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Disclaimer: None of the characters of Ranma ½ and Sailor
Moon belong to me. I recommend that you don't sue me as
I don't have the money to even afford a lawyer for 15
minutes.

Twin Black Phoenix
A Ranma ½ and Sailor Moon Crossover
By Tomas Megarson

Note: This is going to be dark in some places. It will
be extremely dark at times. If you don't like dark fics,
then I don't recommend it.

Prelude

The two pick pockets looked at each other. Looking
back around the corner they saw the prey that caught their
eyes. A pair of girls with their money pouches hanging on
the outside of their clothes. Easy prey to expert thieves.
Despite neither one being over thirteen years of age, both
boys were experts in their field.

"Well, Ranma, do we go for it or not. It has been
a long time since we had a real meal. I wouldn't mind
something besides rats for a change."

"I don't know, I mean look at their clothes. They
must have some sort of rank to be wearing that. It may be
too risky to chance it."

"Come on, I know that you could go for a real meal
as much as I can. Hell, I haven't even seen a rat in the
past three days. We haven't eaten for longer than that.
Besides since when have we been caught?"

"Well, Keikan, there was the time we first met.
And what about when we tried to work the space port, or
how about the time you tried to steal from that restaurant.
Or maybe that merchant's ship last month or..."

"Okay, okay, how many times have they actually
held us?"

"Alright, I'll give you that one. Still should
we?"

"Come on we just need a few coins. It isn't like
we're going to beat them up and take it from them. We'll
use our normal routine. I got left you got right. Look
they're movin' on. We go or not?"

Sigh "We go, of course. I could use that meal."

The two of them calmly walked out of the ally and
headed toward their targets. Moving with a practiced easy
they passed the two girls at a calm walk neither so much
as breaking stride. They rounded the next corner and smiled
at each other. Keikan opened his hand to reveal six gold
coins in his palm. Ranma opened his showing four.

"See, piece of cake Ranma. They never knew that
we flinched them. It was as easy as all the other times.
Now how about that meal?"

"Why don't we visit that small Earth food stand four
blocks over. We can get a lot for just one of these coins.
We can eat for a week there."

Another voice came from behind the two boys. "How
about you eat in the prison under the palace? Stealing is
wrong, especially from royalty." They turned around to see
a well muscled man wearing a Royal Guardsman Uniform. One
word came from the two of them at the same time.

"RUN!" Before they got two steps they were yanked
off of their feet and hit over the head sending them both
into darkness.
*
Ranma slowly opened his eyes. A putrid smell flooded
his nostrals as he took in his surroundings. He could feel
what seemed to be straw or hay under his hands. To him it
was as if he was on the softest bed in the world. It was a
lot better than the streets in the alleys that he normally
slept on. He pushed himself up and glanced around at his
surroundings. The bars on the door gave away where he was
immediately. "Great, a dungeon. How do we get out of this
one." Looking around he failed to see Keikan anywhere.
"Separate cells, too. This just keeps gettin' better and
better. Well, I can't do anything but wait now. I might
as well get some sleep." Ranma laid down on the straw and
allowed the darkness to claim him.

Some time later Ranma awoke as his cell door slammed
open. He didn't even have a chance to sit up before hands
yanked him off of the ground. He was carried unceremoniously
out of the cell and dropped on the floor. A set of cuffs
were locked around his wrists and ankles. After being pulled
to his feet he glanced to his right and saw Keikan similarly
shackled. Keikan gave him a slight smile and shrugged. "So
you were right this time."

One of the guards hit him with a steel covered fist
in the stomach. Keikan doubled over in pain and dropped to
his knees with a loud groan. Another guard kicked him in the
face at the sound. Ranma moved to defend his friend when a
club hit him across the back forcing him to drop to the floor.
It was at that point that the man who had arrested them in the
first place appeared.

"You will remain silent at all times. Unless a
question is spoken directly to you will not answer it. Do I
make myself clear?"

"Go to hell, you bastard" Keikan spit out a glob of
blood on to the soldier's boot. Then man's eyes narrowed
and he nodded to his subordinates. Whips descended on the
two thieves in numbers. After a half-hour of the flogging
the two boys were yanked to their feet.

The man, they now knew him to be a captain, grinned
wickedly at the two. "Now that you seem to have learned
your lesson we can go. The Queen wishes to see you." The
two semi-conscious youths were dragged through the corridors
of the Royal Palace of Serenity. The walls were bright with
lanterns glowing giving the entire place the feel of a warm
home. There was thick carpet running along the floor. It
was a royal blue color with a red one running along it. The
two boys would have gapped at the ancient furniture, the
expensive paintings, or the irreplaceable vases if they hadn't
been occupied with something else. Ranma and Keikan were
busy trying to stay conscious as they headed for an unknown
destination.

Ranma raised his head as they came to a stop in front
of a pair of closed doors. Glancing off to the side, his face
paled. He turned to Keikan who had a similar expression of
terror on his face. They were in the presence of the famed
Sailor Senshi. It wasn't a good fame, either. They were
commonly known as Queen Serenity's personal 'removal' agents.
They handled all of the people who spoke out against the
Queen and in as violent a manner as they could. Both boys
had witnessed such an operation while they were in the slums.
A pair of Senshi came over the wall letting loose their
magic at everyone. A large number of people were critically
wounded and there were more than a few deaths. Only three
others besides the pickpockets escaped unscratched. The fear
they had of the two Senshi standing guard paled when they
were faced with what lay in the room, however.

Before them in all her glory was Queen Serenity.
She would be passing judgment on them herself. The two young
thieves froze at the look in her eyes. She was like an
emotionless void. Her eyes were so cold hell didn't even have
a chance of melting them. They could see it in her eyes, how
she didn't care for them at all. It was as though the only
thing that mattered to her was herself, and everything else
was to be stepped on. It was when she spoke, though, that
made them want to run. It took every bit of courage that
both had to keep from trying to run away.

"What is the crime Captain?"

"Thievery, Your Majesty, of the Royal Family of
Saturn."

"Are there any witnesses?"

"I saw them commit the crime myself, Your Majesty."

Serenity's eyes never changed. "Very well, hang them
at dawn."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

It was here that Lady Pluto, Senshi of Time stepped
forward. "Your Majesty, I need to speak to you in private
concerning this matter."

Serenity nodded her head and looked once more at her
soldier. "Captain, have one of your soldiers toss them in
the same cell. We can allow them to be together one last time.
Also feed them, they are young after all. Then return here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the two had been dragged out Serenity turned to
her first advisor. "What is the matter Lady Pluto?"

"I saw the stream of time ripple around those two when
you sentenced them. If they die, it will lead to your downfall.
Their deaths will be the spark that turns everyone against you,
no matter who they are. If you want to secure your power, they
must live."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. Had it been anyone else to
say such a statement she would have laughed them off and had
them quietly taken care of. Pluto was different, though.
Her views of the future were never wrong. If she said that
they must live to secure her throne, then she had no choice.
She wasn't about to let Pluto get away with giving these
orders to her, though. "Fine, you deal with them. I don't
care what you do, but you will take care of them. Our
background checks proved that neither has a family. They
will be placed under your direct care as of tomorrow. You
are responsible for them now, Lady Pluto." Pluto looked as
though she was going to argue the point, but the look in her
Queen's eyes made her step down. Serenity turned toward the
soldier standing by the door. "Captain, you will escort
Lady Pluto down to the detention cells tomorrow morning so
she can retrieve her wards. That will be all, from the both
of you." The two bowed and took their leave of Queen
Serenity.
*
The door slammed close on the cell containing Ranma
and Keikan. Ranma picked himself up and moved over to the
single slab of stone that was to be used as a bed. Keikan
pulled himself over to the wall and sat with his back to it.
Neither felt like talking about what had happened in the
queen's council chamber. They both knew that unless they
did something they'd be dead by the time the sun rose into
the sky. Ranma laid down on the slab of stone, feeling its
cold send shivers through his spine. Much like the queen's
eyes did. He glanced over at his friend. "I was scared
Keikan. I was scared shitless of her."

"So was I. I'm surprised that I managed to stay
still when she looked at me. I want to bolt out of the room
try to escape even die just to avoid that stare. It was like
the eyes of the Devil himself."

"All of the rumors are true. People just disappearing
without a trace. Other thieves just missing for weeks and
then appearing with their throats cut. I wouldn't be
surprised if she drew the knife across their throats herself.
She looks heartless enough to do it."

"No, Ranma, she wouldn't. She'd order some one to
do it and watch from the side laughing the entire time at
the fate she dealt out. And we're next for her. She marked
our funeral as the next one to go." Keikan sighed and
stretched his legs out. Closing his eyes and drooping his
head he tried to think. "There must be a way to get out of
here, to escape. All we need to do is find it."

Ranma sighed and shook his head. "We can't do
anything, Keikan. They brought supper with us when they threw
us in here and put on paper. We've got no silverware to use,
and they wouldn't do anything about us if we acted sick.
They're going to hang us in the morning anyway. All that
would do would be to save them some money on the rope. What
can we do?"

A hard look came into Keikan's eyes. It was the look
of someone who was prepared to face death and had nothing to
live for. "We ambush them when they try to get us in the
morning. I'll rush the first one in. You try to get his
weapon. Maybe Lady Luck will shine on us and we can get away.
If we make it to the spaceport we can stow aboard a shuttle and
leave to a different planet. What have we got to loose?"

Ranma brought a grim smile to his face. "Nothing.
They hang us, or shoot us. Either way we'll be dead. At
least we can go down in a fight. You know I never thought
it would end this way."

"What did you think would happen? We're a couple
of pickpockets, Ranma. The only future we had was to either
get out of the black, or die 'cause of these Royal bastards.
Looks like it might be number two."

Ranma moved toward the side of the door and sat
against the wall. "We'll make it Keikan. We're the best ain't
we? We're not goin' down without a fight, and we have yet to
lose a fight. Let's get some rest. Wake me up for a second
shift."

"Sounds like a plan. G'night, Ranma."

"Night Keikan."

*
Setsuna walked up to the cell door. The captain of
the guard nodded to greet her on the morning. "Lady, are you
ready to take them off of our hands?"

"Yes, Captain, please open the door." The cell opened
to reveal Ranma alone in the back of the room. Setsuna raised
an eyebrow and stepped through, only to be tackled by something
off to the side.

Ranma sprung forward going for the guard's weapon, only
to realize too late that they were dead. "Keikan its one of the
Senshi! RUN!" Keikan looked down to see a set of ruby eyes
that he recognized from the day before. Diving out into the
hall he drove his fist into the captain's stomach. Caught by
surprise, the large man doubled over with the wind knocked out
of him, only to have his nose broken by an open palm strike.

Ranma, meanwhile, was in a struggle against the Senshi
of Time. Both had their hands wrapped around the Time Key and
were struggling for the weapon. Setsuna finally got a bit of
leverage and propelled Ranma into the wall, knocking him out.
Turning to the door, she approached Keikan from behind a struck
him across the back of the head with the Key. He collapsed
immediately at her feet.

Setsuna took a good look at the guards around her.
(That boy did a lot of damage. If I hadn't been here, they
just might have escaped. This confirms what I thought about
them, though. The pig-tailed one shouldn't have even been
able to touch the Time Key. They will do nicely.) She looked
at the captain who was struggling to rise. "Go get a medical
team for your men. And have that nose looked at, you don't
want it to become crooked. I'll be taking these two from you
now. If the queen asks, just tell her that I was right."
She raised her staff and the two boys disappeared along with
her into the gates of time.

*

Keikan slowly awoke from his forced sleep. He kept
his breathing shallow and his eyes only slightly opened.
(Where am I? And why does it feel so soft under me?) He
opened his eyes fully and sat up. As he looked around the
room, he started to get nervous. The place wasn't just rich
it was opulent. Getting out of the bed, he headed toward the
dresser on the far side of the room. He was considering
searching through it when the door opened. Spinning on his
heal, he came face to face with a sight that he feared.
Standing before him was Sailor Pluto. She spoke softly, but
commandingly.

"Follow me. I have need to talk to you and your
friend." Not knowing anything else to do, Keikan nodded and fell
in behind her. His gaze wandered around the halls. He saw
expensive vases and elegant paintings and a number of other
riches as well. It was hard for him to keep his mind on the
fact that their was one of the Sailor Senshi in front of him,
taking him to who knew where. Eventually they came to a stop
near a small wooden door. Pluto motioned Keikan to the door.
He approached and hesitantly opened it.

What he had been expecting was a torture chamber or a
dungeon. What he saw was an empty room save for three chairs
and Ranma. Knowing his part, Keikan moved over to Ranma and sat
in the chair next to his. Pluto closed the door and moved to
sit in the chair across from the two boys.

The silence lasted for almost five minutes. Ranma and
Keikan were too scared to try and break the silence. So far
the Senshi hadn't hurt them, but they knew it could change.
After an almost unbearable time, Pluto broke the silence.
"The two of you are dead." Both of the boys faces blanched.
They were sure that the gallow was next for them. Pluto
ignored the frightened looks. "As far as everyone is concerned,
you were hanged yesterday morning. The people you were no
longer exist." Her face never changed as the surprise flew
onto their faces. She had to make sure they would join her,
and to do that, she had to move fast. "The two of you have
been chosen. Now you have a choice. You can serve me, or you
can really go visit the hangman. Those are your only options.
If you have any questions, ask now. I may answer them."

Ranma and Keikan looked at each other for a long minute
until they turned back to her. It was Ranma who spoke. "If
we serve you, what would we be doing."

"You will do whatever I tell you, no questions asked.
You will serve as spies sometimes, bodyguards at others, and
decoys in other parts. I will have you do whatever I think you
must."

The two boys looked at each other a long time. The
choice wasn't hard, but the emotions of making such a choice
were. Keikan slowly nodded and they turned back to Pluto.
Once again it was Ranma who spoke. "We will serve, Lady."
Pluto never blinked.


Author's Notes.
Well, the new prelude is done. I came up with the idea for
this fic one night, and I think that it will go better with
the Twin Black Phoenix title. I am not dropping the original
plan. I will get around to writing it too. Send me some C&C,
please. Also, I am looking for pre-readers for all of my
stories except Immortal. If you want to help, drop me a line.