[...]

With a scream and a leap Sailor Sun launched herself to where 
Uranus was guarding Saturn and Neptune. Sticking her arms in the 
air, tried to ignore the way she could feel the bones grate in her left 
arm. "Sailors, join on me!"

Despite not knowing what she planned, all the Sailors moved. 
Teamwork was the key to their success. If Sailor Sun knew something 
they did not, they did not have time to question her. Sun took one last 
look around her, making sure her friends were close enough. Closing 
her eyes, she called on the one other attack she knew she had. 
"SOLAR FLARE!"

A sudden concussion knocked most of the Senshi off their feet, and 
shook the youma, causing them to pause. Even though Moon fell 
straight onto Sailor Sun, the red haired girl did not move in the 
slightest. While she channelled massive quantities of power, the 
ground began to shake, and an ominous thunder rose from all around. 
The youma had just rejoined the attack when the full force appeared.

Centred around Sailor Sun was a small area of calm in which the 
Senshi and  two youma hid, too stunned to speak or move while the 
force of nature raged beside them. A third youma almost joined them, 
but it had been caught on the invisible dividing line between safety and 
destruction. With half it's body vaporised in a raging inferno, the 
youma fell to the ground and began to dissolve. All the Senshi could 
see was a dome of fire, covering them, surrounding them. A muted 
roar of flames could be heard, as though far away. Inside the dome, it 
was calm and cool. After seeing what had happened to the youma 
caught in the surrounding fires, none felt the desire to try putting a 
hand outside.

Outside it was another matter. For almost two hundred meters all 
around a blazing conflagration raged. Flames powered by the surface 
of the sun melted the ground, and reduced everything they touched to 
a seared plasma. A burning, inverted tornado of flame reached almost 
eight hundred meters into the air. While the top of the solar flare 
wavered and wobbled, the base stayed perfectly solid, a perfect circle 
of destruction.

Her spell lasted for only forty seconds, but to anyone watching it was 
an eternity. Past the circle of the outer radius, everything was unhurt, 
and the same was true for the small haven at the heart. But between...

Between the two regions the destruction was complete. Fire had 
sterilise the air and the ground, melting through the street and rock 
underneath, leaving a bubbling seething mess of slowly cooling lava.

Sailor Sun collapsed unconscious, unable to help as the victorious 
Senshi dispatched the last of the youma.

*	*	*
knocked on the door of Ami's home. No response. She tried again, 
then was greeted by the face of an older woman. Bowing her head, 
Akane introduced herself.

"Hello Akane. I'm sorry, Ami's not here at the moment. She went out a 
while ago with a friend."

"Oh, sorry to disturb you Mrs Mizuno. I don't suppose Ranma is here. 
He mentioned he was going to see Ami this afternoon."

Ami's mother looked confused for a moment, then explained. "No, 
Ranma hasn't come here. Ami's friend Ranko came over for a while, 
then they both went out. They should be back soon for dinner. Would 
you like to come in and wait? You can stay for dinner if you like... Ami 
may know where Ranma is."

Akane beamed. "Thank you Mrs Mizuno! I'm sure Ranko will know 
where Ranma is."

The words had hardly left her mouth when Mrs Mizuno screamed. 
Turning around, Akane saw a horrid sight. A beaten and battered Ami 
was walking along, with a semi-conscious Ranko draped over one 
shoulder. Both looked in terrible shape. They were smoke blackened, 
and coated in scratches and the odd gash or more serious cut. Ranko 
looked like she had been beaten with a iron bar, and then forced to go 
without food for a month. Her face was drawn and haggard. What was 
worse was the delicate and unnatural way that Ranko held her left 
arm.

Both women raced out to meet them. Ami smiled with relief when her 
mother reached her, and Akane lifted Ranko into her arms. She did 
not like to deceive people, but Ami thought it was best that Akane did 
not see her or Ranko in their Sailor suits. Let Ranko explain what had 
happened at another time.

Inside the house Ami's mother gathered her doctors bag, while Ranko 
and Ami were placed on beds. Akane was getting ready to do some 
really serious crying - the sort that would really make her father proud - 
when a though crossed her mind. Dashing out of the room, she 
grabbed Ami's mother while she was getting things. "Mrs Mizuno! Ahh, 
Ranko has a bit of a problem with hot water. It's something that 
happened when she was younger. When you wash her up, can you 
make sure the water is only slightly warm. It would really distress her if 
she felt hot water, and I'm not sure if she could take it at the moment."

Ami's mother looked at her for a moment then nodded her head. Since 
Ranko was injured and dirty, the best thing would be to sponge bath 
her with hot water. However if something horrible had happened to her 
- say, having a kettle of boiling water poured on her when she was a 
baby - Ranko might have some sort of severe psychological reaction 
to hot water. Best to trust her cousin and not risk it.

While Akane cried over Ranko and apologised for all the things she 
ever said to Ranko which hurt her, Ami was checked out, then it was 
Ranko's turn. Aside from the broken arm, Ranko had a number of 
large cuts, dozens of small burns, and many, many bruises. Akane 
was shocked. She had known Ranma for almost a year now, and she 
had never seen him so badly beaten. When he had fought Ryoga, 
Kuno or any of the innumerable monsters or people which tried to kill 
him he had been knocked about or even cut a bit. Never like this. 
Whoever did this must be some sort of animal... or a demon. 

Akane suddenly realise what must have happened. Ranko (why as a 
girl she did not know) and Ami must have gone out, and Ranko must 
have fought a youma. She knew Ranma would never risk endangering 
a friend - especially a girl - so the youma must have attacked them. 
Oh, Ranma, you gallant fool. Please be all right.

That night Ami's mother took Ranko and Akane back to Mr Miyagi's 
place by taxi. Before taking the dazed Ranko in to the dojo, Akane 
hunted up the thermos of hot water that had been stashed. A quick 
look and a quick check: no one around, and still hot. Hey presto, 
instant Ranma.

Late that night, while Ranma lay in bed, Akane sat by his side and 
watched over him. When he woke up, Akane was there, checking he 
was OK. But it was Akane he was worried about. Despite all that had 
happened to him that afternoon, it was still the events of the morning 
which weighed heaviest upon him. When Akane told him that she had 
read his note, and of course she forgave him, he sighed, closed his 
eyes, and slept soundly.

*	*	*

Ranma woke up late the next day. Beside him was a note from Mr 
Miyagi and some breakfast. Propping himself up with one arm, Ranma 
began to work his way through the food and read the letter. Apparently 
Mr Miyagi had been suddenly called away by one of his past students. 
Daniel-san had managed to get himself involved in some Martial Arts 
contest over a girl he had seduced and needed the wisdom of his old 
sensei. Mr Miyagi expected to be home in a few weeks, and he hoped 
that Akane and Ranma would be all right, especially since Ranma was 
doing a good job of teaching Akane, and would be unable to study 
himself while his arm healed.

A second page of the note was from Akane. They had left him to 
sleep, and she wanted to ensure that he would stay in bed for the day. 
Since she knew about his pride, she was just going to tell their friends 
that he was sick. No point in her telling everyone that the strong 
Martial Artist had received the beating of his life. She would see him 
tonight after telling Ami to cancel his lessons.

There was also a request in there. Stop fighting the demons. It was 
short. It was simple. It was also impossible. Rei had been right all that 
time ago; if not him, then who? He needed to do this or Akane and 
people like her could never be safe. Ranma lay down and sighed. His 
arm and body was hurting again. He needed time to think, perhaps 
there was some way that he could tell her he was one of the Senshi, 
then she would understand.

[...]

Excerpt from "Sailor Ranko", by Fire.