"I Will Avenge Sailor Moon! Ranma's Unexpected Transformation!"

"Hand over the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Or die."

Ranma glared at the armored, purple-skinned man, eyes full of anger and hatred. "You killed a defenseless girl, you ugly bastard," she hissed.

"And what if I did?" he said dispassionately. "Don't make me repeat myself. And I warn you, my patience is wearing thin."

Ranma slipped the brooch Usagi had given her into her pants pocket, then launched herself at her foe with a fierce battle cry. The man seemed taken aback by her ferocity, and was forced to give ground as Ranma's speed overwhelmed him, but his deadly blade gave him a superior reach, and soon, Ranma was forced onto the defensive.

The Senshi were shaken out of their grief by the sounds of the heated battle. Determined and angry scowls marred their beautiful faces as they surrounded the duelling pair, trying to find an opening for a clear shot at the monster who had killed their friend and leader.

Ranma leapt over a strike which would have cleaved her in half, then kicked her opponent in the face with enough force to stagger him. He growled and swung his sword in a straight downward slash; a pressure wave slammed into Ranma, sending her flying.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" Sailor Venus launched her attack; the chain wound itself around the murderer, pinning his arms to his sides. He began to struggle; it was plain to all present that he would not be bound for long.

"SUPREME THUNDER!" Sailor Jupiter hammered Usagi's killer with massive jolts of lightning; the metal in Venus' chain amplified the power of the electric attack, and the swordsman's struggles weakened.

"SHABON SPRAY!" Sailor Mercury blanketed the area with a thick, chilly fog, then used her visor to locate Ranma. "Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside the redhead.

Ranma pushed herself up off the ground. "Yeah, I'm good," she said. "Man, this bastard's tough."

"Ranko-chan," Mercury said seriously, "you absolutely must not allow this man to get that crystal."

"Wasn't plannin' on it," Ranma grunted.

"You don't understand," Mercury said. "The Maboroshi no Ginzuishou is the most powerful magical artifact in the entire world. If someone...like that...were to get their hands on it..."

"I getcha," Ranma said. "Maybe I should just give it to WHOA!"

The murderer had just appeared from the fog, and had very nearly separated Ranma's head from her shoulders. The redhead had leapt clear just in time.

"You SHOULD just give it to ME," the swordsman said.

"That. Ain't. Happenin'."

"So be it, then. Know that there was no need for you to die. You are not even involved in this."

"The hell I ain't!" Ranma retorted. "KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

The swordsman managed to block the redhead's flurry of punches with the flat of his blade, but was nevertheless pushed backwards. Jupiter, who had snuck up behind him, punched him in the back of the head with her full might. He staggered.

The opening was all Ranma needed. She drilled a powerful kick right into his abdomen; his armor buckled and he was sent flying.

"BURNING MANDALA!" The last of the fog was dissipated by the heat of Sailor Mars' attack, which caught the defenseless enemy unawares; he screamed as he burst into flames.

The Sailor Senshi and Ranma gathered around the burning killer. "Let's finish this," Jupiter said grimly, cracking her knuckles.

"Usagi MUST be avenged," Mars said, violet eyes burning with fury and hatred.

"Wait," Mercury said. "We need to ask him some questions before...before we finish him."

"Mercury's right," Venus said. "We need to know who this bastard is and where he's from." She looked around at the others. "I mean, we ALL know how this works. This guy's just the first. I doubt he'll be the last."

"She's right," the murderer grunted, chuckling darkly. "Do what you will to me, but it will change nothing. Sailor Moon is dead. We have already won."

"An' who exactly are 'we', pal?" Ranma asked.

"That...is none of your concern. If you value your life, you will not involve yourself—"

"I'M ALREADY INVOLVED UP TA MY ASSHOLE!" Ranma screamed. "See this blood all over me? This is Sailor Moon's blood! I...I couldn't...save her..."

"Nor can you save yourself," the killer rasped. His eyes flared; he raised his hands in front of him.

"Mamudoon."

A wave of darkness enveloped the five girls. They all collapsed to the ground...

* * * * *

"Ranma."

Ranma opened her eyes; she shut them again quickly, as she was enveloped in blinding, painful white light. "Wha...?"

"It's alright. Open your eyes."

Ranma did so, and found she could see easily. Before her, uninjured and clad in a beautiful, flowing white gown, was Usagi. She was smiling, and a brilliant golden crescent moon shone from her brow.

"...Usagi? ...am I dead? Is...is this the afterlife?"

"Not exactly. The one you knew as Tsukino Usagi—Sailor Moon—is gone, but...I am a fragment of her soul, preserved in the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. I am her past self, Princess Serenity."

The angelic vision of Serenity cast her eyes down.

"I guess I'm all that's left of her now..."

"I...I'm sorry. I tried..."

"There was nothing you could have done."

Serenity pierced Ranma's gaze with her brilliant, crystal-blue eyes.

"Ranma. There is something important you must do. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but..."

"Th' crystal. I gotta guard it, right?"

"That is correct, yes. But more than that...you must use it. I felt some of what this new enemy is when his dark power touched you. I was able to protect you and the other Senshi from death, but..."

The Princess sighed.

"I'm trusting everything in you, Ranma. You must fight alongside my Senshi. However long this battle takes, you MUST fight alongside them. You must see this through to the end."

"Hey, I ain't never backed down from a fight," Ranma said. "An' I got a score t' settle with this bastard, an' whoever else is mixed up in all this."

"Then you'll do whatever it takes to defeat this new enemy?"

"Yeah, I will," Ranma replied. She blinked. "Hey, wait a sec. I never told you my name's really Ranma!"

Serenity smiled.

"You will awaken momentarily, Saotome Ranma. When you do, you must say these words..."

* * * * *

The Sailor Senshi stirred, groaning, and sat up. They could see Usagi's killer standing over a prone, insensate Ranko...who was surrounded by a dome of pure, brilliant silver light. The Ginzuishou floated in the air in front of her, dazzling in its radiance.

"Ranko..." Mars said. "We have to help her..."

"The Ginzuishou...it's..." Mercury's visor appeared, and she began scanning the crystal's energy reaction.

Ranko's eyes snapped open.

"MOON..."

The Senshi gasped. "Uso...!"

"SPIRIT..."

The killer seemed taken aback. "NO...!"

"POWER..."

"She can't...can she?" Mars wondered softly, a look of surprise mixed with sick dread on her face.

Ranko leapt to her feet, clutching the Ginzuishou tightly in one hand, and raised it above her head.

"MAKE...UP!"

A whirlwind of silver light exploded around the petite redhead as she rose into the air. Her clothing dissolved; as she spun gracefully in place, the familiar red, white, and blue seifuku of Sailor Moon enveloped her. The transformation ended with Ranko standing in a familiar pose, facing Usagi's killer with blazing sapphire eyes from beneath a glittery golden tiara. Aside from the lack of the fallen princess' signature hair ornaments, the only significant difference between her fuku and the original Sailor Moon's was the brooch upon her breast; it was now a yin-and-yang symbol cast in yellow and white gold.

"Ma...masaka...!" the swordsman gasped, backing away from the redhead.

"You may'a' killed Sailor Moon, but you ain't won th' battle," Ranko said in a dangerous tone. "I'm Sailor Moon now. In the name of Princess Serenity...I'm gonna kill you."

The other Senshi sank to their knees in disbelief.

"A...a new...Sailor Moon?" Venus asked.

"How...? How's this possible?" Mars wondered.

"The Ginzuishou must have...must have given her the power..." Mercury said.

"YO! SENSHI! A little backup here?" Sailor Moon called.

The four Senshi scrambled to their feet and formed up behind the new Sailor Moon, who grinned savagely at the killer.

For his part, the swordsman seemed to have regained his composure. "Hmph," he smirked. "I will kill as many Sailor Senshi as necessary, and I will have that crystal!" He charged, sword readied for an impaling thrust.

Sailor Moon leapt high into the air, somersaulting so rapidly she was a blur, then dropped straight down on her opponent's head, one booted heel extended. Her kick drove him into the street with enough force to further crack the already-damaged pavement. He was immediately hammered by attacks from the other Senshi.

He withstood their combined assault and rose to his knees, bracing himself on his sword. "I tire of this," he spat. "Mamu—"

"You ain't doin' THAT again!" Sailor Moon yelled. Her gloved fists blurred as she pummeled the swordsman in the face; he was sent flying toward Sailor Jupiter, who kicked him high into the air.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" Sailor Venus called. Her chain wrapped around the airborne killer's leg; she jerked him violently downward, slamming him into the street once again.

Sailor Moon strode over to the fallen swordsman, picked up his sword, and rammed it through his torso. "That's for Usagi," she spat, before turning on her heel and marching briskly away.

The body of the defeated murderer dissolved into a shadowy mist, which quickly dissipated.

Sailor Moon approached the other Senshi, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Umm...so yeah, uh, Princess Serenity kinda wants me t' take over for her," she said.

The others gaped at her. "What...? Princess...?" Venus asked.

"How's that possible? She's...gone..." Mars trailed off, looking at the ground, eyes filling with fresh tears.

"Um...I don't totally understand all this stuff, but I think there's a piece o' Usagi's soul stuck in that crystal," Ranko said. "She saved us all from that bastard's attack, then told me to take over for her, an' how t' trans...form..." She looked down at herself, and her face drained of color. "Ah, SHIT. Wonderful. How th' HELL am I ever gonna live THIS down?" She shook her head in disgust. "I swear, if anybody I know sees me like this..."

"Nobody will recognize you while you're transformed unless you change right in front of them, or tell them who you really are," Mercury said. "We've all had to save people close to us while we've been in Senshi form, and none of them ever knew who we were."

"Oh really? That's kinda cool. I guess that's why I didn't recognize you girls right at first, huh? It wasn't until Rei called Sailor Moon 'Usagi'..." She trailed off with a sigh. "I'm...real sorry about Usagi. I wish I coulda done more to save her..."

"You did all you could," Jupiter said, clapping the shorter girl on the shoulder. "And you agreed to take her place...that's a pretty big sacrifice. Are you...are you sure you want to...?"

"'Wanna' ain't got nothin' t' do with it," Ranko said firmly. "I gotta." She sighed. "But do these damn skirts gotta be so SHORT?"

Mars sniffled, and smiled at her. "We're glad to have you on our side, Ranko-chan. I'm sure...I'm sure you'll do Usagi proud."

"Hell yeah I will," Ranko grinned. "But one condition."

"What's that?" Venus asked warily.

"You girls all gotta come t' my place an' train. Every day. No excuses." She shook her head. "You're pitiful, an' whatever we're gonna be fightin', I got a feelin' it's gonna be worse than what we went through today. Startin' tomorrow, you're all my students."

The four Senshi glanced at one another nervously.

"Well...we could use the training," Mercury said uncertainly.

"Hey, we all saw how much ass Ranko kicked BEFORE she transformed," Jupiter said. "I'm all for it."

"Me too," Venus agreed. "Besides, I haven't been getting nearly enough exercise lately."

"I'll do it," Mars agreed, nodding firmly. "I need to get stronger to avenge Usagi."

Ranko nodded approvingly. "Great. I'll give you th' address, and, um..." She looked down. "You guys gotta help me learn, too. I gotta learn how all this Sailor stuff works."

"Of course," Venus said, nodding. "You can drop by the shrine tomorrow, we can introduce you to Luna and Artemis, we can tell you anything you wanna know."

"We need to have a meeting anyway," Mercury said. "Since there's a new enemy. We need to put our heads together and try to figure out what's going on here."

"Before any of that, there's...there's one thing we have to do," Mars said, turning to look down the street. The others followed her gaze, and looked sadly at the lifeless body of Tsukino Usagi.

"I...guess...we should call the police," Jupiter said softly.

"She...needs to be taken back to Juuban," Mercury agreed. "And...her family...they need to..."

"Un. And...and Mamoru..." Venus added. She looked away, eyes wet with tears. "He'll be devastated. And..." Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror. "Chibiusa-chan...we'll...we'll never see her again, will we?"

Mars looked down, tears falling to the ground. "No...we won't."

Grimly, the five Senshi detransformed; Minako dug her phone out of her purse.

* * * * *

A prone form materialized in a dark, smoky realm. Grunting, he reached up and pulled the sword from his body, tossing it aside. Black blood spilled onto the obsidian floor.

"Pathetic," a cold voice snapped.

The swordsman knelt before a raised dais wreathed in thick, impenetrable shadows, bowing his head. "Lord Thanatos! I..."

"You failed to retrieve the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou."

"But...!"

"Are you about to offer me an excuse for your failure?" the voice asked coldly.

The swordsman's red eyes widened in fear. "N-no, my Lord!" he stammered.

"Good." The figure upon the dais was silent for a long moment. "You disappoint me, Orpheus. I expected better from you."

Orpheus cast his gaze to the floor again. "I...beg forgiveness, Lord Thanatos." He looked up again. "Please...! Give me another chance! I will retrieve the crystal!"

"Hmmm..." Thanatos was silent for a long moment. Then, he stood and stepped down from the dais. He loomed over the kneeling swordsman, cold green eyes full of disdain. He raised a gloved hand and stroked the thick growth of scrubby golden beard on his chin. At length, he turned his back on Orpheus, clasping his hands behind his back. "Very well. Since you did at least manage to kill that wretched brat Serenity, I suppose you deserve a second chance."

"Thank you, my Lord!"

"Do not fail me again, Orpheus."

Orpheus pressed a fist to his chest in salute, then melted into the shadows.

Thanatos was silent for a long moment after his departure. Then, he turned and looked into the smoky depths of the chamber. "Isis."

A pearlescent pink mirror floated serenely out of the haze. A pale, feminine face appeared in it. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Keep an eye on Orpheus. If he fails...kill him."

"As you wish, Lord Thanatos." The mirror disappeared once more into the haze.

"I will see the end of the Sailor Senshi," Thanatos said to the empty room. "And then, the destruction of the foolish human race..."

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Since 11/18/12