, Endymion’s sword just barely missing her. Mars jumped back and prepared her attack. “I didn’t want to do this, Mamoru-san…Fire Soul!” She launched her fire assault.
Endymion held his sword up and the flames were split to either side of him. He jumped into the air to take an overhead slice at the Senshi of Fire. Sailor Jupiter took the opening. “Supreme Thunder!” Her lightning ball struck Endymion in the back and threw him to the side.
The Prince of Earth stood once more and charged the Senshi. He found Sailor Moon still to dumbfounded to move. He swung his sword in a wide arc that would have cut her in two, had not Venus interrupted. “Crescent Beam!” With a flash of light, Endymion’s sword was blasted in two.
“Shabon Spray!” Mercury laid down a dense fog that allowed Mars to grab Moon and move her out of the way.
“Come on, meathead! Snap out of it!” Mars yelled into her Princess’ ear.
“Wha…?”
“You have to act now! Endymion is over there!” She pointed to where he was taking swipes into fog, attempting to hit one of the Senshi by blind luck.
Moon shook her head to clear her mind and stood to her feet. She pulled out the Moon Rod. “Moon Healing Escalation!” With a wave of her wand, the healing energy struck Endymion, and, after some effort, he was returned to normal. He collapsed from exhaustion.
The fog lifted to show Beryl that her prince had been defeated. She saw five Senshi standing there, ready to finish her next. Suddenly she felt another presence to her right. “Having a little bit of trouble are you?” Shiver’s cold voice came from her side.
Beryl’s face twisted in anger at the intruder. “I’m not finished yet!”
Shiver blew on her claws and made motion of wiping them off on her chest. “Tell me when you are. You know what I want.”
“I don’t need YOUR help!” She started to weave her spell. Metallia’s power began to flow through her. “I’ll have all the power I need, once I have merged with Metallia!” A dark cloud formed around Beryl and took on a roughly human shape. The head of the cloud had eyes that glowed deep red.
Mercury dropped her visor and took stock of the situation. “This is not good.”
Just then a crash was heard to their right.
Pan started to feel sick to her stomach watching Ramadan tear into the last youma and taking occasional bites into it. “What the hell is that?!”
Akane was shaking in fear. “That’s the Neko-Ken.”
“Ranma transform like that often.”
“It has to be the youma he was possessed with. He was never healed, so he retained the form.”
Pan snapped her head around to Akane. “You mean he could have transformed into that at any time?!”
Akane nodded her head. “I know how to take care of the Neko-Ken, but we’ll need Sailor Moon’s help to get rid of the youma.”
“Okay, how do we take care of the Neko-Ken?”
“Either hit him with warm water or let him take a nap in my lap.”
Pan took a look around at the arctic wastes. “I think we’re stuck with choice number two.”
Akane looked uneasily at the youma. “Here goes nothing…Here kitty, kitty!”
Ramadan looked up from her meal as someone was calling her. She looked and saw the girl calling her. She smiled a toothy grin and started bounding toward her.
Akane took an involuntary step back. “I don’t think that was a good idea.”
Pan looked back at her. “Why?” Pan looked and saw where Ramadan was landing between bounds; the ice was being cut to pieces. “She’s not sheathing her claws! RUN!”
Ukyou scooped up Neko-Shampoo and started running after Pan and Akane. “Here’s another fine mess I’ve gotten myself into.”
Neko-Shampoo looked up at her. “Meow?”
“Shut up.”
They came over a ridge and saw the dark cloud forming about Beryl. Pan turned to Ukyou and Akane. “Hit the dirt!” They all dove to the ground.
Ramadan bounded over them and started heading toward Beryl, having lost sight of Akane. She landed on the ground to the left of Beryl with a resounding crash. “Mrowerrr!!!” She threw her head back and challenged the dark queen.
Beryl’s eyes went wide at the sight. Shiver stood a little bit closer to her. “You sure you don’t need help?”
Beryl turned another irate glare at the shapeshifter. “I’ll handle this!” She turned to the neko-youma and fired a dark fireball at it.
Ramadan just looked at it like a ball of string and batted it with her Ki claws. The ball dispersed immediately. The youma mewled and looked at the dark queen like a kid expecting more candy.
The Sailor Senshi didn’t know what to think. Here was a female version of the youma that had got away from them weeks before. It looked like it was fighting Beryl but they couldn’t be sure. Sailor Mars decided not to take her chances. “Fire Soul!”
The Senshi of Fire’s attack bounced harmlessly off Ramadan, but it was enough to get her attention. She snarled and started running on all fours in their direction.
“Sailor Moon! Heal him!” Akane yelled across the field.
Moon stood up from where she had be cradling Mamoru and held up her wand once again. “Moon Healing Escalation!” Again the healing energy crossed the field of battle. It struck Ramadan in mid leap. A tired Ranma-Chan fell headlong into Sailor Mars, landing them both in a heap on the snow. Usagi raised her eyebrows. “Now where have I seen this scene before?”
Mars pushed Ranma-Chan off to the side, blushing the whole time. Ranma-Chan stood up. “What the hell just happened to me?”
Akane and the other caught up with them, Ukyou wisely hid Shampoo behind her back. “We had to use your Neko-Ken to defeat the plant youma! You did it, all by yourself!” Akane gave him a brilliant smile.
Ranma-Chan smiled back. That smile makes it all worth it. She turned and saw the dark queen preparing for another attack. “Time to finish this.”
Moon looked a little weary. “What’s wrong, Sailor Moon?” Venus asked.
Moon looked around at her. “Using the Silver Crystal so much is draining me. I don’t think I can do it many more times.
Pan winked at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the witch queen.” She strode out in front of everyone. “AHHHHH!!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs and transformed into her full power Super Saiya-Jin form. She began walking toward Queen Beryl.
Beryl turned to her and unleashed her most powerful dark spell. With a yell, Pan destroyed it. Beryl was dumbstruck. Shiver stepped up once more. “Anytime your ready…”
Beryl clenched her fists. “Okay! I’ll open the portal!” She cast a spell into the dark portal behind them. The clouds swirling around turned from an ebon black into a blood red.
Shiver laughed at the top at her lungs. “Now we will rule again! Come out my husband and son!”
Pan stopped in her tracks as a horned figure came out of the clouded passageway. The smoke cleared to show King Cold. Following shortly after him was his son, Freezer. Freezer turned to his mother. “Mother, if you don’t mind, I’ve asked some friends over to play.”
Shiver gave him a toothy smile. “By all means, let them in.”
Freezer and King Cold stepped aside. Six more figures emerged: The five members of the Ginyu Tokusentai, and one of the most feared beings that had ever set foot on the surface of the Earth, the android Cell!
<Author’s note: I tried to fit in all into one chapter, but things don’t always turn out the way you want…>