"Shadow Wrestling?! Arcana Power Make-Up!"

"You have failed once more, Isis," Thanatos said, scowling.

Isis bowed her head low. "I offer no excuse for my failure," she said. "I merely ask your forgiveness."

"Hmph," a figure shrouded in the black fog snorted.

Thanatos' gaze drifted in the direction of the interruption. "I do not recall asking your opinion on the matter, Siegfried," he said.

"I don't recall caring," replied the man who emerged to stand beside Isis. He looked human enough; he was clad simply in studded leather armor which left his arms and legs bare, a matching leather helm, and sandals. A bastard sword hung sheathed at his hip, and a round shield hung from a harness on his back. His arms were folded, and he was frowning with disdain at Thanatos. "I have never, nor shall I ever, swear fealty to you, Thanatos."

Thanatos glowered at him. "It is unwise to anger me, Siegfried."

"As you say," Siegfried replied with a shrug. "I have no interest in you or your anger. The Sailor Senshi are my only concern. I will send my own warriors to deal with them."

"If you fail..."

"Then I fail," Siegfried said simply. "Warriors do not always win. This is a truth of war." He turned and disappeared into the haze.

"Arrogant, insufferable..." Thanatos growled.

"Ignore him, my Lord," Isis said. "Allow him to do as he pleases. Perhaps he will even prove himself useful."

"Perhaps..." Thanatos shrugged. "As for you..."

Isis tensed.

"You are dismissed."

Isis bowed more deeply. "Then until you call upon me again, my Lord," she said before disappearing into her mirror.

"Really, you do rather let them walk all over you, Father," a voice said from the rear of Thanatos' dais.

"I only had Orpheus disposed of because he was a fool," Thanatos said. "I will not slaughter my followers simply because they anger me. It is the fear of annihilation that motivates them."

"Hmm, yes, they are easily manipulated."

A young girl with long, straight blond hair and bright blue eyes skipped merrily out from behind the throne. She stopped in front of Thanatos, turned, and curtsied. "Whenever shall I be allowed to play with these silly Sailor girls, Father?"

"Now, Alice," Thanatos said patiently, "there is no need to risk your safety in conflict with the Sailor Senshi."

Alice pouted. "I am not a helpless child, Father!"

"I know you're not, my dear," Thanatos replied. "But I would prefer not to send you to the human world unless all else fails."

Alice sighed. "But I want to play..."

"I know you do, Alice," Thanatos chuckled. "I know you do..."

* * * * *

Makoto, Ami, and Minako arrived at the shrine late in the morning; the latter two carried large wicker baskets. As they approached, they saw Ranma sweeping the steps. She looked up and waved at them. "Mornin'," she said.

"Ohayou," Ami called back. "Where's Rei-chan?"

"Takin' care'a her grampa," Ranma replied. "We got attacked by monster crows, an' he kinda got knocked out."

"Another attack?" Ami gasped.

"Boy, this new enemy just doesn't let up," Makoto said darkly.

"It was a little too close there for a second," Ranma said. "But we pulled through. An' I got a lot t' tell you girls."

She set aside her broom and walked up to the shrine with the others. They entered just as Rei was sliding the inner door to the sitting room closed. "Jiichan's going to be alright," she said. "I gave him some medicine that'll keep him asleep for a while."

"Was...was it that bad?" Ami asked, horrified.

Rei shook her head. "He took a hard knock on the head. He doesn't have a concussion, but he has a really nasty bump, and when he woke up, he had a killer headache. He'll be fine by morning."

"That's a relief," Makoto said. "What about you two?"

"Eh, we're okay. Those stupid birds did a number on us, an' that Isis bitch tried t' cut Rei's head off, but other than that..."

The others stared at her.

"And, we apparently have a new ally," Rei added.

"Yeah, what WAS up with that guy?" Ranma wondered. "Just who was he an' where th' heck did he come from?"

At the others' confused expressions, Ranma and Rei quickly related the events of the morning, concluding with Isis' attack and the intervention of the enigmatic Izanagi.

"Whoa," Minako said.

"A new ally, huh?" Makoto wondered. "I wonder if this is another Tsukikageno Knight thing..."

"I don't think so," Rei replied, shaking her head. "I mean, this Izanagi definitely wasn't Mamoru-san. I don't have a clue who he is or where he came from, I'm just glad he saved my neck."

"An' at least he's on our side," Ranma said. "But I don't think we should count on him showin' up every time we're in trouble. For all we know, he was just passin' through."

"Or maybe he only protects people at shrines," Makoto offered. "I mean, he's named himself after a god, and all..."

"I hadn't even considered that," Rei admitted. "I was too shaken up by everything else."

"In any case, we need to discuss what Ranma-kun learned yesterday," Ami said, "and then we need to get to work on another problem."

Ranma cast a wary glance at the two baskets sitting in the corner of the room and cringed. "A-heh...yeah...that."

* * * * *

"...Hibachan?"

"Oh, good, you're finally awake."

Shampoo slowly sat up in bed; a wet cloth fell from her forehead and landed on the comforter with a soft *plap*. "What happen?" she asked.

"That's what I'd very much like to know," Cologne said, puffing on her pipe. "Tendou Akane brought you home yesterday, naked and unconscious. At first I wondered if perhaps she was responsible for your condition, but she started going on about catgirls and sailors and...well, she had few useful answers, but at the very least she brought you home and helped put you to bed."

Shampoo pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Akane..." she said. "That right. I get text from Akane, say lay off Ranma...he just witness murder..."

"I thought he might have been there when that happened," Cologne said, sighing. "Given the way that block was utterly destroyed, I am not in the least surprised..."

"I...start to text Ranma, then..." Shampoo's brow furrowed in concentration. "Woman show up. Woman with mask. Do something to Shampoo. Last thing I remember."

Cologne frowned. "Hmm..."

"I think..." Shampoo hedged. "I think...I try kill Ranma. Not know why."

"This is disturbing," Cologne said. "I think I should speak to the mukodono..."

* * * * *

The Senshi sat in silence, absorbing the details of Ranma's ordeal from the previous day.

"So, all we really know is our main enemy's name is Thanatos, someone named Isis is turning people and animals into monsters, and they're spying on us. Or, at least on Ranma-kun," Ami summed up.

"AND they know about, and are after, the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou," Luna piped up, only her eyes visible through a gap in the lid of her basket.

Ranma's eyes flicked in her direction, and she suppressed a shudder. "Y-yeah," she said.

Makoto sighed. "Dammit...at the rate things are going, are we ever gonna have time to mourn Usagi?"

The others bowed their heads. "I'm...still in denial," Rei admitted. "It's just...it's hard to accept she's really gone."

"Yeah," Minako agreed.

Ami looked around at her friends, and at Ranma, who sat in awkward silence, staring at her hands. "This...isn't what she would have wanted," she said softly. "She wouldn't want us to sit around moping. She'd...she'd want us to try to move on."

Rei sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, she would." She sniffled. "So...what now?"

"Didn't Ami-chan say something about working on Ranma-kun's cat problem?" Minako asked.

Ami nodded. "Hai. But I think we'll hold off on that for a little while. Before anything else, it would probably be a good idea if we all got to know Ranma-kun better."

A strange glint appeared in Makoto's eyes. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind getting to know Ranma better."

"Oi oi," Ranma said, sweatdropping.

Ami coughed. "I met Ranma-kun's fiancee and her sisters yesterday," she said, emphasizing the word 'fiancee', "and I would have spoken to his father, but his father was...well...a panda, so..."

Ranma groaned. "Oyaji's gotten way too useta his curse," she said. "He stays a panda more than he stays a man." She chuckled. "Though I gotta admit it's an improvement."

Rei blinked. "Wait. You're...engaged?" she asked.

"Aheh...yeah," Ranma admitted sheepishly. Makoto seemed to deflate slightly.

"Sugoi," Minako said, eyes wide. "Not even out of high school yet, and already you've found true love...!"

"I wouldn't call it 'true love'," Ranma muttered. "She's th' most violent, sexless, macho chick I know, she can't cook, she's a hammer in th' water, she calls me a pervert all th' time..."

"It's an arranged marriage," Ami supplied helpfully at the bewildered looks of the others. "To unite their families' martial arts schools."

"Wow, that's...really old-fashioned," Rei said.

"So...you don't love her at all? Or even like her?" Minako asked, horrified.

Ranma's face turned slightly pink, and she looked away.

"I got the impression that they really do care for each other, they're just both..." Ami shook her head. "Akane-chan is nice enough, but, well..."

"Tsundere?" Makoto suggested.

"Hai."

Ranma pulled out her phone and called up a picture of several girls (including herself) at the beach, which she showed the others, pointing out girls and naming them. "That right next t'me is Akane, those're her sisters, that's Shampoo, that's Ucchan—you met her th' other day—"

"Whoa," Makoto said. "She didn't look NEARLY that stacked when we met her."

"She binds her chest mosta th' time," Ranma said. "Kinda hard t'do at th' beach, though."

"Shampoo...this is the girl that turned into a monster and attacked you?" Minako asked.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah. She's Chinese. She's cute, but she's a real pest."

"Your fiancee's actually pretty cute," Makoto said.

Ranma sighed. "Yeah, I guess maybe a little."

"So that panda...that's your father?"

"Un. Like I said, he's better off as a panda mosta th' time."

"Your fiancee has a pet pig?"

"Ugh, P-chan. Just...don't even get me started on P-chan."

"You don't like pigs? But it's so cute..."

"That pig's really this guy Ryouga. He's cursed too. Akane doesn't realize it, so he pretends t'be her pet."

"And you...and you allow that?"

"It's a long...story..." Ranma trailed off as he realized Luna and Artemis were sitting on the table, looking at his beach photo with the rest of the group. As he reviewed the conversation in his mind, he realized that since Makoto's comment about Akane, he'd actually been talking to the two cats. "Uhhh..."

"You said Shampoo-san's also cursed, right Ranma?" Ami asked.

"Huh? Uh, oh, yeah. She...turns into a..." He stared at Luna, breaking out into a nervous sweat.

"A cat?" Luna offered.

"Y-yeah," Ranma replied.

"Hmm..." Artemis rubbed his chin with a paw. "She cute?"

"Artemis!" Luna hissed, swiping at him with her claws. "Mou..."

The other girls laughed. Ranma, despite herself, joined in.

"Just how many cursed people do you know, anyway?" Minako asked. "I mean, it was weird enough finding out there was a boy who turns into a girl—ack, sorry, didn't mean to—"

"Nah, it's cool. I know I'm weird," Ranma said with a chuckle. "I've pretty much gotten useta that."

Minako coughed, flushing. "Anyway, so how many cursed people...?"

"A lot," Ranma said. "I've kinda lost count at this point. It seems like every single weirdo that falls inta one o' those springs ends up findin' me." She briefly explained her numerous romantic entanglements, rivalries, and other assorted persistant nuisances.

"Wooooow," Minako breathed. The Senshi and the two cats were staring wide-eyed at Ranma by the time she was finished.

"You certainly lead an...interesting life," Rei commented. "No wonder you took this whole Sailor Senshi thing in stride."

"Heh, you girls ain't even a drop in th' bucket compared t' what I've seen," Ranma said, grinning. "An' I gotta admit, I'm glad I metcha. It sucks that it happened th' way it did, but...it's nice t' have friends who ain't always tryin' t' pull somethin' on me when my back's turned."

"We're glad we met you too, Ranma-kun," Ami said. "You've already helped us so much, and I'm sorry you had to get dragged into our business when you have so much going on in your own life, but...if anyone can help us defeat this Thanatos and avenge Usagi-chan, it's you."

"Yeah, with you on our side, this jackass won't know what hit him!" Makoto said. The others agreed wholeheartedly.

Ranma rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Heheh...thanks. I'll do my best."

Suddenly, the room became dark. Everyone gasped, looking around in alarm. "Is this...an attack?" Minako wondered.

"I hope not," Makoto said. The Senshi pulled out their henshin wands...

The locket containing the Ginzuishou floated serenely out of Ranma's shirt, opening on its own. The room was bathed in the brilliant silvery light of the Ginzuishou.

Minna.

The Senshi gasped. "Princess...Serenity's voice..." Luna whispered.

You have formed a bond of friendship with Saotome Ranma. I am relieved. I feared you might not accept him, and I am delighted to discover this is not the case.

"Of course we accept Ranma-kun," Rei said, eyes full of tears. "You...you chose him."

That alone was not enough. Accepting that there was a new Sailor Moon was only the first step. Accepting Ranma for who he is, becoming friends with him, was the most important step.

The henshin wands of the Senshi floated out of their hands, hovering in the air.

Because you have forged a bond of friendship with Ranma, you will become stronger as a team...

The four henshin wands began to glow, and changed into four cards...

Each floated back into the hands of their respective Senshi.

"What...?" Rei whispered.

"Is this...a new power?" Makoto wondered.

Yes, Sailor Jupiter. The four of you will now bear a new power, born from your acceptance of Saotome Ranma as a friend and fellow Senshi.

The four of you now possess the power of Arcana Make-Up.

As your friendship grows stronger, so will your new powers.

This is my final gift to you, my dearest friends...

Farewell...

The locket closed over the crystal, its glow fading from the room. The normal lighting returned, and the locket hung loosely on the chain around Ranma's neck.

"Matte yo...! Usagi...!" Rei pleaded, hand outstretched to the crystal, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Rei..." Minako said, shaking her head. She was also crying.

"Usagi..." Makoto said softly. "Even now, she's still with us..."

"And she's given you a new power," Luna said. "The power to stand beside Ranma, and protect the Ginzuishou..."

Everyone looked at Ranma, who swallowed thickly. "Uh..."

"GROUP HUG!" Minako suddenly announced, flinging herself at Ranma. The others, laughing, joined her.

Ranma broke out in a sweat. "Man, am I glad Akane ain't here t' see this," she chuckled weakly.

The happy mood was broken by a sudden, violent shaking of the earth.

* * * * *

Akane walked through the door of the Nekohanten. Seeing Shampoo's father minding the counter, she waved. "How's Shampoo?" she asked.

"She awake," the Chinese man said. "Grandmother say she get her strength back soon." He paused. "Thank you for bringing my daughter home."

"Of course," Akane replied. "Could...I see her? I need to talk to her..."

"I believe she has as many questions for you as you have for her, child," Cologne said as she pogoed downstairs into the empty dining area. "By all means, go up."

"Thank you," Akane said, bowing. She quickly headed up and knocked on the door to Shampoo's bedroom before entering. She saw the Chinese girl sitting up in bed, eating a steaming bowl of ramen. "Shampoo? How are you feeling?"

"Head hurt," Shampoo replied. "No can remember much. Hibachan say you bring Shampoo home?"

"Yes, I did," Akane nodded.

"Xie-xie." The Chinese girl sipped her broth, then sighed. "You tell Ranma I sorry I make trouble? I not knowing he see murder."

Akane nodded. "Sure, soon as he gets home, I'll tell him."

"Xie-xie," Shampoo said again. She looked down into her bowl. "What happen, Akane?" she asked.

Akane shrugged. "I'm not sure. After I punted you over the wall, you came back, but...you weren't normal. You were, well..." She paused, waving her hands vaguely. "A catgirl," she finished.

"Catgirl?" Shampoo asked, her head tilted.

"You had cat ears and a tail. And your eyes...they weren't normal. They were like a cat's eyes. And...you attacked Ranma. The way you used to, when you were trying to kill him. Except you did it, well...like a cat."

Shampoo stared at her. "You tell truth?"

"Would I make up a story that weird?" Akane asked.

"No, guess not," Shampoo replied. "I...I no remember any of that. I remember strange woman in mask, then...that it."

"A strange woman in a mask..." Akane said thoughtfully.

"You know who she is?"

"No, I haven't seen anyone like that," Akane said. "There's...more, though. This part...really doesn't make sense."

Shampoo watched her patiently.

Akane took a deep breath. "Whatever happened to you, it didn't stop at the catgirl thing. You turned into some kind of cat monster. I didn't see it happen; I was chasing after you and Ranma when it got all foggy all of a sudden, and when the fog cleared, I saw you—well, the cat-thing you turned into—fighting two girls in seifuku." She paused, debating exactly what and how much to tell the Chinese girl. "I think...I think they were the Sailor Senshi."

"Sailor Senshi?" Shampoo asked, head tilted.

"They're an urban legend...at least, I never believed they existed," Akane said sheepishly. "They're...superheroes," she explained. "You hear all kinds of stories of them fighting monsters over in Minato-ku. They first showed up a couple of years ago...if you believe they exist." She paused. "Like I said, I thought they were just some silly story...but yesterday, the two girls I saw fighting you...they couldn't have been anything else but Sailor Senshi." She shook her head. "They turned you back to normal, told me to take you home, then disappeared. That's...that's all I know."

"I see," Shampoo said, nodding. "You sure this not all made up?"

"Like I said, why would I make up anything this crazy?"

The Chinese girl sighed. "I want to find masked woman," she said. "Masked woman too too on Shampoo shit list. Masked woman, I kill."

"I'll...I'll pass along your message to Ranma," Akane said. "And I'm sure he'll be glad to know you're back to normal."

"Xie-xie," Shampoo said once again.

"You just get some rest now, okay? I'll call and check up on you tomorrow." With that, Akane left, and Shampoo sat in bed, lost in thought, until long after her ramen got cold.

* * * * *

Five girls and two cats raced out of the shrine. They screeched to a halt, staring at what they found out on the grounds.

Five massive, heavily-muscled creatures stood outside the shrine waiting for them. They looked like men, except their skin was black as coal and they were far too large to be human. Each wore gold boots and wrestling trunks, had long silver-white hair, drooping mustaches, and slate gray masks perched atop their heads. As one crouched low to stretch his calves, the group could see the Roman numeral "XI" engraved upon the mask.

"Ho-kay," Ranma said, "so now we gotta fight Hulk Hogan."

"Five Hulk Hogans," Makoto said. "This's gotta be a nightmare."

"Sailor Senshi," a male voice called, "I greet you as fellow warriors."

From behind the massive black-skinned wrestlers, a blonde man in leather armor appeared. His blue eyes swept over the five girls, and he nodded cordially. "I am Siegfried," he said. "I am of the Strength. These are my warriors, the Gigas. I wish you well against them." He turned and walked between two of the Gigas. "Begin," he said simply, standing with his arms folded.

The Gigas grunted and advanced on the five girls, their footsteps shaking the ground.

"Time to put that new power of ours to the test," Makoto said grimly, pulling out her henshin card. The others followed suit; Ranma pulled the locket from her shirt.

"MERCURY ARCANA POWER..."

"MARS ARCANA POWER..."

"JUPITER ARCANA POWER..."

"VENUS ARCANA POWER..."

"MOON SPIRIT POWER..."

"...MAKE-UP!"

The four original Senshi now had the Roman numerals from their new henshin cards engraved into the round ornaments adorning the bows upon their chests, and a small pearl-white magatama hung from their chokers.

"The new power...I feel it," Jupiter said, wonderingly. The others nodded agreement. As the Senshi stood ready for battle and the two cats hid, a dark form appeared before the five girls in a blur. "Izanagi!" Mars shouted in surprise.

Izanagi said nothing, readying his halberd. His steely eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"No," Siegfried said, "you will not intervene. If it's battle you crave, then you will fight me." He unsheathed his sword and beckoned to the party-crasher.

"Ikuze," Izanagi replied. He leapt over the heads of the Gigas and landed in front of Siegfried, his blade already clashing with his opponent's.

The Senshi glanced at one another. "Men," Sailor Venus snorted. "Anou...gomen ne, Ranma-kun..."

Sailor Moon rolled her eyes. "Let's just kick these wrestling freaks' asses an' worry about those other two later."

"Sounds good to me," Sailor Jupiter agreed, cracking her knuckles.

"So, think you got a useful attack this time?" Sailor Venus asked Sailor Mercury.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Mercury retorted, frowning.

"Would you PLEASE get serious, Venus?" Artemis hissed. "This could be dangerous!"

"Yeah, we kinda figured that out for ourselves," Sailor Moon said, not taking her eyes off the five monster wrestlers.

"Okay, so you want serious?" Venus asked, an irritated bite in her voice. She raised her right hand above her head. "VENUS LOVE-ME SWORD!" In a flash of golden light, a glowing golden sword appeared in her hand, the blade made up of numerous hearts similar to the links of her Love-Me Chain. The heart-shaped links spun independently of each other, humming with power. She leapt high into the air, landing in a crouch before the Gigas on one end of the line. "Let's do this," she said in an iron-hard tone.

Jupiter dashed over to confront the next Gigas in line. "You're mine," she said, making a beckoning motion.

Mars confronted the Gigas at the other end, face blank, eyes sharp. "Watch the damage to the shrine," she said in a loud, cold voice. "I'm getting sick of cleaning up after fights here."

"Let's see what one afternoon of martial arts lessons did for me," Mercury said, lining up beside Mars.

Sailor Moon flipped to land in front of the Gigas in the middle. "Guess that leaves this one for me," she said. Her opponent threw a slow, clumsy punch; she leapt straight up and landed on her hands on the Gigas' outstretched arm. She pushed off, launching herself farther into the air, somersaulted, and slammed both heels into the back of its head, driving it to the ground. She landed on its back, standing on one hand; with her other, she gave the back of her opponent's head the middle finger. "I think we'll make a class outta this, so pay attention," she said conversationally to her new friends.

"HAI, SENSEI!" the other Senshi chorused.

Luna sweatdropped. "This is what he calls getting serious?"

"I'm always serious about th' Art," Sailor Moon said.

"A commendable and noble attitude," Siegfried said from where he was parrying a vicious thrust by Izanagi, less than a meter behind the five Gigas. "Survive this battle, and I shall look forward to testing you myself."

"If Izanagi doesn't smear you all over the ground," Sailor Moon retorted.

"Oh, I'm quite confident this will be a brief duel, and end with my victory," Siegfried said conversationally.

"Urusai," Izanagi growled, eyes narrowed. He pressed a vicious attack, and the duel moved in the direction of the shrine steps.

"Wow, he's chatty," Venus said as she dashed sideways along the ground to avoid a kick.

"I kinda like this Siegfried guy," Jupiter said as she grappled with her Gigas. "He's a lot more pleasant than most of our enemies."

"Does he remind you of your senpai?" Venus asked.

"Hmm..." Jupiter hummed contemplatively.

Both girls collapsed to the ground as Sailor Moon hit them over the head with her opponent.

"WE'RE. IN. THE. MIDDLE. OF. A. BATTLE. HERE!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Sheesh!"

Mercury and Mars stared, wide-eyed. "Wow," Mercury said softly.

"S-sorry, Ranma-kun," Jupiter said, twitching.

"We'll behave!" Venus squeaked.

The downed Gigas got up and attempted to clothesline Sailor Moon. She leapt straight up, legs tucked beneath her, and landed lightly on his outstretched arm. "MOON TIARA...CHAIN REACTION!" She removed her tiara and threw it; the golden disc left a trail of glowing crescent moons in its wake as it arced wide around the Gigas' head and came back around. The crescent chain wrapped itself around the Gigas' neck, and the tiara's momentum continued, striking the Gigas in the head several times before finally returning to Sailor Moon. She replaced it on her brow, then raced up the Gigas' arm and kicked him hard in the head; the repeated blows sent him crashing to the ground. She landed gracefully on his face, then flipped to stand on her hands, scissoring his neck with her legs. With a "hup!" she lifted the stunned Gigas by the neck and began repeatedly slamming him into the ground.

The other Senshi stared at her. "Holy CRAP," Jupiter said.

"How is he even DOING THAT?!" Venus exclaimed.

"I've never seen anything like that before," Mars breathed.

"I knew Ranma-kun was strong, but..." Mercury said.

"Stop gawking at Sailor Moon and fight those other guys!" Artemis called.

"RIGHT!" the others chorused, returning their attention to their opponents.

"...he is pretty strong, though," Artemis admitted to Luna in a whisper.

Luna's eyes were wider than her face, and her ears were flat against her head. "That's the understatement of the millennium," she replied.

"SAILOR V KICK!" Venus leapt into the air, angling in for a flying kick at her opponent's head. He swatted her to the ground with a vicious backhand; she caught herself with her free hand, swung around, pushed off from the ground, and launched herself at the Gigas' midsection, her sword readied for a thrust to her opponent's abdomen. The tip of her sword met jet-black skin and slid sideways, not impaling the Gigas as she had intended, but leaving a shallow gash along his torso. He bellowed in rage and grabbed her by the hair, slamming her to the ground hard. She groaned as she landed; he raised a booted foot to stomp on her...

"VENUS!" Jupiter cried.

The Gigas' stomp was thwarted as Sailor Moon threw her own opponent at him, knocking him off balance. Sailor Moon landed beside the downed Senshi and helped her up. "You okay?" she asked.

"No, I'm pissed off," Venus replied, stomping toward the fallen Gigas, fury blazing in her bright blue eyes. "HEY YOU! I'm a beautiful love goddess, not a cockroach!" She leaned down and pressed her index finger directly between the Gigas' eyes.

"CRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAM
CRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAM
CRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAMCRESCENTBEAM!"

The other Senshi stared.

What was left of the Gigas' head wasn't pretty; mercifully, it dissolved into smoke and shadow just seconds later.

Venus stood over a narrow, smoking hole in the ground, breathing heavily, bow in her hair askew. "So there," she huffed.

"Scary," Sailor Moon muttered, her pigtail standing on end and her eyes twitching.

Artemis hid his face behind his paws. "Is it too late to pretend I don't know her?"

"Hitotsu," Izanagi grunted as he took advantage of an overextended thrust to sweep Siegfried's legs; the blonde swordsman barely rolled out of the way of a vicious downward stab.

Meanwhile, Jupiter was still grappling with her own opponent, and straining not to give ground. "Nnnngh...I always wanted to...give puroresu a try..." she grunted.

A booted foot slammed into her chest, sending her flying; she crashed into the front wall of the shrine. She pulled herself out of the crater with a growl. "THUNDER REIGN!" she bellowed as she charged. A hammer made of crackling electricity formed in her hands; she let out an enraged roar as she smashed it into the Gigas, who slid backwards several meters, hair and mustache standing on end as electricity surged across his body. Wasting no time, Jupiter followed up with a vicious upswing, smashing the thunder hammer into the monster's jaw and knocking him into the air.

As the electric hammer dissipated, Jupiter followed the arc of her opponent's flight, eyes narrowed. The small lightning rod on her tiara extended. "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!"

Lightning struck Jupiter's tiara with a booming crash of thunder. A dragon-shaped mass of lightning erupted from her hands, twisting and writhing as it soared through the air towards the descending Gigas. The dragon's jaws opened, and it enveloped the shadow wrestler, who roared in agony as he exploded into shadowy vapor. "Yosha'!" Jupiter exclaimed, pumping a fist.

"Futatsu," Izanagi commented, sparing the battle behind him a momentary glance.

Siegfried's blade bit into his shoulder. "Pay attention," Siegfried admonished.

"Kisama...!"

Mercury was not having an easy time with her opponent. She was on the run, bleeding slightly from a wound just below her right ear. She wobbled on her feet as she ran. She raced vertically up the trunk of a tree, backflipped off, and planted the heels of both boots in the face of her Gigas; however, she wasn't able to land steadily, and flailed around before crashing on her rear with a yelp.

"AMI-CHAN!" Venus and Mars cried. Venus rushed in and blocked a blow from the Gigas which likely would have killed Mercury.

The blue-haired Senshi frowned. "I'm really tired of being the weakest one of us!" She brought her hands together, eyes cold as ice. "MERCURY AQUA VALKYRIE!"

A spear made of clear spring water formed in Mercury's hands, its point positioned just beneath the Gigas' groin.

"Hup!" Sailor Moon grunted, jumpkicking the Gigas from behind. It staggered forward, and roared in agony as it was impaled through a VERY tender area on Mercury's spear.

Artemis cringed.

Mars stared at Sailor Moon, face green. "You...ARE a guy, right?"

"Course I am," Sailor Moon replied.

"Then...how could you just...THAT?!"

Sailor Moon shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?" With that, she returned to battling her own Gigas, while Mercury beheaded hers with the aqua spear.

"Mittsu," Izanagi said with a smirk as he locked weapons with Siegfried.

"Believe it or not, I can count," the blonde man replied, kicking out of the lock and shifting his stance.

"Anou sa..." Jupiter wondered, "If Ranma-kun's the best fighter here, why's his still alive? I mean, three of ours are finished..."

"Because he's playing with his," Mercury replied, dissipating her weapon with a splash. "I saw enough of him and Akane-chan playing tag at the dojo yesterday to tell when he isn't serious."

"Hey, if I finished it off in one hit, it'd make you girls look bad," Sailor Moon said.

Just then, her foe punched her in the back of the head, plowing her face-first into the ground.

She stood up, scowling as she wiped dust from her face with the back of her gloved hand. "Okay, playtime's over," she snarled. She grabbed the Gigas by the ankles, leapt high into the air, and drove him head-first into the ground with enough force to knock everyone off their feet. Then, she ducked low and delivered a savage chop to the Gigas' neck, which snapped. The monster dissolved, and Sailor Moon stood, stretching. "Hmm, looks like just one left. Rei, you got this?"

"BURNING MANDALA!" Mars cried by way of reply, throwing her arms wide. Rings of whirling flames engulfed the final Gigas, which roared in pain. He brought his hands together in a mighty clap; the air pressure extinguished most of the flames, but it was clear the Gigas had taken quite a bit of damage.

Mars produced a double handful of ofuda. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen...AKURYOU TAISAN!" The ofuda burst into flame as she threw them; they stuck to the Gigas' torso, spreading bands of fire around his body. He thrashed wildly, straining uselessly against the flaming bonds.

"Finish it off!" Mercury said.

Mars leapt high into the air, spreading her arms wide. A fiery aura surrounded her, taking on the shape of a massive predatory bird. A piercing shriek rent the air, which shimmered with the searing heat as she dove headfirst toward the bound Gigas.

"DYNAMIC PHOENIX!"

Mars herself abruptly angled sideways just before impact, tucking into a somersault and rolling clear of the tremendous pillar of flames which engulfed the Gigas as the fiery aura struck. The shadow wrestler let out one final roar before he was completely consumed; a double handful of ashes scattered on the ground were all that remained.

"Impressive. Well met, Sailor Senshi," Siegfried nodded, saluting the five girls with his sword. "And you as well...Izanagi, was it?" he asked his opponent, saluting him as well. "This battle is yours. I look forward to our next." A swirl of leaves enveloped him; when they scattered once again, he had disappeared.

"Teme...!" Izanagi spat. He spun to face the Senshi. "Mata ze," he said brusquely, leaping over the torii and disappearing.

The Senshi looked around at the devastation wrought by the battle.

Mars dropped to the ground. "Mou...!" she exclaimed in frustration.

Sailor Moon sighed. "Looks like we gotta clean this mess up...AGAIN."

* * * * *

Siegfried reappeared in the audience chamber.

"You failed?" Thanatos asked in a bored tone.

"They bested five of my warriors," Siegfried said simply. "They are worthy adversaries. I look forward to facing them again." Without waiting for a reply, he stepped into the black mists and vanished.

"Idiot," Alice spat derisively.

"Siegfried's decision to battle the Sailor Senshi was not entirely pointless," Isis said reluctantly and without preamble as she appeared in the middle of the room.

Thanatos raised an eyebrow, cheek resting on a gloved fist. When he said nothing, Isis continued. "The Sailor Senshi have developed new powers. Their acceptance of Saotome Ranma as their new leader has strengthened them."

"Then Saotome Ranma must be eliminated as quickly as possible," Thanatos said.

Isis looked away. "My Lord...I regret to say that may be a difficult prospect."

"Oh?" Thanatos asked. "He is a mere human..."

"He is no mere human," Isis replied. "I've been studying him. I now understand why Orpheus failed so miserably. He simply had no clue what he was dealing with."

"But you do."

"I'm beginning to." Isis cast her head down. "My deepest apologies, Lord Thanatos, but...I am not entirely certain I will succeed in eliminating him either."

"I expect you to try," Thanatos replied simply.

Isis bowed. "Of course, my Lord." She retreated into her mirror and disappeared.

"I do believe she seems rather frightened, Father," Alice said, amusement in her light tone.

"She does at that. I look forward to seeing how she meets her death..."

* * * * *

Thick, cold white mist swirled, frosting the surface of a pink mirror which disgorged Isis. She stalked briskly toward an ancient, elaborate gate standing in the middle of nothingness. She lovingly picked up a long, ornate wrought metal staff which rested against one of the pillars, inspecting the blood-red jewel inset into its heart-shaped headpiece.

"I truly wished to keep you alive longer," she said conversationally to a crumpled form, bound tightly with black iron chains, which lay amid the mists. "I have enjoyed our time together..." She savagely struck her audience in the ribs with the head of the staff, eliciting a cry of pain. She crouched down low, inspecting the pathetic heap. "But I simply no longer have the...time..." She allowed herself an ironic chuckle.

"Even...without the Princess..." the woman in the mists rasped weakly, "...they'll still destroy you. You...you can't..."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that," Isis replied lightly. Laying the staff on the ground, she reached up and removed her mask. As it fell away, it revealed not a face, but a pulsating mass of purple and black flesh, crisscrossed with throbbing green veins. A long, jagged gash ripped open in the center of this, revealing two rows of crooked, needle-sharp gray teeth. A long, slimy black tongue lolled out as the monstrosity with the body of a beautiful woman lifted her bound victim, bringing her closer to that horrible maw...

Ten minutes later, a statuesque woman with well-tanned skin, garnet eyes, and long, luxuriant dark green hair picked up the ornate, key-shaped staff lying in the mists, stepped into the pink mirror floating in the midst of nothingness, and vanished.

Lying next to the Gate of Eternity, lifeless and still, was a corpse that could only be identified by the dirty, ragged, blood-stained seifuku it wore. A sightless skull, smeared with blood and ragged chunks of flesh, stared into nothingness.

Sailor Pluto's face and hair were completely gone.

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