FicWad

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.

Chapter 1

The ballroom glowed with a liveliness all its own.
People gathered in groups to discuss any topic that came to
their minds. Others were seated at the tables enjoying a
marvelous feast that seemed to have been brought about by
magic. Queen Serenity's chefs were the best in the Solar
System. There were still others that were in pairs on the
dance floor, getting to know each other as music played for
their ears. At one place a Lady would laugh at some
unimportant joke, while in another a Gentleman would frown
at an offhand comment made by his partner. A few of the
couples sneaked away so they could be alone on the balcony
and gaze at the Earth that was high in the sky while the
exchanged vows of love and other such ideas.

And then there was the one. The one who was away
from everyone else, the one who felt like she didn't belong.
She had only recently come to the Court of Serenity. It
hadn't yet been two weeks since she gained the power that
was requiring her to be present at this ball. It had been
on her fourteenth birthday that she had gained the mantle
of Sailor Saturn, Senshi of the Silence. She stood alone
in a quiet corner of the room, being purposely ignored by
everyone there. A few of the other Senshi had been over
to speak with her, but she could tell that none of them
were comfortable being around her. But it was better than
the other nobles. They were out right scared of her. All
because of some thousand year old prophecy. All because
some long ago old man said that Sailor Saturn would bring
about the death and destruction of everything. There had
been Sailor Saturn before this point in history, and she
was sure that there would be one after her. She wasn't
going to destroy anything, but no one believed that. All
of the nobles and the common folk held her in fear thinking
that she would kill them all while they were asleep one night.

She hated it all. It crossed her mind on more than
one occasion that she wished someone else bore the mantle she
now wore. That someone else was the Senshi of Destruction.
That she hadn't changed, and that she still had her friends.
That had hurt her the most. Her heart tore every time one
of her old friends would look at her, cast a fearful glance
and move quietly away from her. The people that she grew up
with turned their backs on her and left her in a cold, empty
void. None of them realized that they were creating that
void in her by their actions. Her world was a dark and lonely
place. She feared that it would remain so right up until the
door to the ball room opened, and two strangers walked in.
They were both tall, one around six foot and the other a
couple of inches taller. Both had night black hair with the
shorter one sporting a pigtail. The taller one's was wild,
but somehow portrayed a sense of style. As they walked into
the white crystal room, everyone took notice of them. It
had to do with their choice of clothes. While everyone was
in bright colors and rainbow hues, the newcomers were in jet
black. Their pants, doublets, vests, coats, boots, and gloves
were all of the deepest ebony. Looking at them reminded some
of starring into a void. The only things that were not this
emptiness of color was their skin and their eyes. The
shorter's eyes were a sapphire blue and the taller's an emerald
green.

*
Keikan glanced at Ranma. "I don't see the target
anywhere."

"Neither do I. He must not be here yet. Find a way
to get in position. I'll start the sweep. And be careful that
no one recognizes you. We don't need to start giving
explanations on why we are here. Recall what the Lady said."

"We are ghosts, unknown to all and controlled by one.
We answer to one person, but take orders from two. We are on a
mission and we will not fail."

The two then spoke as one, for the last command of the
Lady was instilled in their very being. "We are here for the
future. We will protect that which must come." The two nodded
at each other and moved to different areas of the ball.

Ranma moved along the wall toward the windows. His
eyes traced up and down the walls looking for hidden panels
and secret doors. There were far more than he would have liked.
(This entire place must be honey coned with passages. We have
to be careful if we want to pull this off right.) His gaze
swept the room to take in everyone's place. (None of the
Senshi are near the queen. Not good, don't they have any
discipline. They have a job to do and they're enjoying a
party. How pathetic can they be?) He then searched around
for his partner. Ranma spied him heading across the room to
a dark corner. (Why is he heading there?) Ranma looked
closer and smiled slightly. (Well, Sailor Saturn is here.
That's a surprise. I've got to admit Keikan came up with a
good plan this time. I can't wait to see how it plays out.)

*
Keikan started to move toward Queen Serenity when he
felt a set of eyes on him. Sweeping the room with an intense
gaze, he saw a slight shadow in a dark corner. Looking
closely, he realized who it was. (The princess of Saturn is
here, huh. Since she took up the mantle I didn't expect her
to be. And she looks lonely. Well, I can solve that.) A
slight smile crossed his face. (It will be easier to get to
the Queen from across the dance floor.) He watched with an
amused air as he saw her eyes widen as she realized that he
was heading straight for her. When he got within a few feet
of her Keikan gave her a sweeping bow fit for any of Royalty.
"Would you like to dance, Lady Saturn?" Keikan rose from his
bow to gaze at her with his green eyes.

Saturn found herself lost within their depth. His
eyes sent a shiver through her as she saw something deep within.
It was something that she was sure she wasn't supposed to see.
It was death. But it was not directed at her. All that was
directed at her was concern and respect. There wasn't any fear
showing. That was something she hadn't seen since the mantle
came to her. Without even making a consious decision she nodded
and took his out stretched hand.

Keikan smiled as he led her on to the floor. (Well, all
is going right so far. I just hope the Lady is right about this.
I'd hate to waist the night with at this damn ball.) As the
music picked up he led her through one of the less complicated
dances that were currently popular in the Inner System. His
training by the Lady had been very complete and he could act in
almost any social situation. The key of the dance that he had
chosen is that it maneuvered him near Queen Serenity. In the
space of three minuets he was in place for the operation to begin.
(Now all we need is the guest of honor to make this party complete.)

Saturn felt as though she was floating through the air.
She had never thought that she could dance so gracefully. She
had been an indifferent student of formal dances while on Saturn
even though she was the princess. This was different, though.
The young man who had asked her to dance was graceful beyond compare,
but she knew that he was somehow making her look like she was as
well versed in the dance as he was. The first song came to an end,
and a second started. She was surprised that he didn't stop the
dance but had it flow into something completely new.

Keikan on the other hand, was completely indifferent to the
dance. He had just spied the target. Using a set of hand signals
they had developed over the years, Keikan directed Ranma to the
unlucky fellow who got their attention. He wasn't much to look at,
a plain sort of face with deep brown hair and pale skin. Not that
his looks meant much to the two aside from identification.

The attack happened almost to fast for Keikan to see it.
The dart gun was up and aimed at the Queen in lees then a second.
Keikan shoved Saturn to the floor and dove between Serenity and the
assassin. Even as the dart penetrated his shoulder and pierced the
joint his hand raised to point above the man's head. "BLACK
FIREBALL!" A giant ball of black flames sped from his hand to slam
into the arch above the assassin and collapse it before he could
dive through.

Ranma, moving at the same time Keikan did, sprinted at the
assassin. Three of what appeared to be glowing claws appeared from
his hand extending to almost a foot in length. He reached the poor
fool just as the man turned from the ruined doorway. The three
claws slid into the man's stomach and appeared on the other side.
Ranma then shot his hand up as if hitting with an upper cut slicing
through numerous vital organs and finally the mans head.

Immediately after the man dropped Ranma began going through his pockets
in a search for identification and something more. Keikan, with the dart still
imbedded in his shoulder came up to him. "Well? Is it on him?"

Ranma pulled out a piece of paper and glanced over it. He
nodded his head and glanced at the other black suited young man.
Reaching up he pulled the dart out and made a quick gesture over
the area it had been in. "Poison's neutralized. Joint's repaired.
You'll be fine, if a bit sore. And we got it." Keikan merely nodded
in thanks and agreement.

By this time the Senshi had recovered from their shock and
moved toward the two. Both ignored them as they didn't think of
them as any type of threat to their mission. After a few minuets
of this, Uranus got annoyed and decided to let them know about it.
"Who are you and just what happened here?"

Keikan spoke in a quiet voice. "Back off Uranus, if you know
what's good for you." Angered at this her hand went forward to turn
him around, only to find herself smashed against the wall and a ball
of black fire held less than a foot from her face. "Attempt to
touch me again and I will kill you. I take no pity on the weak
such as yourself."

From across the room another voice called out. "Enough!" The voice was
stern, commanding, and hard. The ball of flames disappeared and both boys in
black stood and came to attention facing the Senshi of Time. As one they spoke
out.

"Lady Pluto."

She walked up to them and stood there for a moment looking
them over. Finally she broke the quiet. "Very good. I will see
you at home." She raised the Time Key and both young men vanished
into the light. Serenity raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "It
is a long story, Your Majesty, if you have time."

"Please, Pluto, begin."

*

Ranma and Keikan were lounging in a specious room. They were
each seated in a comfortable chair in front of a wooden desk. They
had changed out of their Formal clothing and were in loose jet black
fighting clothes. Keikan had his feet up on the desk while Ranma's
were under it. There was a soft snoring from both of them
indicating sleep. Pluto sighed as she stood in the doorway. (I
know I told them to relax while here in my palace, but this is
ridiculous. They should never be this relaxed. And putting his
feet on my desk! Just who does Keikan think he is?) Sighing once
more, she moved to sit behind her desk and sat down.

Ranma was the first to awaken. Looking at Pluto for a
moment, he reached over and tipped Keikan's chair.

"Hey! What the hell did you do that for?"

Ranma sighed. "Get up, Lady Pluto's here. And you
shouldn't put your feet on her desk." Keikan picked up his chair and
sat back down. Pluto looked at the two before starting.

"What went wrong in there? This was supposed to be a silent
mission. Keikan, you were to spot the target, and Ranma, you were to
capture him, ALIVE. What happened?"

"Well, Keikan here decided to change the plan. If he had
gone with what we agreed to this wouldn't have happened."

"Hey Ranma, I did my part! How can you complain that I
enjoyed myself some too?"

"You were dancing with Saturn, and then you threatened
Uranus. We weren't supposed to be near ANY of the Senshi. We've
been exposed!"

"Hey, all they know is that a couple of guys who work for
Setsuna stopped an assassination attempt by some unknown guy. They
didn't get our names, so why does it matter.

Pluto gazed over the two. She didn't want to do this, but
the Queen had requested. "I have your next missions lined up for
you. These are at Serenity's request, so don't complain."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by missions?
That's more than one."

Pluto looked them over. They were her greatest pieces of
work. Relaxed when not threatened by anything and deadly serious
when on a mission. Each of them had two different people inside.
"The two of you are going to be split up. It will most likely last
until the Reckoning. There may be a mission or two that will
require both of you, but it is unlikely. Ranma, as soon as were
done here you will be getting on a flight for Saturn. Queen
Serenity has informed me that the people of Saturn are growing
worried about their Senshi. We all know the Prophecy and they
fear that it is beginning to take place. You will stand watch
over Karinna until I say otherwise. You are not to let her know
that you are there if at all possible. I have had you enrolled
in her current school as an exchange student from here."

Ranma's face twisted with disgust. "Yuck, school? I've
already gone through your college courses, why do I need to go to
high school again?"

"Because the person you are assigned to watch over will be
there for seven hours everyday, and you are too young to be
assigned a position in anything else in the school. Don't worry,
you should be fine."

"I suppose that you have a cover identity for me?"

Pluto looked him square in the eyes. "I did not have
enough time to do anymore than set you up to get past customs.
You're going to have to handle the rest yourself, Ranma." A smirk
crossed her face. "Maybe you should have paid better attention when
those computer lessons were given? I wish that I could be there
to watch you try to hack into Saturn's computer database. It should
be interesting,"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Setsuna, but why did you choose
Ranma for this and not me?"

"Because of two things, Keikan. First, it would have been
near impossible to clear your weapons for the Saturn Customs Agents.
The second was your little dance with Saturn. She is much more
likely to remember your face than Ranma's if she even saw his. I
have another job for you?"

"Oh, and just what is it?"

An evil look came across her face. "You've been assigned
guard over Princess Serenity."

"WHAT!!!" Shock was written all over his face. Ranma, on
the other hand, was cracking up. "Why am I supposed to watch over
her? That's the Inner Senshi's job!"

"Your not the only one who is upset by this, Keikan. The
Queen has also requested that I remain at the palace with you.
She doesn't feel that you alone are capable to guard her daughter
even with the Inner Senshi there. I was barely able to convince her
not to strip the Outer Planets of their Senshi as well for her extra
guard duty. The attack earlier has seriously shaken her up."

Ranma was still chuckling at the thought of Keikan at the
Court of Serenity. "Well, I guess that going to school won't be
so bad after all. At least I won't have to sit through boring
palace balls and functions. And I won't have to put up with any
of the other Senshi, either. I really feel bad for you, Keikan."

Pluto sighed. She was going to miss the banter of her two
wards, though she had stopped thinking of them as that a long time
ago. They were the only friends that she truly had, and the only
ones she could fully trust. When the three were alone, all shells
were dropped and they all relaxed. Now they were going to have to
be on constant guard.

"The two of you go get packed. Keikan, we're leaving as soon
as Ranma's gone. I want you in your full battle gear. You're going
to be presented to the court, and I want to make a lasting
impression right from the start. Ranma, I'll see you off." The
two got up gave her a small bow and left.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma gazed out the window of the transport as Pluto dropped
away. (Such a barren place. It's a wonder that anything can even
survive this far from the sun. It seems so black and lonely here
in space. I'm going to be so far from home.) After the atmosphere
was breached Ranma released his safety straps and headed toward
the cockpit. Upon entering he approached the captain of the vessel.
At the sound of foot steps, the captain turned and saluted his
passenger. Ranma returned it lazily. "Captain, could you clear a
long range terminal for my use? I need to make some arrangements
for when we arrive on Saturn."

"Of course, My Lord." He turned toward the communications
man. "Lieutenant, clear out so our passenger can use your
equipment. He has business to take care of." The Lieutenant
obediently moved from his main station to a back up one over by the
weapons command. Ranma, in turn, took over the console.

(Now, lets see what I can do about getting somewhere to
live.) He started typing into the console bringing up a listing
of available apartments in the Shallang district of the capital.
(Hmm, that's nice. Two bed, full bath, and a kitchen. Oh, that
one's just as good. I wonder, what would be the best?) He
continued to leaf through until one caught his eye. (Here we go!
One bed, full bath, full kitchen, a mile from the palace and a half
mile from the school. It'll do nicely. Now lets see ... THAT MUCH!)
The price of the apartment shocked Ranma so much that he started to
mumble out loud. The pilot, who was close enough to hear a bit,
only caught some stuff about extortion and that he was glad he
wasn't going to be paying for it. The price of the apartment shocked
Ranma so much that he started to mumble out loud. The pilot, who
was close enough to hear a bit, only caught some stuff about
extortion and that he was glad he wasn't going to be paying for it.
(Well, I've got a place to live now, so I can worry about other
things later. Getting through customs will be a breeze. Have more
than enough clothes, though I need to pick up a uniform for school.
Man, that's disgusting, me in a school uniform. I don't need to
stick out, though.)

Ranma gazed out the view port as the planet Neptune floated
past in the sea of stars. Only a few hours left, and he would be
starting another mission. (Sigh, I wonder how Keikan is handling
his end. It must be pretty boring.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Boring was not a word Keikan would have chosen at that
moment. He was more inclined to go with his brain turning into
mush. The lower court functionary just couldn't get it through his
brain that Keikan's sword wasn't going anywhere without the wielder.
(And I thought paper work in customs was bad. Why did Setsuna leave
me to deal with this crap.) Finally he had had enough and leveled
a stare at the little man who was annoying him. It was the same
stare that he had given Sailor Uranus a few hours before. The stare
seemed to say 'I can tear you to shreds and the only thing stopping
me from doing so is the mess you'd make on the carpet.' A dark
stain appeared on the functionary's pants, and the man quickly left
to go change. Keikan smiled slightly in satisfaction. It was then
that the door opened. His face went hard, showing the warrior that
lay underneath the young flesh. A royal guardsman motioned him to
enter the throne room.

It was his first time entering the Grand Hall. As he
stepped through the door, his eyes started looking for all entrances
and crevasses large enough to hide a person. Unlike the ballroom,
this was well designed. There was no place that his eyes could see
that an assassin could hide, and there were only two doors into the
room. It would be easy to defend against attacks. He then swept
his eyes over the people.

There were hundreds in the room. Lords and Ladies from
every planet were in attendance and there were others besides.
Keikan was sure that a number of them were rich merchants who had
gained enough power to be present. As his eyes moved forward, he
thanked Pluto for all the training she had given him. It kept him
from groaning aloud. All of the Senshi were in attendance. He
ignored the look of surprise on Saturn's face and the sneer on
Uranus's. He was better than that. He looked to gage the other
Senshi's reactions to his presence. He could easily see that none
of them were really happy with him being there, but they could see
his strength. He was flowing across the floor with a grace that
none of them possessed, and his movements were like a tiger about
to strike. He radiated power to all those who could sense it.
Even to those without the abilities of a well-trained warrior, he
was a sight to behold.

Keikan's armor was jet black. It was as though the void of
a black hole had been melded onto his armor. It was tight fitting,
almost skin tight. Everyone could tell that he had well developed
muscles. The armor went up to his cheeks and then across his nose
so that only the area around his eyes could be seen. The only
color upon it were a pair of night blue bracers over the forearms
of his armor, and a white sword hilt that was over his right
shoulder.

As he approached Queen Serenity's throne his mask seemed to
melt back so that his entire head and neck were bare. He knelt at
the base of the raised circle her throne was on and bowed his head.
"Your Majesty requested my presence." He was genuinely surprised
when she gave him a warm smile.

"So you are one of the Knights of Pluto. I can tell that
you a extremely powerful, perhaps more so than even my Senshi.
Your training must have been hard."

"It was worth it, Your Majesty." (What's with this Knight
of Pluto crap. I'm not even a soldier, heck Pluto's Military Staff
doesn't even know me and Ranma exist. And are they going to be
upset when they find out.)

"I requested your presence for an important reason. Do you
know what it is?"

"No Your Majesty, I did not inquire. It is not my place to
question your actions. (At least, not to your face.)

"I want you to take command of the Planetary Knights. There
are two Knights for each planet. Serenity has informed me of your
abilities and I feel that you would be able to do much good with
the position. Will you take up this burden?"

Keikan ignored the mummer of the people around him. He had
to have time to think about what he was going to do. He didn't
want to be placed upon a spot of authority. It was his nature to
work in the shadows when he could. But he couldn't form a rift
between himself and the Queen either. Setsuna had been very
specific with that before they had arrived. (I hate this, I really
do. This is going to make my life hell, but I've no choice in the
matter.) He glanced out of the edge of his eye at Sailor Pluto,
who slightly nodded. "I accept, Your Majesty. I hope that I can
do you proud.

"I am sure that you will do just fine, Captain."
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma sighed as he stood in line at customs. (I hate this,
I really do. Why can't they ever make these things go smoother?)
He adjusted his pack and walked his two steps forward as someone
else got through. (Only four more to go.) "Sigh." He checked his
watch for what seemed to be the hundredth time. (Wow, I've only
been in this line for two hours. I guess its going quicker than
normal.)


Finally, after another fifteen minuets, Ranma had made it up
to the customs counter. He smiled at the young woman as he handed
her his passport. (I hope the name Setsuna set me up with is in
there. This will be pretty embarrassing if it isn't.) The customs
agent handed him back his passport.

"I have a few questions I need to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Do you have anything to declare while you're coming in?"

"Yes, I have brought my family katana with me. I have the
proper documents if you need them." (Even though it's marked on my
passport.)

"That won't be necessary. Are you carrying anything given
to you by a stranger?"

"No."

"How long will you be remaining here on Saturn?"

"Indefinite. I'll be attending my last year of high school
here, and I may decided to enter an academy here afterwards as
well." The agent went over her information again and then waved him
through.

Ranma smiled as he walked through the halls of the
spaceport. Saturn's intense cloud cover gave everything a unique
lighting scheme that caused him to look at things in a new light.
He pulled his brown cloak tighter over his clothes. (No need to
let people know things that they shouldn't, like my personal body
armor. My apartment should be ready by now. I'll stop by there
first and get the papers and deeds done with and then go and do
some shopping.) His stomach chose that precise moment to make
itself known. The growling got him some strange looks and he
amended his plans to include dinner first.

**

Ranma looked around his barren apartment and sighed. "I
wish the furniture would come sooner than it will. Three days is
a long time to go without anything to sit on but the floor. Oh,
well, time to go to work." Ranma walked over to his closet and
removed a suit of thin black material.

After removing his clothes he pulled it on. The suit fit him
like a second layer of skin. All of his muscles could be seen. He
then reached beyond what the small closet should have allowed and
removed a harder, though still thin, set of armor. Pulling this suit
over the previous one, he moved toward his balcony door. Ranma paused
for a moment and concentrated. The hard suit, which had been blocky
and ungainly before seemed to flow so that it too fit him like another
layer of skin. Around his forearms bracers the color of blood seemed
to flow from the blackness. From his shoulders came a helm that
couldn't be justly called such a thing. It formed around his head
making him look like a bird of prey more than a man. From the face,
a pair of midnight blue eyes seemed to open up. With this armor he
could survive even the majority of the Sailor Senshi's attacks.
Walking to the end of his balcony, he hopped lightly on to the rail,
and then jumped to the roof of the building across the street.
Landing without a sound, Ranma proceeded to head to the palace of the
royal family of Saturn.

Upon reaching the palace he noticed two things. First, it was lightly
guarded. (No real surprises there since the Senshi of Creation and
Destruction normally lives here. You'd have to be a fool to attack this
place.) The second thing he noticed was that the wing where the Royal
family lived was completely dark. (That wouldn't be unless they weren't
here. The servants would make sure of it. Guess this means I get a
few days with no duty.) With out the one he was assigned to watch over
on planet, Ranma headed back to his apartment to get some sleep. After
all, he had school in the morning.

Author's Notes:
There you go, the complete Chapter 1. Let me hear from you. I want to
know what you think of it.