TWIN DRAGONS UNDER MOONLIGHT 01-06
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Chapters :
01
02
03
04
05
06
Many times over the years did Mamoru Chiba wonder exactly why his parents had gone over the edge of a cliff in their car. He also wondered constantly about his lack of other relatives. That was why he had hired a private investigator years ago to try to dig up his past and maybe find a relative or two. After he had become Tuxedo Mask and met Usagi, he had forgotten the investigation into his past. That is, until now...
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
A Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon X-over
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 1
Mamoru practically staggered up the stairs to his apartment. It had been another late night fighting one of the Daimons that the Witches Five never seemed to run short of. It didn't register immediately that there was someone waiting for him by his apartment until a polite cough caught his attention.
"Excuse me, but are you Mamoru Chiba?" The man asked. When Mamoru finally saw him, he found an unshaven man wearing a tan trench coat.
"And you are?" He asked flatly.
"My apologies, I should have introduced myself." The man bowed briefly and handed him his card. "Ichiro Yamada, private investigator. You hired me to find out what I could about your family quite a few years ago." Ichiro gave him a wry smile; "I'm not surprised you had forgotten, seeing as how I couldn't find anything until recently. May I come in and share my findings with you?"
Mamoru was shocked fully awake by this revelation. "You mean, you found something?"
Ichiro smiled and held up a manila envelope, "Mostly on your Mother's side of the family."
Mamoru led the man inside and quickly prepared some tea. When he returned to the living room, Ichiro was looking about with a fair amount of interest.
"You got some pretty nice digs here. Not too fancy, but not shabby at all."
Mamoru frowned slightly as he placed the tea on the table. "I believe you are here to talk about my mother, not my lifestyle."
"Of course." Ichiro sat heavily and then opened the manila envelope. He overturned it onto the table causing a few pieces of paper and a single photograph to fall out. "Your mother's maiden name was Yuriko Hibiki."
"Yuriko Hibiki?"
"Yes. Once I had her maiden name, I was able to locate one of your cousins." Ichiro picked up the photo and handed it to a stunned Mamoru. The photo showed a young man with a wild shock of black hair held out of his eyes with a yellow and black spotted bandanna. A small smirk held his lips, causing one of his prominent fangs to peek out from behind his lip. His hazel-green eyes seemed to be narrowed slightly, as if challenging the person taking the photo. Well-muscled arms were crossed and a large pack was on his back.
"His name is Ryouga Hibiki. He's about sixteen years old and has been seen a lot near a place called the Tendo Dojo. It's amazing really..."
Mamoru looked up curiously, "Why is that?"
Ichiro shrugged and leaned back into the couch, "The Hibiki families' lack of a sense of direction is legendary. Heck, they have a standing account with my office for finding members of their family, usually from people that married into the family of course."
"Wow." He murmured, "I wonder how I was spared?"
Ichiro shrugged, "No idea. I did find out one other thing that you might not want to hear..."
"Go on."
"Well..." he fiddled with his hands for a few moments before he continued, "Your mother was the one driving the day your parents died. I'm sorry."
"My parents were killed... because of her bad sense of direction?"
Ichiro only nodded as he stood. "I'm sorry Mamoru. Here, this is the address for the Tendo Dojo. If you want to find him, that's the best place to look." He handed a folded slip of paper to Mamoru before he headed towards the door. He paused when he had the door half-open. "Mamoru?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful when you go to Nerima. It may not have monsters like we do here in Juuban, but they have a lot of crazy martial artists running around there and Ryouga is one of them."
With that parting statement, Ichiro left and softly closed the door behind him. Mamoru looked again at the photo he still held in one hand and then the slip of paper he held in the other.
"Family..." He said softly to himself.
The next day was a Sunday, and the morning light found Mamoru browsing through a store looking for a frame for the photo. He finally found a fairly plain oak frame that was the right size. As he left the store he clutched the newly framed photo to his chest as if it was more precious than anything else in the world. He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn't even notice when Usagi tried to wave him down from the other side of the street.
"That's strange," she said to herself, "Mamo-chan usually sees me first." With a determined nod, she crossed the street and continued to try to catch his attention as he walked along. After trying for almost five minutes to get his attention, she finally ran up to him and clutched onto his arm.
"Mamo-chan!" She almost wailed, "Why are you ignoring me?"
Mamoru practically jumped out of his skin when he finally noticed her. "Usako! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you it's just..."
"Just what, Mamo-chan?" She asked, a hint of growing irritation invading her tone.
"It's just that, I finally found a relative."
"Really?!" She squealed, "I'm so happy for you Mamochan!"
"Thanks. Here, this is a picture of him." He offered her the framed photo.
Usagi looked at the photo for a few minutes before she looked back up at Mamoru. "Wow, he looks kinda mean, doesn't he?"
"Well, a little," He rubbed the back of his head.
"But, there's this sadness in his eyes, like he's not really happy or maybe even really lonely." She finished a bit sadly.
"I plan on finding out. Do you want to come with me to Nerima today to try and find him?"
"Sure! Let me tell the others where we'll be real quick, I was going to go shopping with them today." She giggled as she pretended to use the phone and used her communicator to contact the rest of the inner Senshi.
"Hey Ami-chan! Mamo-chan and I are going to Nerima to see if we can find his cousin there! Would you tell the others?"
"Of course, Usagi-chan," Ami frowned slightly, "Nerima?"
"Yeah!"
"Be careful Usagi-chan," Ami cautioned her, "There's enough strangeness in Nerima to make me wonder why the Negaverse decided against starting their attacks there."
"Oh?"
"Yes, things like Youma attacks might have actually gone unnoticed until it was too late." Ami sighed, "Promise me that you'll be careful."
"Alright, Ami-chan. I promise. Bye-bye!" She shut off her communicator and latched onto Mamoru's arm.
"Ok, let's go Mamo-chan!" She enthused as she practically pulled him to the train station, still clutching the photo tightly in her hand.
Some time later found Usagi and Mamoru wandering around Nerima. Even during their short walk away from the station they had born silent witness to a short battle between a few martial artists that resulted in mutual knockout.
"Mamo-chan, where are we going?" Usagi asked as she hung off of his arm.
"Some place called the Tendo Dojo." He replied without looking down at her. "We'll ask about it at that police box up there." He pointed up the street.
Shampoo-neko would have smirked to herself as she crept into the Tendo home if cats could smirk. Held gently in her needle sharp teeth was a small bag. She watched from the shadows as Kasumi placed lunch on the table. Shampoo-neko tensed, knowing she only had a few seconds from the time that Kasumi announced lunch before Ranma would arrive with Akane in tow. The two of them were getting too close, and it was time for some action.
Grateful for the fact that they always sat in the same seats, she sprung into action the very second Kasumi left the table to get the rest of the family. Once she reached Akane's seat, she carefully poked one claw into the bag and let a small amount of a strange smelling brown powder fall into Akane's tea.
Her mission accomplished, she scrambled for the door and barely made it away without being seen.
"Today very happy day, Great Grandmother!" Shampoo giggled upon her return to the Nekohanten.
"Oh?" Cologne turned her wizened face away from the soap opera she had been watching. "Why is that, child?"
"Today is day Shampoo make violent girl hate airen! Shampoo use this on Akane." She held out the small bag to Cologne.
Cologne's eye's widened and she knocked the bag away from Shampoo. "Wash your hands now child! Quickly!" She poked Shampoo with her cane a few times when she failed to move fast enough for her.
"What for? Powder is having no effect on Shampoo." She said defiantly.
"Listen to yourself child." Cologne sighed, "The powder is working. That is it's most insidious effect, the victem has no idea that their perceptions have been scewed to the point of being constantly confrontational." She sighed again, "This could be disasterous for the Tendo girl, she has enough trouble with her anger as it is."
"So? Is good thing. Violent girl hate Ranma, and then Ranma come to Shampoo."
"She may lose herself in her anger so totally that she may become a danger to her own family. They have nothing to do with this, Shampoo. I think you need to learn to be more careful with your tactics, this is a very sloppy move on your part."
"Shampoo not care for tone, old woman!" Her eyes flashed dangerously as she reached for her bon bori.
Cologne merely tapped a pressure point that caused Shampoo to stiffen like a board. "Lucky for you, I know you are under the effects of the powder. Another elder might have killed you on the spot." Cologne growled as she pogoed up the stairs into her room.
A few minutes later, she returned with a small part of a leaf held very carefully between some chopsticks.
"Be brave, child. This cure is much worse than the diesease, but it doesn't last long."
Shampoo's eyes widened in fear as Cologne slowly brought the leaf fragment towards the paralyzed Shampoo. With one wizened hand, Cologne cupped Shampoo's jaw and forced her mouth open.
"What are you doing to Shampoo, you ghoul!" Mousse demanded as he walked into the room.
"Shut up and help me, boy!" Cologne snapped, "She's been poisoned and I need you to hold her."
"Shampoo! I'm here for you!" Mousse said in all earnest to a nearby potted plant.
A quick rap on the head caused him to face in the correct direction.
"Hold her mouth open and keep a wooden spoon on her tongue." Cologne demanded.
Once Mousse complied with her orders, she very carefully brushed the leaf against Shampoo's tongue. Almost instantly the amazon girl began to thrash and convulse. Cologne pulled the leaf safely away from the thrashing girl.
"Don't let her swallow her tongue!" She admonished Mousse.
After a few minutes of convultions, her body became totally limp. Her sweat covered skin was flushed and very hot to the touch.
"That's all we can do for her. Take her upstairs." Cologne sighed, for once feeling her age as she watched a worried Mousse carry out her command. "Dear child, have you any idea as to what you've done?"
Lunch was begining to wind down at the Tendo Dojo and Akane was leaning back a little and siping at her tea while enjoying the pleasant weather. She frowned slightly after one sip.
"Hey Kasumi, does the tea taste a little... I don't know... Odd to you?" She asked suddenly.
"Not at all, Akane." Kasumi smiled as she gathered the dishes, "It's just a different brand of tea."
"Oh. Ranma?"
"What?"
"Do you want to spar in a little bit?"
Ranma gave her a funny look and then shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I could help ya train fer a bit."
"Really?" She asked with a mild blush. She sat there for a moment, waiting for Ranma to say something, but no answer came. When she looked around, she found herself alone in the dining room.
"Honestly..." She muttered to herself as she stood. Inexplicably, she found herself getting upset about it.
Akane faced off against a bored looking Ranma some time later in the Dojo. He had dodged each and every one of her attacks with the most negligent seeming moves he could think of.
"Come on, Ranma! You said you'd train me!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll train ya as soon as you're ready."
"And just when will that be?" She asked dangerously.
"When you're ready." He shrugged, "Right now, I don't think your ready."
"Alright then. What do I need to do to be ready?"
"Take the Art seriously. I can't train ya seriously until you take the Art seriously yerself." Ranma paused for a moment and watched her face slowly turn red. "Let's face it Akane. You're always yellin' about how your a martial artist too, but you don't have enough focus to do a quarter of what I do. Heck, half the time your too angry to do anything but brawl."
Akane almost visibly deflated. "But, Ryouga's always mad at you..."
"Mad? Mad ain't the word. Thing is, he's learned how to focus past his anger. Most of tha time anyways, you can see it when his anger gets the best of him. You ain't ever gonna be a martial artist until you can learn how to do that."
"But I'm a martial artist!" She protested angrily.
"Yeah, your martial arts are about as good as your cooking, or maybe as good as your swimming."
"What did you say?" She screamed.
"I said you can't cook, can't swim and can't do the martial arts right!" He yelled.
"Why you...!" She growled.
"Oh, sure Akane, get angry. Fat lot of good it's gonna do ya ta help change my mind." He crossed his arms and looked away with the most bored expression he could come up with on his face. He saw her hand coming and sighed inwardly.
::Here we go again...:: He thought.
"RANMA, YOU JERK!!!" Akane screamed as she slapped him.
Ranma slowly turned his head to face Akane directly again. "Ya see what I mean? No focus, no control, just yer stupid anger."
"So I'm stupid now too?" Akane growled Ranma slowly turned his head to face Akane directly again. "Ya see what I mean? No focus, no control, just yer stupid anger."
"So I'm stupid now too?" Akane growled, "Anything else, o' great and wise one?" She asked sarcastically
"Now that ya mention it," Ranma smirked a bit, "Bein' angry like that ain't helpin' yer looks none." He peered closely at her face, "I think it's givin' ya wrinkles."
"What?!"
"Heh, an uncute macho chick with wrinkles that can't even kick... This has gotta be a first."
Akane's face nearly turned purple from her rage and she picked up a cinder block and prepared to pound Ranma with it, but before she do anything else, her father and Genma burst into the Dojo.
"That's quite enough of that!" Soun said sternly, "I've told the both of you before that this dojo is for training, not brawling!"
"You worry me, boy. I taught you better than this." Genma said as Ranma and Akane knelt in front of their fathers in preparation for another lecture.
"Ranma, Akane, I know that the two of you have had your many differences, but don't you think that it's about time the two of you stop fighting and finally get married?" Soun spoke carefully as he knelt across from his daughter and soon to be son-in-law.
"No way! No way am I going to be married to such a pervert!" Akane snapped.
"Like I want some uncute tomboy like yerself!" Ranma half yelled back, a flaring red handprint on his cheek a silent testament to the reason behind this attempt at peacemaking.
"Be quiet!" Genma roared. "Ranma, you should know better than to argue with your elders and to give them the respect they are due!"
Ranma smirked, "Sure I do, Pops, that's why I ain't got no respect fer ya!"
While Genma struggled to keep his cool, Soun made his move. "Akane, I know you want to do the right thing. I'm certain that the two of you can work out your differences after you're married."
"There's too many differences Dad!" Akane retorted.
"No kidding, you're a klutzy, uncute tomboy that can't even boil water without written directions and close supervision!"
"That's it! Die, Ranma!" Akane screamed as she leapt to her feet and grabbed a nearby bamboo practice sword. Ranma dodged the wild swings and waggled his tongue at her as he ran for the yard. Soun sighed and held his face in his hands as he retreated back into the house with Genma.
"What's the matter? Truth hurtin' ya too much?" Ranma taunted as he continued to dodge her attacks. His attention wandered for a moment when he noticed a bewildered looking guy at the gate with a younger blond girl with the weirdest hairdo he'd ever seen. He barely noticed himself breaking the practice sword Akane was wielding as he searched his memory for whether or not he knew either of them.
Akane stared in shock for a few seconds at the broken bamboo sword in her hands before she finally noticed the two at the gate. Without even thinking about it she stormed up to them.
"And just who are you?" She yelled in Usagi's face.
"Usagi Tsukino, it's nice to..."
Akane cut her off, unable to stop the rising tide of anger. "Are you some new fiancée for Ranma?! Let me guess," She turned and poked at Mamoru's chest, "Ranma's dad made some sort of deal with your dad and now your here to marry your little sister off to him?"
"Well actually..." Mamoru started.
"I knew it! She'll just have to get in line then, because he's engaged to me and several other girls!" Akane yelled, not letting him finish.
Mamoru began to look annoyed. "Now look here, why don't you try and calm down for a second and let me explain!"
"Calm down?!?! Calm down?!?!" Akane screeched.
"Yeah Akane, chill out and let the guy talk." Ranma quipped.
"Shut up Ranma!" She yelled as she turned and slammed him with her mallet. "Serves you right!" She snorted at his twitching form.
Usagi gasped and held her hands in front of her mouth in horror. Mamoru took advantage of her lapse of attention and moved between Akane and Usagi. When Akane turned back around he swore he could see flames burning in her eyes.
"Get out of my way!" She yelled as she roughly shoved him to one side.
Ryouga sighed to himself. He knew he was somewhere in Nerima, but he couldn't seem to find the Tendo Dojo anywhere. He passed through another intersection and he could swear he heard Akane's voice.
"Oh, Akane. Will I ever be able to tell you how I feel?" He asked himself as he stared at his feet. "Can I possible calm my heart down enough to even speak to you?"
"Calm down?!?! Calm down?!?!" His head snapped up as Akane's screech roused him from his daydream.
"Akane?!?" He said to himself. "Akane!" He yelled as he ran the short distance to what he now recognized as the main gate for the Tendo Dojo. "Ranma is probably being a jerk once again, and now Akane is angry with him." A snarl grew on his face as he neared the gate, "Ranma! You will pay!" He yelled as he turned to go through the gate, but skidded to a dead stop as he saw Akane push some older guy into the wall and start yelling at a younger girl with blond hair.
"Akane?" He asked nervously as he approached, "What's going on?"
"Butt out!" She screamed at him before she turned back at the blonde girl and continued to yell at her. Ryouga began to frown when he noticed that the girl was getting ready to cry.
"What did Ranma do this time? Is he engaged to her too?" He tried asking in a calming tone.
Akane half whirled on him, "I thought I told you to butt out Ryouga!"
"Ryouga?" Usagi asked suddenly. She took a quick glance at the photo she had in her hand and then a searching one up at Ryouga's face. "Ryouga Hibiki?"
"Uhm... Yeah?" He said cautiously.
"We found you! Oh Mamo-chan, we found your cousin!" She gushed as she gave Ryouga a nosebleed-inducing hug. "Mamochan?" She disengaged herself from Ryouga for a second and looked about the yard for Mamoru. She found him in a crumpled heap by the wall.
"Mamo-chan!" She rushed over to him, totally ignoring a shell-shocked looking Akane and a flustered Ryouga. "Are you alright?"
"I will be once you get the number of the Youma that hit me..." he muttered as she helped him to his feet.
Ranma regained consciousness to find the blond girl helping the man he saw earlier to his feet while Ryouga and Akane seemed more like statues than people.
"Hey P-chan, when did you get here?" He asked as he flipped to his feet.
"A cousin..." Ryouga muttered.
"Huh?"
"That guy's my cousin..."
"Whoa." Ranma rubbed his head for a second. "I guess they came here lookin' fer ya, not me. That's a new one"
"I'm Mamoru Chiba, and I'm your cousin, Ryouga." He said as he bowed.
"Uh, hi?" Ryouga stammered as he returned the bow.
"You mean, you didn't come here for Ranma?" Akane said quietly, for some reason her mood had swung around dramatically. Usagi threw her a quick look.
"You never gave us a chance to explain." She stuck her tongue out at Akane before she smiled brightly and bowed to Ryouga, "My name is Usagi Tsukino, I'm Mamo-chan's girlfriend!"
"Hey Ranma," Nabiki said as she exited the house, "looks like there's at least one girl out there that doesn't automatically fall down and worship the ground you walk on."
"Ha ha, Nabiki." Ranma deadpanned.
"So, what's with blondie?" She asked.
"Don't call me that!" Usagi pouted.
"Well now, guests." Soun smiled as he joined Nabiki in the yard, "Please, come in and have some tea."
"Thank you sir!" Usagi gushed, "Come on Mamo-chan! You can tell them all about how you and Ryouga are cousins!"
Quite some time later, Mamoru finished telling everyone how he was related to Ryouga, and what happened to his parents.
"So," Ryouga said sadly, "Aunt Yuriko died a long time ago. Mom always did wonder why she stopped writing."
"I'm so sorry, Ryouga." Akane said.
"Man, what a bummer." Ranma muttered, "It musta sucked for ya, livin' by yourself for so long."
"Yeah." Mamoru looked down for a moment, "It was difficult with no family." He glanced at his watch and stood up. "It's getting late, we should be going."
"You're more than welcome to stay for dinner." Kasumi smiled up at him.
"I appreciate your hospitality, but we should be going. Ryouga?" He turned a hopeful gaze on the young man, "Would you be willing to come and stay with me at my apartment for a while? It would be nice to spend more time with the only family I can find."
"I, what can I say?" Ryouga stammered.
"Please say you'll come with us Ryouga!" Usagi turned her most pleading look on the flustered lost boy.
"I guess so... Sure."
"Yay!" She gushed.
"I'm happy for you Ryouga! I know you haven't seen anyone in your family in years." Akane smiled at him. Ryouga didn't seem to notice, however.
Ranma perked up suddenly as an idea hit him. "Hey, mind if I go with ya and keep my old buddy from getting too far out of shape?"
"What?" Ryouga asked, totally confused by Ranma's change in attitude.
"You'd dare to leave Akane here alone?" Genma demanded.
"Feh. The way I see it, I'll be able to live fer a while without gettin' pounded every time I turn around!"
"Is that so, Ranma?!" Akane demanded angrily.
"Yeah! Not to mention I'll be safe from your cooking for a while at least!"
"DIE!" Akane yelled as she leapt after him. Usagi watched them for a few minutes before she purposely placed herself between Akane and Ranma.
"Wait a second, Akane!"
"WHAT?"
"I thought you two were engaged? Don't you love each other?" Usagi asked with an intent expression on her face.
"Me, love that pervert? Never!"
"Yeah, well who would want an uncute tomboy like you anyways?" Ranma taunted.
"Why can't you ever do anything the way I want you to?" Akane demanded.
"Why should I?"
Usagi looked between the two of them and then slowly sank to her knees and began to cry.
"It's so sad!" She wailed, "People who are engaged should really love each other with all their hearts! They shouldn't be arguing like this!"
"My sentiments exactly, young lady! Well said, well said." Soun said cheerfully. Genma crossed his arms and nodded sagely.
"Usako..." Mamoru said softly as he moved to comfort the distraught girl.
Ryouga looked over at where Akane and Ranma continued to argue until she finally pounded him into the floor. "Well, it would be good if he came along to keep me there for a while." He admitted haltingly.
Ranma sprang up, "Great, I'll go get my pack!"
"Don't do this boy!" Genma warned.
"Who's gonna stop me? You? Don't make me laugh Pops." Ranma said as he dashed upstairs to pack.
"So, you're really gonna just leave like this?" Nabiki asked from the doorway to the guestroom. Ranma looked up from his packing.
"Yeah, well... I just want to get away for a while, maybe let things settle for a bit." He grunted as he closed the pack and threw it onto his back.
Nabiki looked thoughtful as she followed him back down the stairs.
"Have a good trip, Ranma. Please remember to write us." Kasumi said as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, thanks Kasumi."
"You ain't going nowhere, boy!" Genma yelled.
"And how do ya think you can stop me?" Ranma retorted.
"Simple! I get rid of him!" Genma replied as he leapt to attack Mamoru.
Usagi screamed as she was pushed roughly aside. "Stop it! What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm ensuring the future of our schools!" Genma replied as he attacked Mamoru with a fierce combination of punches and kicks. Mamoru's limited skill enabled him to dodge or block a few of the blows, but more and more hit home and he was beginning to wear out.
Ryouga watched from the side for a few moments when he saw that Mamoru had some skill, but it quickly became evident that he was way overmatched.
Genma smirked to himself. The young man he was facing had nowhere near the skill that even Akane had. Just as he was about to land a devastating punch intended to launch his opponent over the wall, he found his fist intercepted by Ryouga's open palm. Mamoru fell unconscious as his cousin faced off against the bald martial artist.
"What do you think your doing?" Genma demanded, "This has nothing to do with you!"
"Weren't you listening?" Ryouga snarled as he began to attack, "He's family!"
Genma groaned to himself as he tried to defend himself against Ryouga's furious attacks. Everyone else there gaped as the furious lost boy shrugged off the few punches that Genma managed to slip in and continued to pummel him. Finally, Ryouga picked up his opponent and threw him, aiming for the tree on the other side of the pond. In a desperate attempt at a counter, Genma grabbed Ryouga's wrist and managed to pull him forward a few steps before he lost his grip. Ranma saw what was going to happen a split second before Ryouga did and he ran forwards, even though he knew he was going to be too late.
With a great splash, Genma landed in the pond, soaking Ryouga. With a despairing squeal, P-chan worked his way out of his clothes.
"R-R-Ryouga?!?" Akane gasped, "You, you're... P-chan?!?"
P-chan warily backed up a step as Akane continued to stare in shock. Usagi shrieked when she saw Genma-panda rise out of the pond, but calmed down slightly when she noticed that no one else had reacted.
"What's going on here?" She asked, her confusion showing as she looked rapidly between P-chan and Genma-panda. "Did Ryouga just turn into that pig?"
"Ranma," Akane growled as she clenched her fists, "You knew. That's why you always teased P-chan. You knew and didn't tell me?!?" She shouted as she spun to glare at Ranma the look of death in her eyes.
"Lemme explain..." Ranma said quickly as he backed up a few steps.
"No! No way!" Akane screeched as she turned her back on Ranma and started stomping towards P-chan. "First things first, I need to get rid of Ryouga for good, then I'll take care of you!"
P-chan merely hung his head and waited for the inevitable. He could feel the raging anger that swirled from Akane's aura and he couldn't help but shiver in fearful anticipation as her shadow blocked the light of the sun. That was the last thing he noticed before pain obscured everything else.
Usagi looked on, horrified. She couldn't believe that Akane was kicking the poor piglet. One particularly powerful kick sent P-chan hurtling into her chest, knocking her off her feet. She looked down at the battered form of P-chan and held him protectively as Akane walked over.
"Give him to me, now!" Akane ordered.
"Chill out Akane!" Ranma said as he picked up Ryouga's stuff. "He can't even defend himself when he's like that!"
"I don't care! I'll kill him!"
"No!" Usagi said as she rose to her feet, a determined look on her face. "I won't let you hurt him anymore!"
"Do you have any idea what he's done!" Akane screeched. Usagi shook her head and backed up a step, ready to run if she had to. "He's been pretending to be my pet! He's snuck into my bed, heard all my secrets and even watched me change!" Akane screamed, "I _trusted_ that little swine, and this is how he repays that trust, with deceit! That pervert!" Akane made a grab for P-chan but Usagi pulled him out of her reach.
"Give him back!" Akane snarled.
"No!" Usagi half turned away from her, "You haven't heard his side of the story yet! It sounds bad to me, but everyone deserves a chance to explain!"
"What is there to explain?!? He used his curse to get close to me, to _sleep_ in my bed, to watch me get changed! He deserves to die!" Akane yelled as she lunged towards Usagi, fully intending to go through her to get at P-chan. Usagi screamed and tried to dodge but Akane still managed to slam into her shoulder and send her sprawling across the lawn. Usagi curled protectively around P-chan.
"I won't let her hurt you anymore," she whispered, "No one deserves to die like this."
"Now! Give him to me!" Akane demanded as she stood over the fallen girl.
Usagi looked up with a tear-streaked face, "I can't believe you, can't you just stop and listen to what he has to say?"
Akane stopped and looked bewhildered for a moment, but the anger returned to her just as quickly.
"Chill out Akane!" Ranma said as he moved between them. "The way I see it, it was you who decided that Ryouga was going to be your little pet piggy!"
Akane turned her glare towards Ranma. "And just why didn't you tell me about this? You're just as bad as he is!"
"Man, what is it with girls? Do they always get like this before... um.. er... never mind... Uh oh..." Ranma winced as he saw Akane go from volatile to full-blown fury.
"Get out!" Akane yelled as she swung a vicious kick at his head, "I never want to see you again! We aren't engaged, we aren't anything! Never come back here ever again!"
"Oh my. Akane, are you sure?" Kasumi asked.
"Well, Ranma. Looks to me like she means it this time." Nabiki smirked from where she stood.
"Oh stow it Nabiki!" Ranma said as he dodged another kick, "Fine then, I'm outta here!" He jumped over Akane's head and landed next to where Mamoru had fallen and threw him onto one shoulder. "Alright... Usagi right? Let's get outta here." He held out one hand as he moved to help her up.
"Don't forget to write us, Ranma!" Kasumi called as Ranma turned for the gate.
Nabiki ran up to him and poked him in the chest a few times. "Don't think I'm going to forget about your debt!"
"Yeah, good-bye to you too Nabiki." Ranma ignored his father's signs and paused in his walk to the gate only long enough to kick him back into the house.
As Ranma and Usagi walked out of the gate, Akane merely stood there and shook her fist at them and yelled. "Don't you dare ever to show your face to me again! You don't even exist to me!"
"Do you think he will come back?" Soun asked Kasumi.
"I don't know, Father, I don't know." She sighed.
"I, for one, don't think he'll be back," Nabiki said as she sat down at the table, "After all, how much more could he have taken before he left on his own?"
"Nabiki! Don't even think that way!" Soun half yelled.
She regarded him with a raised eyebrow before she rested her chin in her palms. ::Well Ranma,:: she thought, ::Looks like its time for you to grow up. I hope everything I've done keeps you from getting suckered too often.::
Mamoru awoke to the slightly swaying motion of a train. He found his head in Usagi's lap and Ranma sitting next to her. She was holding a battered looking black piglet and was gently treating its cuts and bruises.
"Mamo-chan! You're awake!"
"Usako..." He looked around the bus as he sat up, "Where's Ryouga?"
Usagi held up the piglet, "He's right here."
"Wha... What happened?"
"He's cursed." Ranma said grimly. "Every time he's hit with cold water, he turns into that little black piglet. Hot water will change him back."
"Oh no... How did this happen?"
Ranma sighed and began his explanation about Jusenkyo. "In the mountains of China, there's these springs that change whoever falls in to change into whatever drowned there a long time ago. Ryouga fell into the spring of drowned black piglet. Pops fell into the spring of drowned Panda."
"That's terrible!" Usagi gasped, "Did you fall into one as well?"
Ranma looked out the window and crossed his arms, "I don't wanna talk about it."
Usagi placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's ok, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Ranma nodded and stuck his hands into his pockets, only to pull a note out. "What the...?" He muttered as he unfolded the scrap of paper and read the note.
Ranma,
Good luck out there. Get away from our fathers for a while and grow a spine. Remember that Kasumi and I will always be willing to talk to you about your problems, even if Akane is too stubborn to realize what a catch she had and let slip through her fingers by grasping too tightly.
Always, Nabiki
"Heh, I didn't know she knew how to care." Ranma chuckled.
"What is it?" Mamoru asked.
"Just a good-bye note that Nabiki must have slipped into my pocket before we left." Ranma looked out the window for a moment, "It's going to be difficult for a while. I ain't got a place to stay. I guess I could camp out fer a while."
"Maybe we can help, after all it is kinda our fault for getting you kicked out like that." Usagi looked down sadly.
"Naw, don't sweat it." Ranma smiled, "Actually, the peace and quiet'll be nice fer a change."
The train lurched to a stop and announced they were at Juuban. They got out and began walking towards Mamoru's apartment building. Ranma looked around and smiled.
"I think I'm going to like Juuban."
Inside Mamoru's apartment, he and Usagi sat down on the couch while Ranma took P-chan into the bathroom to get him some hot water. Ranma threw his clothes at him once he was changed.
"Well, P-chan, looks like you've got some explainin' to do."
"Shut up, Ranma." Ryouga said halfheartedly, "After I tell them everything I've done as P-chan, they'll hate me."
"Geez, ya gotta chill out man! They ain't gonna get near as mad as Akane. Hell, Usagi saved your bacon at the Dojo by keeping Akane away from ya."
"Well, I guess I better go out there and face my cousin and Usagi." Ryouga hung his head and walked through a door. Ranma slapped his forehead and reached through the door and grabbed Ryouga by his collar.
"That's the shower, Ryouga."
"Shut up!"
Guided by Ranma, Ryouga entered the living room and knelt in front of Mamoru and Usagi. "Uhm, about P-chan..."
"Usagi has been telling me what happened while I was unconscious." Mamoru said coldly, "Care to explain why you were masquerading as that girl's pet pig?"
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi said softly.
"Yes, well... I've been living as her pet pig P-chan for quite a while now. Used to be that just seeing her face was enough to make me happy."
"So, you turned into a pig to spy on her as she changed, pervert!" Mamoru snapped.
Ryouga looked hurt, "I wouldn't dare!"
"No kidding, if he did something like that, he'd die of blood loss!" Ranma laughed.
"What?" Usagi went from upset looking to concerned.
"If he saw so much as a hint more than anyone else does, he'd get a nose-bleed and pass out!"
"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryouga growled.
"I still think he's a peeking pig! I'll bet your just waiting for the chance to change again and follow some other unsuspecting girl home and then watch her get changed as well." Mamoru snorted.
Ryouga's face suddenly turned bright red, "I couldn't possibly do something like that! You have no idea! I grew up basically on my own on the road. Akane was the first person other than my family that ever showed me even the slightest bit of affection." He looked away as he spoke; "Now, thanks to this curse, she wants me dead and my cousin thinks I'm some kind of pervert. I'm totally alone..."
"Don't talk like that!" Usagi said, "But what do you mean by you grew up alone on the road?"
"I... have trouble getting where I'm going..."
"You mean you have no sense of direction whatsoever, you can't read a map, don't even realize that the sun rises in the east..." Ranma cut in.
"She gets the point!" Ryouga snarled at him before subsiding. "Now, I just want to try and get back to a normal life, maybe go to school again."
Usagi looked up and placed a finger on her chin, "Well, tomorrow after school, a few of my friends and I are going to be getting together for a study group. You could study with us for a few days and then take the placement test!"
"A study group?" Ryouga asked uncertainly.
"Sure! There'll be Mako-chan, Minako-chan, Rei-chan and Ami-chan! Ami-chan is so smart! I'm sure she could tutor you in no time!"
"Lucky you, piggy," Ranma snorted, "You'll need all the help you can get to keep out of elementary school."
"Are you saying I'm stupid?!?" Ryouga half rose from his seat, his face turning red from his anger.
"Well, duhh!"
"That's enough, Ranma!" Usagi scolded as she walked to where Ryouga was, knelt and hugged him from behind, "Can't you see the pain he's in?"
Ryouga turned an even brighter shade of red before blood shot out of his nose and he collapsed.
"Eeeeeeeeeeee!" Usagi jumped straight up and clasped her hands into little fists under her chin, "What's wrong with him?!?"
Ranma laughed as he flipped Ryouga onto his back, "I'd say he thinks your cute, he doesn't usually get a nosebleed that easily. That does show ya what I was talkin' about though." He gestured to the bloodstain on Ryouga's shirt, "If that's what happened when you just hugged him, what d'ya think'll happen if he sees a naked girl?"
"Will he be ok?" She asked tentatively.
"Yeah, just give him a few minutes and don't stand over his head while you're wearing that dress."
Usagi eeped and jumped backwards into the wall, her ponytails sticking almost straight up. Mamoru grumbled as he fetched a mop and bucket to clean up the blood.
"By the way Ranma," he asked as he worked at cleaning up the blood, "Why the hell did your father attack me to keep you from leaving?"
Ranma shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe he thought that if he got rid of ya, I wouldn't leave or something."
"Ok, why didn't you help me out then?"
"Because you know how to fight, a little." Ranma shrugged, "If he had attacked Usagi, I woulda been all over him in a heartbeat. By the time it was obvious that you weren't luring him into a false sense of security or nothin', Ryouga was already in there taking over fer ya."
"What are you going to do now? Seems to me that you can't go back to the Dojo anymore." Mamoru sighed, "I guess you could stay here for tonight if you want."
Ranma shook his head, "The sooner I start doing things fer myself the better. There's gotta be a park or a vacant lot or somethin' around."
"There's a park near my house, you can camp out there if you want!" Usagi said, "It's getting really late and my parents'll kill me if I'm gone too much longer."
"Sounds good ta me. Lead the way." Ranma grabbed his pack and gestured towards the door. Usagi gave Mamoru a quick hug before she left with Ranma in tow.
"Well Ryouga," Mamoru spoke to his unconscious guest, "Looks like it's going to be just us tonight." He looked towards the closed door and sighed, feeling just a little upset that Ranma was walking Usagi home. Not jealous, but angry that the younger martial artist did not seem to care about the fact that he was walking someone else's girlfriend home.
Sailor Pluto frowned as she looked through the Time Gates. The vision of Crystal Tokyo seemed to be wavering more and more rapidly. Without warning, the edges of Crystal Tokyo frayed and broke away. Sailor Pluto could only watch in shock as the future she had labored so hard to protect and nurture simply crumbled and split into many different possible futures.
"No..." She breathed, worry marking her features until the vision of Crystal Tokyo solidified again, but now it wasn't quite as certain. "What could have caused this?" She asked herself as she delved into the timeline, following the splinters back to their origins. Sailor Pluto frowned when she saw Ranma or Ryouga at the pivotal point in each split. She remembered her future counterpart's warning too late.
'Under no circumstances, if you want this to be the future, should you allow the princess to meet the wild horse with the lucky fang!'
"How was I supposed to know I meant their names literally?" Sailor Pluto sighed, "Now, what can I do to salvage this?" She sat and considered her options for a few moments before she decided to see what kind of effects they had on the timeline. She focused on Ranma first, but found to her surprise that she could not follow him more than a few minutes into the future without encountering a multitude of alternate possible futures. Curious, she followed the course of the most probable future and only got a few hours more before there was another split.
"Amazing! His ability to alter the time stream is unbelievable!" She sighed as she pulled out of the time stream again and gazed at the visual representation of the future. It was frayed around the edges, but still quite solid. Some of the alternates that had spun off were very similar, only fairly minor changes from the original, but there was one that worried her. It showed no sign of Crystal Tokyo at all, in fact it showed no life left on Earth. She stepped into the time stream, fully intent on warning Usagi about the dangers of associating with Ranma.
Even as Sailor Pluto appeared concealed by some trees, Ranma's ears caught the faint sound of displaced air. He glanced around, slightly annoyed that Usagi was humming to herself as they walked into the park near her house.
"Shh. I thought I heard something." Ranma hissed.
Usagi stopped humming and looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
Ranma didn't say anything, but turned and faced the tree that the now untransformed Setsuna was hiding behind and took up a defensive stance.
"Is someone there?" Usagi asked, just a little frightened. She almost fainted with relief when Setsuna stepped out from behind the tree. "Setsuna! You scared me!"
Ranma relaxed slightly, but keep a wary eye on the elegant woman that was approaching them.
"Usagi," She said in greeting, "may I speak with you for a moment?"
"Sure! This looks like a good place for you to stay, Ranma! Setsuna and I are gonna go to my place! See you tomorrow at the Hikawa Shrine!" She waved happily to him as she and Setsuna walked off.
Once they were well away from Ranma, Setsuna turned to Usagi seriously. "Usagi, there may be something wrong."
"Hmm?"
"The time stream is, for lack of a better term, splintering."
"What? What do you mean?" Usagi was shocked.
Wearily, Setsuna tried to explain, "The time stream has been splitting, and the chances of Crystal Tokyo forming are shrinking ever so slightly... So far. If things don't change soon, it may not come to pass at all."
"But, we've been there! We've seen the future! How can that change?"
"Every time someone makes a choice, it causes several new threads of possibility in the time stream. For most people, it's fairly harmless and has no real effect on the outcome of Crystal Tokyo. Now, say you make a different choice." Setsuna stopped to pick up a short stick. "This stick will represent your thread in the time stream, showing that you've been making the same kinds of choices you normally make, thus leaving a fairly straight path. Then something happens to cause you to make a different kind of choice," She snapped the stick and held the splintered end up to Usagi, "Suddenly there are hundreds of new paths, some showing a higher potential of happening than others. So, if something like this were to happen, the chance that Crystal Tokyo will be founded would shrink each time this happened until it became just one remote chance amongst thousands, even millions of different futures, with no way of telling which one will become reality."
"I don't understand!" Usagi sniffed, "What could I have done that would cause something like this?"
Setsuna sighed. "Today, you met someone who could best be described as chaos incarnate. Not the being Chaos, but the principal. Ranma Saotome."
"Ranma? But he's nice... Well, when he's not being a jerk to Mamo-chan's cousin, Ryouga."
"That may be so, but I can't follow him or Ryouga more than a short time forward in the time stream before their path splinters much like this stick." She holds up the stick again to emphasize her point, "Just being near them can be dangerous. They may unwittingly destroy Crystal Tokyo, maybe even the Earth."
Usagi looked scared at this revelation, "That's terrible! What can we do?"
"The best way to remove their influence from the timeline is to kill th..."
"No! Absolutely not!" Usagi interrupted. She glared angrily for a moment before she regained her composure before a slightly ruffled Setsuna. "We are supposed to protect everyone! If we start killing people just because they may change the future, how much better are we than the Death Busters?"
"Then don't talk with them or hang around them, for the sake of everyone in Crystal Tokyo!" Setsuna said sternly.
Usagi shook her head, accidentally hitting Setsuna with one of her ponytails. "I'm already friends with them, and Ryouga is Mamo-chan's cousin. I'm going to be introducing them to the others tomorrow. Ryouga's gonna be studying with us after school so he can take the placement test!" She smiled, "It's gonna be fun!"
Setsuna sighed. "Please be careful, Princess. I don't want to lose everything again."
"You worry too much!" Usagi giggled, "What could go wrong?"
::Everything,:: Setsuna thought darkly as she watched Usagi skip the rest of the way to her house.
It wasn't long before Usagi had firmly closed herself and Luna into her bedroom and was getting ready for bed.
"Ami told us about how you and Mamoru were going to go look for his cousin. Did you manage to find him?" Luna asked as she hopped onto the dresser in front of Usagi.
Usagi giggled for a moment, "Yeah, boy did we find him! He showed up just in time to try and stop a mean girl named Akane from yelling at me."
Luna looked startled, "What did you do to make her so angry?"
"I'm not sure, something about taking Ranma away from her, but she doesn't seem to like him anyway." Usagi's eyes suddenly started to water, "Oh, Luna, I saw the most saddest thing ever today! Akane and Ranma are engaged to each other, but they don't seem to like each other at all! She's always yelling and hitting him and stuff!"
"Slow down Usagi!" Luna said as Usagi suddenly began crying, "Usagi?"
After crying for a few minutes, she straightened up and wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry, but it's just so sad!"
"What about Mamoru's cousin?" Luna asked patiently.
"Oh yeah!" She seemed to cheer up instantly, "He's a martial artist and he's staying with Mamo-chan right now. He's got this weird curse that turns him into a little black piglet whenever he gets wet. Apparently, Akane kinda adopted him as her pet, and he was too embarrassed to tell her the truth. You shoulda seen how angry she was when she found out today." She began to look sad again, "It's all our fault! If Mamo-chan and I hadn't shown up, Akane wouldn't have found out about his curse, and she'd still be engaged to Ranma."
"Who's Ranma?"
"He's another martial artist! He and Ryouga don't get along too well, but they could be such good friends if he would just stop teasing Ryouga for a minute." She giggled again, "But Setsuna doesn't like them at all, and she's saying that they are causing the time line to splinter or something. She wanted to just kill them, but I told her no 'cause it's our job to protect people and stuff."
"I'm sure that that was a tough decision to make." Luna said sagely, "It could have had disastrous consequences for all of us."
"I don't care!" Usagi snapped, "I'm not going to allow any of the Senshi to kill an innocent person just because they may harm Crystal Tokyo just by living!"
"I'm not arguing that at all!" Luna gestured with her paw for Usagi to calm down and then began pacing back and forth as she lectured, "I was merely saying that most other people would have found some excuse to kill them just to make their life easier in the long run. A true ruler would be find a way to work with them or around them to gain the goal they desire. I'm proud of the way you are maturing, Usagi. Usagi?" Luna looked over to the bed when she didn't get a response from her charge and smiled slightly when she saw that Usagi was sound asleep in bed.
"Sleep well, my princess." Luna whispered as she settled in as well.
The next morning found Ranma outside the gates of Furinkan High once again. This time, however, he was there long before Akane or any other student was due to show up. He had a mission and he wanted no distractions. Confident smirk in place, he made his way to the administration office.
"I wanna transfer outta here." Ranma announced to the receptionist.
"What school are you going to transfer to?" She asked with only a hint of elation in her voice as she pulled out the transfer forms.
"Uhm... Juuban High."
The receptionist fed the forms into a typewriter and typed rapidly for a second before she asked the next question. "What is your new address and phone number?"
"Uhm... I'm kinda camping in a park." Ranma admitted while rubbing the back of his head.
The receptionist gave him an odd look, but continued typing. "I'm going to put on here that your address has not changed. Just make sure you get to school everyday."
"Alright."
"Ok then, all we need now is your father's signature right down here and you'll be all set!" She handed him the forms and smiled, "Good luck at your new school."
"Thanks." Ranma sweated a little as he took the forms.
How am I gonna get Pops to sign this?:: He thought glumly as he wandered the halls, ::Maybe Nabiki can help me out.::
Ranma watched from the rooftop for Nabiki to show up. Not surprisingly, she was among the first students through the gate. She didn't make her way inside immediately though, but rather worked her way around to the side of the building among some trees before she sat down and pulled out a notebook and began writing in earnest. Rather than loose sight of her by going through the school, Ranma clambered down the wall a short ways before jumping down to land right in front of her. Nabiki shot to her feet with a half-strangled shout as he landed.
"Don't you dare do that again!" Nabiki said as she held one hand over her rapidly beating heart, "You nearly scared me to death!"
"Sorry 'bout that," Ranma said, "but I need your help."
Nabiki cocked an eyebrow at him, "What can I do for you today?"
Ranma handed the transfer forms to Nabiki, "I need my old man's signature on these so I can transfer outta here."
Nabiki looked appraisingly at the papers. "Shouldn't be too hard, but how are you going to pay for this?"
"How's about I keep your gettin startled this mornin' a secret?" Ranma asked hopefully.
She pretended to think it over for a few minutes before speaking, "Is that all?"
"Well, that and this note ya slipped me before I left yesterday. I'm sure Mr. Tendo would love to see that."
Nabiki actually laughed, "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. You'd never make it as a blackmailer. Just leave that kinda stuff to me. I'll take care of it right now." She turned to leave the school grounds, "Ranma," She looked over her shoulder, "You stay in that tree right there so I can find you."
Ranma nodded and leapt into the branches and seemed to disappear. Nabiki smiled as she hurried past the early students.
When Nabiki got back to the Dojo, she ran into Akane as she was leaving.
"What's wrong, Nabiki?"
"I forgot something, you run on ahead."
"See you later!" Akane said before she walked off.
Nabiki smiled viciously as she looked around the house for her target. She found him moping by the koi pond. She pulled a piece of carbon paper and another contract out that happened to have the signature block in the same place as the transfer forms and put them all together.
"Mr. Saotome, I have a proposition for you," she said in her most businesslike voice. He looked up, his face a total blank other than the silent tears rolling down his face.
"I'll do everything I can to locate Ranma for you if you'll just sign this contract saying that in return for my services, you will give me a thousand yen a week."
Genma snatched the contract and signed it without hesitation. "Just find my son, without him, the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is doomed." He said as he handed the contract back to her.
"Nice doing business with you, Mr. Saotome. I'll let you know once I find anything." Nabiki didn't allow herself to smile until she was back out of the gate.
When Nabiki made it back to the school, the bell was about to ring. She hurried to the tree where she had left Ranma. "Ranma?" She called softly, "Are you still here?"
Ranma dropped out of the tree and landed in front of her. "Did you get it?"
Nabiki flourished the papers, "Was there ever any doubt? I can assure you that no one will find out from me where you're going to be for at least three months. After that, I'm going to have to let it slip to keep my reputation."
"Well, it's better than nothing I guess. Thanks Nabiki." He said as he took the papers.
"Kasumi and I will do everything we can to stall your Dad. Daddy isn't going to be a problem at all, but it's Shampoo and Ukyou that are the most likely to find you. Be ready for them." She warned as she headed for the building.
"Thanks again!" Ranma called after her before dashing back to the administration office. He handed the papers to the receptionist with a smirk on his face.
"That was quick," she commented idly as she filed a copy and gave two more to Ranma, "The top one is for your new school, and the other one is for your records. Have a nice day, Mr. Saotome."
Ranma practically danced all the way back to Juuban.
When Ryouga woke, he found that a blanket had been placed over him as he slept. He sat up slowly and looked around. Mamoru's apartment looked no different than when he had seen it last, but there was a sheet of paper taped to his chest. He pulled it off and read the note on it.
Ryouga, By the time you wake up, I'll probably already be at class. For goodness sake, don't leave the apartment! Usagi will be coming by this afternoon to take you to a study group. Do your best with the placement test!
Mamoru
Ryouga glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly noon.
"Geez, I can't believe I was out that long!" He muttered to himself as he started going through his kata. Soon, he lost himself in the bliss of the exercise, forgetting for a moment that Akane hated him now.
After nearly an hour, he decided that he would need to get cleaned up before Usagi showed up. After grabbing some clean clothes from his pack he began his search. He shook his head when he found that the front door had a note on it saying 'Do Not Open!'
"I'm not that bad." he muttered as he continued looking. A few minutes later, he found the bathroom.
After showering and getting dressed he made his way back into the main room just in time to hear knocking on the door.
"Coming!" He called out and then promptly walked into the bathroom. He swore under his breath and stalked back into the main room. After a few minutes, he finally found the front door and opened it to reveal Usagi and a few of her friends.
"Hi Ryouga!" Usagi said cheerfully, "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I guess I did."
Usagi gestured to her friends, "Ryouga, I want you to meet Ami Mizuno and Makoto Kino! They're really good friends of mine."
Ryouga bowed deeply. "I am honored to meet you both. My name is Ryouga Hibiki."
"There is no need to be that formal, Ryouga." Ami smiled.
"Yeah, you need to loosen up a little." Makoto waved over her shorter friends,
"Come on, we're going to have to hurry if we want to get to the study group on time." Ami admonished them.
"Let me grab my pack." Ryouga said as he walked back into the apartment. When it seemed that he was going to head back into the bathroom, Usagi gently guided him back to where he had left it.
"Ah, heh... Sorry 'bout that." Ryouga said, a slight flush creeping to his face from his embarrassment.
"So, you're into martial arts?" Makoto asked as they made their way to the Hikawa Shrine.
"Yeah. The Art has been the one thing that has kept me from giving up all hope."
"Really?" Ami asked, "How long has it been since you were last in school?"
"Some time in junior high. It was a few years ago..."
"Don't worry! I'm sure that with a little help you'll do just fine!" Usagi said cheerfully.
"See if you can't apply that same enthusiasm to your own studying, Usagi-chan!" Makoto quipped. Ami giggled a little as Usagi fell over.
"Not you too, Mako-chan?!?" Usagi half wailed.
"It just takes a little dedication." Ami tried to encourage her friend before turning to Ryouga. "I've looked into the placement test, I think that things like Math and Social Sciences would be the areas that you need the most help with."
"I guess... I'm pretty good with local history from all my travels."
"You travel a lot?" Makoto asked a bit wide eyed, "Wow, that's so romantic!"
Ryouga rubbed the back of his head a bit nervously. "Uhm... I guess you could say that... It was more like an extended training trip."
"So you left school to become a wandering martial artist?" Ami asked curiously.
"You could say that..."
Usagi giggled a bit, "Wouldn't it be so romantic is Mamochan took me on a trip around the world going to all of the most romantic spots? Not to mention all that time spent with just him and me together with nothing around but our tent?" She sighed.
"I wouldn't reccomend it," Ryouga snorted, "Walking all over the place isn't as fun as it might sound. For one thing, it's sometimes weeks between baths and you need to know how to live off of the land. There's no way someone can carry all the food they need while traveling by foot."
Usagi facefaulted while Ami and Makoto laughed politly. "No fair, Ryouga! You ruined a perfectly good daydream!" She mock punched his shoulder, but ended up holding her hand in pain. "Owwie..." Tears began formin in her eyes.
"Geez Usagi-chan. How can you hurt yourself that way?" Makoto asked as Ami took a quick look at Usagi's injured hand.
"He's like a rock!"
Ryouga rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I learned this technique that makes it hard for people to hurt me... I didn't realize how tough it made me."
"Right..." Makoto drawled as they started walking again.
They walked in almost complete silence then, the only sound that could be heard was an occasional whimper from Usagi as she massaged her bruised hand.
"Here we are!" Makoto gestured at the stairs leading up to the shrine. "Our friend Rei lives here, and her place has the most space for our study group."
"Wow." Ryouga looked stunned as he took in the view of the temple. He followed the others up the stairs almost mechanically. He looked around the grounds with a certain amount of awe. "This place is beautiful."
Minako Aino sighed as she made her way up the stairs to the temple. She had missed out on going shopping with the other Senshi on Sunday thanks to her parents and had barely escaped detention for being late that morning.
"Why can't anything go right for me?" she asked Artemis idly. "Is it too much to ask to be happy?"
Uh oh,:: Artemis thought, ::She's in that mood again.:: "Cheer up, Minako! Things can't be that bad."
She smiled down at the moon cat, "Thanks for trying, Artemis," she sighed as she neared the top of the stairs, "Why can't I meet... a... cute... guy...?" Her voiced trailed off to a whisper as she reached the top of the stairs and saw Ryouga talking with Usagi and Makoto. He was holding his pack in one hand, causing the muscles on his bare arm to ripple. She blushed so hard that her neck had turned red as well.
"Wow..." She breathed before she swallowed hard and willed herself to be composed. She had barely managed to get herself under control and had started to take the last step when Ryouga turned his head and looked straight at her. Minako swore her heart had stopped in the instant that their eyes met. Artemis shook his head and decided that now would be a good time to try and figure out where Luna was. Without so much as a goodbye, he ran off in search of the black moon cat.
::Kami-sama, he's cute! What a hunk!:: Minako thought as she walked up to them. She didn't even notice Makoto talking to her until she started waving her hand in front of her face.
"Hello? Minako? Are you in there?" Makoto joked before she leaned closer to her friend and whispered, "I saw him first!"
That snapped Minako out of her trance like state. She glared for a second at Makoto before she introduced herself to Ryouga with a quick bow. "I'm Minako Aino, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Ryouga Hibiki."
"He's Mamo-chan's cousin! He hasn't been to school in ages, so we're going to help him study for the placement test!" Usagi said happily while Ryouga merely rubbed the back of his head nervously. Minako barely heard any of it, she was too busy gazing at him with stars in her eyes.
"Hey! Are you going to stand out here all afternoon?" Rei demanded as she came out of the house next to the temple.
"We just got here!" Usagi protested, "Besides, Ryouga was just admiring the temple."
Rei's attitude visibly shifted when she finally noticed Ryouga. ::There's something about him...:: She thought as she stretched her senses towards him, only to recoil when powerful waves of depression, loneliness, anger and sadness washed over her. Her eyes widened when she saw that his outward bearing showed no sign of his internal struggle. She bowed to him to cover her shock at that discovery as she introduced herself as well.
"Rei Hino, I apologize for my rudeness."
"Uhm, no problem. Ryouga Hibiki." Idly, he wondered how many more friends Usagi had. He sighed a bit sadly to himself,
If only I could make friends that easily...::
Makoto rolled her eyes a little and looked back towards the stairs just in time to see Ranma bounding up the stairs.
"Oh my goodness... Check out that hunk!" Makoto sighed. The others turned and followed her gaze.
"That's Ranma Saotome, he's kinda Ryouga's friend." Usagi said.
"What do you mean by 'kinda'?" Rei asked.
"Well, Ranma teases Ryouga a lot." She ventured.
"He's no friend of mine!" Ryouga snapped as he crossed his arms.
"Nice to see you too, pig butt." Ranma said pleasantly as he walked up to them, "Hey, Usagi, I got my transfer paperwork done. I'm gonna be in Juuban High startin' tomorrow."
"That's great, Ranma!" Usagi enthused.
"School... That reminds me, I need to study for the placement test! I want to take it this Friday." Ryouga clenched his fist, "I will make it into High School, just you watch Ranma!"
"Geez, it ain't like it's a fight, P-chan."
"Stop calling me that!" Ryouga snarled.
"Don't blow an artery man! Look, I'll come back when you're done so we can spar a bit before turning in. Maybe that'll help ya relax a bit." Ranma gave a careless wave as he turned to leave. "See ya!"
"What a dream..." Makoto and Rei said at the same time.
"That shirt looked awfully tight..." Ami trailed off and blushed as the other girls gave her a questioning look.
"He looked like my old sempai... Who am I kidding? My old sempai never looked that good!" Makoto giggled.
"Well, I think Ryouga's cuter!" Minako declared as she hugged his arm.
Ryouga's face turned beet red and he struggled to keep himself conscious. ::She thinks I'm cute! Cuter than Ranma! Now what do I do?:: He thought frantically. Slowly and shakily, he turned his head to look down at Minako who was now resting her cheek against his shoulder.
Rei smiled and whispered to Makoto, "Looks like Minakochan is laying it on a little too thick for him."
"We're starting to run late for our study session, so let's get started." Ami announced to a short chorus of groans.
"Come on, Ryouga. Let's see how much you need to do to catch up!" Minako smiled cutely and walked backwards while gently pulling him into the house.
"O-oh kay..." Ryouga said in a weak voice as he allowed himself to be dragged into the house. Usagi giggled at that and tried to pick up Ryouga's pack to bring it in as well, but ended up falling on her rear when she couldn't budge it at all.
"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked as she turned to see what was keeping her friend.
"I can't pick up his pack!" Usagi said as she tried to just drag it to the house, with no success. Makoto smiled and shook her head.
"You're just a little weak. Here, let me help you." She grabbed the other strap and pulled hard, fully expecting to lift it. When the pack didn't even budge, she too lost her balance.
"What the? This thing weighs a ton!"
"What's wrong you guys?" Rei asked as the rest of them came back out of the house, "We almost started without you!"
"We're having a little trouble getting Ryouga's bag into the house." Makoto explained while Usagi nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! It's really really heavy!"
"Oh come on you two. How heavy can it be?" Rei asked.
"About a hundred kilos." Ryouga said calmly.
"A HUNDRED KILOS?" The girls exclaimed and stared at him in shock.
"Uhm... Yeah. For just the pack anyway. I'm not sure how much the umbrella weighs." He rubbed the back of his head as he picked the bag up with his left hand. Minako clasped her hands and watched him with starry eyes.
"You're really strong, Ryouga!" Minako sighed dreamily.
The study session seemed to last forever to Ryouga. Ami seemed to take a personal interest in his study habits while Minako spent most of the afternoon staring at him. There were short spurts of quiet before Rei and Usagi would begin arguing over something trivial again. By the time Ranma showed back up, Ryouga was more than ready for the respite.
"How's the studyin' comin' along?" Ranma asked as he peeked into the room they were studying in.
"Fairly well, actually." Ami smiled up at him, "Your friend, Ryouga, is doing very well all things considered."
"I did start to study for this test before," Ryouga admitted reluctantly, "But something came up and I got distracted."
Ranma let out a short bark of laughter, "Wasn't that the time that the old lech tried dressing up as P-chan?"
Ryouga crossed his arms and nodded solemnly while the girls looked at each other in shock.
"Some time soon, you two are going to have to sit down and tell us about your adventures." Makoto said firmly.
After a few minutes worth of clean up, they left Rei behind and headed off into the evening.
"Ya get lost yet?" Ranma asked suddenly. Ryouga grumbled something unintelligible while all the girls except Usagi looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
"Ryouga's totally clueless when it comes to maps and directions and stuff like that."
"Shut up, Ranma." Ryouga growled.
"No, Ryouga, he has a point. If you are really that bad with directions, maybe one of us should keep an eye on you so that you don't get lost." Ami pointed out.
"I'll do it!" Minako said as she raised one hand into the air and latched onto Ryouga's arm with the other. "I won't let him out of my sight!" She declared.
::Won't let me out of her sight?:: Ryouga thought as his face turned a bright red, ::But, that would mean...::
Ranma noticed Ryouga's eyes roll back into his head as his face turned bright red. His hand flashed out with blinding speed to pinch Ryouga's nose a split second before it started bleeding.
"What are you doing?!?" Minako demanded when Ryouga suddenly went limp and crashed to the ground at her feet, a small trickle of blood coming out of his nose.
"Keepin' bacon breath from bleedin' on ya." Ranma said as he stuffed a tissue into each of Ryouga's nostrils.
"I thought the blood was supposed to rush elsewhere..." Ami commented before suffering the startled looks of her friends. She looked away, her face as red as a tomato. They leaned him up against a fence and stood around talking while they waited for him to come around.
"So, Usagi says that you're a martial artist. How good are you?" Makoto asked with a gleam in her eye.
"I'm the best there is." Ranma stated with pride.
"Do you want to have a match sometime?" She asked.
Ranma looked embarrassed for a second, "I don't fight girls."
Makoto stifled her anger at that chauvinistic statement. "Why not? Are you saying that girls can't be martial artists too?"
Ranma held up his hands as if to ward her off, "That ain't it at all! I just don't like it. Training an' stuff don't bug me, but I really don't wanna hurt no girls." He thought back to all his fights with Akane and he suddenly looked depressed.
"Ranma," Usagi said softly, "You shouldn't get yourself down over what happened at the Tendo Dojo." She placed her hand on his shoulder, "No matter how you may have felt about her, she didn't care about anything other than what you or anyone else could do for her."
"Thanks, Usagi."
"Now I'm curious. What happened to you in Nerima, Usagi? How did you meet Ryouga and Ranma?" Minako asked.
Usagi spent the next few minutes recapping the previous day for her friends, but left out the part where she learned Ryouga's curse for some reason. When she finished, both Makoto and Minako looked very angry.
"Maybe we should go back to Nerima and teach this Akane a lesson in courtesy!" Makoto growled as she cracked her knuckles.
"I can't believe her! Doesn't she know that a bird in the hand should be taken to the bush?"
They sweatdropped as Ami politely corrected her. "That is supposed to be a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
"Oh."
Without warning, the girls' communicators all started beeping at the same time. They looked nervously at Ranma for a second.
"Uhm... Oh no! I forgot, we were supposed to meet Naruchan at the mall! Could you get Ryouga back to Mamo-chan's apartment?" Usagi sounded rather lame.
"Sure, no problem." Ranma said and threw Ryouga onto his shoulder and walked off. As soon as he was out of sight, the girls opened their communicators.
"Hey! Where are you guys?" Chibi-usa demanded, "There's a Daimon attacking near the movies!"
"We're on our way!" They said as one and dashed off down the street.
Only a short time after leaving the girls, Ryouga woke up. "You can put me down now, Ranma." He said half heartedly.
"Ain't you grumpy when you wake up." Ranma smirked as he dropped the lost boy. "Hey, ain't you lucky. One day away from Nerima and you already have a girlfriend! A bit of an airhead, but at least she's cute."
"Shut up! Minako isn't an airhead!" Ryouga blushed, "Besides, I haven't known her long enough for her to be my girlfriend."
"That ain't stoppin' her from hanging all over you!"
"Shut up!"
"Is the li'l' piggy embawwassed?"
Ryouga's aura sprang to life, "Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" he yelled as he attacked Ranma. Laughing the whole way, Ranma led him to the park that he's staying in before engaging the enraged lost boy.
"I can't believe these daimon!" Makoto muttered as the girls walked together back towards the park they had sprinted away from only minutes earlier. "It's getting to the point where we can't have so much as one night in peace without an attack."
"I agree, this is getting to be too much!" Usagi yawned loudly.
A beeping noise from the Mercury computer interrupted them. Worried, they gathered around Ami as she began taping away at the keyboard.
"There's an unusually high amount of energy being concentrated nearby. It's impossible to tell if it's a daimon or not, but the readings are very close to the energy that Beryl was so desperate to capture."
"The Negaverse is back?" Minako asked, a slight frown creasing her forehead.
Ami shook her head. "I'm not detecting any evil energy yet, but I think we need to check it out."
"Can't we just go home and go to bed?" Usagi whined a little.
"Grow up Usagi!" Chibi-usa snorted before turning to Ami, "Isn't this the kind of thing that we should check out?"
Usagi glared at her future daughter as Ami nodded. "Fine then! Let's go." Usagi stomped off into the park with the others right behind her.
As they walked deeper into the park, they could hear some shouting and heavy impacts.
"It almost sounds like a fight, if bulldozers were being used." Makoto said softly.
"The air is thick with emotions here," Rei said, "It feels familiar though, at least part of it."
"You're just imagining things, Rei," Usagi tried to laugh it off as she pushed her way past some bushes. A split second later she came crashing back through with one hand on her locket.
"What's wrong, Usagi?" Minako asked, her henshin rod firmly in her hand.
"OhmygoditsRanmaandRyougatheylookpossessed!!" Usagi said as quick as she could, "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"
The other Senshi transformed as well and followed Usagi into the clearing ahead.
Ranma smirked as Ryouga charged at him again with battle aura that was practically a bonfire of aggression. More than once he found himself starting the spiral, but broke himself out of it every time. ::I don't need to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha for this fight!::
"Wait just a moment!" A clear voice rang across the battlefield just before they clashed. Without thinking about it, they both stopped and turned to face the voice. The bushes seemed to part dramatically to reveal five rather shapely silhouettes and one much shorter one.
"Who on Earth?" Ryouga asked as he fell into a defensive stance. The silhouette in the middle began to go into several poses while speaking. "For love and justice, the pretty soldier in a sailor suit! Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon stopped posing for a moment to cross her arms, "For possessing young men dedicated to the martial arts there can be no forgiveness!"
Ranma and Ryouga looked at each other, dumbfounded as Sailor Moon went back to posing and her speech.
"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
"You've got to be kidding!" Ranma burst out.
"Possessed?" Ryouga said as he grabbed Ranma's head and began to examine it, "I don't see any horns..."
"Right!" Ranma grabbed and twisted Ryouga's wrist, forcing him to release his grip. He then vaulted over Ryouga and landed with Ryouga in a choke hold, "I ain't seeing any horns on him either!"
"Let go of me!" Ryouga yelled as he began running backwards towards a fairly large tree, fully intent on smashing Ranma against it.
The Senshi stood and watched as Ranma nimbly dodged out of the way at the last second, leaving Ryouga to smash into the tree and knock it over.
"Ouch! That had to hurt!" Sailor Venus winced in sympathy. All of the Senshi sweatdropped as Ryouga rose from the splintered tree and leapt at Ranma without any apparent injury.
"What's going on, Mercury?" Sailor Jupiter asked, "I'm pretty good at martial arts, but this looks like it's straight out of a kung-fu movie!"
"It's unbelievable!" Sailor Mercury gasped as she watched the readings scroll across her visor, "These two have enough energy by themselves to almost match the total amount of energy the Negaverse tried to steal!"
Sailor Mars looked grim, "It's a good thing the Negaverse never went after these two then. They wouldn't have had to make attack after attack, those two would've supplied all they needed."
"What do we do about those two?" Sailor Chibi-Moon asked as she pointed at the furiously fighting pair, "They'll kill each other at this rate!"
"I'll try talking to them again!" Sailor Moon said as she strode out into the midst of the battle, purposely placing herself between Ranma and Ryouga who were in the middle of a head to head charge.
"You idiot!" Sailor Mars yelled and tried to grab Sailor Moon's collar and yank her back, but just missed. The Senshi could only watch paralyzed as Ranma and Ryouga hurtled towards the point where Sailor Moon stood to intercept them. A great cloud of dust rose from the point of impact, obscuring them from the Senshis' worried gaze.
Sailor Mercury was the first one to break out of her paralyses and she rushed towards the dust cloud, fully expecting to see a smashed Sailor Moon at the feet of the still fighting Ranma and Ryouga. What she did see when the dust cloud cleared caused her to stop in amazement.
Ranma had picked up Sailor Moon and twisted halfway around and seemed to have kicked at the same time. Meanwhile, Ryouga's legs had ploughed a furrow in the dirt up to his ankles and he was firmly holding onto his opponent's foot.
"Geez, what d'ya think yer doin'?" Ranma snapped, "You coulda gotten hurt gettin' between Ryouga and me like that!"
Ryouga dropped Ranma's foot. "He's right! If we had seen you a second later, I'm not sure you would be ok."
Sailor Moon seemed to be at a loss for words as she stared up at Ranma's face. Ryouga shook his head slightly as he pulled his feet out of the ground.
"Uhm... You ok?" Ranma tried asking again.
"Oh, yes! I'm fine thank you!" Sailor Moon blushed a bit, "Could you put me down now?"
"Oh, sure." Ranma placed her back onto her feet and stepped back to stand next to Ryouga as the other Senshi gathered around Sailor Moon.
"Excuse me, but just who the heck are you guys supposed to be?" Ryouga asked as he crossed his arms.
"You've never heard of the Sailor Senshi?" Sailor Mars asked. When the two boys shook their heads, the Senshi gave each other blank looks.
"Not even Sailor V?" Sailor Venus asked hopefully. Her hopes were dashed when they merely shook their heads.
"Well, we're the pretty suited warriors of love and justice!" Sailor Moon announced proudly.
Ranma and Ryouga looked at each other blankly for a moment before Ranma fell to the ground laughing.
"You've got to be kiddin' me! How can ya be warriors with outfits like that?!?" He gasped out.
Ryouga nodded solemnly, "You have to admit, those uniforms of yours are really unpractical. Whoever heard of fighting in heels?"
"I'll have you know we've saved the world a number of times already!" Sailor Mars retorted. The other Senshi nodded in agreement
Ranma snapped back to his feet, "Sorry, but ya gotta admit, ya wouldn't exactly think that a bunch o' girls wearing the funkiest set of fukus would be some kind of warrior team. I'd expect cool lookin' armor and stuff."
Anything else that might have been said was interrupted as Sailor Mercury's computer started beeping urgently. After a quick check she looked up at her teammates. "There's some sort of evil force in the park. It's still too small for a daimon though."
"We have to find it and get rid of it!" Sailor Jupiter declared, "Any idea as to where it is?"
Sailor Mercury tapped at her computer while the others waited impatiently. Ranma sighed and looked up.
"Man, this is unreal. Check out that little floating white rock." He pointed at a slowly moving daimon egg.
Ryouga looked at it as well. "I dunno.. that thing gives me the creeps."
Suddenly, the daimon egg turned and flew quickly towards Ryouga's pack. Ranma and Ryouga watched as it slowly merged with the weathered material.
"Uhm... I think that's your evil over there." Ranma said to the Senshi.
"What?" The Senshi turned just in time to see Ryouga's pack reform into a vaguely female shape. The daimon appeared to be covered with bulging pockets and had a huge deformity that resembled a back-pack.
"Packin!" The daimon declared before it pointed at them. One of the pockets on its arm opened and a glowing rope snaked out towards them.
Ranma and Ryouga leapt out of the way, but the Senshi were caught and bound quickly.
"That's a cheap shot, pal!" Ranma snarled as he landed and charged the daimon. Ryouga pulled his belt and infused it with his ki and ran for the rope.
"Keep it busy! I'll see if I can get the girls free!" Ryouga called out.
Ranma didn't bother to answer as he engaged Packin. He quickly found himself on the defensive though. ::My punches and kicks aren't having an effect!:: He thought as he leapt backwards to gain some space.
Meanwhile, Ryouga was hacking at the magical rope that had bound the Senshi.
"Rrrgh... This ain't working..." He grunted. Rather than giving up, he began to use more and more strength until it finally severed.
"Thanks!" Sailor Venus gave him a quick salute before she fired her Love-me Chain, forcing the daimon to dodge away from Ranma.
"Leave this to us now!" Sailor Jupiter said as she charged. "Sparkling, Wide Pressure!" She threw the ball of electrical energy at the daimon, only to have it suck the attack into one of it's pockets. Packin grinned nastily and re-opened the pocket to release a veritable storm of lightning bolts. They dodged the wildly arcing bolts, but Sailor Moon tripped over a tree root.
"Hey! Look out!" Ranma yelled as he ran through the hail of lightning and picked her up a split second before a bolt struck where she had fallen. He put her down next to a tree and turned to face it.
"Now you've gotten me mad..." He growled as his battle aura flared.
Sailor Moon was speechless as Ranma charged in again to the attack, only this time his punches seemed to be having an effect.
Sailor Mars began to charge up her attack, but Sailor Mercury grabbed her wrist.
"Don't! It will just suck the attack in and send it back at us!" She cautioned.
"It's distracted by Ranma right now, it might be our only chance! Let's double team it!" She declared. Sailor Mercury thought about it for a moment and nodded once she saw that both Ranma and Ryouga were harrying it.
"Ok, just be careful not to hit Ranma or Ryouga."
"Burning Mandala!"
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"
As the two blasts of energy neared the daimon, Ranma and Ryouga managed to dodge out of the way.
"Watch it!" Ranma yelled as he rolled back to his feet.
"That things' still standing!" Ryouga yelled as he cupped his hands, "Shi Shi Hokkoudan!"
The Senshi watched wide eyed as Ryouga's aura coalesced into a green ball and shot towards the daimon. Sailor Mars clutched her head in pain as the ball of angst laden ki exploded against the daimon.
"My turn! Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma's blue ball of ki shot forth from his hands. The remnants of Ryouga's blast mixed with Ranma's leaving a bluish green circle of flames around the daimon.
"What was that?" Sailor Venus demanded of Sailor Mercury.
"I'm not sure, but it was almost as if they concentrated a portion of their life energy into an attack."
"Emotions..." Sailor Mars gasped, "Such overpowering emotions!"
Ranma and Ryouga warily approached the fallen daimon.
"Did that do it?" Ranma asked warily.
Before Ryouga could respond, the daimon shot to it's feet and grabbed Ranma and Ryouga by their necks.
"Foolish children! Did you really think that you could hurt a daimon?" Packin taunted them.
Ranma kicked ineffectively against it's chest while Ryouga had grabbed the hand holding his neck and began to pull on the thumb and forefinger.
"Let them go!" Sailor Moon yelled as she rushed towards the daimon, her tiara in her hand. "Moon Tiara Action!" She yelled as she threw it and without waiting for it to hit she dived at the Daimons legs in an attempt to tackle it.
Packin screamed in pain as the glowing disc cut into it's arm a split second before Sailor Moon hit the back of it's knees, forcing it to fall backwards. Ryouga spun around so that one leg was on either side of the arm that was holding him and he quickly pulled it down as hard as he could. He was rewarded with the sound of breaking bone and a shriek of pain from the daimon. He didn't stop, though, but rather continued pulling on the arm while kicking it in the face.
Ranma managed to pull himself free a slit second after Ryouga had broken it's arm and he pulled Sailor Moon away from the flailing daimon.
"That's it!" Packin screamed as she pulled a cord that was connected to the back-pack like protrusion on it's back. Without warning, there was an explosion that sent Ryouga flying into a tree.
"Ryouga!" Ranma yelled as he leapt to where the lost boy had fallen. Ryouga sat up and grinned toothily.
"That move cost it an arm." He deadpanned as he held up the dismembered limb. Ranma laughed at that, sure that the explosion had killed the daimon as well. Unseen behind them, a very burnt looking Packin was walking out of the swirling smoke left after the explosion.
"Look out! Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury yelled. Packin jumped up over the attack and let it fly straight at Ranma and Ryouga. They barely dodged out of the way and they watched dumbfounded as the entire tree was frozen solid.
"Geez..." Ranma breathed, "They can dress any stupid way they want to if they can do stuff like that."
Ryouga nodded as he fought to stand. Ranma helped him to his feet as three more sailor suited girls joined the fray.
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"No! Don't!" Sailor Jupiter tried to warn them too late. Packin grinned nastily as it sucked in both of the attacks and re-released them tenfold back at the Senshi and the boys.
"Ah crap." Was about all that Ranma and Ryouga could say before a Deep Submerge hit the ground right in front of them. The backlash of magical water obscured them from the Senshi for a split second, but not before they saw Ranma change.
"What happened?!? Ranma turned into a girl!" Sailor Moon asked incredulously.
"Never mind that! We have to defeat this thing quickly! I couldn't see what happened to Ryouga!" Sailor Venus said as she dodged a World Shaking and ran towards the daimon. Once she was right in front of the daimon, she feinted once to her left and then circled around Packin to the right and twisted its remaining arm behind its back.
"Now! Sailor Moon!" she called as she struggled to hold the daimon.
"But..."
"Just do it! Don't worry about me!"
Sailor Moon nodded and reluctantly began the spin that charged up her attack. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
Sailor Venus grit her teeth and closed her eyes as the heart shaped attack sped towards them. ::This could hurt...:: She thought right before a pair of strong arms pulled her away from he daimon. She opened her eyes and saw that Ranma-chan had pulled her to safety just before Sailor Moon's attack had destroyed the daimon.
"Ya gotta learn to dodge that on yer own." Ranma-chan said as she turned to watch Ryouga's pack expel the daimon egg. A gentle rain began falling as the Inner Senshi regrouped around Sailor Venus and Ranma-chan while the Outer Senshi made a discreet departure.
"Excuse me," Sailor Mercury said as she walked up, "But how did you change into a girl?"
Ranma-chan made a face. "It's a curse. If ya don't mind, I gotta find Ryouga before he wanders off." She leapt off before they could protest or stop him. She landed long enough to grab Ryouga's pack before leaping off again.
"I'm not even going to pretend that I understand what happened tonight!" Sailor Jupiter declared as she helped Sailor Mars stay steady on her feet.
"Are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked.
Sailor Mars nodded. "Yeah, I just wasn't ready for those two to be projecting their emotions around like that. I could feel the ego that Ranma used for his, just like I felt the pain, suffering and depression that Ryouga forced out of himself to do his attack. I'll be better prepared for the next time though."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help..." Sailor Chibi Moon said, a bit shame faced. Sailor Mars smiled and patted the top of her head.
"Don't worry about it."
"Yeah," Minako chimed in, "there's always next time."
"Let's go home..." Sailor Moon sighed. ::Why didn't Tuxedo Mask show up like he usually does? We really could have used his help on this one.::
After they had transformed back into their civilian clothes, they split up to head back to their homes. Minako shivered as the rain picked up.
"This is just what I need." She grumbled as she made her way out of the park. A soft squeal caught her attention and she looked around only to find a small black piglet balanced precariously on a tree branch next to her.
"What's this?" Minako asked as she picked up the little black piglet, "A piglet? Are you someone's pet?" She asked. She giggled as P-chan shook his head.
"What a smart little piggy! Come on, let's get you home and out of this rain." Minako began to run for her home.
Once she was home, she headed straight for the bathroom. "Ok, piggy, let's get you warmed up!" She smiled as she wrapped him up in a towel. P-chan sneezed a few times as he was being dried off.
"You're still cold, aren't you?" Minako asked sweetly before she sneezed herself, "I'm cold too, piggy!" She stood and shed her soaked school uniform. P-chan squealed and turned away, somehow managing to blush through his black hide. He didn't move a muscle as Minako picked him up, at least not until he saw the steaming furo.
"Stop squirming, that tickles!" Minako giggled as she stepped into the bath, holding P-chan firmly. She sighed as she sat down and then smiled at the frantic pig in her hands.
"Ok, it's you'r turn! In you go!" She said as she brought the pig into the water. She had barely put the pig under the water when it suddenly started to grow. Startled, she pulled the pig back above water, at least she thought it was the pig. In her arms was a very naked and very embarrassed Ryouga. They sat there for a second, staring at each other's face.
A small trickle of blood started to run out of Ryouga's nose as Minako screamed.
"Pervert!!!" Her voice hit a painfully high octave as she proceeded to flail at him. The small trickle of blood coming out his nose suddenly turned into a steady flow as his eyes rolled back into his head. He collapsed backward into the furo, small bubbles trickled out of his mouth.
Minako jumped out of the furo and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself before she pulled his head out of the water.
"Ryouga?!?!" She gasped as she finally recognized his face. She spun around as she heard loud footsteps in the hallway, "Oh no! Daddy'll kill him if he sees him here!" in a panic, she yanked him all the way out of the tub, knocking over a bucket of cold water. She watched in wide eyed disbelief as he shrunk back down to the little black piglet she had found earlier.
"MINAKO!!!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!!!" her father yelled as he burst into the bathroom wielding a golf club. "Where's that pervert?!?"
::I hope my acting is up to par..:: she thought as she put on her most frightened face, "There was a peeping tom in the window!"
"I'll kill him!" her Father declared as he ran out of the bathroom and headed for the back of the house.
Minako gathered P-chan up in her arms and made for her bedroom. ::I gotta hear his story!:: she thought as she closed the door. ::Let's see, what caused him to change...:: She paced the room for a while, pausing only to deal with her overwrought Father who tried awkwardly to comfort her. After she got him to leave, she finally remembered that he changed only after he had been dunked in hot water. She quickly got into a nightshirt and went to kitchen to get a cup of tea.
When she got back to her room, she found P-chan awake and watching her with a rather dejected look.
"Ok Ryouga, let's hear what you have to say for yourself." She placed him on the floor and dumped the hot water over him. She blushed, but did not look away as the transformation took place and he desperately tried to cover himself.
"Could I have that towel please?" He asked in a very small voice. Without ever taking her eyes off of him, she fumbled for the towel for a second before handing it to him.
"How did you do that?" She finally asked after he had covered himself with the towel.
"It's a curse," he looked up as he recalled what had happened, "Almost a year ago, I was travelling in China looking for Ranma to finish a duel when I fell into Heituenniichuan, Spring of Drowned Black Piglet. Now, whenever I get splashed with cold water, I change."
"And you didn't tell us about this while we were studying?"
"It's not the kind of thing you tell anyone!" He snapped, "What am I supposed to do? Walk up to someone and say, 'Hi, I'm Ryouga Hibiki and I turn into a little black pig'?"
Minako thought back to what Usagi had said right before the Daimon attack. "Wait a second, is your curse why, what's her name? Akane, was so mad at you? You never told her did you?"
He looked down in embarrassment, "No, I never did tell her. It was too embarrassing."
"Not as embarrassed as she felt when she found out one of her so-called friends was peeping at her!" Minako retorted angrily as she put her hands on her hips.
Ryouga turned red. "I couldn't possibly... I meant I wouldn't... I couldn't.." He babbled on like that for a few minutes before Minako interrupted him.
"OK, so you didn't peep at her, but it doesn't change the fact that you slept with her as a pig." She scowled as Ryouga winced at her words
"I...I'm sorry." He hung his head, "I'll be going now, I won't bother you again." He stood to leave only to get pushed back down.
"Oh no you don't!" She said firmly, "You're going to stay right there while I talk to Usagi and see what she says about all this!"
Ryouga sighed as Minako stomped off to supposedly use the phone. ::Now she hates me too...::
Usagi wearily lifted her head from her pillow as her communicator started beeping.
"Hmmm?" She blinked at the tiny picture of Minako on the screen. "Minako-chan? Don't tell me it's another attack!"
"No, nothing like that," Minako reassured her, "It's just that, well, did you know Ryouga has a curse?"
"Yeah," Usagi yawned, "Turns into a little black piglet. Why?"
Minako blushed rather fiercely at this point, "I kinda picked up his cursed form and then..."
"And then?"
"I took a bath with him. I thought he was just a lost little piglet that was really cold from the rain!"
Usagi stared at Minako's blushing image in the communicator for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. If it was possible, Minako blushed even harder.
"It's not that funny! Why didn't you tell us about that?"
"I thought that he'd tell everyone else once he was comfortable." Usagi sighed, "How's he doing?"
"He's sitting in my room with only a towel on."
"Ooooooh! Don't stay up all night with him!" Usagi teased.
"Oh be quiet!" Minako snapped.
"You've got him in your room already? You little vixen you!"
"It's not like that at all!" Minako protested as she cut the connection.
When Minako re-entered her room, Ryouga looked up at her like a condemned prisoner would look at his jailers. Despite her already fading outrage at him seeing her in the bath, the look of total dejection and depression tugged at her heart.
"Look, Ryouga, Usagi said she knew and thought you would tell us when you were ready. I, I guess I can't really blame you for not wanting to talk to anyone about it."
"You, you aren't going to hit me?" He asked with a bit of trepidation in his voice. Minako gave him a startled look before she started giggling.
"No, silly! I only hit you in the bathroom because you had scared me!" She gave him a vicious look, "If you had asked to join me though..." She trailed off and gave him a wink. Ryouga's nose seemed to explode with blood. Smiling, Minako pinched his nose shut. "I was only kidding with you!"
"You... You don't hate me? For being a pig?" He stammered.
"Of course not!" She sat down on the bed and put her hands on her hips, "It doesn't matter if your cursed at all! One shouldn't judge a book by it's words!"
Ryouga sweatdropped. "Uhm... Isn't that 'Don't judge a book by it's cover?"
Minako looked up, "I guess you could say it that way too..." She looked back at Ryouga and smiled again, "Not that it really matters. What we need to worry about now is what we are going to do with you."
"Me?"
"Well, I can't just turn you out into the rain, you'd just become a piglet again. She held up her now cold cup of tea, "I think I have a solution. But you gotta promise me one thing!"
"What?"
"That you won't climb into my bed in the middle of the night and start pawing around or I might decide to just throw you out the window."
Ryouga turned beet red and waved his arms in front of him, "I promise! I promise!"
"Good!" She splashed him with the cold tea and watched, fascinated by the transformation. She dried him off with the towel and then put one of her spare pillows on the floor for him. "G'night Ryouga."
"Bwee." P-chan settled into the pillow and was fast asleep in a few seconds.
Minako smiled at the sleeping piglet before jotting down a quick note to Artemis about P-chan. She left the note on her desk and settled in for bed herself.
::I wonder where he is anyways...::
Outside, a thoroughly drenched white moon cat shook his head at what he had seen through the window.
***
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 2
Ranma roused slowly from his rest and yawned deeply. The ground outside his tent was still moist from the previous night's rain and the smell of pine was strong in the morning air. The morning mist was wispy and torn, and rather reminded him of smoke from a battlefield. A second look by the drowsy martial artist confirmed that the damage caused by the fight the night before wasn't just a dream as he had hoped. For a brief moment he missed the morning sparing he used to have with his father, but he brushed that thought away.
He was stiff and in pain from the hits he had taken, but the pain receded as he stretched and began to flow through his forms. Even though his body was busy with the motions of the kata, his mind was thoroughly analyzing the fight from as many angles as he could think of.
The daimon, despite its ridiculous appearance, was a very difficult opponent. Ranma frowned and put a little more energy into a kick when he remembered how, for all his skill and strength, he could barely get it's attention. He had managed to hurt it, but only when he had actually used one of his special attacks or when his battle aura was in full force. As quickly as the anger had come to him, it melted away.
Then he thought about who had really won the fight, Sailor Moon. It seemed silly to him that a girl that wore a stylized sailor suit and made stupid speeches before starting a fight could have the power to finish off the daimon.
He almost laughed as he thought about that. It seemed like he had spent a fair portion of the fight keeping an eye on her and saving her from any potential harm. What had really surprised him was that even though she seemed like a startled rabbit every time he had saved her, she did have enough nerve to step between him and Ryouga while they were fighting, not to mention tackle the daimon when it had both him and Ryouga by the throat.
He shook the images of the blond Senshi from his head and concentrated on remembering what moves had the most effect on the daimon. After a few short minutes, he decided that he was going to have to train harder with his special moves if he was going to be fighting daimons again.
::Maybe I could find Ryouga sometime today so we can get some real training done...:: He thought as he finished his kata. He winced slightly as several bruises started to complain again. Ranma frowned to himself while he gathered what he needed for school, doing his best to ignore the pain and stiffness that had returned full force.
A short while later, he dashed off for his first day at Juuban High with a silly grin plastered on his face. He ignored the startled looks he got as he rocketed down a fence towards his new school.
"This is great! No more Kuno!" He laughed as he hopped off the fence and walked through the gate for the school. Activity in the yard seemed to stop as he made his way into the building. He ignored this and made his way to the offices. He looked around at the chaotic crowd of administrators and teachers attending to the last minute details before the school day and sighed.
"I ain't ever gonna get my schedule at this rate..." Ranma muttered to himself before wading into the chaos.
"Can I help you?" a pudgy man asked Ranma as he wandered aimlessly through the office.
"Yeah, I'm Ranma Saotome and it's my first day here. Do ya got my schedule?"
"Hmm... Let's see... Saotome..." the man began flipping through a pile of papers on his desk until he got to a fairly thick file. "Ah, yes, Ranma. Have a seat," He gestured to a chair in front of the desk. The administrator waited until Ranma was seated before speaking again.
"Do you know what these are?" he asked as he held up the thick files. Ranma shook his head.
"These are your discipline files from Furinkan High. It seems that you have been in more than your fair share of trouble."
"I can explain," Ranma said nervously before the man waved him silent.
"I'm sure you can. The faculty at Furinkan seemed to be making special effort to detail exactly who was at fault in all of these disturbances. Fortunately for you, not many of them were your fault, not directly anyway."
"So, I'm not in trouble?"
"No, you're not. I just wanted to warn you to be on your best behavior while you are here and that includes wearing the uniform," he handed Ranma a slip of paper. "Now get to class."
"Uhm... I don't have a uniform."
"Didn't your parents buy you one?"
"I'm takin' care of myself now. I'll get a uniform after I'm sure I can eat."
The man's eyes took on a hard glint. "I think you had better tell me what's going on, young man."
Ranma sighed, "I decided that Pops just wasn't doing the right things anymore, so I moved out. I've got enough money to eat for a while, and just as soon as I can get a part time job or somethin' I'll be able to keep on eatin' and maybe get a better place to stay."
Ranma sat nervously as the administrator made a quick phone call. Once he had hung up the phone, the man sighed and stood from his desk. "Come with me, Ranma. I think you need to see our guidance counselor."
"I ain't done nothin' wrong yet!" Ranma protested as he stood to follow him.
"It's not that. I think you need to talk about what was happening at home, and I'm not qualified to help you with that. Here we go, you just knock on her door and tell her everything that's been going on at your house. Here, she's going to want to see your files," he handed Ranma the files and walked off.
Ranma looked at the oak door blankly for a moment before he glanced at the nameplate. What he saw made him do a double take.
"Setsuna Meioh? Ain't that the same woman that wanted to talk to Usagi the other night?" he asked himself as he knocked. Shortly after knocking, he was asked to enter by a familiar voice.
"Come in, Mr. Saotome. I've been expecting you."
Ranma opened the door and looked around the surprisingly large office. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with bookcases and behind a large oak desk sat Setsuna.
"Please, have a seat."
"Uhm... Thanks." He closed the door behind him and sat in front of her desk. "Here, the guy who told me to come here said you'd wanna see this." He handed her the file. "Your discipline record is not as important as finding out what caused the rift between you and your father," she said calmly as she placed the file on her desk and steepled her fingers.
"Now that'll take a while," Ranma said sarcastically, "Which part of messin' up my life did you wanna hear first?"
Setsuna merely raised an eyebrow at him and waited.
"He's engaged me to more girls than I can count, once it was for a bowl of rice a fish and _two_ pickles. About the only thing I can thank him for is training me to be the best at Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"Is that the only reason you left?"
Ranma fidgeted in silence for a few minutes. "Well, no." He finally admitted. "I got into a pretty big fight with Akane the other day. I thought we were finally starting to get along..."
"Go on," she prompted when he faltered.
"Well, it's like this; she thinks of herself as a martial artist, but she ain't got none of the discipline needed to be any good at it. She's always flying off the handle at the least little thing, and then when you try an' help her she blows up on ya and then beats you into the ground with the nearest blunt object." Once his hesitation over talking about this with a stranger faded, it was like a floodgate opening. For some odd reason, he felt as if he knew her from some time long ago, but he couldn't place exactly where.
"Her cooking is toxic, but instead of listening to Kasumi when she tries to learn, she just improvises."
"Her cooking can't be that bad..."
Ranma gave her an odd look, "Only someone who ain't never had to eat her cooking can say something like that. Anyway, she expects to be able to train with me, but when I try to seriously train her, she gets mad about something and loses focus. I guess that's what really happened the other day..." He trailed off as he thought back to the fight that led up to his departure from the dojo. At the silent prompting from Setsuna to continue, he preceded to describe the incident in detail.
Once Ranma had finished telling Setsuna about that and Mamoru and Usagi's subsequent arrival at the dojo, he slumped in his seat.
"Come to think of it, I dunno know why she suddenly got so mad," he said half to himself.
"She couldn't have always been like that." Setsuna protested mildly.
"Oh sure," Ranma laughed, "Every once in a while she'd give this little smile or do something nice for me. I guess after ten years on the road with Pops I was a bit lonely at first. After a while things had gotten better, kinda. Except once she an' I started to get along better, Pops and Mr. Tendo started pushing us to get married a lot. I couldn't stand it!" He made a gagging noise.
"I see," Setsuna said mildly. "So that's why you are living in a tent in the middle of the park."
"Yeah. That'll only be 'til I can find a better place to sleep."
Setsuna regarded the young man across from her. It seemed odd to her that no matter how much hardship he had endured, he still seemed to have a fairly positive attitude.
"Tell me then, what did your mother have to say about this?"
Ranma looked down and mumbled something under his breath before he straightened back up. "I dunno. Pops took me on a training trip ten years ago and I haven't seen her as a man," he snorted in disgust. "That's another reason not to go back to Pops fer now."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow and started rummaging around in her desk drawer. Despite his potentially disastrous ability to alter the time stream, she found herself feeling just a little sorry for the young man. After a moment she decided that if she couldn't just get rid of him, she may as well keep an eye on him. That being decided, she pulled out a small pamphlet and handed it to Ranma.
"Here. That's a listing of the jobs a student is allowed to take during the school year. With the kind of determination that I believe you have, I'm certain you will find a decent job and keep your grades up."
"Hey, thanks!" Ranma said as he started flipping through the pamphlet before her words really sunk in. "Wait a sec, what about my grades?"
"It's very simple. You must retain a certain grade point average to be allowed to work after school. Otherwise, I'll be forced to place you in a study group and you will not have the time to be able to work even an hour." Her tone was level, but her face betrayed a sternness that Ranma had only seen once or twice before. It looked a lot different on a beautiful woman's face rather than a wrinkled old woman, but it was unmistakable. She quickly wrote down a quick note and handed that to him as well.
"That is an explanation to your teachers about your lack of a uniform. I do expect you to purchase one just as soon as you can afford to. I think it's time you went to your homeroom."
"Uhm... Thanks," Ranma said as he got to his feet. "I guess I'll be seein' ya again later." He waved jauntily as he left her office and closed the door.
Setsuna leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. After careful consideration, she decided that she needed to see for herself what kind of upbringing he had. The files from Furinkan were very carefully worded; as if they were trying to hide something and Ranma himself had been less than forthcoming about more than the very recent past.
With a dazzling display of flashing lights, she transformed into Sailor Pluto and departed to the Gates of Time to learn more about the mystery that was Ranma Saotome.
Earlier that morning, Minako Aino woke slowly to an impatient tapping on her cheek. She drowsily batted at the paws in front of her face and rolled onto her side. The patting on her cheek resumed and she gradually became aware of the insistent buzz of her alarm clock.
"Oh no!" She yelled as she sat bolt upright in bed, sending Artemis flying, "I'm going to be late for school!!"
"Bwee!" P-chan complained as Minako's frantic movements woke him up. Bemused, he watched as she dashed into the next room and came back a moment later trying to tie her ribbon and eat a piece of toast at the same time.
"Artemis! Why didn't you wake me up?" She said to the dazed moon cat. Without even pausing for a reply from him, she started stuffing books and papers at random into her book bag. P-chan squealed indignantly as he was grabbed and shoved into the bookbag as well. Minako either ignored or didn't hear his panicked squealing as she finished getting ready and dashed out of the house.
She barely managed to make it to her seat before the bell rang. A small sigh escaped her lips as she watched her teacher enter the room and begin with roll call. While fighting off the inevitable boredom that was algebra class, she reached into her book bag for her notebook. Her eyes widened when she felt something small and warm inside her bag. She opened the bag fully and looked inside, half expecting to find Artemis in there. What she did find, though, was P-chan.
"Ryouga?!?" she whispered. "How did you get in there?"
P-chan did a little piggy shrug and did his absolute best to look small and innocent. Minako gave him an unreadable look as she retrieved the notebook she needed.
"We'll talk about this later," she whispered and returned her attention to the front.
P-chan sighed a bit to himself and tried to make himself comfortable. It was pitch black in the book bag and utterly boring. The only thing he found that helped with the boredom was to listen to the classes being taught.
When lunchtime rolled around, Minako slipped away from the classroom with her book-bag in hand. Once she was off school grounds, she pulled Ryouga from her bag.
"I think we need to find your backpack," she said as she headed towards the park where they had fought the previous night. "Maybe it's somewhere near where I found you..."
After they had walked through the park for several minutes, they came across the site of the previous night's battle. Ranma's tent was pitched in a neat little camp on the edge of the battlefield and Ryouga's pack was sitting out in the open. Minako put P-chan down and began to rummage through the pack until she found the small propane stove and a kettle. She giggled a bit foolishly as she tried to set it up but never seemed to get it put together quite right.
"Bwee!" P-chan snorted, a little annoyed at how long it was taking her before he gently pushed her hands away from the portable stove with his snout and proceeded to set it up himself.
"Are you trying to say I don't know what I'm doing?" Minako asked in a stern tone. P-chan spared her a glance as he finished setting it up and dug a canteen of water out of his pack. Once the kettle was full and sitting on the portable stove, P-chan settled back on his haunches and watched the kettle in earnest.
"Now I've seen everything, a piggy that boils his own water," Minako giggled. The moment a puff of steam wafted from the spout of the kettle, Minako grabbed it and poured its contents over P-chan.
"Would you stop doing that?!" Ryouga screamed as he covered himself while turning a bright red. "Could you look away please?"
Minako did have the good grace to blush as she looked to one side while Ryouga dug through his pack and quickly got dressed.
"Now what do we do, Ryouga?" Minako asked when he was done. "I've already missed out on class for the afternoon, so I might as well do something. Besides," she continued with a mischievous little grin, "I can't let you wander off, now can I?"
"Uhm, I dunno," he looked around nervously.
"Well, what do you normally do during the day when you want to stay in one place?" She asked with the sweetest smile she could come up with.
"I either train or fight Ranma," Ryouga answered without hesitation.
"Oooh! Can I watch?" Minako squealed.
"I guess..."
Mamoru Chiba sighed as he closed the door to his apartment. A quick glance around showed him that Ryouga still had not returned.
"Was it too much to ask for him to not get lost?" He muttered as he dropped his books on the coffee table. He paused for a minute and gazed at the framed photo of Ryouga.
As he stood there, there was a knock at the door. After one last quick glance at the photo, he answered the door.
"Oh, Usako."
"Hi Mamo-chan!" She gave him a quick hug and then gazed up at his face lovingly. Her face darkened when she noticed his pensive look. "What's wrong?"
"It's Ryouga... I think he got lost."
"I think he's with Ranma right now, actually. There was a second attack last night."
"There was?" He looked stunned, "Must not have taken long, I never even felt you being in danger."
"Actually," she looked down and scuffed her feet a little. "I was."
"What?!?" Mamoru half yelled as he dragged Usagi into his apartment and slammed the door. "Are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere are you?!?" He began to check for any injuries in a panic.
"I'm fine, Mamo-chan!" She batted playfully at his hands. "Ranma was there and he looked out for me!"
Mamoru's face darkened. "Ranma?"
"You should have seen it! He and Ryouga fought with the daimon with their bare hands!" She made a few punching motions to emphasize a point or two as she described the fight to a stunned Mamoru.
"Wait a minute!" He stopped her when she described how Ryouga had shot his shi shi hokkoudan, "Are you telling me that those two can do energy blasts!"
"Yeah! Rei-chan says that Ranma uses his ego, while Ryouga uses all these dark emotions, like depression and stuff. Poor Rei-chan said she had a terrible headache because they used way more of something she called 'Ki' than she's ever dreamed of using. It really knocked that daimon for a loop! It caught them by the throat then, but I tackled it. Then Ryouga ripped one of its arms off right before it exploded!"
Mamoru felt more and more insignificant as Usagi excitedly finished her story, but failed to mention Ranma's transformation.
"I'm sorry, Usako. I should have been there."
"Don't worry about it, Mamo-chan." Usagi tried to comfort him, "We beat the daimon, and Ranma went looking for Ryouga."
"You said they both got hit by water from a Deep Submerge, right? Did Ranma change as well?" He asked.
Usagi looked away and began to fidget. "Well, yes..."
"What does he turn into?"
Usagi fidgeted a little longer before she looked up at his face again. "I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you! It's Ranma's problem, and I don't think that I should be spreading it around."
"Usako!" He sounded shocked and angry at the same time.
"He was really uncomfortable about it. If he wants to keep it a secret, I'll do what I can to help him." She said defiantly.
"So, you don't trust me enough? Is that it?" Mamoru half yelled. "Your always so worried about other peoples' feelings, what about mine?"
"I'm sorry, Mamo-chan," tears began running down her cheeks as she rushed from his apartment. He sighed to himself as he watched her go.
"That didn't go well."
Usagi wandered listlessly down the streets of the Juuban shopping district. The few store windows she looked in only reflected her tear-streaked face. She couldn't even bring herself to go into the Crown Arcade. The other people on the sidewalk gave the depressed girl a wide berth.
"Hey, Usagi!"
Usagi looked around for who had called her name, but couldn't see anyone she knew. She let her head drop back down and continued to trudge along.
"Up here," Ranma said from the fence next to her. When she did finally look right at him, he frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing," she tried in vain to stop crying and smile for him.
"Like heck it's nothing," Ranma said as he hopped off the fence. "The last couple a' times I've seen ya, you've been all smiles and now I see ya just wanderin' around crying? I ain't that stupid."
Usagi just looked at him for a moment before latching onto him with a death grip and she cried into his shirt causing Ranma to wince thanks to his bruises.
"Mamo-chan's being mean! He's mad because I'm keeping someone's secret from him. He doesn't think I trust him!" She wailed.
"Uhm... Who's secret would that be?" Ranma asked after he looked around frantically, fully expecting Akane to materialize and pound him for letting another girl hug him.
Usagi suddenly froze and backed away from him. "I really shouldn't tell you either."
Ranma shrugged, "Not a problem. It ain't like I care what other people's secrets are or nothin'. Ain't it almost time for yer study group?"
"Oh no! Ami-chan's going to scold me if I'm late!" Usagi looked frantically at her watch, "Rei-chan's temple is all the way across town and I only have five minutes to get there." She slumped down and began dragging her feet as she walked off, "I'll see you later, Ranma."
"Wait a sec!" Ranma jogged a few steps to stand in front of her, "I can get ya there in a jiffy."
"Really?" Usagi looked up at him and dashed her tears away with a fist.
"Yeah, but you gotta trust me," He said as he motioned for her to get on his back.
"Uhm.. Ok..." She said a little dubiously as she climbed onto his back.
"Hold on tight!" He said as he leapt into the air. Usagi screamed and grabbed onto Ranma's neck with all her might as they left the ground far below.
"Loosen up! I can't breath!" Ranma gasped as they landed on top of a lamppost. Usagi loosened her grip just enough so he could breath and he leapt again. Once he was on top of the buildings, he ran fast enough to take Usagi's breath away. One of the pedestrians in particular had stopped longer than the others to watch the spectacle. Witch Mimette smiled to herself as she stepped up to a public phone.
"Professor? I have a new target."
Rei scowled as she looked at her watch again. Everyone else had already shown up for the study session, save Usagi.
"Where is she?" She asked irritably as she opened her notebook.
"Now, now. Usagi-chan probably stopped off to see Mamoru after school," Ami said before returning her attention to the problem that Ryouga was struggling with.
"She better hurry if she knows what's good for her." Rei growled and tried to study. There was an annoying high-pitched noise that slowly grew louder. She tried rubbing her ear with one hand, but the noise didn't go away.
"Hey, you guys hear that?" She asked. The others stopped studying for a moment, and then they too could hear the noise.
"What is that?" Makoto asked as she stood and tried to follow the noise.
"It's coming from outside," Minako said sternly, "and it sounds like someone screaming."
They all walked out to the front lawn of the temple and strained their ears.
"That almost sounds like Usagi..." Rei muttered.
"What ever it is, it's coming this way," Minako frowned as she began to wonder how she would be able to transform without Ryouga seeing her. Similar thoughts were running through the heads of the rest of the Senshi.
Suddenly, Ranma shot over the temple wall with a very frazzled looking Usagi on his back. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was still screaming. The rest of the girls facefaulted at this sight, but Ryouga merely snorted.
"Showing off, Ranma?" he asked.
"Aww, shut up. Hey, we're there," Ranma said gently to Usagi.
She stopped screaming and opened her eyes to look around. "I think I'd rather take the bus next time..." She said shakily as Ranma put her down.
"What in the world were you doing?" Rei asked angrily, "You're late for the study group and you come in screaming your head off, distracting the rest of us!"
"No fair, Usagi-chan! You've already got Mamoru!" Makoto complained with a pout. She almost said something else when Usagi burst into tears.
"Aw, geez... You got her started again..." Ranma muttered as he knelt next to Usagi.
"Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" Ami asked as she moved to comfort her as well.
"Mamo-chan and I had a fight." Usagi finally managed to say between sobs.
The girls gave a collective gasp as Usagi continued to weep.
"Come on, you two have had fights before," Rei said comfortingly, causing Ryouga to give her a startled look, "And you've always managed to make up in the past. What could make this time any different?"
Usagi gave a quick, pleading look at Ranma. Rei shifted her gaze to the pigtailed boy and gave him a quick smile.
"Ranma? Could you take Ryouga inside? I don't think Usagi will tell us what's wrong while you're here."
"Uhm... Sure," Ranma said as he grabbed Ryouga's shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure you could be studyin' instead of listening in on some girl talk."
Once the boys were inside, the girls huddled close around Usagi.
"I think you need to tell us what's going on." Rei said firmly.
"Well, I told Mamo-chan about the fight last night. He got mad when I wouldn't tell him about Ranma's curse."
All the girls but Minako gave her a disbelieving look.
"Let me guess, you didn't tell him for the same reason you didn't tell me about Ryouga's?" Minako asked calmly. Usagi nodded a little.
"What are you talking about?" Makoto asked, "Ryouga's got a curse too?"
Minako blushed at the memory. "Is it alright if I tell them, Usagi-chan?" She asked in a very small voice.
Usagi nodded slightly and wiped her eyes a little. Minako then told them about how Ryouga was turned into a little black piglet and she took him home to her bath.
"You took a bath with Ryouga?" Makoto asked in disbelief.
If it was possible, Minako turned even more red. "Well... He passed out almost right away though."
"I was wondering why you were the one to bring Ryouga here today," Ami said, "he did seem to be a bit more, distracted by you while we were studying."
"How did he look?" Rei asked suddenly.
Minako sighed and clasped her hands together, "Like a Greek god..."
Usagi giggled at that, gaining the attention of the others.
"Glad to see you're feeling better, Usagi-chan!" Makoto smiled, "Come on, I brought some really nice snacks for while we're studying."
Makoto had barely finished saying that when Usagi rocketed into the room where they normally studied. The others smiled indulgently at that and followed at a more sedate pace.
"Don't eat all of them!" Rei called after her.
"So, where had ya wandered off to last night?" Ranma asked as they entered the house.
Ryouga rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little, "I got stuck in a tree and Minako found me..."
Ranma smacked his head, "Please tell me ya ran off before she took you ta bed."
Ryouga blushed, "Actually, she took me into the bath..." He stopped as Ranma fell down howling with laughter, "Shut up, Ranma! It's not funny!"
"Sure it's not," Ranma laughed, "It's hilarious!"
Ryouga fumed and clenched his fists, but said nothing.
Ranma stopped laughing suddenly and his face took on a determined cast. "Seriously, Ryouga, we gotta talk."
"Huh?" "You remember the fight last night? I was thinkin'... If we end up fightin' one of those things again, we might not win. Not unless we train seriously."
Ryouga frowned, "You've got a point there, Ranma. That thing was harder to fight than Pantyhose."
"You're the only martial artist around here that's even halfway good enough to train with. If I wasn't worried about Shampoo showin' up all the time, I'd get in touch with the old ghoul."
Ranma started to pace back and forth as he continued, "Anyway, the only things that seemed to hurt it were those sailor girls' blasts and our special moves. I think we need ta learn how to better work with our ki."
"Hey! I broke its arm just fine on my own!" Ryouga snapped.
"I know that, stupid! Yer aura was practically blinding when ya did it too. What we gotta learn is how to focus our ki into more of our attacks without wastin' all that effort lighting up an' makin' easy targets if we're fighting at night." Ranma growled.
Ryouga thought about it for a few minutes, "You wanna cooperate? So we can train to fight those... things?"
Ranma smiled, "Can you think of a better challenge? This is what the Art is for! Think about it, Ryouga, if we can fight off monsters like that, regular people ain't gonna get hurt. A martial artists' duty is to protect those weaker than himself ain't it?"
"Well, yeah I guess so..."
"Great!" Ranma smirked, "We'll start tonight in tha park again, or maybe a vacant lot."
"What are you guys talking about?" Usagi asked from behind them, causing both martial artist to jump.
"Geez, don't sneak up on me like that!" Ranma said.
"Well, excuse us for living!" Rei said as she crossed her arms and frowned. Despite himself, Ranma found himself cringing away from her.
"What were you talking about so intensely?" Ami asked them. "We could hear the two of you outside."
"Uhm.. Training! Yeah, we were talking about training!" Ranma said a little loudly while Ryouga nodded his head vigorously in agreement.
"Can I watch?" Makoto and Minako asked simultaneously.
"Uh, sure. Why not?" Ranma asked.
"Since that is settled," Ami said as she held up one of their books, "shall we get started with our studying?"
"You're more than welcome to stay and do your homework here, Ranma." Makoto said as he turned to leave.
"Uh... Are you guys sure?"
"Sure!" Makoto picked up a plate of sandwiches she had brought and held it up to Ranma, "Here, have some!"
"Hey, thanks!" Ranma said as he grabbed four and ate them in only a few seconds. He blinked when he noticed that he was subject to a lot of staring from the girls.
"Wow, you must've been hungry." Makoto finally managed to say.
"He eats more than Usagi-chan," Minako said, stunned.
"Is that possible?" Rei asked.
"Come on, she can't eat that much!" Ranma said with a smirk, "Look at how thin she is, she can't possibly pig...out?" he trailed off as Makoto put the remainder of the sandwiches down in front of Usagi and two of them disappeared almost instantly and a third was being nibbled on.
"Whoa..."
A short time later found Ranma reluctantly studying with them as well. He tried desperately to ignore the almost constant giggling and other noises that surrounded him, but there was one noise he just could not ignore.
"Meow."
He froze at that dreaded sound and slowly turned his head to look straight into the face of his worst nightmare. For some odd reason he didn't immediately react, his eyes glued to the crescent moon sigil on the black cat's forehead. They sat in that tableau for a full second before Ranma's reflexes kicked in.
"Yaaaahhh!! Get it away from me!" He shot across the room and became one with the wall. The girls all shot to their feet, ready to transform, but there was no daimon. Just a very scared looking Ranma, and a very startled Luna.
"Good grief," Ryouga said as he picked Luna up, "C'mon, let's put you somewhere where you won't scare Ranma." Before anyone could think to stop him, he had walked out the door.
"What the...? Hey, wait for me! Ryouga!" Minako said as she dashed after him.
"What's wrong with you, Ranma?" Rei asked, "Scaring us all half to death just because you saw a cat."
Ranma slumped down and hugged his knees. "You wouldn't say that if you knew the hell I'd been through..."
The girls settled back down and looked at him expectantly. The ensuing silence wasn't broken until Minako returned with a slightly embarrassed Ryouga in tow.
"I can't believe you had gotten halfway down the block before I caught up with you," Minako said as she flopped back into her seat, "Honestly, Ryo-chan."
Ryouga just blushed and said something incoherent as he sat as well. Makoto and Usagi looked at each other in shock.
"Ryo-chan?" they whispered to each other.
"Well, Ranma?" Rei said with a touch of an edge in her voice, "Are you going to tell us about why you were so scared of Luna or not?"
Ranma grumbled something under his breath before he relaxed into a more comfortable position. "It happened when I was ten years old. Pops got it into his head ta teach me some supposedly invincible technique called the neko-ken. The trainin' was deceptively simple. Wrap tha trainee from head to toe in fish sausages and toss him into a pit of starvin' cats. The stupid idiot didn't bother to turn the page and find out that it causes the trainee to go insane."
The girls winced at that. A few quick glances were exchanged between them before Usagi dared to speak.
"That's terrible! How could he do that to you?" she sounded almost sick.
Ranma shrugged, "He wanted me to become the best martial artist ever."
"How many times did he throw you into that pit?" Rei asked suddenly.
Ranma winced at the memory, "Dunno. I lost count after the second time." A stunned silence settled over the room as Ranma stood and grabbed his bag. "I guess I'll be going. See ya," he waved as moved to leave the room.
"Wait! Ranma!" Ryouga grabbed his arm, "are you going to just walk out like that?" he growled. "Did you forget about our training?"
"Don't sweat it piggy, I'll come back fer ya." He slapped Ryouga's hand off his arm, "Or did you forget that Friday is only three days away? I seem ta recall you sayin' yer gonna take that test Friday."
Ryouga stumbled back. ::Oh no! I had forgotten!:: He thought as he clenched his fists. "Heh, don't worry about that, Ranma. I got this thing aced!" He began to laugh maniacally.
"Wait a second, Ryouga," Ami motioned towards the paper he was working on. "You got these problems wrong. See?"
Ryouga fell over almost bonelessly while Ranma laughed and left the room. Minako moved to kneel next to Ryouga as he twitched slightly.
"Ryo-chan? Are you alright?" She asked.
"Uhm... Sure! Why wouldn't I be?" Ryouga laughed nervously as he sat back up and grabbed his pencil.
Sailor Pluto stumbled out of the Time Gates and knelt heavily. She knelt like that for some time, clutching the Time Key and breathing raggedly. She looked back at the images the Time Gate showed and cringed as she saw yet another painful scene from Ranma's life flow past.
"How? How could I have just let something like that happen?" She asked no one in particular.
When she had decided to look into Ranma's life, she had started at a fairly logical point, when he was barely a toddler. She had smiled as she had watched his home life. Things had seemed fairly normal until the day that Genma had taken Ranma away from Nodoka. From there, it devolved into one painful day after another. She had watched helplessly as Ranma was mercilessly trained in the martial arts, moved from town to town in search of new techniques and finally subjected to the Neko-ken. What she had seen was just too much for her to endure, and she had broken the promise she had made to herself not to interfere with someone's past. She sighed as she thought back to what she had done...
Genma pushed his screaming son into the pit before closing the lid. He sat next to the lid and waited.
"Come on boy, do your old man proud and learn to get over that fear of yours." He said to himself.
"That's no way to treat your own son!" Setsuna declared as she burst into the room, disguised as an old woman.
Genma hardly looked at her. "Go away. This has nothing to do with you, old woman."
"I warn you, Genma Saotome, if you do not bring him back out of that pit this instant, there will be catastrophic consequences to pay."
"There will be even worse ones to pay if he can't get over his fear of cats!" He roared as he leapt to his feet, "My son and I signed a pledge with my wife that should he return and not be a man among men, we both would commit seppuku! How manly is it to be scared of a cat?"
Setsuna's response was lost amongst the sharp reports of boards splintering and the angry yowling that came from within the pit. Genma rushed to the edge, only to have a white blur shoot out of the pit and maul him.
Setsuna fought to keep from crying as she watched the ten-year old boy finish clawing his father and made motions like a cat was kicking sand over something undesirable.
"Ranma..." she said softly. Ranma spun quickly and glared at her. She knelt and waited quietly while Ranma slowly circled her before coming within reach.
Setsuna gingerly reached out and scratched the boy behind the ear. Ranma began to purr like a kitten and rubbed his head against her hand. In a few moments, Ranma was peacefully asleep in her lap.
"What am I going to do with you, Ranma?"
She had stayed in that time period for a few months, long enough for Ranma to not be quite as sensitive to the approach of a cat. On a whim, she carefully set into his psyche to not be afraid of the moon cats only if they spoke to him.
Shortly before Genma had taken Ranma and moved on she disappeared back into the time stream, leaving Genma to think that she had died. From then on, Genma could swear he felt a piercing gaze at his back every time he decided to try a new and dangerous technique. Unfortunately for Ranma, he usually ignored it.
"I had a real chance to make a difference in his life and keep him away from Juuban, but I blew it," Sailor Pluto berated herself. Almost absently, she shifted the Time Gates to show Crystal Tokyo again. There were even more splinters in the time-stream now, and there were possibilities that were growing as each moment passed. She frowned when she noticed a rather large splinter had formed and was growing. She traced it back and gasped when she discovered that this time, neither Ranma nor Ryouga were at the core, but Usagi and Mamoru.
"This is not good." She muttered and probed the thread some more. She frowned as the gates replayed Mamoru's angry words.
"That idiot... Doesn't he realize what he's just done?" She said angrily. She fumed for a few minutes before she calmed back down and continued watching the significant points of Ranma's life. There was still plenty of time for Mamoru and Usagi to fix their own mess and she needed to know everything she could about Ranma to be able to get him to leave Juuban for good, or at least minimize his effect on her princess.
Ryouga let out a sigh of relief as he put his pencil down on top of the mock exam he was taking with the others. He shook his wrists for a moment to relieve a cramp while Ami looked over his work.
"Ryouga," Ami said in a slightly concerned tone.
"Uhm... yeah?"
"You got the entire geography section wrong."
Ryouga facefaulted and fell on the table twitching. Minako patted his back comfortingly.
"Don't worry about it, Ryo-chan!" she said brightly, "You'll get it right soon enough."
Ryouga sat up, a blush covering his face, "Y-yeah. You're right! I can do this!" He declared as his aura sprung up around him.
The girls dove away from him, half expecting him to throw another blast. Ryouga ignored them and grabbed another mock exam and began writing furiously, his aura licking spectral flames across the table as he worked. Rei grit her teeth a little as she dealt with the storm of emotions coming from him.
I use a little Ki in my fire readings, but this... At least I wasn't transformed this time.::
"Wow..." Usagi said softly once she had gotten over her shock, "He must be really determined to get into High School."
"Determined is an understatement," Makoto said. "If he's not careful, he'll rip the paper."
They watched him in silence as he worked furiously for the next half-hour.
"Hah!" Ryouga yelled as he stood and held the test up, "I'm done! I'm ready!" He laughed maniacally. Ami gently pulled the test from his hand.
"It's good to see that you're so confident on this, Ryouga," She said gently, "But let us see if you answered the questions correctly."
"Come on, Ami-chan! With concentration like that, how could he get them wrong?" Usagi said as she clapped for Ryouga.
"Oh dear," Ami's soft words brought an instant halt to Ryouga's celebration.
"What is it?" He asked worriedly as he knelt to look at the paper Ami was grading.
She didn't say a word, but held the piece of paper up so everyone could see it clearly. The paper looked like it had been scorched and was completely unreadable. Ryouga's jaw dropped as he realized what he'd just done.
"Now that's just too rich!" Ranma smirked from the doorway.
"Ranma! When did you get here?" Usagi asked as she twisted to look at him.
"About the time pig-boy over there started laughing his fool head off."
"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryouga growled as he clenched his fist, "I will be ready for that test by Friday!"
"Of course you will, Ryo-chan! I believe in you!" Minako grabbed onto his arm, causing his angry expression to shift into a somewhat goofy one.
"'Ryo-chan'?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow. He glanced back and forth between Ryouga and Minako for a second. Ranma smirked as he walked over to Ryouga and hit him on the shoulder, "You sly dog you! Congrats!"
"Huh?"
"Don't play dumb on me, man! You know what I'm talkin' about! C'mon, let's get some trainin' done."
Ryouga suddenly looked really serious, "Yeah, training. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He gathered his things and left following Ranma. The girls turned a hard look towards Minako.
"So, when did he become Ryo-chan, Minako?" Rei asked as she crossed her arms.
"Well..." Minako fidgeted a little as she blushed, "He just looked too cute when I had caught up with him, and he had finally realized that he was lost."
"That's it?" Makoto asked skeptically.
"That and the bath you took with him, right Minako-chan!" Usagi giggled. The others began to giggle as well when Minako turned a very bright red.
"That was an accident! I swear!"
"Of course it was," Ami said placatingly.
"That's why he looked 'like a Greek god'!" Makoto teased her.
"Let's celebrate for Minako-chan by getting some icecream!" Usagi declared as she stood, "Minako Aino, future idol, has fallen in love! How can we let an occasion like that slide by without celebrating?" She asked in her most serious tone before turning for the door. "To the ice cream parlor! That's the perfect place to celebrate for Minako-chan!"
"Face it, Usagi, you just want some ice-cream," Rei stood as well, though.
Mimette peeked around the corner of a fence that bordered a vacant lot. Her target was there, and there was another young man with him as well.
::Look at him! He's gorgeous!:: She thought to herself,
Maybe I can get him to kiss me before I unleash the daimon on him...:: She giggled as she patted the briefcase.
"Ya ready, Ryouga?"
"Bring it on, Ranma!"
With a shout, the two martial artists rushed each other and began their sparring, although to the casual observer, they looked more like they were trying to kill each other. Punches and kicks flew faster than most people could follow them, and Mimette was no exception. She gazed on Ranma with starry-eyed wonder as a small crowd gathered around the lot to watch the two martial artists train.
"Wow! I had no idea they were so healthy! Too bad I only have one daimon, I'm sure they both have pure heart crystals!" She giggled as she walked into the vacant lot.
Neither Ranma nor Ryouga noticed her approach as they were too intent on their training. Ryouga flew backwards from a well placed kick from Ranma and landed in the dirt near Mimette.
"That was a good one, Ranma!" Ryouga snarled as he regained his feet. "I actually felt it."
"You should've! I tried focusing my ki into that kick," Ranma smirked and then started looking around the vacant lot with a worried expression on his face.
"You're going to have to tell me how you did that." Ryouga grudgingly admitted as he walked up to Ranma.
"Sure man, it's like this..." Ranma beckoned him close and began to whisper, "Something's out there."
"What?" Ryouga frowned as he tried to adjust to the sudden change in the topic.
"I dunno..." Ranma glanced around the lot, "But it has the same feel to it as that thing from last night."
"How far?" Ryouga tensed as he strained to feel the presence as well. "I feel it, but I can't tell where." He grumbled.
"Excuse me?" Mimette said meekly as she approached. She screamed in fright when both Ranma and Ryouga turned on her and fell into their stances.
"Geez! It's just a girl!" Ranma muttered.
"What's the matter with you two?" She half yelled as she held one hand over her heart.
"Sorry, Miss, but we are in training to fight monsters," Ryouga explained.
Mimette's face took on a hard look. "You two fight monsters?"
"Yeah! It's every martial artists' duty to protect the weak." Ranma said sternly as he crossed his arms.
Mimette backed away from them slightly and held the briefcase in front of her in both hands. "Well then, how about this?" She said as she slapped the briefcase onto the ground and popped the latches. "Go, daimon!"
"What the?" Ranma and Ryouga leapt away from her as purplish smoke gusted from the briefcase and a vague form began to take shape.
"You! You're helping the monsters!" Ranma accused.
"I am Witch Mimette, and your pure heart is mine!" She laughed as she held up her staff, "Charm Buster!"
"Yow!" Ranma dodged to one side while the Charm Buster left a shallow crater where he had been standing. Ryouga scowled at Mimette, but diverted his attention to the strangely silent daimon that had finished forming. This one resembled a female samurai, but the sword it held in one hand was an ugly serrated blade. Its armor was black and trimmed with a sickly looking yellow. What really unnerved him, though, was the silvery skin the daimon had. It almost looked like it was completely metal.
"Go, daimon! Get his pure heart!" Mimette commanded. The daimon exploded into action then, rushing the still dazed Ranma with one hand outstretched towards him.
"Oh no you don't!" Ryouga snarled as he leapt to engage the daimon. He knocked it off balance with a jump-kick to the shoulder. The daimon countered with a lightning quick slash of its sword that Ryouga barely managed to dodge, leaving the sword to cut harmlessly through the air.
"Great, a Kuno monster," Ranma muttered as he almost casually landed on the daimon's head, driving it to the ground.
"Careful, Ranma! That thing's fast!" Ryouga warned him as the daimon rolled away from them and stood in a classic kempo stance.
"Let's get it!" Ranma yelled as he charged, fully confident that he could defeat the thing in front of him.
The daimon made a slow, deliberate arc with the sword before bringing it up faster than the eye could see.
"Air blades!" It called out in a monotone, but the effect of its attack was immediately apparent. The air surrounding the daimon swirled with dark energy that suddenly lashed out towards a very surprised Ranma. Although he managed to dodge that attack, the daimon had closed in with him and grabbed his shirt collar and lifted him off of the ground. Ranma blanched when the daimon seemed to be moving in to kiss him. He turned his face to one side, but he felt a suction that seemed to be pulling at his very soul.
"Ranma!" Ryouga yelled as he kicked the daimon squarely in the small of its back. He did not relent there as he continued to punch and kick with a sudden fury.
"Fool!" The daimon declared as it backhanded Ryouga away, "You would live longer if you didn't interfere!"
"That," Ryouga smirked as he stood, "Was a mistake!" With a vicious grin he grabbed his umbrella.
"Idiot! I have a hostage!" The daimon declared as it hauled around the arm that had Ranma to show Ryouga, but held nothing other than Ranma's shirt. "What?"
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma called out as he began punching the daimon as fast and as hard as he could. The armor the daimon was wearing began to buckle before the force of the attack sent it flying.
"My turn!" Ryouga yelled as he leapt high into the air, the tip of his umbrella aimed straight for the daimon's face. The daimon barely got out of his way before he crashed into the ground where it had been a moment earlier. Ryouga stood in the crater formed by the force of his blow and smirked at the daimon.
"What are you waiting for? Kill him and take the other one's heart crystal!" Mimette yelled at the daimon.
"Fury strike!" The daimon yelled as it rushed Ryouga, its sword blurring into a silver streak as it swung it in a dizzying pattern. Rainbow like glitters of light trailed each swing catching Ryouga's eye with its hypnotic pattern. For a split second Ryouga did not move, his eyes glued to the silvery streak that was the sword. Some deeply ingrained survival instinct prompted his first clumsy dodge, but the pain from the cut broke him out of the trance and he began to dodge in earnest.
Ranma gasped and began mustering all the confidence he could when he saw that despite Ryouga's desperate dodging, there were more and more rents appearing in his shirt and small droplets of blood tainted the dirt at his feet. ::It's only a matter of time till it scores a clean hit,:: Ranma thought to himself.
"Mouko Takabisha!"
The sphere of brilliant blue ki sped across the lot and slammed into the daimon, knocking it off of its feet. Rather than waiting for it to get back up, Ranma launched himself at it with every intention of crushing the daimon's head.
Ryouga tried to blink away the fuzzyness before his eyes and gasped for breath as he stumbled backwards. He watched in a peculiar kind of detachment as Ranma was caught by his foot and flung into the fence by the daimon. Even as Ranma regained his feet, Ryouga's eyes glazed over and his umbrella slipped from fingers as he collapsed in a heap.
The daimon chuckled evilly as it slowly approached the dazed Ryouga.
"Now, there's no point in resisting. Time to die, pest!" it called out as it raised the sword high.
Ranma let out an inarticulate yell as he leapt over the daimon and picked up Ryouga.
"Not today!" He shouted before leaping over the fence and dashing down the street.
"After them!" Mimette commanded as she began to pursue Ranma. The daimon followed suit, it's bloodied sword held high.
"Wasn't that a great idea?" Usagi asked the others as they walked out of the ice cream parlor.
"It wasn't the best use of our time, Usagi-chan," Ami said mildly, "But that parfait was good."
"Huh?" Makoto looked down the street at some sort of commotion, "What's going on?"
"Where?" Rei asked a split second before Ranma landed right in front of her, a barely conscious Ryouga still slung over one shoulder. He didn't even notice their presence before he leapt off again. A few seconds after he was gone, the daimon tore past them with Mimette right behind it.
"We need to transform!" Makoto said in a hushed voice, but then looked around in concern.
"Hey! Where's Minako?" She asked.
They looked around for a few seconds before Usagi pointed down the street. They all looked that way just in time to see Minako sprint around the corner, apparently having no trouble keeping up.
"We'd better catch up with her and quick!" Rei said as she turned towards the alley.
"Sometimes I forget exactly how fit Minako is," Makoto muttered to herself. "And then she goes and does something like this."
Ranma was gasping for breath when he stopped inside a junkyard and put Ryouga down.
"Come on, man! Snap out of it!" He growled as he shook the larger boy a few times while keeping a careful watch out for the daimon. Ryouga groaned and sat up holding his head in one hand.
"Watch out for its Fury Strike, Ranma," he muttered. "It can hypnotize you if you aren't careful."
"I'd wondered about that, I never saw it get a clean hit on you."
"If it had, I'd probably be dead right now," Ryouga said as he stood.
"Get down, moron!" Ranma hissed as he yanked Ryouga back down. "They were right behind me."
Ryouga nodded and picked up a solid piece of rebar and swung it experimentally a few times. They waited in silence after that.
It wasn't long before the daimon appeared at the junkyard, followed quickly by Mimette. Ranma motioned for Ryouga to follow him and he scampered up one of the piles of junk. Ryouga followed as silently as he could, and crouched next to his erstwhile ally and watched the enemy.
"You up to a Shi Shi Hokkoudan?" Ranma whispered.
"If you're up to a blast of your own!"
"Ok, on three we jump towards it and blast it at the same time! Three!"
They burst from their concealment and descended like hawks upon the daimon.
"Mouko Takabisha!"
"Shi Shi Hokkoudan!"
The twin spheres of energy exploded against the daimon with the force of a cannon sending it head first into a pile of scrap where it lay still.
"Hah! That was too easy!" Ranma gloated as he turned towards Mimette. "Now, why don't we have a bit of a talk about that thing..."
Unnoticed, the daimon had regained its feet and was quietly stalking up behind them. It raised its sword for a fatal strike against an unsuspecting Ryouga when suddenly the blade was wrapped by a golden chain with heart shaped links. The sound of the sword being ripped out of the daimon's hand was enough to warn Ranma and Ryouga who both turned and delivered round house kicks to opposite sides of the daimon's head.
"Who dares?" Mimette demanded as she watched the sword arc through the air towards one of the many piles of scrap before a white-gloved hand snapped out and caught the sword by the hilt.
"I dare, Witch Mimette," Sailor Venus declared as she strode into full view while holding the sword. "In the name of Venus, I shall chastise you!"
"Daimon! Kill her! Kill all of them!" Mimette screamed before she retreated.
The daimon suddenly backed away from Ranma and Ryouga and held one hand out towards Sailor Venus. The sword pulled towards the daimon, but she refused to let go. Despite her best efforts, she was slowly being pulled towards the daimon. The daimon snarled and made a curious wrenching gesture with its hand. Suddenly, the pull was too much for Sailor Venus to resist and she was lifted off her feet and dragged through the air towards the daimon.
::No! If it gets it's sword back...:: Ryouga thought furiously as he charged the daimon with his piece of rebar held low and slightly behind him. He was peripherally aware of Ranma running next to him.
"Hold onto that sword!" Ranma yelled as Sailor Venus smashed into the daimon with her shoulder. She nodded briefly and struggled to keep the blade out of its reach.
With a metallic snap, metal claws shot out of the daimon's armored forearm. It held the claws up to Sailor Venus's throat.
"Back off, or she dies!"
They skidded to a stop a mere meter from where the daimon stood. Sailor Venus stiffened and the sword was pulled from her fingers. The daimon stopped holding the claws up to her throat and instead picked her up by her neck. Ranma and Ryouga backed up a few steps.
"Ok, now let her go!" Ryouga demanded as Sailor Venus clasped her hands together with the index fingers pointing out and brought them up to the arm with the claws.
"Heh, too bad, she dies anyway!" The daimon cackled as it raised its sword.
"No!" Ryouga yelled and he threw the rebar like a spear. The daimon slapped it out of the air with its sword, but that distraction bought Sailor Venus the time she needed.
"Venus Crescent beam!" She barely managed to say the name of the attack, but it was enough to trigger her magic. A thin yellow beam of light arced out of her fingers and cut deeply into the daimon's arm, forcing it to drop her. She collapsed into a boneless heap at its feet and gasped for breath, oblivious of the sword descending at her unprotected neck.
"Dead Scream." Despite the fact that the words were barely a whisper, they were clearly audible to everyone on the battlefield. The daimon looked up from its intended victim just in time to be blasted away by a purple ball of energy. It stood shakily and leaned against a pile of scrap while it searched for this new adversary.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ranma practically flew towards the downed daimon, his aura flaring like a bonfire.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amauguriken!" he screamed as he unleashed his attack on the pinned daimon. This time, the daimon had nowhere to go and it received the full force of the attack. The daimon's body was smoking when Ranma finally pulled away from it, wearied by his attack.
The rest of the Senshi had shown up while he had been pounding on it, and were either gaping at him or helping Sailor Venus back to her feet. Ranma caught himself staring when he saw an elegant green haired Senshi standing off to one side. For some reason, she seemed to spark a long forgotten memory but he could not place exactly where he had seen her before.
The daimon shifted a bit, causing some of the scrap to fall over. Ranma half snarled at it as he turned and unleashed a Mouko Takabisha at it point blank, leaving the daimon buried in the rubble.
"That was a tough fight, eh pig-boy?" Ranma commented as he walked up to Ryouga.
"Don't call me that!" Ryouga snarled before he walked off in a huff towards the Senshi. Ranma shrugged and followed him over.
"Hey, you alright?" Ryouga asked Sailor Venus when he reached her side.
Sailor Venus looked at him dreamily as she nodded, "Yes, thank you."
"Hey thanks for the save earlier!" Ranma piped in, "I thought that thing was down for the count."
"Is it gone?" Sailor Mars asked Sailor Mercury, "I couldn't see if it was destroyed."
Sailor Mercury pulled her computer out of subspace and tapped on it for a few moments. While she was doing that, Ranma approached the tall Senshi with the green hair.
"Hey, you feel real familiar to me. Kinda like I've known you fer most of my life. Why is that?" he asked in a no-nonsense tone.
Sailor Pluto gave him a slightly amused look. "Do not worry, Ranma Saotome. You may find out why in time."
"How do you know my name?" He asked suspiciously, but before she could answer him, Sailor Mercury gave a startled shout.
"It's still alive!" She yelled just before the pile of scrap it was under exploded. They dodged for cover as shrapnel hummed through the air all around them.
"I fight on!" the daimon screamed as it finished standing.
"Geez, that thing even sounds like Kuno!" Ranma complained as he rushed towards it.
"Fury Barrage, Silver Rain!" The daimon glowed for a brief second before its armor shattered into the form of a hundred knives that rocketed towards Ranma. He backpedaled away from the daimon and dodged the knives.
"Hang on, Ranma!" Ryouga yelled as he leapt towards the daimon holding an old safe above his head.
"Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars unleashed her magical fires at the daimon, hoping to distract it from Ranma and Ryouga. The daimon blocked the flames with its sword, momentarily obscuring it from view as the small rings of fire slammed into the ground around it.
The rest of the Senshi fanned out as Ryouga threw the safe at the daimon, missing by only the slimmest of margins. He landed on top of the safe in a crouch and he leapt straight at the startled daimon.
"Fury Strike!" It called out and started following the complex routine again.
"That won't work this time!" Ryouga yelled as he caught the daimon's wrist with one hand and he poked the sword with the index finger of his other hand.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
To the disbelief of the Senshi and the daimon, the sword exploded. Ryouga ignored the shrapnel and began kicking the daimon as hard as he could without releasing his grip on its wrist. The daimon recovered long enough to kick him to one side, only to be hit by the Sparkling Wide Pressure thrown at it by Sailor Jupiter.
"Ryouga!" Sailor Venus leapt over to his side to help him stand. "You're hurt!" She gasped when she saw the numerous cuts that were still bleeding slightly.
"It's nothing," Ryouga panted as he tried to regain his breath, leaning slightly against her. Despite herself, Sailor Venus blushed a little at the contact.
The daimon recovered from the attack and rushed towards Sailor Moon, a new sword materializing in its hand.
"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon cried as she desperately threw her tiara at it, only to have it slapped to one side by the daimon. Sailor Moon froze and looked at the approaching daimon with wide, scared eyes.
"Hey! Look out!" Ranma yelled as he ran towards her and the daimon as fast as he could. He had picked her up and had leapt away a split second before a single rose struck the daimon in the forehead forcing it to fall over backwards.
"I cannot forgive those that would attack in the guise of the honorable." A male voice rang out across the battlefield, causing everyone to look up to where a man in a tuxedo and cape stood with his arms crossed. "Retreat now, evil one!"
"Who's that weirdo?" Ranma asked Sailor Moon, who was blushing slightly from being held against Ranma's bare chest.
"Huh?" She blinked, "Oh, Tuxedo Mask!" She waved at him a little. Tuxedo Mask frowned slightly when he saw who was holding her. His frown turned into an outright scowl when he noticed that she was blushing as well.
"How about coming down here and helping instead of standing there making stupid speeches?" Ryouga yelled as he charged the daimon again.
"Hey, wait!" Sailor Venus yelled and ran after him.
With an inarticulate shout, Ryouga began grappling with it, attempting to blow the sword up again with the Baksai Tenketsu. The daimon stubbornly kept the sword out of his reach and tried elbowing him in the face.
Ryouga leaned back a little from the daimon and grinned wickedly, "You know, that felt like a baby's kick!" he declared as he headbutted the daimon, causing its head to snap backwards and it fell to the ground. Venus took advantage of the opening with her Crescent beam, opening up a large cut across the daimon's back.
"Uhm, Ranma?" Sailor Moon asked in a small voice as they watched the fight.
"Yeah?"
"Could you put me down now?"
Ranma reddened as he quickly placed her back on her feet. "Sorry!" he said as he backed away nervously.
Sailor Moon watched him for a moment and started giggling. "I'm not mad at you! Thanks for helping back there."
"No prob! I'd do it again any time!" he laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. He turned away from her to hide a blush and watched as Ryouga worked with Sailor Venus to back the daimon into a corner. Finally, Ryouga gave it one mighty punch that launched it into the air and Sailor Venus promptly tied it up with her Love Me Chain.
"Now! Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask said from where he stood.
"Spiral Moon Heart Attack!" She unleashed her magic at the bedraggled daimon, utterly destroying it. It faded from view and revealed the breastplate from samurai armor that fell harmlessly to the ground.
Ranma cracked his knuckles and then assumed a Kunoesque pose. "And hark! Yon monster hast been vanquished!" he intoned with a poor imitation of the kendoist.
"Knock it off, Ranma," Ryouga half growled as he brushed the dirt from his hands.
"Are you two alright?" Sailor Mercury asked as she walked up to them, "You both took a few hits back there."
"We're fine!" Ranma laughed as he slapped Ryouga on the shoulder, "It ain't like that thing could hit hard enough for Ryouga to feel it."
"Just shut up, Ranma," Ryouga hissed as he clutched his side, blood seeped from between his fingers.
Sailor Moon walked up; from her expression it was easy to tell that she had a few things she wanted to say, but the wail of a police siren caused all of them to pause for a moment.
"We'd better split, Ryouga. Cops don't like it none when there's fightin' for no reason that they like," Ranma tugged at his arm before waving at the Senshi. "See you guys at the next fight!"
"But, you can't keep fighting the daimons! They'll kill you!" Sailor Moon blurted out.
Ranma smirked. "They'd try. Maybe I'll have a chance to give you a few pointers, like when to dodge." He waved jauntily again before leaping off over the wall with Ryouga right behind him.
"Come on, we'd better get going too," Sailor Venus said as she ran towards the wall.
"Isn't that the same direction that Ranma and Ryouga ran off?" Sailor Mars said slyly. Sailor Venus skid to a stop and laughed sheepishly as she turned to follow the others away.
Mamoru stormed into his apartment and slammed the door. He could not believe the nerve of those two boys! Not only was Ranma slowly stealing his girlfriend, his own cousin was berating him for not fighting with the rest of them. He growled to himself as he recalled the way his Usako blushed in Ranma's arms and made no struggle to get free of him. He was still pacing angrily when there was a knock at the door. With two quick strides he reached the door and flung it open.
"What?!" He half yelled before he had even checked to see who it was.
"Geez, Chiba. Don't blow an artery or somethin'," Ranma said mildly.
"Did you have a bad day at class, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked as she peeked from between Ranma and Ryouga's shoulders.
"Uh, yeah," Mamoru stepped aside to allow them to enter. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked once they were inside. Ranma and Ryouga exchanged a quick glance.
"Uhm, weren't you the one that wanted Ryouga ta stay here?" Ranma asked.
Mamoru said nothing as he stalked into the kitchen area of the apartment. Usagi watched him walk off with a worried expression on her face.
"Somehow, I think he had a worse day than we originally thought," Ryouga muttered as he snapped out his sleeping bag and sat down on it.
"I'm outta here then. I'll see you guys later," Ranma said before he left and closed the door behind him. Usagi nervously peeked into the kitchen where Mamoru was busy making some tea.
"Mamo-chan?" She asked timidly. He turned and looked at her with an angry expression, causing her to shrink back a little. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Why? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"
"..."
"Mamo-chan," she moved to give him a hug, but he pulled away at the last moment. Usagi's eyes filled with tears as she clasped her hands under her chin. Without another word, she fled from the kitchen and out of the apartment.
Ryouga shot to his feet when she ran through, but made no attempt to stop her. Mamoru stomped out of the kitchen, his face contorted into a scowl a minute later.
"Maybe you should try being nicer to her," Ryouga said as he settled back down.
"Shut up," Mamoru barked as he pulled out one of his texts and stubbornly began to read it.
Ryouga gave him a slightly angry look. "Look, making her cry twice in one day ain't very good at all," his voice got louder as his anger built. "Usagi is one of the kindest people I've ever met, and if you keep treating her like this, she'll leave you!"
"Impossible!" Mamoru snapped, "We're fated to be together! She is mine!"
Ryouga snorted. "Fate is cruel, and so is life in general. You'd better get used to it!"
"Just what are you trying to say?"
"I'm starting to think that fate was cruel to give Usagi to you. Cruel to her anyways. Can you prove me wrong?"
"Get out!" Mamoru yelled as he leapt to his feet, "I won't let you talk to me that way!"
Ryouga looked stunned for a moment before he silently picked up his stuff and walked out the front door that Usagi had left open behind her. He waited until he was well away from Mamoru's building before he let his feelings show on his face.
It hurt, a lot, to have alienated his own cousin. Even though Ryouga knew deep down in his heart that Mamoru was overreacting he still got depressed over it. He hung his head as he walked, not noticing the sickly green aura that began to play across his skin.
The worst part, he suddenly realized, was that he no longer had a stable place that he could be found at. Unless he found someone he knew, and quickly, he was doomed to never make it into High School. Determination replaced his depression, he had a goal and nothing on earth was going to stop him! He looked up and clenched his fist in a silent vow, right before he tripped over a crying Usagi.
He landed face first in the dirt, but that was a minor inconvenience to him. He quickly regained his feet and looked down on her. She was so lost in her personal misery that she hadn't even noticed his tripping over her. Ryouga squatted down next to her and ripped off a bandanna.
"Here," he said simply as he held it out to her. She didn't even look up to see who had offered it to her before she took it and noisily blew her nose. Ryouga glanced around and realized that they were in a wooded park, in fact they were in a thicket.
He smiled a bit ruefully to himself. ::Well, if I wanted to be completely alone, I would look for the woods as well.:: He settled down to wait for her to finish crying. When it became obvious that she had no intention of finishing any time soon, he dug through his pack for some trail rations and his portable stove.
It wasn't long after he had started cooking that her crying had tapered off. He looked over at her and saw that she was sitting quietly and watching him cook.
"I see you're feeling a bit better now," he said a bit gruffly as he fought a wave of sudden sadness that seemed to bore its way into his very soul just from seeing the pain in her blue eyes.
"How'd you find me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper thanks to how raw her throat was from crying for so long. "No-one knows about this place, not even Luna."
"Honestly?"
She nodded.
"I got lost."
Her sudden laughter at such a simple statement rang like a silver bell throughout the thicket. Ryouga seemed startled at her sudden outburst.
"Oh Ryouga, that's funny! I come here to be alone and you get lost and find me," she giggled for a while at that thought.
Ryouga dished out a bowl of food for her and handed it to her. "Here, I think we both missed dinner."
Usagi accepted the bowl graciously and began to eat.
"By the way," she asked between mouthfuls, "why aren't you at Mamo-chan's apartment? I thought you were staying with him."
Ryouga's expression turned melancholy. "We got into a fight, and he kicked me out."
Her eyes went wide. "Why? He was so happy when he found you."
He rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly, "Actually, the fight was about you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. As far as I know, the last two times you've seen him you ended up leaving in tears," He shrugged. "I yelled at him about it, so he kicked me out."
"You poor thing!" she cried as she impulsively gave him a hug, "you're not supposed to get caught up in the middle of our problem. Where are you going to stay now?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll just find Ranma and camp with him, that way we'll be able to train before he goes to school."
She gave him a startled look, "How can you be so calm about this? If my cousin got angry with me to the point of kicking me out of his home, I'd be in tears by now."
"Easy, I've had a lot worse things happen to me so I'm used to my luck running out on me. Life's tough, but every hardship we face just makes us stronger," he looked away for a moment. "Besides, it's just as well. There's stuff going on that's pretty dangerous and I don't want it to follow me back to his place."
"Something dangerous?" She asked while her stomach sank.
Oh no, he's talking about the daimons!::
Ryouga nodded and carefully rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal several bandages and a few ugly bruises.
"You're hurt!" Usagi gasped even as she remembered the fight from earlier that afternoon and the wicked looking sword that the nameless daimon had been wielding.
"A little. I'll be OK if this one cut on my side ever stops bleeding."
"How did you get it?" She asked despite her knowing exactly how.
"We got into a fight with some kind of witch and her pet monster."
Usagi leapt to her feet and grabbed his arm, "Come on, Ryouga! We gotta get you to Ami-chan's mom! She's a doctor!"
"I don't need to see a doctor," he said a little indignantly, "it's not that bad."
"You got cut by a monster! What if it gets infected?" She said as she tried dragging him out of the thicket. When she couldn't get him to budge, she turned her large blue eyes on him. She gave him her most pitiful, pleading look.
"Please? For me?"
He melted at that point.
It was well after dark by the time they had reached Ami's house. Usagi had been keeping an eye on Ryouga from the corner of her eye, and she was getting more and more worried. There was an almost unnoticeable tightness around his eyes, but her biggest concern was the slowly growing bloodstain low on his left side. She ran up to the door and began alternating between pounding on the door mercilessly and ringing the doorbell. After a few moments of that, Ami's mother opened the door.
"Usagi! What on earth is the matter?"
"Miss Mizuno! Ryouga's hurt pretty bad! Hegotintoafightandgotcutandnowhewon'tstopbleedingwegottahelphim !"
Miss Mizuno gathered Usagi into a comforting hug while she cast her gaze at Ryouga and saw the bloodstain on his shirt. "You'd better come inside."
After she had brought them inside, she had him sit on the kitchen table. "Take off your shirt, young man, and let me take a look."
Reluctantly, he pulled off his shirt. Usagi gasped when she saw the full extent of his injuries. Miss Mizuno carefully peeled off the crude bandages and examined the various cuts and contusions across his chest and abdomen.
"How did this happen?" She asked him.
"I got into a fight with a monster. It was a rough fight even after those girls in the funky fukus showed up."
"Sailor Senshi," Usagi absently corrected him.
"Whatever."
"Do you know why it attacked you?" Miss Mizuno asked as she started rummaging through one of her cupboards.
"It wasn't really after me. It was trying to get Ranma's heart crystal or something."
Ami walked into the kitchen at this point and handed her mother a black case.
"Here, Mother, I believe that you were looking for this."
"Thank you, Ami," she smiled as she opened the case and pulled out a surgical needle and thread. "I'm going to have to stitch up that one cut on your side. Did you want to hold one of the girls' hands while I do that?"
Ryouga instantly turned red and began to babble incoherently and waving his arms about. Ami and Usagi gently restrained his flailing arms while Miss Mizuno deftly stitched up his side.
"There. I'm going to call your parents and let them know your staying here tonight, Ryouga. It's getting late, and you are hurt."
"Don't bother trying to call them, they aren't going to be at home," Ryouga said sadly.
Miss Mizuno would have questioned further, but she caught the steady gaze from her daughter and the almost imperceptible shake of her head.
"Very well. I'm still calling your parents, Usagi. I'm not going to let you go out alone at this hour. You can sleep in Ami's room once you get him settled into the guest room."
Usagi went to attention and gave a very sloppy salute. "Yes Ma'am!"
A short time later, Usagi and Ami had gotten Ryouga settled into the guestroom, and they retired to Ami's room. Usagi smiled a little to herself as she did every time she came up here. Ami's room resembled a library more than a teenage girls' room, but somehow it still felt warm and inviting.
"Well, now we know what Minako-chan meant about him looking like a Greek god," Usagi said as she sank into the chair at Ami's desk.
"Maybe. But we didn't see enough to be able to make a fully accurate comparison," Ami commented.
Usagi gave her friend a startled look and began giggling as Ami slowly turned a bright crimson.
"We need to talk," Usagi said softly. Ami nodded and pulled out the Mercury computer and ran the program that would detect any humans that came within a certain distance.
"All set, Usagi-chan."
"I found out why Ranma and Ryouga were fighting with the daimon."
"Oh?"
"Ranma was its target. Oh Ami! I'm so worried for him! What if another one finds his camp and attacks him while he's asleep?" Usagi half cried.
"It's unlikely," Ami said gently to her distraught friend, "Usually after the daimon for a particular target is destroyed, they ignore that target. Otherwise, we all would have had daimons coming after us once again now that the talismans have been found."
Usagi didn't take that too well, "Oh no! I couldn't stand for you or Mako-chan or Rei-chan or Minako-chan to have your heart crystals taken again! Wasn't once bad enough?"
"Usagi-chan! I just said that they were not doing that!" Ami sighed as Usagi caught her up in a fierce embrace.
"I won't let them hurt you! Any of you!" Usagi whispered into Ami's shoulder even as she wept.
The next morning, Miss Mizuno hurried the girls off to school and called in sick to work. She had been holding a suspicion in the back of her mind for quite some time that her daughter and her friends were the Sailor Senshi, but she didn't say anything about it to them. She had decided a long time ago that she would remain silent on that and quietly bandage any wounds from their battles or any of the unfortunate victims they sometimes brought her. She sighed to herself as she looked in on Ryouga. He was still asleep, but he seemed to be caught in some kind of nightmare. He was thrashing about on the futon so violently that she was concerned that he might accidentally re-open the cut she stitched up the previous night.
"Ryouga! You need to wake up!" she said sharply. She almost screamed when he surged out of the futon and landed right in front of her in a fighting stance. He was sweating profusely and breathing hard like he had been in a fight recently, but he slowly relaxed out of his stance and bowed in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry I startled you. I guess I was having a nightmare," he said a bit sheepishly.
"Quite all right, Ryouga. What school do you go to so that I can call in for you?"
Ryouga blushed in even further embarrassment, "I'm not going to school right now." He continued quickly when he saw the disapproving look begin to form on her face, "But I'm studying to take the placement test tomorrow! Ami has been helping tutor me so that I can get back into High School."
"That's very kind of her. Try not to disappoint her. Now, why don't you let me take a look at your wounds?"
Ryouga shrugged and pulled off the shirt he had worn to sleep. Miss Mizuno gasped in shock when she saw that the bulk of the bruising was already gone, and most of the smaller cuts were already healed over. Even the one that she had to stitch up looked like it was almost ready for her to remove the stitches.
"That's amazing!"
"I heal fast," he said modestly. "It's real handy when you're a martial artist."
Miss Mizuno took a closer look at him and frowned. "Your family name wouldn't happen to be Hibiki would it?"
"Uhm... Yes," he admitted reluctantly.
"That explains a lot," she smiled. "One of my colleagues transferred from Nerima General and had all kinds of stories about the martial artists that periodically showed up there. I didn't believe him at first, but he was insistent."
"We weren't all that bad..."
"Maybe not, but yours and Ranma's names came up a lot in his stories, either people you sent there or you two personally. Now why don't you follow me down to the kitchen and we'll get you some breakfast and then you can study all day while the girls are at school."
"Uh, sure."
Ranma scowled as the lunch bell sounded. His stomach was achingly empty and the school food was woefully inadequate. He decided that rather than waste his money on the pitiful school lunch he would dash off campus and grab a bowl of noodles and be back before he could be missed. He wasn't prepared, however, to find Setsuna waiting for him at the gate.
"Going somewhere, Mr. Saotome?" she asked archly.
"Yeah, I forgot my lunch this mornin' and I gotta get more than I can get at the cafeteria," he replied blandly. "I'll be back before class starts up again."
"You know it's against the rules for a student to leave campus without permission."
"Fine. Ya mind if I go get some food now?" he asked as he jammed his hands into his pockets.
"I do mind. You need to learn responsibility, starting with being prepared in the morning," she said sternly.
"I ain't got time fer this," Ranma grumbled as he leapt to the top of the wall. "Ya want me to bring ya back somethin'?" he asked sarcastically.
"Actually, that would be very nice. Why don't you get me some yakitori and a small bowl of ramen," Setsuna said after a moment of consideration.
"Fine. I'll take'em to yer office when I get back," with that, he leapt off the wall and bounded down the street like an overgrown grasshopper.
Setsuna sighed to herself and shook her head. She knew that getting him to follow school rules was going to be hard, but she never realized that it would be this difficult! Still, maybe by letting him get himself some food now she could start earning his trust. Then she could concentrate on having him follow the rules.
Almost exactly a half-hour later, Ranma leapt through her office window with a takeout box spinning idly on one finger. Setsuna nearly fell out of her chair when he arrived. Ranma almost smirked as she quickly regained her composure, but he managed to keep a straight face.
"Here ya go," Ranma said as he placed the box on her desk.
"Thank you. Next time, though, please use the door," she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
Ranma merely gave her his best smirk before he leapt right back out the window. Once he was on the ground he cast a thoughtful look back up to her window.
::Maybe she has a point... Shampoo always did annoy me by not using the door, but then again I ain't breaking the walls or nothin',:: he thought about it for a moment more before he shrugged and made his way back to class.
Once school let out, he made his way over to Mamoru's apartment to pick up Ryouga. ::Maybe we'll have enough time to spar before his study group gets going.::
When he reached Mamoru's door, he knocked and waited patiently. After a few minutes, Mamoru answered.
"Oh, it's you," he said flatly.
"Good afternoon to you too, Chiba. Is Ryouga here?"
"No. He left last night," Mamoru answered shortly and slammed the door.
"Geez, he's still in a bad mood," Ranma muttered as he made his way back down the stairs. "Now I hafta find Ryouga before the study group gets started and who knows where he ran off to."
After running around Juuban for several hours in search of the lost boy, he finally gave up and made his way to the Hikawa Shrine to break the bad news to the girls. When he stepped into the room they usually study in, he nearly lost his footing when he found Ryouga already there and getting help from Ami. Makoto looked up as he came in and smiled.
"Hi, Ranma! Come on in and have a seat, we're just getting started."
"Uh, sure," he said as he sat down. "Hey Ryouga, I'm kinda surprised ta see you here, since Chiba said you left his place last night."
Ryouga swore under his breath while Usagi suddenly looked stricken. Ranma looked between the two of them and frowned.
"Now what did I say?"
"It's not your fault, Ranma," Ami said.
"He kicked me out last night for telling him off about yelling at Usagi," Ryouga growled.
"He did what?!?" Ranma shot to his feet.
"Sit down, Ranma!" Rei snapped, "You can't do anything about it."
"Like hell I can't! I'm gonna go beat some sense into that moron! You don't go and yell at girls fer no reason."
"I swear, if you do something rash I'll take my broom to you!" Rei threatened.
Ranma cringed for a second before he laughed. "You know, you sounded almost just like Akane there fer a second."
"Just be quiet, Ranma. My entrance exam is tomorrow and I want to study as much as I possibly can," Ryouga said as he turned back to the book in front of him.
Ranma bit back a retort as he settled back down and pulled out his homework. The hours seemed to go by slowly, but eventually it was time for them to leave.
"You'd better show me where you're camped, Ranma," Ryouga said as they stood to leave. "It looks like I'm going to be camping in the same spot for a while."
"Yeah. Maybe we'll be able to get some training in each mornin'," Ranma said as he shouldered his bag.
"Don't forget that I will be showing you to where you can take your entrance exam tomorrow," Ami said.
"Same here, Ryo-chan!" Minako chimed in.
"Don't train tomorrow morning, Ryouga. We still have to take you back to Ami-chan's mom to get those stitches out," Usagi cautioned.
"You needed stitches?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah, that one on my side that just wouldn't stop bleeding," Ryouga said quietly.
Ranma frowned for a moment before he smiled again. "Nice to know you still heal as quick as ever. How many stitches did it take."
"Twelve," Ryouga shrugged.
Ranma let out a low whistle, "Man, that thing tagged you better than I thought it did."
"So you two did fight a monster yesterday," Rei commented. "And here I thought Usagi had gotten over excited again." She loftily ignored the raspberry that Usagi blew her.
Ranma shrugged and merely waved as he half dragged Ryouga out of the room. Once they were a little ways down the street from the shrine, Ranma turned on Ryouga.
"Just what did you tell them?" He demanded.
"Just that we fought one of those monsters with the Sailor Senshi yesterday," Ryouga said. "Why? It wasn't really a secret, was it?"
"Never mind," Ranma sighed. "I just didn't wanna make 'em worry."
"Whatever."
The dawn seemed sickly the next morning. The sky was overcast and the air was very still when Ranma and Ryouga emerged from their tents. Ryouga sighed as he quickly prepared a breakfast while Ranma did a quick kata.
"Cheery morning," Ranma said as he sat down to eat.
"Take an umbrella, it's going to rain," Ryouga grumbled.
"Ain't you in a good mood?"
"Shut up, Ranma. I'm not in the mood for your smart mouth this morning."
"Stop frettin' about that test already! If I can pass it, so can you."
"At least you managed to go to most of Junior High. I couldn't find the place again after you ran off to China with your father."
"Are you still on that?" Ranma asked tiredly.
"No, just the truth. You didn't just walk off down the road. Knowing Genma, he made you run," Ryouga replied.
"Heh, you got me there. He did make me run."
Usagi, Ami, and Minako approached their camp at that point.
"Good morning! How are you two doing today?" Usagi chirped.
"Just fine, Usagi, just fine," Ranma said as he stood and stretched.
Minako sat down next to Ryouga and attached herself to his arm. "What about you, Ryo-chan?"
He sputtered for a minute before he managed to say that he was fine as well. Minako and Usagi giggled at his antics, while Ranma affected the look of the long suffering.
"Gotta run. I can't be late fer class," he said as he dashed off.
"We'd better hurry as well, Ryo-chan. They are holding a mock placement test at my school today," Minako said as she stood. "Ami and I talked with one of the administrators and he said you could take it for real while Usagi-chan, Ami-chan and I practiced."
"I thought you went to a different school from the others," Ryouga said as he grabbed his pack and stood as well.
"I do, but my teachers agreed to let me and Ami-chan go there for extra practice," Usagi said.
"Well, Usagi does need the extra practice. I think that our teachers wanted to show me off though," Ami said just a bit glumly as they started walking.
"Don't let it get to you, Ami-chan! We are all proud of how smart you are, the teachers just want a bit of credit. After all, a student is only a dissection of a teacher," Minako said seriously while the others sweatdropped.
"Minako-chan, that's supposed to be 'A student is a reflection of the teacher,'" Ami corrected gently.
Minako giggled sheepishly, "I messed that one up pretty bad, didn't I?"
The others could only laugh and nod.
To say that Ryouga was nervous would be an extreme understatement. He barely heard the conversation from the girls around him as they walked towards Shibakouen Junior High. It didn't help his mental state much to have Minako hanging off of his arm either. When they did reach the school, Ryouga was painfully aware of the looks he was receiving from the other students there, and the whispered conversations around him seemed to set a constant hiss in the air.
Unnoticed behind them, one young man had stopped to stare at the way Minako was hanging onto Ryouga before he burst into a fit of swearing. With a great deal of effort, he managed to stop swearing before he angrily jammed his hands into his pockets and stomped his way into the building.
Ami noticed Ryouga's shell-shocked look once they were inside the school and sighed. She knew this was going to be tough enough for him without Minako embarrassing him.
Since Ryouga wasn't very coherent, they sat him in a chair outside the school's offices. Minako ran off to her class while Ami and Usagi checked in with one of the administrators. Occasionally, Ami would come out of the office with a piece of paper for him to sign, but otherwise Ryouga was left alone with his thoughts.
When the time for the mock exam rolled around, he was so nervous he could vomit. The trip to the room where the exam was being held passed in a blur. The other students filing in steered clear of him while he nervously broke chunks off of the corners of his desk. He barely registered the droning voice of the instructor while the exam booklets and answer sheets were passed out, but he very clearly heard what came next like the crack of doom.
"You may begin."
The next hour was a living hell for him. The pressure to do well sat heavily upon him. He wanted so much to be able to show Ranma that he could get into High school that he very nearly let his aura blaze. He clenched his teeth and willed himself calm as he continued to write his answers. The only sound he heard was the ticking of the clock and the rasp of his pencil against the paper.
Finally, he reached the end of the exam and he turned it over on his desk with a barely audible sigh of relief. The exam may have been over for him, but now he had the wonderful task of waiting for the results to come back. He didn't move a muscle when the teacher took his exam off of his desk, and he barely dared to breathe while he waited.
"Time is up, pencils down everyone. The results shall be posted shortly after lunch period is over. Mr. Hibiki, why don't you go with Miss Aino to her class? I'm sure it will be time well spent for you." The old man smiled briefly when he saw Minako's sudden smile.
"Come on, Ryo-chan! Let's go!" Minako hauled at his arm. Usagi and Ami gave them a covert thumbs up before they departed. Minako took up her now usual position on his left arm and led him down the hallway to her classroom.
"Don't worry about the exam, Ryo-chan. I'm sure you did just fine." Minako whispered to him before she opened the door to her class.
"Come on in Miss Aino," her teacher nodded to her as the door opened. "And why don't you introduce yourself young man?" it may have sounded like a request, but it definitely was an order.
"Ah, I'm Ryouga Hibiki and I was here today for the entrance exam," he said just a touch nervously.
"Wasn't it just a practice exam?" the teacher asked.
"Not exactly. Since it's been so long since the last time I was in school, it's going to be used to judge what grade I belong in."
"I see. Since you are already familiar with Miss Aino, why don't you sit next to her for today," she handed him an English translation book. "We are on page ninety seven."
Ryouga sat at his desk and did his best to ignore the stares from the other people in the classroom as he opened his book. He almost laughed out loud when he saw the simplicity of what was being translated and apparently, it showed on his face.
"Since you seem to have already translated it, why don't you share it with the rest of the class, Mr. Hibiki."
Ryouga gave a nervous shake before he stood and began reading. Minako almost stared in amazement. All traces of a Japanese accent had disappeared when he began reading.
::He's fluent in English?!?:: She thought to herself,
That's amazing!!::
The teacher seemed to be in a similar state of shock, since she gave no indication for him to stop reading. He read aloud until the bell rang, indicating that it was time for lunch. Ryouga put the book on the desk with a certain amount of relief.
"Thank you, Mr. Hibiki. That was very well done," the teacher smiled as she began to gather up some papers on her desk. "You may all go to lunch now."
[Why didn't you tell me you were fluent in English?] Minako smiled impishly as she spoke in her own flawless English.
Ryouga gave her a toothy smile, [You never asked. Why do you think Ami never said anything to me about English?]
"Hey you," One of the male students said as he approached Ryouga's desk, "What makes you think you can waltz in here and start showing off?"
Ryouga gave him a startled look. "Showing off? The teacher asked me to translate, so that's exactly what I did."
"Don't get cute with me, pal," The other boy growled. "When all is said and sifted, you're still nothing but a worthless dropout."
His words started an excited buzz of gossip in the classroom, which caused Ryouga to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. He really didn't like being the center of attention like that.
"That's enough, Imotoku!" Minako snapped when she saw how embarrassed Ryouga was getting, "It's not his fault he couldn't go to school for a long time. At least he learned something while he wasn't attending."
"Stay outta this, Aino. It ain't got nothing to do with a quitter like you."
That got Ryouga upset. "And just why do you think she's a quitter?" he snarled.
"Simple. She quit the volleyball team just when they were ready to go to the championship! Without her, they failed to take the trophy. She just quit, with no real reason, not to mention she's been real standoffish with the rest of us," Imotoku crossed his arms and smirked.
"I'm positive she had a very good reason," Ryouga growled and fixed a stern glare on the younger boy.
Imotoku seemed to at a loss once he heard the conviction in Ryouga's voice. They stood glaring at each other over a desk while the whispers around them increased in volume.
"Isn't that the guy Minako turned down flat a few weeks ago?" Ryouga heard one of the other girls whisper behind him.
"Yeah. She was saying that he was too much of an obsessive jerk. He didn't stop following her for a week. You should have seen how angry he was this morning! I wonder what happened?"
"Isn't it obvious? He saw Minako hanging onto Ryouga here on the way in."
"Please, can we not talk about this?" Minako pleaded. She really didn't want to think about all the gossip and rumors that this scene was going to start, and she definitely didn't want it to get any worse.
"Right, we just can't let it out that you've been late so much that when you're actually on time the teacher has to change her pre-marked sheet. Nor can we let this dropout know that you fall asleep in class on a regular basis, now can we?" His tone dripped with malice and he had a superior smirk on his face. "Poor friendless Minako... Always too busy to do anything with anyone here," Imotoku said as condescendingly as he possibly could.
Ryouga was stunned to see the somewhat hesitant nodding of agreement from the other students in the class. He gave Minako a quick glance and what he saw made his blood boil. Crystalline tears were standing in her eyes and Imotoku was doing everything he could to make her cry in front of the entire class.
"Alright you, I think you've done enough to ruin her day," Ryouga snarled.
"Not nearly enough."
"That tears it! I challenge you, Imotoku!" Ryouga roared, startling the rest of the class
"What?" Imotoku looked startled.
"Are you deaf as well as ugly?" Ryouga sneered. "I said that I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will apologize to Minako about everything you've said today and leave her alone."
"Fine, if I win, you will have to buy my lunch for the rest of the year!"
The teacher walked up to them at this point. "I will not allow you two to fight in my classroom!" she declared. "So why don't you run down to the athletic field and get it over with."
Half the students facefaulted, but they all ran for the door. As Minako turned to leave, the teacher caught her arm.
"Yes?" Minako asked a bit nervously.
"I know you're wondering why I'm allowing this to go on, so I decided to let you know right now," She sighed. "That young man decided to engage in a duel to defend your honor. That's the most romantic thing I've seen in this school in years! Go and cheer him on now!"
Minako ran to catch up with the rest of the class. She got to the field just in time to be surrounded by a cluster of girls.
"Wow, he's fighting a duel for you? I hope Imotoku doesn't hurt him too much."
"What do you mean?" Minako asked.
"Well, he is the captain of the boxing club."
Minako doubled over laughing at that.
"What's so funny?" A different girl asked.
"You'll see," Minako smiled.
"Are you prepared for your doom, Imotoku?" Ryouga declared as he stood a few feet away from the other boy.
"Ha! I hope you got the money for all those lunches your going to have to buy!"
"Heh. Just give me your best shot. I'm certain I won't feel a single one of your punches."
That enraged Imotoku, and he charged Ryouga with his fist cocked. Ryouga merely yawned. There was a resounding smack as Imotoku's fist impacted with Ryouga's jaw, followed by a howl of pain. It wasn't Ryouga that howled though. Imotoku danced around in front of Ryouga while clutching at his bruised hand.
"That felt like an autumn leaf brushing my cheek as it falls. Try again," Ryouga said in his most insulting tone. Imotoku decided to try hammering Ryouga's stomach, but every one of his punches was deftly blocked.
"Sorry, got some stitches down there and I don't need you getting them infected," Ryouga said in an offhand manner that only enraged Imotoku even more. ::Wow, now I know why Ranma likes taunting people when he fights!::
He let it continue for a few minutes before he decided to end it. He sidestepped a particularly wild attack and smoothly punched Imotoku in the stomach. Imotoku folded nearly in half around that fist and collapsed limply to the dusty field. Ignoring the cheers from the crowd that had gathered, Ryouga picked him up and shook him till he regained consciousness.
"Why don't you apologize to Minako now?"
"Go to hell!"
"Been there, done that," Ryouga replied blandly. "Apologize now, or next time I won't pull my punch."
Ryouga set him on his feet and turned him towards where Minako was standing. Imotoku hesitated until he felt Ryouga's breath on the back of his neck.
"If you don't start moving now, I'm going to break every single bone in your body as slowly as I possibly can."
Shaken, Imotoku staggered over to Minako and knelt in front of her. He then placed both hands on the ground and bent forward until his forehead touched the ground.
"I apologize," he muttered.
"Say it again! I couldn't hear you!" Ryouga snapped.
"I apologize!" Imotoku practically screamed this time.
"That's better," Ryouga smirked at that point and started to walk away. Minako quickly walked after him.
"Thank you, Ryo-chan," she said softly once she had caught up with him.
"You're welcome," he blushed as she reclaimed his arm again, "I couldn't just let him talk that way about you."
"I did have my reasons."
"I'm sure you did. He was just jealous."
They swung over to where the test results were being posted and met up with Usagi and Ami.
"Did you hear? There was a duel during lunch!" Usagi squealed with excitement, "I wonder who was fighting and what it was about."
Ryouga and Minako blushed in unison, causing Ami and Usagi to share a glance.
"Don't tell me you were in that duel, Ryouga?" Usagi asked.
"Actually..." he said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You didn't strain too much, did you?" Ami asked in concern, "You still have those stitches in."
"It was amazing!" Minako gushed. "He let Imotoku get the first hit, but Ryouga acted like he barely felt it."
"I did only barely feel it," Ryouga muttered.
Minako ignored that and described the fight in some detail.
"...and then he made Imotoku apologize for insulting me!" she finished.
"If you're done talking about today's entertainment," the vice principal said as he walked up to them. "I need to speak with Mr. Hibiki regarding his placement test."
"Good luck, Ryo-chan!" Minako said as they walked off. Ryouga watched them walk a short distance away, all three of them giving him a thumbs up.
"Well young man," the vice-principal handed Ryouga a small slip of paper. "I'm sorry, but your score was not quite good enough to get into High School."
Ryouga slumped as he looked blankly at the sheet of paper that declared in writing that he failed.
"What we did decide, though, was that it was because of your lack of formal education that caused that score. So, the faculty here has decided that the best thing for your education is if you repeat our last grade level from the current point and try again at the end of the year."
"You mean?" Ryouga asked blankly.
"What I mean is this, re-do the ninth grade and take the entrance exam again. I'm sure you'll pass it the next time you take it, if you study here with us."
Ryouga muttered something noncommittal as he shuffled over to where the girls were waiting anxiously.
"Uh oh..." Usagi whispered. "He doesn't look happy."
"Ryo-chan?" Minako asked softly.
Ryouga continued to hang his head and said nothing.
"Ryouga? What's wrong? Didn't you pass the exam?" Usagi asked, her voice filled with concern.
The almost imperceptible shake of his head confirmed the girls' fear.
"I'm so sorry, Ryouga. You did your best," Ami tried to comfort him, but he didn't respond at all.
"Ryo-chan, look at me," Minako said gently. When he still didn't respond, she began to plead with him. "Please, Ryo-chan. I still believe in you. I have to! You've done almost as much for me as Usagi has! Please, just look at me! Ryo-chan!"
Ryouga looked up with a slightly dead look in his eyes. His eyes locked with Minako's for a split second before he looked away and began to recite.
[The world is a dark and lonely place.
What light could shine where there is
nothing but shadow?]
They looked stunned, and for once Usagi was speechless. Minako placed her hands on Ryouga's cheeks and forced him to look her in the eye before she spoke.
[Only the single ray of hope pierces
the shadow, but hope is only the
forerunner. Love, passion, kindness
and companionship follow in its wake.
The world does not have to be dark and
lonely, but it will be if you do not
hold the last virtue close to your heart.
Hope.]
Ami dabbed at her eyes with a small lace handkerchief as she watched Minako slowly lead Ryouga out of the school. Usagi looked confused for a few minutes before she turned to Ami.
"Ami-chan? What did they say when they spoke in English?"
"Only the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Ami sighed. "It's time for us to go home too."
They had barely gotten out of the doors of the school when the sky began to weep as well. Despite the gloomy weather, Ami thought that she saw a ray of light walking in front of her, directly under a red bamboo umbrella.
***
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 3
To Cologne's ancient eyes, the Tendo Dojo appeared even more patch worn than ever this rainy afternoon. She glanced around the yard from her vantage point in an attempt to judge how badly Akane was affected by the drug Shampoo had used on her almost a week earlier. The old woman grit her teeth slightly as she remembered what her greatgranddaughter had done. The effects of that powder could last weeks, even months. Although Cologne wasn't too fond of Akane, she was concerned about how it was affecting the rest of the Tendos, not to mention Ranma. The method she had used to cure Shampoo doesn't work after a half-hour, and she had had her hands full dealing with Shampoo. Now it was up to her to try some damage control.
She noticed that the area of the yard near the Dojo itself was littered with scraps of lumber and shattered brick. Cologne smiled slightly to herself as she hopped onto the roof of the house. Akane, it seemed, was even more destructive than ever but was limiting herself to practice dummies and bricks. Since Cologne could not find any recent holes in the roof, she had to assume that despite all the odds against it, her Son-in-law had somehow managed to stay on Akane's good side.
A single person under a plain white umbrella approached the dojo at this point. Cologne flattened herself against the roof tiles and waited to be able to identify the person. Uncannily, the person stopped in their tracks, and Cologne could swear that who-ever it was looked right at her. After a moment, the figure below continued into the house and Cologne could hear Nabiki announce that she was home.
::Good, it always has been faster to speak with her,:: Cologne smiled in anticipation of matching wits with the mercenary middle daughter. With a grace born of long practice she leapt off the roof to land in front of the porch. Nabiki was just inside the doorway and looking right at her with no indication of surprise on her face.
"I was wondering how long it was going to be before you made an appearance, Granny," Nabiki said in a neutral tone.
Cologne raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Then you may already know what I want to ask you then."
"Possibly," Nabiki smiled then, "Come in out of the rain and have some tea while we talk about it."
"Well now," Cologne commented as she stepped inside and dropped the small cloak that she was using. "I thought Kasumi was the only one here with manners."
Nabiki sniffed in disdain, "I have manners when I'm talking business. You happen to be my client right now."
Cologne cackled at that as she followed Nabiki to the dinner table. Although she seemed relaxed, her eyes were taking in every single clue she could. There was evidence of a lot of recent repairs in the living room, and one or two holes in the walls that were most likely made by Akane's fists.
"Hey, Kasumi!" Nabiki called into the kitchen. "Would you bring some tea for me and Granny?"
"Coming right up!"
Nabiki turned towards Cologne and assumed her most business like manner, "What do you want to know?"
"As direct as always, I see," Cologne nodded to Kasumi as she served the tea. Kasumi smiled in a silent response before sitting herself.
"Has anything unusual been happening here lately?"
"The usual fee?"
"Naturally."
Nabiki sipped at her tea for a moment before she spoke again, "Things haven't been unusual, just more intense."
"Meaning?"
"Akane's been angry a lot more often lately over the smallest things. She tries to hide it, but she goes through more and more practice dummies and bricks every night. She came very close to yelling at Kasumi yesterday."
Cologne's eyebrows shot up, "That bad? This is worse than I thought. I have not seen Son-in-law for nearly a week, did she put him into the hospital?"
"No," Nabiki said in the most level tone she could manage, "she hasn't."
"Where is he then? Not to mention his poor excuse for a father."
"Double fee, Cologne," Nabiki said in a flat tone.
"I see that I am nearing the crux of this problem. Very well then, Miss Tendo, here is my offer. I will give you four times the usual if you will tell me what happened last Sunday."
"Deal," Nabiki actually smirked. "Last Sunday Ryouga's cousin showed up. For some reason, Akane blew her top at his girlfriend but nothing came of that. Here's where it gets interesting. When Ryouga's cousin invited Ryouga to his place, Ranma asked if he could tag along for a few days. Mr. Saotome didn't like that and thought that if he could get Mamoru to leave the yard, it would be weeks before he found his way back again."
"That makes very little sense, and I do not see the relevance," Cologne said with a slight edge to her voice.
"Trust me. Anyway, Ryouga defended his cousin, but got splashed with water from the pond in plain sight of Akane."
"I see."
"When Ryouga turned into P-chan, something in Akane's head snapped and she tried to pummel the little porker to death. Mamoru's girlfriend, Usagi, tried to defend Ryouga from Akane then. Ranma tried to tell Akane to calm down as well, but you know how he is with words."
"Yes, go on."
"To make a long story short, Akane got even more angry and called off the engagement and Ranma left with Ryouga's cousin. Mr. Saotome couldn't keep him from leaving either. Akane has been difficult to live with this last week and every time daddy tries to talk to her about Ranma, she just reaffirms what she said Sunday and then starts breaking things."
"I see," Cologne said, deep in thought. "Where is Son-in-law now?"
"I'm working on that."
"No, child," Cologne chuckled. "You already know. I can see it in your eyes. Let me guess, he asked you to try and cover for him for a while, didn't he?"
Nabiki looked down and for the first time that Cologne could remember, she blushed in embarrassment.
"I should have known I couldn't fool you for very long," she said ruefully. "Yes, he did ask me to cover for him as long as I could. I really don't know exactly where he is, but I know which town."
"Very well then. What is the price of that knowledge?"
"Your silence."
"What?"
"Look, Granny, Ranma's been being pushed and pulled from so many directions for so long he doesn't really know how to live for himself anymore. This is his chance to grow up and to hell with his engagements!"
"Nabiki!" Kasumi sounded shocked.
"Sorry Sis," Nabiki said almost absently as she concentrated on the old woman across from her at the table. "You think I'm cold hearted and will sell anything for a price, and you may be right. But this time I need your solemn oath that you will tell no-one where he is."
"You are giving me very little in the way of options young lady, but I shall have to accept. I swear upon the grave of the first Matriarch of the Joketsu and the graves of every single one of her successors that I shall not reveal to anyone else where Son-in-law is."
Nabiki nodded with satisfaction, "I'll hold you to that, Cologne. Here," Nabiki slid a small, folded piece of paper across the table to Cologne. "That has the name of his new school on it. Destroy it once you've looked at it."
"Of course. If you will excuse me, I need to be going. I will tell Shampoo to not come here again until Son-in-law returns."
Nabiki looked chagrined, "Can't she at least deliver here? I'm not that fond of walking to the Nekohanten every time I want good ramen."
Cologne cackled as she pogoed off on her staff. Nabiki sighed and leaned back a little before she caught the look her sister was giving her.
"What is it, Kasumi?"
"I'm surprised, Nabiki," Kasumi said softly. "You do know how much the engagement means to Father."
"Yeah, I know. I also know that neither of them are ready to get married yet," Nabiki placed her hands on Kasumi's. "It's up to us to try and look out for Akane, she's just too violent for her own good."
"Poor Akane, she's been so upset since Ranma left. Do you think she might actually love him?"
"I thought that once, but now I really don't know. She does need to learn how to be less possessive, though. She can't expect everyone to live their lives to be at her pleasure."
Outside, Cologne glanced briefly at the note Nabiki had given her.
"Juuban, huh?" Cologne's eyes crinkled with amusement as she recalled all the news stories about the strange happenings there.
"Ranma would fit in just fine there."
Ranma-chan grumbled to herself as she walked through the rain back to where she and Ryouga were camped. A small sigh escaped her lips. Ryouga had warned her that morning to take an umbrella with her, but once again she failed to listen to good advice. She had nearly made it to the park when her stomach began to growl in complaint. A quick check of her pockets revealed that she had maybe enough for one small bowl of ramen. Although she had a fair amount of cash hidden in her tent, she would prefer to keep that money for emergencies.
"Time to get a job, I guess," Ranma-chan said to herself as she leaned against a tree and pulled out the list of jobs that Setsuna had given her a while back. After looking at the list for a few minutes she very nearly crumpled it up in disgust. The pamphlet contained more information on the rules pertaining to students than actual jobs allowed and the bulk of the jobs listed tended to be in food service.
"I ain't gonna waitress ever again," Ranma-chan swore as she glared at the offending pamphlet again before she shoved it into her pocket and headed for the campsite.
As she walked through the park, the rain began to let up before it stopped just as suddenly as it began. As she approached the camp, she found that Ryouga and Minako had beaten her there. Ryouga, it seemed, had erected a sort of cover for the fire using some poles and canvas. A quick glance around found that Usagi and Ami were there as well.
"Oh well... Maybe I'll be able to convince them that I ain't me," Ranma-chan muttered to herself before she approached the camp. As she drew closer, she saw that Ryouga was looking more depressed than usual.
"Hey there Ryouga," Ranma-chan waved as she approached the camp. "How'd that test go?"
Ryouga muttered something before turning back to the fitful fire in front of him. Minako patted him on the back before facing Ranma-chan.
"He's not very happy about the results, Miss?" Minako waited politely for Ranma-chan to identify herself. It took every ounce of her control to keep from calling the redhead in front of her 'Ranma' and reveal her identity as one of the Sailor Senshi. Minako had a small smile of satisfaction as she congratulated herself on covering up so well. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Usagi almost say something, but Ami pinched her before she could speak.
Ranma-chan blanched slightly at being called 'Miss', "Ran...ko, pleased ta meetcha!"
Ryouga gave Ranma-chan an odd look, but wordlessly placed the teakettle next to the fire.
"It is nice to meet you," Ami said with a smile.
"We're going to the Crown Arcade to try and cheer up Ryouga," Usagi said brightly. "Do you want to come with us?"
"Nah, I promised Ranma that I'd get some stuff to him when he gets back from school. I'll tell him to meet up with ya though."
"OK!" Usagi nodded vigorously before giving Ranma-chan directions to the arcade.
"Come on, Ryo-chan," Minako said as she stood and started tugging on his arm. "I'm sure a game or two would cheer you up!"
"Games?" Ryouga said absently. "How could games cheer me up?"
"Well, games are supposed to be fun, right? So let's go have some fun so you'll stop moping."
"I guess," He sighed as he shouldered his pack. "Make sure Ranma puts the fire out before he leaves camp," Ryouga said to Ranma-chan as he followed the girls away.
Ranma-chan waited until they were out of sight before splashing herself with hot water from the kettle. After a quick change of clothes, Ranma began to walk towards the arcade as well.
Professor Tomoe's underground laboratory was a dark and dismal place to be. A perpetual mist seemed to hang just above the floor and various pipes loomed out of the shadows in odd places. Even the professor's worktable was lit only by a single bunsen burner. Witch Mimet shuddered slightly as she approached. She knew he was upset over her failure, but he had been strangely silent since he had learned of the powerful martial artists that had nearly defeated the daimon on their own.
"Professor?" "Mimet... Another failure?" The professor sounded only mildly upset, causing Mimet's hope to rise.
"Yes, but I have more information regarding our enemies now."
"It doesn't matter."
"Sir?" Mimet was stunned. She had expected a tirade, some maniacal laughter and a command to not fail again, not a simple acceptance of what had happened.
"One daimon, one heart crystal. That was the plan," he turned slightly, the light reflecting from his glasses the only detail visible on his face. "The plan has failed every time! Daimon after daimon has been born here and for what?" he screamed in rage as he flung a beaker full of a strange red fluid at Mimet.
"Professor!" Mimet screamed as she ducked the beaker. "Get a hold of yourself!"
"Those annoying Senshi have the grail, not one of the heart crystals we've taken have ever made it back here! All of this," He waved one arm expansively at the rows of test tubes containing the essence of distilled evil waiting to become daimons. "Will mean nothing if we cannot get Mistress 9 the power she needs to awaken as our messiah!" Professor Tomoe stuck his hands in his pockets and walked slowly towards Mimet as he continued, "I read your report on those two boys. Martial artists of unbelievable skill, I believe you had written. Whether or not they are working directly with the Senshi is irrelevant. If our enemies are of greater numbers, what can we do to even the score?"
"Send out more daimons?" Mimet asked in a small voice. "Almost right," Tomoe had stopped walking and he leaned forward so that his face was inches from Mimet's. "Yes, more daimons, but at the same time! Can they deal with two daimons at once? Let's find out."
He turned with a dramatic swirl of his lab-coat and placed a small toy airplane into the daimon fusion machine. "You're next target was a stunt pilot, was he not? This daimon is for his crystal. This," he held up a glass jar containing a daimon egg, "is to fight those cursed Senshi and their martial artist allies while Divebomber acts without interruption! It's perfect!" He began to laugh maniacally as the machinery in front of him was surrounded by arcs of electricity and thick red smoke streamed from the edge of the closed door.
"Now, Mimet," He whispered as the machine opened to reveal a silver briefcase, "Go! Return with the heart crystal!"
Mimet picked up the briefcase and took the daimon egg before she began to walk briskly away, the professor's laughter echoing eerily through the dark passageway before a large steel door slammed shut behind her.
Ryouga stopped just inside the glass door of the Crown Arcade to allow his eyes to adjust to the slightly dim interior. Noises from the various game machines seemed deafening to him, but the girls with him took no note of the volume. He glanced around the arcade and found that there were very few people there, but the ones that were there gathered around one machine in particular.
"I wonder why they're all gathered at one game?" he asked almost absently. Minako took one look at the crowd and smiled.
"There are only two reasons people gather like that in this arcade. First," her voice took on a lecturing tone as she spoke, "someone is getting close to beating a record score that has stood for a long time. Second, there is a new game."
Usagi hopped up and down a little and squealed with delight, "Minako-chan! It's the newest Sailor V game!"
"Sailor V? Who's that?" Ryouga asked. He was stunned by the sudden shocked looks he got from Minako and Usagi.
"You never heard of Sailor V? She fought the Dark Syndicate in England for a while before Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi showed up here in Japan! Some people even say that she's working with them as Sailor Venus!" Usagi exclaimed.
Ryouga grunted as he recalled that the Senshi with the orange skirt had also asked him if he knew of Sailor V. ::I guess she's Sailor Venus,:: He thought.
"C'mon! Maybe playing that game would help cheer you up, Ryo-chan!" Minako giggled as she pulled on his arm.
"But, there's a line!"
"Not really," Ami said. "Most of them are merely looking at it, waiting for someone to play it so that they can see what happens. That way when they play, they know what to do before hand and can get a better score."
Ryouga gave her an uncertain look before he approached the game. He was slightly surprised when the crowd around the game machine parted just wide enough for him and Minako to approach the controls. He glanced over the text surrounding the screen to get an idea of how to play before he placed a single coin into the slot.
"Well, here goes nothing..."
Ranma was whistling to himself as he strolled along the top of a fence on the way to the Crown Arcade. Although the sky was still overcast, he felt he had little to fear from any additional rain that day. Even though he appeared to be totally relaxed, he had a nagging feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. He paused to take note of a small crowd of people near a hobby shop.
Ranma smirked to himself when he saw that it was for an autograph session with some stunt pilot. Unimpressed, Ranma continued on, not noticing the pair of young women that gave him more than a passing glance.
"Is that him? The one Setsuna was talking about?" Michiru asked her slightly taller companion, her delicately crafted brows arching as she looked at him carefully.
"I think so," Haruka responded quietly.
"Handsome, isn't he?"
"He's skilled," Haruka continued as if she hadn't heard Michiru's comment. "I'm not sure if I can walk on top of a fence like that without transforming. I seem to recall seeing him briefly during one of our fights not that long ago. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying to fight daimons on purpose."
"What if he is? Would we have any luck convincing him to stay out of our way?" Michiru asked worriedly.
"Maybe," Haruka said simply before turning her attention back to the autograph signing stunt pilot. They had had a feeling that the dashing pilot may be the next target for the deathbusters, and they were keeping a very close eye on him.
Ranma spotted the arcade and hopped down off of the fence. As he walked, he noticed a small sign next to an overly large and colorful poster. Curious, he peeked at the sign before he smiled to himself.
"Help wanted, huh?" He said to himself as he stepped up to the automatic door. "I wonder what kinda work you do in an arcade?"
He walked into the arcade and stopped momentarily when he noticed the crowd in front of him. He glanced around and found the rest of the games were sitting unplayed and ignored while everyone seemed to be crowding around one machine in particular. Ranma began weaving through the crowd to see what had everyone's attention. When he finally worked his way to the front of the crowd, the sight that greeted him nearly made him lose his footing.
Ryouga was standing in front of a brightly colored machine that had way too much pink on it for Ranma's tastes. Usagi and Minako were on either side of him and seemed to be intently watching the screen while Ami was slightly behind him. She was on her toes trying to watch over his shoulder.
"Hey, Ryouga!" Ranma said in greeting, only to be hushed by the crowd around him.
"Don't distract him now!" one boy told Ranma in a fierce whisper. "He found a secret level! I wanna see what's in there before I try the game."
"It's just a game," Ranma snorted as he walked up behind Usagi so that he could see the screen. Ranma shook his head a little when he say that the character in the game looked vaguely like a superdeformed Sailor Venus, but with certain key differences in the uniform. Ranma glanced at Ryouga's face and saw the beads of perspiration from his concentration.
A few minutes after Ranma started to watch, Ryouga finally lost his last life. He stepped back from the machine slightly and stretched.
"That was amazing, Ryo-chan!" Minako exclaimed as she attached herself to his arm. Usagi giggled when she noticed the goofy expression Ryouga seemed to affect every time.
"You in a better mood now, man?" Ranma asked as they began to back away from the machine.
"There you are, Ranma," Usagi smiled up at him. For some unknown reason, Ranma suddenly felt nervous.
"Uh, yeah. I'm here," he rubbed the back of his head a little as he did his best not to look as nervous as he felt. "One of the guys in the crowd said Ryouga'd found a secret level or somethin in the game."
"Oh, he did that all right," Usagi giggled. "He got lost on the second level and found it that way."
"You got lost in a game?" Ranma asked in disbelief.
"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryouga snapped.
"Geez, I knew you were bad but that's just plain ridicules!"
"Leave him alone, Ranma," Minako said. "He's had a rough day."
"Why don't you try it, Ranma?" Ami asked.
Ranma looked down and scuffed his feet a little, "I can't. I don't have any money."
"I can pay for your game," Usagi offered some coins to Ranma.
"Hey, tha..." Ranma stopped his hand a short distance from Usagi's. ::Wait a sec,:: he thought.
If I take her money, I'll just start freeloading again. Job, gotta get a job!::
"Ranma?" Usagi asked worriedly when she saw the pained look on Ranma's face.
"You in there man?" Ryouga asked as he knocked his knuckles against Ranma's forehead.
"That's my line," Ranma muttered as he jammed his hands into his pockets. "Look, I appreciate it an' all, but I gotta make my own way this time. I saw a help wanted sign out front, I'm gonna see the guy here about gettin' a job."
"I can't see what anyone would do here," Ryouga gave him an incredulous look as he spoke.
"Well, Motoki gives us change for the machines and cleans up after they close," Usagi said. "Maybe he needs someone to help him clean."
"That doesn't sound too hard," Ranma said with a smile. "Heck, after working fer the old ghoul, that'd be easy!"
"Old ghoul?" Ami asked, her eyes wide.
A pained look crossed Ranma's face as he turned to walk away. Usagi started to go after him, but Ryouga caught her arm and shook his head.
"What is it, Ryouga?" Usagi asked.
"Let it lie," he said softly. "Trust me, sometimes just mentioning her causes her to show up. Besides, it's a painful topic for him."
They stood there in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Ranma returned.
"I filled out an application, let's see what happens," Ranma said as he stopped in front of them.
"Hey," Minako said as she looked intently out the front window of the arcade. "Isn't that Mamoru?" she asked as she pointed.
The others looked outside as well and saw that Mamoru was indeed standing uncomfortably outside of the Arcade, apparently trying to decide whether or not to go in. Usagi unconsciously held her breath, waiting for him to come inside so that they could make up. When Mamoru turned and started to walk away from the door, she let her breath out in a half strangled wail and ran for the door.
"Usagi!" Minako called as she dragged Ryouga with her in pursuit. Ranma cocked an eyebrow before he too joined the chase.
Tears ran freely down Usagi's face as she pushed her way through the crowded sidewalk in search of her Mamo-chan. When she reached the corner, she looked in every direction, but there was no sign of him. She sank slowly to her knees and began to cry as the others caught up with her.
"I can't believe that jerk," Ryouga growled. "There's no way he could have missed seeing her!"
"Come on, Usagi. Let's get you home," Ami said gently as she knelt next to her friend.
"I've got to find him! I want things to be the way they were!" Usagi cried, resisting her friends' efforts to get her to stop crying.
Ranma let out a small sigh and jumped to the top of a nearby lamppost. He looked around from his vantage point for a few moments before jumping back down.
"No luck," he said as he landed lightly. "I couldn't see him from up there. Does he disappear like that often?"
"Sometimes," Minako answered evasively as she thought of all the times that Tuxedo Mask had vanished right after a fight was completed.
"Why won't he just talk to me?" Usagi demanded. When no one answered her, she stood shakily. "I'm going home. Tell Rei-chan that I couldn't make it."
"Wait up!" Ranma said as he walked quickly to stand in front of Usagi. "We'll walk ya home."
"You don't have to do that, Ranma," Usagi said quietly, but her slow, shy smile said that she was glad that he had made the offer.
"Yeah, I do," he said firmly. "I ain't gonna let you walk around all spaced out 'n stuff. You could walk right into traffic."
Usagi gave him a hard look. "Thanks a lot."
"Don't mention it," Ranma smiled, apparently not noticing the look on her face. Despite herself, Usagi began to giggle as they started off down the street.
Mamoru peeked out of the store he had ducked into and saw that Usagi and the others were walking away. He closed the door and let out a gusty sigh.
"That was too close," he said to himself.
"What was too close?" an angry voice demanded from behind him. He spun around and found himself face to face with Rei.
"Rei! You startled me!" he complained as he held one hand against his chest in a futile attempt to slow down his heart.
Rei ignored him and opened the door to take a look for herself. When she turned back to Mamoru, he could swear that he saw flames dancing in her eyes.
"Do you enjoy hurting her?" she demanded bluntly. "Do you get some kind of sick thrill out of watching her cry in heartbreak over you?"
"What?"
"Don't 'what' me!" Rei angrily stabbed her finger into his chest as she advanced on him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about! Usagi told us everything, you know. I can't believe you are so insensitive as to ignore her attempt at making up with you just for the sake of your stupid pride!"
"She's the one that was wrong," Mamoru protested.
"Maybe, maybe not. That's not my point. She tried to make up with you, but you ignored her completely. Is that any way for you to behave?" She paused slightly, but she continued before he could even draw a breath to reply. "Now, you are going to come with me and you are going to apologize to Usagi just as soon as we catch up with her."
"But..."
"No buts!" Rei snapped as she reached up and grabbed his ear in a fierce grip. "You are coming with me, right now!" She glared at him as she dragged him out onto the street by the ear, ignoring the comments from the other people on the sidewalk and Mamoru's attempts at freeing himself from her painful grip. Rei set off at a brisk walk, lecturing Mamoru mercilessly. Although he didn't say a word, he seethed at the indignity of her treatment.
By the time Mamoru and Rei caught up with Usagi and the others, Mamoru was ready to do just about anything to get Rei to let go of his ear and stop the unending lecture. However, his nerve nearly failed him when he realized that Ranma was still walking with Usagi. He almost growled in irritation, he did not want to have to apologize to Usagi in front of that boy!
"Usagi!" Rei called out and waved to get the blonde's attention.
"Rei-chan," Usagi greeted her almost listlessly as she turned to face her but she gasped in shock when she saw them. "Mamo-chan," she whispered.
Minako tugged urgently on Ryouga's arm and gestured that they move away slightly. Ryouga nodded and followed her to stand near a bench. Ami followed them over, but Ranma stayed where he was, his arms crossed and a slight scowl on his face as he regarded Mamoru. He couldn't quite clear his head of the thought that the was Rei was managing Mamoru resembled Akane.
Rei let go of his ear after one final tug, "I think Mamoru has something he wants to say to you," Rei said in an overly sweet voice, "Isn't that nice of him?" she half growled up at him.
"Uhm... Usako, I'm..." Mamoru stammered as he sheepishly twiddled his fingers in front of him, studiously ignoring how much his ear hurt and doing his best to not take note of the expression on anyone's face but Usagi's.
"Yes?" Usagi clasped her hands in front of her and leaned forward. Her eyes were sparkling in anticipation.
"I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me?" he mumbled as he bowed to her.
With a squeal of delight, she caught him in a fierce embrace. "I knew nothing could keep us apart for long, Mamo-chan!" She laughed right before she engaged him in a passionate kiss.
Rei walked up to Ranma, and with a quick jerk of her head, she indicated that they should join the others. When he didn't move, she literally pushed him over to where the others were waiting.
Ranma gave Rei a fearful look as he edged away from her. Rei noticed this and turned on him with an exaggerated stomp of her foot.
"And what's your problem?"
"Ah, are you sure you don't have a mallet hidden away somewhere?" he asked nervously.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei demanded.
"You really reminded me of Akane just then."
Rei glared at him for a moment before she began to laugh. "Oh, no Ranma. I wouldn't dream of hitting you with a mallet."
"That's good," he said with an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"I'd just curse you instead," Rei finished with a smile. Her smile faded as Ranma and Ryouga flinched violently at the word 'curse'. "Oh, sorry. I was only joking."
"You know?" Ryouga asked in a pained voice.
"Not really," Rei lied easily. "Usagi told us that both of you got cursed in China and that you would rather not talk about it."
Ranma and Ryouga breathed a quick sigh of relief.
"You have no idea," Ranma muttered as he glanced back to where Usagi was still kissing Mamoru. "Shouldn't someone tell them to break it up or somethin'?" he asked. "They're makin' a scene."
"After all the trouble I went through to get him to make up with her?" Rei asked incredulously. "Not on your life."
"It'll be nice to have our happy, smiling Usagi back, won't it?" Minako asked as she snuggled up to Ryouga. Ranma concealed a smile as Ryouga turned just as red as his umbrella.
"Yes, she will be able to concentrate more on her studies now," Ami said seriously while the others gave her an odd look.
A sudden peal of evil laughter caught their attention and their heads turned to track the sound.
"That almost sounded like Kodatchi," Ranma grumbled.
"It's that witch!" Ryouga yelled as he dashed off. "Come on! We've got to stop her, Ranma!"
"Not that way, you idiot!" Ranma shouted as he bopped Ryouga on the back of the head. "Just follow me. Chiba, get the girls outta here! Ryouga and I'll hold 'em off!" He yelled as he ran off down the street with Ryouga right on his heels.
"Right," Mamoru nodded his head as he moved as if to usher the girls out of danger before they ducked into a nearby alley and transformed. He watched as they leapt off to battle before he transformed himself and followed at a discreet distance. He smiled as he thought of how dazzled his Usako would be when he made his grand entrance again.
Witch Mimet laughed heartily as Divebomber began to suck the heart crystal out of its target.
"Finally, no-one to interfere!" She laughed.
"That's what you think!" Ranma yelled as he shoulder-checked the daimon, forcing it away from its intended victim.
"Not you again!" Mimet growled. "Charm Buster!"
Ranma dodged away from the deadly energy that streamed from the staff. He gaped for a moment at the furrow that was carved into the concrete where he had been standing. Mimet laughed as she began to track him with her staff, forcing him to continue dodging.
"How long can you keep it up?" she taunted.
Without warning, her staff was snatched from her grip.
"I normally don't like fighting girls," Ryouga said as Mimet turned to face him, "but with you, I think I'll make an exception!" He yelled as he flung her staff away, causing it to stick in a concrete wall. Mimet ducked away from Ryouga and pulled a glass jar seemingly from nowhere as she ran away.
"You leave me no choice! Divebomber, you know what to do!" She yelled as she ducked into an ally. She peeked out a moment later to see that Ranma and Ryouga had turned their attention to Divebomber. She smiled wickedly as she opened the jar and released the daimon egg.
"Now, daimon," She said as she held her hands around the egg and forced it towards a broken sledgehammer that was leaning against a wall, "it's time for you to take care of them!" She laughed as a new daimon began to form.
Ranma and Ryouga stood and faced off against the odd looking daimon that Mimet had called Divebomber. It almost looked like a stewardess, not counting the stiff metal wings that resembled that of an aircraft that protruded from its back. Each wing was mounted with a jet engine and an impossible number of bombs and missiles.
"Just great, we get a reject from a mecha anime," Ranma growled as he mentally prepared himself for a mouko takabisha.
"Why isn't it attacking like the others?" Ryouga asked.
"It's almost like it was waiting for something," Ranma said as his aura grew. Without any preamble, Divebomber flew to the top of a nearby building and out of sight.
"What the? It's running?" Ranma asked in surprise as his aura winked out.
"Not quite!" A new voice called out from behind them. Ranma and Ryouga spun to face the new threat just in time to get a brief glimpse of a daimon with large sledgehammers for arms before they both were hit and sent hurtling down the street by the daimon's attack.
"Sledging!" the daimon crowed its victory.
"After them, Sledging!" Mimet commanded. "Kill both of them!"
"Stop right there!" A clear voice called out. Mimet looked about and found some of the Senshi standing in a picturesque pose on top of a nearby store.
"For disturbing the peace and ruining this perfect afternoon," Sailor Moon said as she and the other Senshi leapt from the building.
"In the name of the Moon, we will punish you!" They said in unison as they pointed at her.
"Not this time! Divebomber!" Mimet called. At her prompting, Divebomber flew out of its place of concealment and flew straight at the Senshi while Sledging dashed off in the direction that Ranma and Ryouga had been sent.
"Target locked!" Divebomber announced as two bombs detached themselves from its wings and dropped amongst the Senshi. They barely managed to dodge the tooth jarring blast.
"Why you... Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars launched her attack as she scrambled to her feet. Divebomber merely swerved slightly and dodged the incoming circles of fire.
"Arm missiles!" it yelled out a split second before a yellow sphere of magical energy slammed into its side causing it to spin out of control and crash into the street.
"What the...? Who's there?" Mimet asked as she glanced around the battlefield. Her eyes came to rest on a pair of figures walking towards her from across the street through the cloud of smoke.
"Guided by a new era, Sailor Uranus acts with grace," Sailor Uranus spoke as the smoked thinned just enough to see her.
"Likewise, Sailor Neptune acts with elegance," Sailor Neptune announced as she and Uranus stopped and surveyed the battlefield.
"Uranus, Neptune!" Sailor Moon yelled as Divebomber pulled itself out of the rubble, "There's a second daimon this time, can you deal with this one?"
"No problem," Sailor Uranus smirked as she cracked her knuckles, "go ahead and find the other one. We'll deal with this one and Mimet."
"Thanks!" Sailor Moon gave a kind of half salute before she ran off down the street after Sledging with the other Inner Senshi next to her.
"Kill them!" Mimet screamed at Divebomber before she beat a hasty retreat.
"Engaging enemy!" Divebomber yelled as multiple missiles launched themselves from its wings and spun towards the Outer Senshi.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Sailor Neptune smiled as she and Uranus dodged the missiles and closed in for hand-to-hand combat.
Ranma's breath was forced from his lungs as he painfully impacted the street. He lay still for a moment, struggling to breathe.
"Pull yourself together, Ranma," Ryouga said urgently as he pulled himself out of his crater. "It's coming our way."
"I'm up," Ranma grunted as he hauled himself to his feet. "It just knocked the wind out of me for a moment."
The young martial artists spread out slightly and took up their stances as they waited for the daimon to get a little closer. As it approached, it lashed out randomly at the fleeing people. When Ranma and Ryouga noticed that, their vision seemed to turn red.
"Daimon! Prepare to die!" Ryouga roared as he leapt forward with his umbrella at the ready.
"Damn it Ryouga! Be careful!" Ranma shouted as he charged as well. He knew only too well how sloppy Ryouga could get if he was too angry. Ryouga did not appear to hear Ranma's shout, but when he engaged Sledging, his attacks were tightly controlled and showed no viable openings to Ranma. With a small sigh of relief, Ranma moved to attack the daimon as well.
Sledging snarled at the two martial artists facing it as it raised its hammer ended arms in defense. Ryouga feinted with his umbrella and then struck Sledging low in the abdomen with his foot, sending the stunned daimon flying into a plate glass window across the street. With a whoop, Ranma leapt at the daimon fully intent on pummeling it into submission. Before he could cross the distance, however, Sledging stood and pointed its arm at Ranma.
"Blazing Hammer!" A raging magical fire surrounded its arm before it swung the arm at Ranma. Ranma dodged the strike nimbly and tried his new ki charged kick. Sledging screamed in agony as the attack smashed through its defenses and launched the hapless daimon back towards a waiting Ryouga.
"Take that!" Ryouga grinned ferally as he unleashed a flurry of bandannas. A few of the wildly twisting bandannas hit, but seemed to have little to no effect other than causing the daimon some pain. The signs and storefronts along the street weren't so lucky. The bandannas shredded almost everything they came in contact with.
"That does it!" Sledging screamed as it stood and crossed its arms in front of it. "Prepare yourselves for my ultimate attack!"
"Uh oh..." Ranma muttered as he rejoined Ryouga in the street. "This don't look good."
"So we hit it now, before it's ready!" Ryouga yelled as he snapped his umbrella open and sent it spinning towards the daimon. Sledging affected a look of disdain as it swung its arm at the umbrella to knock it away. Instead of hitting the umbrella away, it found its arm painfully knocked back and the umbrella's course continued, unaltered by the contact.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma let loose with his ki strike while the daimon was distracted. Unconcerned, Sledging leapt out of the way.
"Not good enough!" Sledging taunted, and then blinked when it suddenly found Ranma right up in its face.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma's fists blurred as he pounded the daimon mercilessly. Despite the blows he was raining down upon it, Sledging slammed Ranma away with a brutal backhanded blow, his attempt at blocking the strike futile.
"Damn it!" Ranma growled as he flipped to land on his feet. "We need to beat this thing quickly and get that witch and that other monster!"
"Leave that to us!" Sailor Moon said as she and her friends ran towards the daimon.
"Great! Take care of this one while we go after that witch!" Ranma said as he leapt to a rooftop. "C'mon, Ryouga!"
"Right behind you!" Ryouga replied as he scooped up his umbrella before leaping after him.
"Wait! That daimon is already being taken care of!" Sailor Mercury yelled after them, but to no avail.
"Stubborn, aren't they?" Sailor Mars commented.
"Is anyone else here getting a sense of dejavu?" Sailor Venus asked as she warily watched the hammer armed daimon.
"Don't you dare ignore me!" Sledging yelled as it charged the Senshi, both of its arms held wide as flames sprung from the hammer hands. The Senshi spread out and surrounded the angry daimon.
"Which one of you pests wants to die first?" Sledging asked as it surveyed the Senshi arrayed around it.
"Venus Love Me Chain!" Sailors Venus lashed her chain at the daimon like a whip. Sledging dodged as the golden chain struck the ground hard enough to break concrete time and time again.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury launched her ice attack at the daimon, but Sledging countered with a wall of solid flame.
"That thing's tough!" Sailor Mars growled as she held a ward up between two fingers. She ignored a warning shout from Sailor Moon and ran straight for the daimon. Sledging simply stopped and raised both flaming arms above its head.
"Ultimate Bludgeoning, Wheel of Flame!" Sledging cried out as it brought both arms down to slam into the concrete in front of it, leaving trails of flame behind. Those trails quickly converged into a giant disk of flame and rolled quickly towards Sailor Mars. Sailor Moon dashed towards Sailor Mars, intent on keeping her friend safe.
"Oh no you don't!" Sledging screamed. "Hammer Swarm!" with an exaggerated gesture, a veritable storm of hammers flew towards Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon ignored the hammers as she ran towards the frantically backpedaling Sailor Mars. She clenched her teeth as several of the hammers hit her in the side and her head. Fighting the blackness that intruded on her vision, Sailor Moon leapt towards her friend.
Sailor Mars cursed under her breath when she realized that she simply didn't have enough time to dodge out of the way. A split second before the disk had a chance to hit her, Sailor Mars was roughly tackled out of the way by Sailor Moon. The flaming disk sped past them, leaving a trail of melted concrete behind it until it slammed into the side of a store, demolishing the building.
Sailor Mars struggled to regain her feet, only to find that Sailor Moon was unconscious.
"C'mon! Wake up!" Sailor Mars yelled as she shook her unresponsive friend. She glanced around and saw that Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury were doing their best to keep the daimon away from them, but were being hard pressed by the unusually effective attacks. Sailor Venus's previously pristine uniform sported several scorch marks and she was rubbing at her eyes, while Sailor Mercury was limping slightly as she dodged another flurry of hammers.
"You're all dead!" Sledging laughed as it knocked aside Mercury and Venus and turned its attention on the downed Sailor Moon. "But she dies first!"
"No!" Sailor Mars yelled as she struggled even more frantically to get out from under Sailor Moon.
I can't let it hurt her!::
Sledging ignored the panicked outcries from the Senshi as it prepared to unleash its Flame Wheel attack. It slowly raised its arms, intent on savoring the moment of victory, when a dark cloaked figure landed directly in front of it and hit it hard in the abdomen with an extending cane.
"This special day has been ruined by your uncouth noise. Flee now, evil one," Tuxedo Mask spoke with an angry voice, his eyes as hard as granite behind his mask. ::Curse it! She's out cold!::
"Fool!" Sledging tried to swat away his cane, but he retracted it and left the daimon to fall off balance. He turned to where Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon lay. Gently, he lifted Sailor Moon and laid her down next to Sailor Mars.
"Watch over her for me," He said simply before he spun on his heel and rushed the daimon with a fistful of roses in one hand and his cane in the other.
Sailor Mars watched in disbelief as he proceeded to batter the stunned Sledging with his cane. Its attempts at blocking were fouled each time by a rose sticking into it at a vulnerable point.
"He won't be able to hold it off for long," Sailor Mercury said as she limped over to Sailor Mars. "Go help him, I'll take care of Sailor Moon."
"What about Venus?" Sailor Mars asked as she stood.
"She was temporarily blinded by smoke from the daimon's attacks. I've hidden her behind some rubble until she can see again."
Sailor Mars nodded before the pulled out another ward and prepared to attack the daimon. "Aku Ryo Taisan!" Sailor Mars shouted as she flung her ward at the daimon. The ward struck Sledging in the middle of the forehead and crackled with spiritual energy. Sledging screamed with pain as the ward froze it in its tracks.
"Hurry up, Mercury," Sailor Mars said as she lifted her fingers and began to chant, "I don't know how long I can hold it!"
"Let me help! Venus Love Me Chain!" Sailor Venus called as she stepped out from behind some rubble. Her face was smeared with soot, but there was no mistaking the determined gleam in her blue eyes. The chain wrapped tightly around the immobile daimon. Venus snapped the chain tight and held on.
"Curse you!" Sledging yelled as it struggled against the combined power of Mars's ward and Venus's chain. Sailor Mercury turned her attention on waking Sailor Moon.
After shaking her for a few moments, Sailor Mercury decided that something more drastic would be needed. She reached into a subspace pocket and pulled out a small stick of smelling salts. She broke the stick and carefully held it under Sailor Moon's nose. Almost as soon as Sailor Mercury had held the salts under her nose, Sailor Moon leapt to her feet with a startled shout.
"Pheww! That stinks!" Sailor Moon complained as she rubbed her nose. She glanced around and took in the scene of the fight. She only barely glanced at the daimon, but rather looked carefully at her allies. Sailor Venus's uniform was badly scorched, and her face was smudged with soot. Sailor Mercury had an ugly bruise on her left leg, and while Sailor Mars appeared to be unhurt, she wasn't very steady on her feet.
"Hurry, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask said from where he stood with his cane at the ready. "I don't think they can hold that daimon for long."
Sailor Moon nodded and began the spiral to charge up her attack at the same time Sledging broke free of Venus and Mars.
"Moon Spiral..Ouch!" Sailor Moon cried out in pain as the Daimon hit her squarely in the stomach with one of its hammer arms. Sailor Moon folded over Sledging's arm and gasped for breath as Sledging raised its other arm for the kill.
"Oh no you don't!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as she arrived on the scene. Sledging looked her way just in time to see the bottom of Sailor Jupiter's boot. Sledging staggered away from the gasping Sailor Moon and covered its face with one arm. Jupiter didn't even wait for her foot to come back down before she threw a Sparkling Wide Pressure at the Daimon. Sledging fell backwards, arcs of electricity playing across its twitching body.
"Good timing, Jupiter!" Sailor Mars gave her a thumbs up.
"Can you finish it, Sailor Moon?" Sailor Jupiter asked without taking her eyes from the daimon.
"Yeah, I think so," Sailor Moon gasped as she raised the Spiral Heart Moon rod again.
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" This time her attack went uninterrupted and it destroyed the prone Sledging, leaving behind a sledgehammer with a broken handle.
Tuxedo Mask was pleased with himself as he mentally reviewed the fight. Not only had he engaged the daimon with his cane rather than his usual rose from the sidelines, he had even held the daimon off long enough for Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus to contain it until Sailor Moon could be roused. Best of all, Ranma wasn't there to dazzle _his_ Usako. Smiling, he turned to Sailor Moon.
"Another fight won in the name of love and justice," he said as he bowed to her with a dramatic swirl of his cape.
Sailor Moon smiled for a brief moment before her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh no! We've got to help Ranma, Ryouga and the Outers to fight another daimon!"
Without another word, Sailor Moon dashed off down the street with the rest of the Inner Senshi right behind her. Tuxedo Mask watched her run for a moment before he turned his back. With shoulders slumped in defeat, he shuffled off to the shadows to transform back into his civilian form.
::What good is it to be a prince when your princess is ignoring you?:: he thought glumly to himself. Sudden determination filled him as he straightened his shoulders and turned back around.
"I haven't lost her yet!" He cried out as he dashed off down the street to rejoin Sailor Moon.
Sailor Uranus swore under her breath as Divebomber launched another wave of missiles at her and Neptune. Her uniform bore evidence of a number of near misses and the exposed skin was reddened from the heat of the explosions. A quick glance at Neptune only made Uranus grit her teeth that much harder. Sailor Neptune was staggering, gasping for breath as she dodged missile after missile. "Deep Submerge!" Sailor Neptune desperately launched her attack at Divebomber, but the swiftly flying daimon easily dodged around the blast. Exhausted, Sailor Neptune slumped to the concrete.
"Damn it! Look out Neptune!" Sailor Uranus screamed as she dashed towards her partner. Sailor Neptune looked up just in time to see the incoming missiles before explosions enveloped her.
Sailor Uranus squinted and ran directly into the smoke left by the explosions and crouched next to the unconscious Sailor Neptune. She coughed a few times, realizing now that running full speed through the searing hot smoke was not a good idea.
"Target locked," Divebomber said dispassionately as another volley of missiles launched towards the battered Outer Senshi. Before the missiles had even gotten halfway across the battlefield, a veritable storm of bandannas spun into them, causing a gigantic explosion in mid-air.
"What the? Who's there?" Divebomber demanded.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled his attack, sending a bright blue sphere of Ki into Divebomber.
Sailor Uranus looked up as Ranma and Ryouga landed in front of her and Neptune.
"Sorry, no speeches," Ranma quipped as he fell into his stance. "You two alright?"
"Get out of here, this is our fight!" Sailor Uranus snarled at the pigtailed martial artist in front of her.
"Yeah, that's why yer gettin' yer butts whooped," Ranma quipped as he agily dodged another missile from Divebomber and moved to lead it away from the Outers.
"C'mon, Ryouga. Let's show these two how to really fight that ugly thing."
"How dare you? Evil Vulcan!" Divebomber's left hand disappeared up its sleeve and shreds of dark energy began streaming into the hole.
"Right behind you Ranma!" Ryouga bellowed as he ripped a nearby telephone pole out of the ground. Divebomber lifted its arm to aim at Ranma, an evil grin spread across its face.
Sailor Uranus watched wide-eyed as Ryouga leapt with the pole and swatted the daimon out of the sky with it. Divebomber's aim was spoiled by the hit, and the bolt of dark energy it was aiming at Ranma sped towards the winded outer Senshi. Unable to gather the strength to dodge, Sailor Uranus covered Neptune's prone form with her own and squeezed her eyes shut.
She never felt the impact, but she heard a voice cry out in sudden agony. She opened her eyes and found Ranma standing over her and Neptune, glowing a bright blue with his arms crossed in front of his face. He was smoking slightly and panting for breath. His formerly sky blue shirt was black and charred, and Sailor Uranus would swear later on that a few of his ribs were broken by the hit.
"Now you've done it," he growled at the stunned Daimon, "You've gone and ruined my shirt!" Ranma's aura suddenly shifted from a bright blue to a sickly green color as he concentrated on the most depressing things he could. ::This is easy,:: he thought,
when it looks like yer gonna die that is...::
Ryouga's eyes widened and then narrowed when he saw what Ranma was doing.
"Run! Get out of here while you can!" he yelled to Sailor Uranus as he too began to gather in his own green aura as he moved to stand next to Ranma. Sailor Uranus took hold of Sailor Neptune and dragged her off as quickly as she could. She could feel the life energy the two of them were gathering, and did not want to be nearby when they did whatever it was they were going to do.
"FULL SHI SHI HOKKOUDAN!!" Ranma and Ryouga roared in unison. The combined pillar of their ki shot into the sky and for a brief moment, hovered there like a sickly green moon just above the Juuban skyline. The low-lying clouds swirled from the heat being given off by the giant ball of ki. Blocks away, a wrinkled old woman took note of the phenomenon and began moving in that direction as quickly as she could.
"You missed!" Divebomber yelled as it shot toward the motionless pair of martial artists. For a moment, it appeared that victory was in its grasp, but it was then that the giant sphere of ki fell back to the earth, the blast concealing the trio from all observation.
Sailor Uranus turned her face away from the explosion and raised an arm to ward off the bits of concrete that the blast sent her way.
When the dust cloud cleared, Sailor Uranus could only stare in shock. Where they had been standing, there was now a crater of crushed concrete and mangled metal. The surrounding store fronts had been shattered by the shockwave, but amazingly the buildings were still standing.
The daimon was flat on the ground and twitching as if in great pain, while Ryouga was continuing to pound on it with his telephone pole. Ranma had stepped away from the fight and was in a half crouch, breathing heavily and holding his ribs with one hand.
"Uranus!" A single clear voice called from behind her. She turned and found that Sailor Moon was running towards the fight as quickly as she could with the other Inners and Tuxedo Mask right behind her. She frowned slightly when she saw that Sailor Jupiter was half carrying Sailor Mars.
"You're hurt!" Sailor Moon gasped when she saw the tattered condition of her uniform.
"I'll be alright," Sailor Uranus claimed as she turned resolutely to the battle. "I have a fight to finish."
Sailor Moon opened her mouth to protest, but clamped it shut again as Sailor Uranus charged her attack.
"World Shaking!" Sailor Uranus practically screamed as she slammed her fist into the ground. The yellow ball of energy sped through the ground and raised ever so slightly to impact the daimon directly in the head.
"Watch it!" Ryouga yelled as he leapt away from the magical explosion.
"Moon spiral heart attack!" Sailor Moon unleashed her attack at the stunned daimon without any prompting.
"Lovely!" The daimon screeched as it was pulverized by the heart shaped magical blast.
Ranma and Ryouga staggered towards where the Senshi had gathered. Ranma idly noted that the Senshi with the dark green dress was conspicuously absent. Even as they approached, Sailor Uranus stood with Sailor Neptune cradled in her arms. She shot a glare at Ranma that stopped him in his tracks.
"What?" Ranma demanded pugnaciously.
"..." Sailor Uranus continued to glare for a moment before she looked down with a little smirk. "Thanks. Next time, though, stay away. These fights are too dangerous for you."
"Feh, nothing I can't handle," Ranma smirked as he studiously avoided thinking about his bruised ribs.
Uranus continued to smirk as she leapt off. It was only after she was out of sight that Ranma allowed the pain he was feeling to show on his face.
"Ranma?" Sailor Moon said softly as she approached. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be ok," Ranma forced himself to smile cockily. "Just a few bruises."
"We appreciate your help," Tuxedo Mask said sternly, "but I think it would be better for everyone if you just stayed out of it from now on."
"Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Moon looked up at her protector with a stunned look.
Ranma and Ryouga scowled at him. "Look, Tuxedo boy," Ranma growled. "It's a martial artist's duty to protect those weaker than themselves. Those monsters are attacking people left and right, and your sayin' you don't want our help?"
"You could die!" Tuxedo Mask countered.
Ryouga shrugged. "That's a risk we'll just have to take."
"C'mon, Ryouga. Let's get outta here It's almost time fer your study group, ain't it?" Ranma asked as he turned to leave.
Ryouga nodded and followed Ranma away. The Senshi watched them leave with stunned expressions on their faces. Unnoticed, a small dark shape bounded after the two martial artists.
"They get into a fight with two daimons," Sailor Jupiter sound amazed, "and they're more worried about being late to the study group than dying in a fight?"
"We'd better hurry if we want to get back to the temple first," Sailor Mercury said. The other Senshi nodded in agreement and ducked into an alley to transform back into their civilian clothes.
Cologne was more than a little impressed with the battle she had witnessed. Who ever her son-in-law was fighting against was using magic of a high order indeed. Cologne smiled faintly, Trust Son-in-law and Ryouga to find yet another powerful enemy to face just as soon as she let them out of her sight. She hadn't expected to find them so easily, but the full shi shi hokkoudan was unmistakable. That pillar of ki had led her straight to the site of the battle. She had arrived just in time to see Sailor Moon finish off the daimon with the most ridicules looking attack she had ever seen. Ridicules or not, she could feel in her ancient bones the sheer power of the attack.
Cautiously, she followed the two young men into one of the parks that dotted this area of Tokyo. It wasn't long before she had pinpointed their campsite. As silent as a cat, she approached Ranma just as he had started pulling a new shirt over his head. With a large grin, she reached out with her staff and poked him in the small of the back.
"Hello, Son-in-law."
"Gyaaah!" Ranma screamed as he leapt straight into the air. He spun around and landed in a stance even as Ryouga burst out of one of the tents with his umbrella at the ready.
"Dammit, you old ghoul!" Ranma shouted, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Is that any way to say hello?" Cologne cackled.
"Geez, Granny," Ryouga muttered as he lowered his umbrella.
"Hello to you too, Ryouga," Cologne said blandly. "I see that the two of you have been keeping busy since you left Nerima."
"What are you doing here? How did you find us" Ranma demanded.
"I came here to check up on you, Son-in-law. As for how I found you, let's just say that the full shi shi hokkoudan makes a very good beacon."
Ranma sat down on the turf in front of his tent and placed his face in his hands.
"Just great. Now that you know where we're at, it won't be long before Shampoo shows up, and from there everyone will be coming here. I don't have the energy to deal with all of that and these monsters."
"I understand, that's one of the reasons why I'm not going to tell Shampoo."
"Figures... What?" Ranma's head snapped back up and he gave Cologne a hard look. "What d'ya mean by that?"
"I saw the tail end of your fight with that monster," Cologne said as she lit her pipe. "You might be in over your head this time."
"We figured out how to hurt those things," Ryouga said. "We just need to train more with our ki."
"Ki strikes are effective against them?" Cologne asked in amazement. "Most of the magical creatures I've read about in our ancient texts describe them as being nearly immune to that kind of attack."
"Tell that to the one whose arm Ryouga ripped off while his battle aura was blazin'," Ranma smirked.
"Really? Interesting..." Cologne appraised the two young men in front of her. "What do you know about those girls that were fighting it with you?"
"Not much really," Ranma shrugged. "They call them selves the Sailor Senshi or somethin', and they depend on their magic a lot."
"Yeah, come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any of them engage in hand to hand before," Ryouga said with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean they don't," Cologne admonished him.
"Whatever," Ranma said as he stood. "Ya got anything else to say? We gotta get Ryouga to his study group soon."
"Ryouga? In school?" Cologne laughed for a moment at that. "That's a good one, Son-in-law. Your sense of humor is improving..." She trailed off when Ryouga's green aura sprung up around him and flared like a torch.
"So I'm not the smartest guy on earth," Ryouga growled angrily. "But at least I'm trying, damn it!"
"Chill, Ryouga!" Ranma almost shouted to get Ryouga's attention. "You never did tell me how that placement test went."
Ryouga's aura brightened for a moment before he grit his teeth and willed himself calm. "Ninth grade," He muttered.
"What?" Ranma and Cologne asked in unison.
"They put me in the ninth grade, alright?" Ryouga growled.
"I'm sorry man," Ranma said consolingly, "How are you gonna get back and forth to school? I'm not fast enough to get you to your school and get across town to Juuban High every morning!"
Ryouga turned a bright red and muttered something under his breath.
"Speak up, boy!" Cologne said as she rapped him on the head with her staff.
Ryouga frowned at her as she rubbed the top of his head. "I said that I'm in the same class as Minako, alright?"
"Minako?" Cologne asked as Ranma collapsed, howling with laughter.
"They put you in the same class as her? Neither of ya will learn nothin' that way!"
"Shut up, Ranma!"
"Who is this Minako, Son-in-law?" Cologne asked seriously.
"Her name's Minako Aino. She kinda latched onto Ryouga shortly after we got here," Ranma explained.
"Really?" Cologne asked, a mischievous smile split her face. "Does she know about his curse?"
"Yup! She found piggy here in a rainstorm the same day they met, and took him into the bath with her!" Ranma chuckled while Ryouga turned a bright red at the memory.
"Goodness," Cologne laughed. "And she isn't bothered by the curse?"
"Doesn't seem like it. She calls him Ryo-chan all the time," Ranma said. "She's also gotten into the habit of grabbing onto his arm every chance she gets."
"Well now, Ryouga," Cologne said seriously. "I take it that you are completely over the Tendo girl?" She was a bit taken aback by the looks she got from the two young men. Ranma's face was contorted with anger, and maybe regret, while Ryouga's face was a mask of pain.
"Look, ghoul, if all you want to do is hurt us, yer doin' a damn fine job," Ranma snarled.
"Nabiki told me about the falling out the two of you had," Cologne said apologetically. "I didn't realize that it was hurting you this much."
"C'mon Ryouga, let's get you to the temple for your study group," Ranma said as he started walking off.
Ryouga nodded as he shouldered his pack. He gave Cologne a startled look as she leapt on top his bag.
"What? Can't an old woman ride along and continue to talk to you two?"
"Do what you want, granny," Ryouga sighed as he started following Ranma out of the park.
"I want to ask you something, Son-in-law," Cologne said when they had caught up with Ranma.
"What is it, Old Ghoul?"
"You and Ryouga have your hearts set on fighting those monsters, right?"
"Yeah, you ain't gonna talk us outta that."
"Granted, but you two could use more training with your ki. I'm willing to help you two in that fight by training you."
Ranma gave her a suspicious look, "And just what do you get out of this?"
Cologne cackled for a moment before she responded, "What do I get out of this? I get a chance to say that I trained two of the people that saved the world! It'll prove that the Amazon techniques are the greatest in the world!"
"One condition then," Ranma said seriously, "You don't tell anyone in Nerima where we are. It's hard enough fighting worryin' about the people on the street without having to worry about the others. They'd wanna fight too, and they just ain't good enough."
"Are you trying to say that my Shampoo isn't good enough for this fight?" Cologne asked in an acid tone of voice.
"Ah, well... No, she ain't good enough," Ranma finally said.
"I'm glad we agree then," Cologne smirked at his stunned expression. "Besides, she did something I didn't approve of not that long ago, and I'm still punishing her for it."
"Oh? What did she do?" Ranma asked curiously.
"That is none of your business," Cologne said firmly. "All you need to know is that if she was still in the village, she could have been executed."
"She must have done something downright terrible," Ryouga remarked.
Cologne hid a smile behind her sleeve. This promised to be even more fun than watching her great granddaughter's attempts at winning Ranma. To someone of her age, new experiences were to be treasured.
The chance to train two martial artist of their caliber at a time is a once in a life time experience, and bother the old saw about training the weaker sex!:: Cologne thought to herself.
Cologne then proceeded to question the two of them very thoroughly about what moves worked, what kind of moves each daimon they had fought used and so on. By the time they reached the Hikawa Shrine, it was apparent to Cologne that each daimon was different, and flexibility with their moves would be their greatest asset.
"Look, Ghoul," Ranma said once they reached the stairs leading up to the shrine. "Could ya make sure Ryouga makes it up there? I gotta get a job so I can buy food and stuff."
"You could always come work for me again," Cologne suggested with a smile.
"No way! I ain't going through that again!" Ranma shouted.
"Calm down, Son-in-law, it was a joke. Well, not really. I could have trained you at the same time."
"It's not a bad idea," Ryouga said half to himself. "But wouldn't that cause a problem with Shampoo and Mousse?"
"Don't even mention Duck-boy to me right now," Ranma made a gagging sound.
"Heh, at least here you don't have to worry about Kuno chasing you all over the place."
"Yeah. I'm outta here. Just get him to the study group, Old Ghoul. Minako'll take over from there," Ranma waved as he bounded off in search of employment.
"Well then, Ryouga," Cologne said gaily, "Let's see how many times you get turned around just trying to go up these stairs."
"I'm not that bad," Ryouga protested mildly.
"No?" Cologne smirked, "I seem to recall you getting lost in my home the first time we met."
Ryouga flushed as he started up the stairs while Cologne merely laughed at his embarrassment. When they reached the top of the stairs, Cologne looked about the grounds. She had been around long enough to truly appreciate the beauty of the temple and the meticulous care that maintained it.
"Very nice. Is Minako a shrine maiden then?" She asked.
"Ah, no. Her friend, Rei Hino is though," Ryouga answered as he walked towards one of the buildings.
"Hino? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Cologne said to herself as she absently guided Ryouga away from the temple itself and to the nearby house. She smiled to herself when she heard the girlish giggling inside. When Ryouga opened the door, she was mildly surprised. She had expected one or two girls in there, not four of them.
"Who's your friend, Ryouga? Your Grandmother?" Makoto asked.
"Ah, no. Her name's Cologne, and she's the matriarch of the Chinese Amazons," Ryouga said before he introduced each of the girls to Cologne. Once he was finished, Cologne hopped down off of his pack and settled onto the table.
"Chinese Amazons?" Ami asked with some interest.
"It's an honor to meet you, ancient one," Rei said formally.
"Aren't you a proper young lady?" Cologne chuckled. "Please, just call me Cologne, or Granny like Ryouga usually does."
"Pleased to meet you, Granny!" Usagi gushed as she held her hand out. Cologne gave her an odd look, but shook her hand anyway.
"What a charming child," Cologne smiled as she looked over Usagi. At this point, Minako entered the room carrying some drinks.
"Ryo-chan! You made it!" She exclaimed as she put the drinks on the table and glomped onto him. Ryouga's mind seemed to shut down on him as he blushed furiously and tried to stammer out some kind of greeting.
"And you must be Minako," Cologne said. "I've heard quite a bit about you."
Minako loosened her grip on Ryouga just enough to lean back a little and look at the ancient woman sitting on the table. "Oh, hello. Are you Ryouga's Grandmother?"
"No, child. I'm his trainer," Cologne smiled as she listened to the various gasps of shock around the room.
"Impossible! How could an old woman like yourself possibly keep up with him?" Makoto asked.
"Even if I couldn't keep up with him," Cologne smiled, "he could still benefit from my experience. He has a monumental task ahead of him, and wisdom from the ages may just help him prevail."
"Huh? What did she say?" Usagi asked in confusion.
"She said that he has a big job to do and she can help him," Ami said to her friend.
"Oh."
"Besides, she can still beat me," Ryouga said.
"No way! No-one can beat you, Ryo-chan!" Minako said fiercely. ` "I'm sorry, but Ryouga's right. I can still beat him, quite easily in fact. Ranma is another martial artist that can beat Ryouga one on one," Cologne said calmly.
"Well, Ranma I could believe, but you?" Minako said skeptically.
"Trust me, Minako," Ryouga said sternly. "She's way too skilled for me to beat right now."
"Ryouga, you need to get your stitches looked at after our study group," Ami reminded him.
"Stitches?" Cologne gave Ryouga a hard look, "You were careless enough to get hurt that badly?"
"It's nothing, Granny," Ryouga muttered. "It caught me with a special sword technique."
"I see that I'll have my work cut out for me. I'll be back tomorrow to begin your training," Cologne said as she turned to leave the room. "Good luck with your studies."
Ryouga sat heavily at his place at the table and let out a gusty sigh.
"What a strange old woman," Makoto said.
"You don't know the half of it," Ryouga growled. "Now I remember why Ranma calls her 'that old ghoul'."
Ami gave him a sharp look. "Old Ghoul? You mean she's the old ghoul that Ranma mentioned at the arcade?"
Ryouga nodded as he fished his books out of his pack.
Haruka Tenou scowled slightly to herself as she brought a bag of ice to where Michiru was resting. The two of them were bruised, battered and humiliated. It was bad enough when the inner Senshi involved themselves in their fight, but now two boys with no magic to aid them had involved themselves. If that wasn't bad enough, those same two boys did more damage to the daimon in less time than both she and Michiru did.
Haruka carefully erased her scowl as she placed the ice pack on a nasty looking bruise on Michiru's shoulder. Michiru gently held Haruka's hand before it could be withdrawn.
"I'm worried, Haruka," Michiru said softly.
"Hush, rest now," Haruka admonished her. "I'm going to find Setsuna and get some answers. We need to know about those two boys, they are way too powerful to be normal."
"She might not answer you," Michiru winced slightly as she shifted her shoulder. "Setsuna always has been a little on the evasive side."
Haruka snorted, "A little? More like she keeps secrets just for the fun of it."
"No," Sailor Pluto said mildly as she stepped out of the shadows. "Not for the fun of it, for necessity." Without fanfare, she shifted back into her civilian form.
"Damn it, Setsuna! Don't do that!" Haruka complained.
Setsuna merely raised an eyebrow at her as she pulled up a chair and sat down across from them. She crossed her legs and steepled her fingers as she waited expectantly for Haruka to speak.
"What do you know about those two boys that got involved in today's fight?" Haruka asked. "There's no way that normal people could have that kind of power."
"Oh? Do you consider yourself abnormal then?" Setsuna asked with an arch smile.
"You know what I mean," Haruka mumbled as she blushed slightly. "People that don't have blood from the Silver Millennium."
"Everyone in this world has blood from the Silver Millennium," Setsuna replied calmly. "The eons have weakened it surely, but it's still there."
"Stop evading the question!" Haruka snapped.
"Haruka..." Michiru said soothingly as her lover seethed. Michiru looked over at Setsuna and smiled herself. "How did those two in particular get to be so powerful?"
"Training," Setsuna said.
"Training?" Haruka and Michiru echoed her.
"Yes, training. From the time the two of them could barely walk, they have been training in the martial arts. They studied two different schools, but each of them has their own strong points."
"Speaking of strong," Haruka interrupted, "How did that one with the bandanna around his head, Ryouga, rip a telephone pole out of the ground? It's not humanly possible! And that blast they did!"
"I'm not entirely sure how they managed that blast today, it was much stronger than anything they had done before," Setsuna actually looked worried as she spoke. "I am not equipped to judge how powerful that blast was, but judging by the damage on the street and what it did to the daimon, I would have to say it is on not on par with a Senshi's attack. Possibly even as powerful as my own Dead Scream."
"I don't believe it. So, how do they fit into the picture?" Haruka asked. When Setsuna looked troubled over the question, they knew they were starting to get to the heart of things.
"They are... For lack of a better term, the wildcard," Setsuna sighed. "They are the unknown factor. I cannot even figure out what they are going to do in the future because their threads are so chaotic. There is no way of being able to tell what they may or may not do."
"Let's push the future to one side for the moment," Michiru said as she forced herself to sit up straight, ignoring Haruka's worried look. "I think what we really need to know is this: Are they an enemy?"
"I expected that question to come from Haruka," Setsuna smiled.
"We have our duty to defend this world. Are they a threat?" Michiru said sternly.
Setsuna leaned back in her chair and sighed. "You do know that that's a loaded question, don't you? Of course they could be a threat if they decide to work with the enemy. As it is, they are working independently. They are willing to help us, although they could use a few lessons in courtesy."
"No argument there," she muttered as she thought back to the fight, and remembered the almost casual way Ranma had dismissed her fighting ability.
"What drives them right now, I believe, is the challenge. Daimons are the most powerful enemies the two of them have ever come across, aside from each other that is," Setsuna smiled briefly. "Until they came to Juuban, they fought amongst themselves and other martial artists of their caliber."
"You mean," Haruka began.
"There's more of them?" Michiru finished for her.
Setsuna nodded gravely. "Ranma and Ryouga are two of the best, though. I'm doing what I can to keep an eye on Ranma, but their presence alone already has had an effect on the Inner Senshi."
"Let me guess, they're fighting over them?" Haruka said with an exaggerated sigh. She remembered all too well how she had first met Usagi and Minako in civilian form, and how the two of them had pursued her across town thinking that she was a guy.
"Actually, no. Mamoru seems to be getting jealous of Ranma's abilities, and he's taking out his frustration on Usagi. At the same time, Minako seems to have fallen in love with Ryouga."
Michiru frowned slightly while Haruka blistered the air with her curses.
"Of all the stupid idiots! If he hurts her, I swear I'll..." Haruka broke off at the startled looks she was getting from Michiru and Setsuna. "What?"
"My goodness, I think you actually care for our intrepid little Sailor Moon," Michiru smiled.
"Are you jealous?" Haruka teased.
"Maybe."
"I'm hurt."
"The both of you are getting off topic," Setsuna said, a faint trace of a smile touched her lips. "I'm watching the splinters in the time stream very carefully. So far, the time stream is showing only minimal effect from this," Setsuna hedged slightly, purposely not mentioning the alternate future she had seen. It wasn't solid enough for her to see many details yet, but from what she could see, evil was still in that future.
She stood and began to walk away from the other Outer Senshi. They gave her a startled look.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Haruka asked.
"I need to finish researching Ranma and Ryouga," Setsuna sighed slightly. "The more I know about them, the better I will be able to judge what they may do next."
"You're not telling us something," Haruka accused.
Setsuna looked over her shoulder and gave Haruka a condescending sort of smile as she faded from view. Michiru giggled slightly as Haruka vented her frustrations loudly before grabbing her helmet.
"I'm going for a ride to clear my head. For some reason, trying to talk to her gives me a headache."
Ryouga grimaced to himself as Minako and Ami escorted him into the hospital where Ami's mother worked. He hated hospitals. The sterile, unfeeling look of them seemed to make his blood run cold. For someone used to open countryside, it was almost like being in hell. He sat heavily on a couch and grumbled as he waited. Minako seated herself right next to him.
"Don't tense up like that," Minako whispered to him.
"What makes you think I'm tense?" Ryouga asked. Minako merely pointed at the armrest he was mangling. Ryouga turned a bright red as Minako giggled.
"That's cute. Tough guy martial artist hates hospitals."
"I'll go let Mother know that you're here," Ami announced as she left the cubicle. Ryouga barely acknowledged her departure, but Minako smiled slyly to herself.
::Now's my chance,:: She thought triumphantly to herself. She scooted a little closer to Ryouga and leaned on his shoulder.
"Thank you," She said dreamily.
"Huh? What for?" Ryouga asked, stunned.
"You know. Fighting Imotoku for me this morning, and then fighting off that monster this afternoon."
"Ah," Ryouga blushed as he twiddled his fingers nervously. "It was nothing." His pulse raced as Minako gently took hold of his hand.
"Such powerful hands," She murmured in his ear as she caressed his hand. "They seem awfully rough and course. Can they be as gentle as they are strong?"
Ryouga seemed to flinch slightly as he remembered the incident with the waterproof soap. He had scared Akane away from him by being too muscular in his attempts at showing her the depth of his affection. Minako waited patiently for him to respond.
"I, I don't know," He said finally.
"Ok, then," Minako said with a small smile. "Start off by holding my hand."
Ryouga swallowed nervously and grabbed her hand with a minimum of fidgeting.
"Ease up!" She gasped as he applied a crushing grip.
"Sorry," Ryouga mumbled as he loosened his grip on her hand.
"A little softer, Ryo-chan," she sighed with relief as his grip slowly became gentle. "There. You see? That's not too difficult, now is it?"
Ryouga didn't answer, but instead he was staring at the front of the cubicle and blushing furiously. Minako turned her head and blushed as well when she saw both Ami and her mother standing there.
"Well now, if you're done teaching him the right way to hold hands, would you mind too terribly much if I took a look at his stitches?" Ms. Mizuno said with a slight note of amusement in her voice.
The entire hospital heard Minako's scream of pain as Ryouga's grip came back full force.
As the sky darkened, Ranma could be found whistling happily to himself as he walked along the fences towards the park. After he had left Ryouga with Cologne at the Hikawa shrine, he had returned to the Crown Arcade and spoke at some length with Motoki. By the end of the interview, Ranma found himself employed. The rest of the afternoon had been spent hammering out his work schedule and what his duties would be. It seemed easy enough, giving change to anyone who needed it and cleaning up the arcade from time to time. He was a little startled at how much he was going to be making, but he accepted the offered wage with a small smile. He had even worked things out so that he was working while everyone else was at their study group.
Even though things seemed very peaceful, he was still very much alert. Thus, he wasn't startled when a motorbike roared past and then skidded to a stop not very far in front of him. Unperturbed, Ranma continued to walk along the fence until the rider of the motorcycle said something that he couldn't quite hear.
"What?" Ranma asked as he crouched on the fence to look at the motorcyclist.
"Excuse me, but didn't I see you near the hobby shop about the time that monster attacked?" Haruka said as she smiled to herself. ::Who knew I would have run across him like this?::
"Yeah, so?" Ranma replied disinterestedly as he stood to continue his walk.
"I saw you fight," Haruka said as she smoothed out her school uniform and locked her helmet to her bike. "It was pretty amazing."
"Thanks man."
Haruka arched an eyebrow slightly as she regarded him. "I saw the hits you took, how did you manage to survive?"
"Training," Ranma shrugged.
"Training? How do you train to fight monsters?"
"Heh, you can't really. Ya just gotta keep fighting with people that are almost monsters. Ryouga's so strong, I'm surprised he ain't been mistaken for a monster yet."
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Haruka Tenou," She held her hand up to Ranma.
"Ranma Saotome," He responded as he leaned down to shake her hand. "Why are you so interested in that fight?" He asked, a note of suspicion finally entering his voice.
"I was there," Haruka replied calmly. "I saw the things you and your friend did and frankly, I'm impressed."
"Heh, it was nothin'," Ranma smirked as he continued on down the fence.
"I do kinda wonder why one of the Senshi was talking with you though. I wasn't close enough to hear what she said, and I'm curious," Haruka chuckled inwardly, she knew exactly why she had spoken sharply to him earlier, but this was a good way of judging his character.
Ranma chuckled. "She tried tellin' me to stay outta her fight. As far as I could see, she and her friend weren't doing too hot when Ryouga an' I got there."
"You took a pretty bad hit protecting them though."
"Had too," Ranma shrugged, then winced and clutched at his side.
"Are you alright?"
"Just bruises," he grunted. "They'll heal in a day or two. Anyways, those two were not in any shape to dodge that blast and I wasn't quite fast enough to be able to grab 'em both and dodge. Not with both of them kissin' the dirt."
"So, you are on their side?" Haruka asked with a slight edge to her voice. The pigtailed martial artist irritated her with his arrogance, but the information she was gleaning from him could be useful.
"Kinda. It's like this, part of the code says that it's our duty to protect those weaker than ourselves. I think that those monsters go outta their way to attack people that can't fight back, so it's kinda my job to fight 'em off."
"Really? Did you ever manage to kill one yet?"
Ranma blanched at that question. "Kill? No, those Sailor girls always end up killin' them. Ryouga an' I just try to knock 'em out, we ain't too keen on just killing them."
"These are monsters we're talking about!" Haruka snapped. "They aren't human; why should you hesitate to kill them?"
Ranma glared at her then. "Look, Haruka, have you ever killed? Other than something you intend to eat or a bug?"
Haruka narrowed her eyes before she answered. "No," She said as honestly as she could. She hadn't yet killed a human, but she wouldn't hesitate if it meant saving the world.
"I'm not sure if I want to know what it feels like to kill with my bare hands. I don't mind if those Sailor girls kill them, I'm just not sure if I can deal with killing. If I kill a monster, what if I like it? What if I lose control in one of my fights and kill my opponent?" Ranma sighed. "The art was made to protect life, but at the same time it can be used to end it."
"What if these monsters weren't really alive in the first place, but merely objects fused with pure evil to become these creatures bent on killing?"
"I... I don't know," Ranma jammed his hands in his pockets. "I just ain't comfortable with the idea of killin'. I mean, if I kill the next person I fight with, how am I gonna make them into a friend, or at the very least an ally for my next fight?"
"You make that sound like you've done it before," Haruka laughed. She stopped laughing when she saw the serious look on his face. "What?"
"Ryouga."
"Huh?"
"Ryouga and I used to fight each other all the time. If I had killed him back then, would he be here now to help me fight these monsters off? Would he an' Minako had met? What would that have meant to Minako? Would she have found someone else to fall in love with?"
"I see," Haruka hummed a little. "You have thought about it quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Kinda. It's somethin' ya gotta realize when you train in the martial arts. It's a heck of a lot easier to kill than to just knock them out," Ranma sighed. "Now you're makin' me feel as depressed as Ryouga. Later," he gave a cocky wave and sprinted off faster than Haruka could hope to follow.
"I thought I was fast on my feet..." Haruka muttered as she turned to walk back to her bike.
Luna knew something had happened that she had missed when Usagi practically danced into her room that night. After several failed attempts at getting her attention, Luna resorted to jumping onto Usagi's head.
"What is it, Luna?" Usagi asked as she took Luna off of her head and held the black moon cat in front of her.
"You seem to be very happy this evening, Usagi. What happened? Did you make up with Mamoru?"
Usagi giggled. "Oh Luna! Yes, we did make up, but almost right after that two daimons attacked! Ranma and Ryouga were there and they got knocked around a little before we could transform and help. The Outers showed up and started fighting with one of the daimons, while we attacked the other one."
"Were Ranma or Ryouga hurt at all?" Luna asked.
"Not that I could see," Usagi said after pausing to look up in thought. "Anyway, when things started to go wrong in our fight with the second daimon, Mamo-chan actually attacked the daimon with his cane! He held it off for a little bit while the other could recover and Ami-chan held some stinky stuff under my nose!" She stuck out her tongue as she remembered that awful smell.
"Smelling salts, I believe," Luna surmised.
"Anyway, Mako-chan showed up just in time to keep the daimon from really hurting me, and I blasted it. When we ran over to where Ranma, Ryouga and the Outers were fighting, we saw this huge blast! It must have shot at least ten stories high before it crashed back to earth. Poor Rei-chan collapsed when it happened. Mako-chan carried her most of the rest of the way, and when Rei-chan came to, she kept saying things like 'The world is a dark and lonely place', and stuff like that."
Luna looked worriedly on as Usagi hurriedly described the remainder of the fight.
"Sounds like you had another exciting day," Luna said as she stretched. "I'm curious though, how exactly did you make up with Mamoru?"
Usagi blushed a little and hung her head. "Reichan, Rei-chan forced him to apologize. He was trying to avoid me, but she found him and dragged him to where I was walking home with everyone else and made him apologize in front of everyone."
"Oh dear," Luna sighed. She knew that something like that would have been a very bad blow against his already bruised pride. "How did he take it?"
"He didn't seem to mind too much after the fight with the daimons, but he kept glaring at Rei-chan," Usagi sighed. "I'm worried, Luna. I'm beginning to feel like I don't really know him anymore. I..." She broke off as her door cracked open. She turned her head sharply and saw that Chibi-usa was peeking through the door.
"Usagi? Can I talk with you?" The small girl said almost hesitantly.
"Sure, come on in," Usagi said as she patted the spot on the bed next to her. She knew from Chibiusa's tone of voice that something was troubling her.
"Usagi," Chibi-usa said seriously once she had seated herself on the bed. "Have you and father made up yet? Your latest fight has me worried."
"Oh?" Usagi asked with a note of mock concern in her voice. She smiled inwardly as she thought about how she could make Chibi-usa squirm for a few minutes.
"Yeah. If you and daddy really don't get together, what will happen to me? I mean, I'll never exist!" When Chibi-usa looked up at Usagi with tears in her eyes, all thoughts of tormenting the little girl fled from Usagi as she engulfed her in a gentle hug.
"Don't you fret none," Usagi whispered as she rocked the softly crying Chibi-usa in her arms. "Mamo-chan and I have already made up and forgotten what we were fighting about. There's nothing to worry about."
Luna padded out of the room softly, not willing to voice her own private doubts that Mamoru really hadn't forgotten. ::I must keep an eye on the two of them,:: She thought to herself as she let herself out. ::I don't think Mamoru would forget about that slap to his pride that he was forced to take.:: The chilly night air was invigorating as she bounded off in search of Artemis.
Minako sighed as she leaned her head against Ryouga's firm shoulder as she walked him back to the park he was camping in. Poor Ryouga had almost jumped out the window after Ms Mizuno and Ami caught them holding hands. It took the combined efforts of Ami and her mother to convince him to let go of Minako's hand and to stop running aimlessly around the room. Unfortunately, when he had finally reacted to their presence, his grip had re-tightened on her hand, bruising it. She fidgeted with the bandage a little, trying hard to do it so that Ryouga wouldn't notice.
"I'm really sorry," Ryouga said in the most apologetic tone of voice Minako had ever heard.
"Really, it wasn't your fault," Minako sighed. "I shouldn't have tried having you hold my hand when you were already nervous."
"Still..."
"No, not another word about it!" Minako said firmly before she changed the subject.
"So, Ryo-chan, you and that old woman are going to be training here tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yeah. Ranma'll be here too."
"Great! I think I'll call Makoto when I get back home and let her know, we'll come over and watch you guys train!" She enthused.
"Uhm... Ok."
Unseen nearby, Artemis crouched in the bushes and followed as quietly as he could. He knew Ryouga was dangerous, the bandage on Minako's hand was proof enough for him. Near as he could tell, though, Ryouga hadn't done anything to harm her on purpose. That was what worried him. If he was causing this much damage without trying, what could he do if he was? He crept closer as they stopped next to Ryouga's tent and exchanged a few soft words before Ryouga disappeared into the tent and Minako turned and started walking home, a happy little smile on her face.
"Minako," Artemis said softly as she neared his position. She stopped and looked down at the white moon cat as he emerged from the bush he was hiding in.
"Oh, hello Artemis!"
"Are you sure he's safe to be around? I mean, eventually he may hurt you even more seriously without even realizing it."
"Oh Artemis, is that why you've been sneaking around me lately? Are you really that concerned?" Minako asked as she crouched next to him.
"I just don't want you to get hurt again, in any way," Artemis said softly. When a flicker of pain crossed her face, he immediately regretted his words.
"I get it. It's ok to risk my life almost every day fighting daimons, but it's not ok for me to risk my heart once in a while?" She stood as she continued. "I know he's not the most ideal man out there, but he has a good heart. I think he really wants to be happy too, and we can do that together!"
"What if a daimon attacks him?" he asked worriedly. "Would he be able to fight it off for a while? Would you be able to sleep worrying if he'll be all right all the time?" He opened his mouth to ask another question, but whatever he said was drowned out by peals of laughter from Minako.
"Me, worry about Ryouga in a fight?" She laughed even harder. "Honestly, Artemis, where have you been? I haven't had a chance to tell you about the incredible things I've seen him do in a fight."
"What?"
"I don't know how, but he and Ranma are almost as effective against the daimons as we are! He's incredible!" Minako sighed again as she clasped her hands together and looked back in the general direction of Ryouga's tent.
"I give up," Artemis sighed.
Minako giggled as she scooped him up in her arms. "You know, it was really sweet of you to worry about me like that."
"Then you won't mind if I continue to keep an eye on you two then?"
"I don't need a chaperone!" Minako snapped as she moved her hands ever so slightly, as if she was about to drop him.
"That's not what I meant!" Artemis said quickly. "I just meant that, you know, I should be around just in case he gets too enthusiastic again and you need someone to bail you out."
"Sounds like a chaperone to me," Minako said in a mock stern tone as she continued on to her home.
"There you are!" Luna called as she leapt out of a tree to land in front of Minako and Artemis.
"Hi Luna!" Minako smiled. "Is everything alright?"
"For the moment at least," Luna frowned. "Would you mind too much if I spoke with Artemis for a bit?"
"Not at all," Minako said as she put him down. "I'm heading home. See you in the morning, Artemis!" She waved to them as she walked off, softly singing a song that Artemis had only heard her sing back in England. Tears stood in his eyes as he watched her walk away.
"What is it, Luna?" Artemis asked once Minako was gone.
"We need to keep an eye on Mamoru. Rei embarrassed him badly when she forced him to apologize to Usagi. This could mean trouble," Luna said worriedly.
"That is bad," He nodded in grim agreement. "I've got my hands full making sure that Minako doesn't get hurt dealing with Ryouga."
Luna looked at him in surprise. "You think he may break her heart?"
"...Or her ribs," Artemis grumbled.
"What?" Luna's voice shook as she digested that comment.
"He's too strong for his own good," Artemis growled. "He nearly broke her hand just trying to hold it. Imagine if he gave her a hug!"
"You've got to get Minako to teach him to be gentle, that's all," Luna snorted.
"That's easy for you to say," Artemis grumbled. "All she ever seems to talk about anymore is Ryouga this and Ryouga that. I worry for her you know. She may get so caught up in finally truly falling in love again that she may inadvertently get hurt again in the process."
"There, there..." Luna patted him on the shoulder with one paw. "I'm certain you can figure it out."
"Luna..." he gave her a look with stars in his eyes.
"Besides, if you mess it up, I'm sure I can take care of it as well."
"Thanks," Artemis muttered sourly.
The pre-dawn peacefulness was shattered in the park as Ranma gleefully dragged Ryouga from his tent.
"C'mon, pig butt!" He grinned. "Let's get a warm-up in before breakfast!"
"Damn it, Ranma!" Ryouga roared as he launched himself at Ranma. "You'll die for ruining my dream!"
Ranma laughed as he danced around Ryouga's attempts at hitting him. Ranma knew that just as soon as Ryouga was fully awake, he'd have to pay more attention but for now, it was enough to dodge.
Ryouga snarled as he backed away from Ranma and his eyes adjusted to the gloom. As he tried to figure out which way Ranma would dodge next, he remembered a snippet of conversation from a few days ago. Ranma had wanted to train first thing in the morning, but had held off because of the stitches that had been removed the previous day.
With a smirk that bared one of his fangs, Ryouga feinted with his left fist convincingly enough for Ranma to start dodging the blow. With a resounding yell, Ryouga kicked with his right hard enough to send Ranma stumbling.
"Heh, you're getting slow, Ranma!"
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Who're you callin' slow? Enough of this play stuff, Ryouga. Let's get some serious sparring in."
"Bring it on!" Ryouga chuckled, but immediately regretted the slow jibe. Ranma was all over him like a rash at that point, moving just fast enough to make it apparent who was the faster of the two, but not so fast as to overwhelm him. Ryouga struggled to block the blows, and was starting to get angry.
"Don't get mad!" Ranma cautioned. "I'm purposely going after yer weak area, blockin'! C'mon, ya know how to do this, ya just got outta practice since you learned the baksai tenketsu." Ranma said as he pulled away from Ryouga for a minute.
"What?"
"Yer blocking used to be really good, until after the Ghoul taught ya the baksai tenketsu. Now yer relyin' on the extra toughness that gave ya. Now it's time fer you to block and keep that toughness in reserve for when they do manage to hit."
Comprehension dawned on Ryouga's face as he fell back into his stance. "Alright, come at me then."
Usagi yawned hugely as she staggered down the stairs from her bedroom and into the kitchen. She glanced about sleepily and wondered where everyone was until she saw a note taped to the fridge.
Recollection of what her parents had said the previous night flooded back to her. Her parents had taken her little brother with them to visit her grandparents the previous night. Usagi had wanted to go as well, but she was rather sternly reminded that she had to study for the placement test.
"Now what?" She asked as the phone rang. "Hello?" she asked as she answered.
"Good morning Usagi-chan!" Makoto's voice through the receiver.
"Good morning Mako-chan!" Usagi smiled, even though she knew Makoto couldn't see her. "What's going on?"
"Well, Minako and I were going to watch Ranma and Ryouga train with that old lady this morning. After we got talking about it a little, we decided to make a picnic out of it."
"Really?!?" Usagi squealed with delight.
"Yeah, I spoke with Chibi-usa last night after you were already asleep, and she said she was going to bring Hotaru as well. Ami and Rei are also going to be meeting us there in a half hour," Makoto said cheerfully into the phone, right before wincing at the noise of the receiver being dropped. She listened for a moment to the panicked preparations of her friend and smiled indulgently before hanging up the phone.
She knew Usagi well enough that if she said a half hour, it would more likely be an hour and a half before her she would even be ready to go. She hesitated for a moment as she considered calling Mamoru, but decided against it. She remembered that there was bound to be a bit of resentment between him and Ryouga left over from their argument.
"No use causing avoidable incidents, right?" She said philosophically as she gathered up the last of the things she needed for the picnic, including a humongous basket of food, and left her apartment with a leisurely stroll. She felt she had plenty of time to get there before the others and be able to have Ranma mostly to herself.
The sun had fully risen by the time Usagi had finished getting ready and dashed for the park. As she approached the large, wooded park, she glanced at her watch.
"I might actually make it on time," she said to herself as she ran through the park to where she knew Ranma and Ryouga were camped.
She burst through the underbrush that bordered the clearing they were camped in and stopped short. The only people there so far was Ranma and Ryouga, and they were cooking something over their campfire while a pot of rice cooked over Ryouga's portable stove. The smell of their breakfast reminded her that she hadn't stopped to try and make herself something to eat.
She stopped and brushed the loose leaves off of her yellow sweater and her jeans before she approached their camp.
"Good morning!" She called cheerfully and waved. Ranma and Ryouga looked up and smiled at her.
"Hey, Usagi," Ranma said as he flipped another egg into the frying pan. "What brings you here this early?"
"Well, Mako-chan called and said that she and Minako-chan were coming here about now to watch you train with Cologne," she said as she looked around. "I think I beat everyone here."
Ranma nodded and patted the ground next to him. "You're just in time for breakfast. Have a seat."
"Wow, thanks!" Usagi smiled as she sat down.
"Better cook those last few eggs, Ranma," Ryouga said as he stirred the rice a little before turning back to his own pan. "They'll go bad soon."
"Right," Ranma said as he grabbed the last two eggs from the carton next to him and began cooking those as well.
Usagi boggled a bit at the large bowl of scrambled eggs that was next to him. "Is some of that for your lunch as well?" She asked as Ranma and Ryouga began tossing a bowl back and forth, filling it with various foodstuffs with each toss.
"Ah, no," Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "It's breakfast. Here," He said as he handed the bowl to her with a pair of chopsticks.
Usagi looked in the bowl for a moment before she began to eat ravenously. She almost stopped when she realized how rude it must have seemed to the boys, but they were eating just as rapidly, if not faster. Her slight apprehension mollified, she ate with much the same gusto as before.
Makoto smiled to herself as she approached the part of the park that Ranma and Ryouga were camped in. She knew they would be grateful for the food she brought them for breakfast, and for waking them up. Her smile faltered only slightly when she heard their voices as she got closer. Waking them up was only a small part of her plan though, and she continued on. When she heard Usagi's voice, though, she did stop in her tracks.
::How on earth did she beat me here?:: She thought to herself as she tried to adjust to the idea of Usagi being on time. Her face took on a determined cast as she stepped into the clearing. She still had the food, and even if everything else had failed, they would appreciate her cooking. When she saw them chatting cheerfully as they cleaned the dishes from their breakfast, she sighed.
::So much for that idea,:: She thought ruefully as she approached their camp. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Minako and Ami arrive in the clearing with Rei, Chibi-usa and Hotaru right behind them.
Usagi waved enthusiastically to them as they approached.
"Hey everyone! I was beginning to wonder where you all were," she said as he stood to greet them.
"Ah, well..." Makoto grinned down at Usagi. "I told you an earlier time than everyone else."
They giggled at that for a moment. Hotaru sat down near the fire and held her hands towards the flames.
"Are you alright, Hotaru?" Usagi asked.
"I'm just a little cold this morning," she replied as she looked at the tents in interest.
"Hotaru, Chibi-usa, this is Ranma and Ryouga," Ami said as she gestured to each one in turn.
"Are you camping here to toughen up for your training?" Chibi-usa asked Ranma as she walked up to him.
Ranma shook his head. "Nah."
"This is where we live, right now," Ryouga explained patiently to her.
Chibi-usa's eyes widened in shock as she digested that piece of information.
"Isn't it hard to live in a tent all the time?" Hotaru asked softly. "I mean, don't you have to be strong to be able to deal with it being cold every night?"
The girls' eyes softened as they took in the plaintive note in Hotaru's voice, while Ryouga gave her an indulgent look.
"Well, not necessarily," he said. "If you have a good, stout tent and a nice warm sleeping bag, you barely realize that you aren't sleeping in a bed. It doesn't hurt to have a blanket or two with you as well."
"Really?" Hotaru asked as she stood to examine the weathered material of their tents. She ran her fingers down the side of Ryouga's tent. "It feels really rough."
"Does it? Lemme see!" Chibi-usa bounced over and placed her tiny hand on the tent as well. "Wow, that is rough!"
"It's canvas, so it'll last a lot longer than those fancy nylon tents. If I treat it right, it will last another year or two," Ryouga said before he began to patiently explain the fine art of camping to the two interested girls.
"Wow," Minako sighed, "he's even good with kids."
"Lucky you," Makoto grumbled.
Minako giggled as she smiled nervously. "Ah, yes well..." She broke off and walked over to where Ryouga was to stand next to him.
"When are you and Ryouga going to start training?" Makoto asked Ranma interestedly.
"Whenever the Ghoul gets here," Ranma shrugged. "We already had our morning workout."
"When did you get up?" Rei asked.
"Before dawn. We gotta get used to it, 'cause we're gonna be doing it every morning before school."
"At least the activity will ensure that you will be fully awake for your classes," Ami said.
Ranma had the good grace to blush guiltily as he remembered all the times he had fallen asleep in class.
As the morning wore on, Hotaru found herself coming to like Ryouga more and more. He seemed nervous and very shy whenever Minako said something to him, but was warm and gentle. He seemed to go out of his way to ensure that she and Chibi-usa were comfortable, even to the point of getting a blanket from inside his tent to place around their shoulders when he thought that they might be a little cold.
"He's really nice, isn't he?" she asked Chibiusa.
"Ryouga? He seems so, nervous though," Chibiusa replied. She didn't dare mention to Hotaru how ferocious he looked when she saw him fight a daimon. She shuddered as she recalled how he had torn its arm off and had chuckled about it to Ranma.
"You're still cold," Ryouga said as he placed a kettle next to the fire.
"Oh, no I..."
"I'll make you two some tea, alright?" Ryouga said gently.
"Ain't you the nice host?" Ranma quipped.
"Someone needs to be, Ranma," He half growled in response.
"Tea sounds like a wonderful idea," Cologne said as she landed in their midst, startling everyone.
"Don't do that, you old ghoul!" Ranma shouted
"Be quiet. I don't have much time, so listen close as I explain what I want you to do," cologne gestured sharply at Ranma and Ryouga before she leapt into a tree. Ranma and Ryouga followed, leaving the girls to watch in amazement.
"That old woman can jump like that?" Chibi-usa whispered to Hotaru. When she heard a soft sigh in response, she looked at Hotaru in concern.
"Hotaru?"
"They're all amazing, so full of energy," Hotaru said as she pulled the blanket a little closer around her shoulders and wished once again that she had brought her jacket.
They stayed in the tree for a full half hour talking in low tones before Cologne leapt off. Ranma and Ryouga dropped out of the tree with understanding looks on their faces.
"I never looked at it quite that way before," Ryouga said as he clenched his fist.
"Ya wanna give it a shot? I'll try the blocking technique she explained, while you try an' hit me," Ranma said as they moved away from the campfire, totally engrossed in their conversation.
When Minako moved to follow them, Rei reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Don't," She cautioned. "I can feel the Ki they are gathering. I don't think it would be very safe if you went near them right now."
Minako nodded her understanding and turned to watch as Ranma and Ryouga's auras sprang up around them, only to be sucked inside them leaving their fists glowing. Rei clenched her teeth in concentration as she attempted to block the storm of emotions coming from the still martial artists. After finally shaking off the effect the full shi shi hokkoudan had on her, she was determined to never let anything through her guard again.
After some unseen signal, Ryouga let loose a loud shout and punched at Ranma who raised his glowing arms in defense. He blocked the blow, but a small explosion sent both of them flying to opposite ends of the field. Rei reeled from the psychic backlash, but she remained conscious.
"Ryo-chan!" Minako screamed as she ran towards him. Unnoticed behind her, Ami was following close with Chibi-usa and Hotaru right behind her. Makoto, Usagi and Rei rushed to where Ranma had fallen.
"Ryo-chan! Speak to me!" Minako wailed as she cradled his head in her lap. His once yellow sweater was charred black, and there was a visible redness on his hands.
"Calm down, Minako," Ami said as she started examining his wounds. "He just seems to have been knocked unconscious and burned slightly."
"Is he ok?" Chibi-usa demanded as she and Hotaru caught up with them.
Ami looked up and smiled. "He'll be just fine, I have to go take a look at Ranma now. Why don't you get a towel and soak it with some water and place it on his forehead?" Ami said as she stood and walked briskly over to where Usagi was wailing over Ranma's still form.
Makoto and Rei had straightened out his crumpled form, but Usagi had latched onto his chest and was crying while demanding that he open his eyes at the same time.
"Usagi-chan," Ami said reasonably. "Let me see him. Ryouga seems to be fine, but I need to make sure Ranma isn't hurt as well."
When her calm words did not get through to Usagi, Makoto and Rei gently disentangled her from Ranma to give Ami a chance to examine him. After a moment, Ami sat up and gave them a smile.
"He seems to be in pretty much the same condition as Ryouga. A little burnt and unconscious, but otherwise alright."
"Ya fergot the headache," Ranma groaned before he sat up.
"Ranma!" Usagi cried as she broke free of Makoto and Rei to kneel next to him. "What happened?"
Ranma grimaced as he held his head. "I dunno. I think I know, but I won't be sure until I try it again."
"Don't you dare!" Usagi almost screamed. "You could get hurt!"
Ranma gave her a funny look before he smiled and started to laugh. "I ain't talkin' about doin' what Ryouga and I just did, I'm gonna try it by myself," He said as he flipped to his feet and walked up to a nearby tree. He concentrated for a moment and punched towards the tree. His fist blazed with his blue aura only after he had actually started his swing.
Usagi, Makoto, Rei and Ami clapped politely from where they were watching, nodding a greeting to the others as they approached. Usagi smiled slightly when she saw that Minako was supporting Ryouga on one side, while Chibi-usa and Hotaru were making an effort to keep him on his feet on the other.
Ranma ignored them while his aura blazed across his whole body before focusing down to his fists. He launched another punch, and this time there was a small explosion as his fist impacted the tree. He smiled with satisfaction.
"Heh, I was right. Get this, Ryouga. When we concentrated our whole aura into our fists and arms, I think we let loose a small ki-blast at the same time. What knocked us silly were the combined explosions."
Ryouga nodded and sat heavily as he felt the back of his head. "How come I'm hurting more than you then?"
"I was trying ta make the ki shield, stupid," Ranma sighed. "It worked, to a point. Then it kinda backfired on me. The right way to do it is to not give it a chance to build up. That way, the attack is still charged up, but not explosive."
"I think I like the explosive one better," Ryouga grinned crookedly. "But, those would wear us down faster."
"Right, we can save the exploding fists for emergencies," Ranma agreed as he held out his hand to help Ryouga to his feet. "C'mon, that's enough of a rest break, let's get back at it."
Ryouga grunted as he took Ranma's hand and hauled himself to his feet.
They spent the rest of that morning practicing their ki charged attacks and blocking. The girls had watched with great interest as the day had grown warmer, and Ranma and Ryouga had shucked their shirts and continued to train in their undershirts.
"Wow... Look at them," Makoto sighed as she watched Ranma and Ryouga start to argue about some nuance of the move.
"Keep your eyes off my Ryo-chan!" Minako said sternly.
"Hey, a girl can always admire, right?" Rei said defensively.
Usagi ignored their comments as she felt her heart leap in her chest like it has never leapt before. Her cheeks reddened as she watched Ranma argue with Ryouga, his muscles rippling as he made expansive gestures to help him make his point.
"Usagi," Chibi-usa growled under her breath. "Don't you dare."
"What?" Usagi said distractedly, never taking her eyes off of Ranma.
"I said don't you dare!" Chibi-usa hissed as she yanked one of Usagi's ponytails so that her head was next to Chibi-usa's.
"Don't I dare what?" Usagi whispered.
"Don't look at him like that. It's making me nervous," Chibi-usa said softly.
Usagi giggled wickedly as she gave Chibi-usa a sidelong glance. "I have the best, but that's no reason I can't check out the rest," she said philosophically.
After arguing for a while, Ranma and Ryouga picked up their shirts and walked over to where the girls were watching them.
"I still say that yer doing that wrong!" Ranma snapped at Ryouga as they got closer.
"Shut up! I just have to do it differently than you, that's all!" Ryouga snarled before he sat down and began to rummage in his pack.
"What are you getting?" Makoto asked.
"Lunch," Ryouga muttered as he pulled out a small plastic bag of rice.
"Put that away!" Makoto commanded as she held out her basket. "I've got lunch handled."
"Wow, look at all that food!" Ranma said appreciatively as Makoto pulled the cloth covering off of the basket with a flourish.
"Look's good," Ryouga agreed as he put his rice back into his bag.
Makoto smiled to herself as she passed the food out. She knew her cooking would definitely give her an edge over her friends in this competition. She almost laughed out loud as she thought that her biggest competitor had already claimed second prize, while she homed in on the grand prize.
"Well then, let's... eat?" Makoto's eye's boggled as she saw Ranma and Ryouga practically inhale the food in front of them, and she could almost swear that Usagi was doing her best to keep up with them.
Hotaru smiled to herself as she nibbled at her sandwich. It was so funny to watch them eat! With a content sigh, she finished the one small sandwich she had and leaned back a little before a second sandwich appeared on her plate.
"Huh?" She said quizzically. She looked up and saw that Ryouga had stopped eating and was watching her intently.
"You know, part of the reason people get weak is that they don't eat enough, or they eat too much." He said in a kind voice.
"But... You and Ranma eat a lot!"
Ryouga shrugged. "That doesn't mean much. It takes a lot of energy to do what we do."
"He's right, ya know," Ranma cut in. "Food is what fuels your body, allows it to grow and get stronger. Without enough fuel, it'll slow down, try and save every bit it can. But, if you give it more fuel, you have ta burn it as well, which means doing more stuff. It's all about a balance."
Hotaru smiled suddenly as she picked up the sandwich. The earthy, common sense approach that Ranma and Ryouga took seemed to warm her, and even spark her appetite as she thought about what she could do if she were just a little stronger.
For the first time in over a century, Sailor Pluto felt like crying after looking into someone's life. She had finished watching Ranma and proceeded from there to follow Ryouga's life. At first, it was a terrible headache to follow the lost-boy's thread, but she eventually got the hang of it. What she saw from there was one day after another filled with misery. From the day he could walk, Ryouga pretty much had to look after himself. From a parentless childhood to a lonely adolescence, she followed Ryouga through his wanderings. He never seemed to be in one place long enough to make any friends until the fateful day he met Ranma almost two years ago.
What really startled her, though, was the fact that Ranma had taken the time to guide Ryouga to and from the school every day, despite their lunch time war. The subsequent year or so was still a battle against depression, but for some reason, the challenge of fighting Ranma seemed to bring something out of Ryouga, something more human. Even the dip he took in Jusenkyo, the challenge of dealing with being small and edible, was taken on with a sort of grim determination. The same sort of grim determination that he had in every subsequent battle he had with Ranma, or any of the other martial artists from Nerima.
With an audible sigh, she fully realized how formidable those two were alone, and how much more powerful they were whenever they worked together. They were like an immovable mountain and the irresistible river, each an overwhelming force by themselves, but together... She shuddered at the possibilities. She felt a shudder again and realized that it wasn't her personal reflections that were causing it. She gazed at the time gates and shunted them forward to look again at the future, no futures, which were there.
The alternate future was starting to clarify ever so slightly, as if more and more events were falling into place, and the thread leading back from it had almost stretched to the point where she could determine exactly what would happen to cause it. She watched the threads stretch and intertwine with baited breath. This was what she needed to know, this was how she could save Crystal Tokyo!
When the view did finally solidify, she fell backwards in shock.
"No!" She screamed. "This cannot be!"
***
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 4
Mamoru found himself standing a muddy field. The sky above his head was blood red in the setting sun and the field itself seemed to be red as well. It only took a few steps for him to realize why the field was red. It wasn't the light of the fading sun, it was spilled blood of the corpses that he could now see littered the field. He felt an almost calm detachment as he continued to walk towards a rocky hill that jutted out of the tall grass.
As he neared the hill he saw men, women and children impaled on tall stakes, but felt nothing. As he reached the base of the hill, he saw that more dead littered the sides of the hill. He picked his way gingerly through the piles of mutilated dead but despite his best efforts, he was covered in blood and grime by the time he had reached the summit.
The moon had fully risen by then, pale and full. By that silvery light he saw a very large man wearing armor that reminded Mamoru of the armor he wore in the silver millennium. The large man turned to face him, and Mamoru suddenly noticed a young girl struggling in his grasp. Although most of the man's face was concealed in the shadows, Mamoru could clearly see the evil grin on his face as he slowly choked his victim to death.
Even that display of cruelty did not spark a hint of outrage in Mamoru. As the big man tossed away the corpse he smiled again at Mamoru and finally spoke.
"My son."
Mamoru jerked awake in his bed, breathing hard. Images from his dream were fading fast, but he suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he remembered the indifference he felt as he walked through that field of death. More curious though, was the man that called him son. Who was this?
He stumbled into his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face before staring at his reflection in the mirror. He frowned slightly when he saw the dark rings under his eyes. ::Either the stress of these battles is finally getting to me, or I need more sleep!::
Minako sighed to herself a little as she studied the different items that filled her room. It almost seemed like some sort of eclectic mix between stuffed dolls and sports equipment, primarily volleyball. She studied each item closely, her crossed arms sending wrinkles across her pajamas.
"Minako?" Artemis asked as he took in her contemplative look.
"I'm sorry Artemis, I was just thinking," she sighed again as she collapsed on the bed.
"Is there a problem?" He asked.
"I was just trying to figure out what I could do to be more effective, maybe take some of the load off of Sailor Moon," Minako said as she absently reached over to scratch Artemis behind the ears.
Artemis smiled in spite of himself. Even though she was thoroughly head over heels in love with Ryouga, her devotion to her duty shined forth once again.
"Perhaps if you listed all the weapons you have available to you..." Artemis started before he leapt away as Minako leapt to her feet and dashed to her closet.
"Weapons! Perfect idea!" Minako smiled as she quickly changed into a coverall before she scooped up Artemis and dashed from the house.
"What is it?" Artemis asked, confused.
"I can't believe I'd forgotten about it until now," Minako chided herself as she searched for a secluded spot.
"Forgot what?"
"The sword!" Minako said in exasperation. "The one we got from the Moon and used to help us fight Beryl and Metallia!"
Artemis's eyes went wide as he recalled how Incredibly sharp and strong that sword was.
"You think that that might give you an edge?" He asked, gritting his teeth as he realized the very bad pun he had made. Minako nodded absently as she ducked into a blind alley and transformed.
"All I have to do now is figure out which subspace pocket I put it in..." Sailor Venus said as she started her search. With a small groan, Artemis smacked his paw against his face.
"Didn't we leave the sword at Ami's place?"
"Oh!"
Ami glanced at the clock next to her desk when she heard someone knocking on the door to the apartment she shared with her mother.
"Who could that be at this hour?" She asked herself as she cinched her robe a little tighter and headed towards the front door.
"Minako!" She exclaimed when she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Ami, do you still have the crystal sword we got from the moon when we were fighting Beryl?" Minako asked breathlessly.
"Of course, please come in," Ami stepped aside and allowed Minako and Artemis through the door before she closed it.
"Is your mother home?" Minako asked quietly as she removed her shoes.
"No," Ami shook her head. "She had to work late tonight. I have the sword in my room."
"Great!" Minako said enthusiastically as she followed Ami to her room.
"Why do you want it? Did you remember something we haven't yet recalled?" Ami asked curiously as she opened her closet door.
"Not really. I just got to thinking that we should take advantage of all our resources in these fights," Minako said as she watched over Ami's shoulder.
"Maybe I should run a search on the Mercury computer for any other files on the sword," Ami mused as she pulled a long, wrapped bundle out of the back of her closet and handed it to Minako.
"It might be a good idea to include any other artifacts that may have survived," Artemis said. "If the sword proves to be useful, who knows what other useful relics are still on the Moon?"
Minako ignored Artemis as she carefully unwrapped the gleaming crystal sword. It was a massive weapon, easily coming up past the bottom of her ribcage if it were to be stood next to her. Elegant engraving surrounded the crescent moon crosspiece, and an odd diamond shaped device near the point added a great deal of weight to the point of the blade. When Minako grasped the hilt, though, it seemed like it was more of an extension of her arm than a separate weapon.
"Minako?" Ami said nervously. "You're glowing."
"Huh?" Minako said as the glow around her and the sword faded from view. She lowered the sword from the upraised position it was in and gazed at the reflective crystalline blade.
"It almost feels like a long lost part of myself," Minako said absently as Ami started typing rapidly on the Mercury computer.
"Ah, here it is," Ami smiled as she looked up at Minako. "There's a good reason why it feels that way, it is yours."
"What?" Minako and Artemis asked at once.
"You see, that sword has always belonged to the leader of the Senshi guarding the princess. That was you, in your previous incarnation anyway."
"Should I give it to Sailor Moon now?" Minako asked nervously. "I mean, she is our leader..."
Ami shook her head. "Didn't you come here to find a way to help take the burden off of her?"
"Well..." Minako trailed off as she looked at the sword. "I just want to help more."
"Besides," Ami continued, "If you recall, that was also the same sword she used to suicide in the Silver Millennium.
Minako reeled back as if she was slapped. The sudden, clear recollection from the last moments of her previous life was so vivid, she would later swear she could feel what had happened in the memory.
In the distant past, high within the Moon Palace, Sailor Venus panted as she dashed along a corridor. Her bloodied Crystal sword was still held tightly in her hand as she searched for the haven her Princess was in. At last, she found the door she sought. She paused for a moment to gather will to suppress the painful emotions she was keeping at bay.
"Princess!" Sailor Venus yelled as she burst into the room where Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion were. "Beryl's troops have overrun most of our defenses, we must get you to safety!"
"What about the others?" Princess Serenity asked as she rose to her feet.
Sailor Venus looked away, unable to speak, unwilling to tell the girl in front of her that of all the people in the palace, only the Senshi and the Queen were still in any condition to fight.
"That bad?" Prince Endymion asked as he shifted his sword belt. He frowned slightly when Sailor Venus refused to answer. "I see. Come, we must go," he said gently to Princess Serenity.
She nodded her agreement, and the three of them started moving warily through the darkened corridors of the palace.
"The queen said something about preparing for the worst, and the other Senshi are buying her time," Sailor Venus said in a hushed voice as she peered around a corner. "Beryl's forces are only marginally human, as if the evil magic of their leader has corrupted them..."
"Beryl, what have you done?" Endymion growled.
As they continued, they could hear the hoarse war cries of the hordes of the enemy. The continual chant of 'We will conquer the Moon Kingdom! Take the Ginzoushu!' set their teeth on edge. Occasionally, they would stumble across one or two enemy troops. Sailor Venus wouldn't say a word, but would cut them down as quickly as possible. Although Princess Serenity was shocked at her protector's savage attacks, she knew that this was a war and Sailor Venus was a warrior. Endymion kept watch on their rear, but he only ever saw the mangled bodies Sailor Venus would leave behind.
Sailor Venus led them out onto the battlements and paused for a moment as she used her crescent beam to collapse the corridor behind them.
"There's a passage on the other side of the north tower to the kitchens. From there, it's not far to the sanctuary where the Queen awaits us," she said as led them past fallen guards and broken siege equipment.
Princess Serenity glanced over the wall and blanched slightly at the sight of the dead piled at the base of the wall far below. Endymion wordlessly pulled her squarely in front of him.
They turned the corner at the north tower and Sailor Venus swore under her breath. In front of her stood nearly a dozen of Beryl's elite troopers.
"For the Moon and my Princess!" She cried as she raised her sword and leapt into the fray. Three of them fell before they could even draw their swords. Sailor Venus spun and kicked another out over the battlements, ignoring his despairing scream as he fell to the ground far below. By now they had drawn their swords, their blood red armor gleamed as they spread out and tried to surround Sailor Venus.
"Get her out of here!" She yelled back to Endymion. When she heard no response, she spared a glance and found Endymion engaging others that were attacking them from behind. She watched his swordsmanship with a critical eye. She decided that if he were to marry the princess, he would need lessons in using his sword properly. She smiled slightly as he neatly sidestepped a charging spearman and gave him just the right shove to send him plummeting to his death.
A sharp pain tore through her thigh, reminding her that she had her own work to do. She turned on the enemy and swung her sword in dizzying patterns as she methodically advanced. One elite trooper was foolish enough to walk right into the pattern, and before he could even blink both his arms had been removed. He stared in disbelief at his arms lying in bloody pools before Sailor Venus lopped his head off and advanced on the remaining troops. Her angry strokes cleaved armor and flesh with equal ease, and when the last turned to flee she raised one finger and spoke in a dispassionate voice.
"Venus Crescent Beam." The lance of light struck her last foe in the square center of his back and flung him into a column where he left a bloody smear as he fell slowly to the ground.
"Venus!" Princess Serenity cried as she rushed towards her. "You're bleeding!"
"I don't have time to bleed," Sailor Venus said as she watched Endymion cut down his last opponent. She looked down at her princess and smiled and then frowned when she saw the look of horror in her eyes. Sailor Venus spun around just in time to be stabbed in the gut by a beautiful, dark haired woman. Her fingers went numb and her sword fell from her grasp even as she slowly slid off of the blade. She fell and lay there, breathing slowly and trying desperately to gain the concentration needed to summon the rest of the Senshi.
"No! Venus!" Princess Serenity cried and tried to reach her friend and protector, but Endymion pulled her behind himself.
"Prince!" The woman exclaimed, lowering her sword.
"Beryl," Endymion growled as he raised his own.
"Do you betray us?!" Beryl asked in shock, "We fight for Earth!"
"Stop! Stop this useless fighting!" Endymion pleaded. He quailed as Beryl suddenly raised her sword above her head and a dark shadow seemed to flow from her form. He raised his sword in a futile move to defend himself, but the blade was sheared in two and Beryl's sword gashed his chest open in a bright spray of blood.
"No!" Princess Serenity cried even as Beryl melted into the shadows of the battlements. Princess Serenity walked slowly to where the Crystal Sword had fallen and lifted it. She saluted Sailor Venus with the sword before she turned it towards her own chest.
Sailor Venus tried to call out to her, but she only managed a blood filled gurgle even as Princess Serenity plunged the blade into her own chest. Sailor Venus clawed her way across the cold stone battlements to where her Princess had fallen. With her final bit of strength, she clasped Princess Serenity's hand.
"Princess!"
Sailor Venus lifted her head and saw the rest of the Senshi standing in mute shock at their princess, her lover and their leader laying in pools of their own blood. That momentary delay cost them their lives. With an inhuman scream, Beryl leapt from the shadows and struck. Jupiter was the first to fall, clutching at her wound.
"You!" Mars snarled and leapt to the attack while Mercury bent to try and tend to Jupiter's wound. Beryl only laughed as she disdainfully brushed away Mars's fire with a wave of her hand before burying her sword to the hilt in her chest.
"You're Queen is next!" Beryl laughed as she twisted the sword. Mars opened her mouth to respond, but only blood flowed from her mouth.
Sailor Venus felt a renewed surge of strength as her friends fell one by one. She stood and gently pulled her sword from Princess Serenity's chest before she charged Beryl.
Beryl turned to survey her work after kicking Mars off of her blade and was stunned to see Sailor Venus charging her with the crystal sword held high.
"I killed you! Why won't you stay dead?" she screamed as Venus closed the last few steps.
"For my Princess and her Prince!" Sailor Venus yelled as she swung her sword with both hands. Beryl was nearly cut in half and was flung against the wall by the force of the blow.
"Victory, but at what cost?" Sailor Venus whispered as her strength finally gave out and she collapsed against the cold stone.
Minako roused from the memory to find Ami and Artemis standing worriedly over her. She smiled weakly for them.
"I'm ok... I..." Minako said in a weak voice as she attempted to sit up.
"Hush, don't talk," Ami admonished her as she gently pushed her back down.
"I remember," Minako said after a moment. "I remember seeing Princess Serenity kill herself. I think your right, Ami. I don't think she would like to use that sword at all."
"What about you?" Artemis asked.
"To defend Usagi, I would wield whatever weapon I had to!"
Sailor Pluto stood rigidly, watching the events in the Time-stream with barely controlled anger. Everything she had worked for over the centuries could be wiped out in one single move. Worse than that, the alternatives did not appeal to her one bit. One showed the end of the world as she knew it, total devastation. Another showed something other than Crystal Tokyo. It was naggingly familiar to her, though, but she couldn't pin down exactly what it was. She didn't concern herself with that, but rather sought to figure out how to push the time-stream back away from those alternatives.
"I wouldn't recommend that," a voice echoed out of the Time Gates, causing Sailor Pluto to back away a step. A moment later, a future version of herself stepped out of the Gates.
"I see you decided to visit," Sailor Pluto sighed as she lowered her guard, but kept a discrete distance.
"I'm not the only one this time," the future Sailor Pluto said as she stepped away from the gates. "I told two others to come. They are in the Time-stream on the way here."
To Sailor Pluto's surprise, two more versions of herself stepped out of the gates. One could be best described as haggard, her hair was a charred mess and her uniform seemed to be held on by the force of her will alone. Her face was drawn and dark circles were under her eyes.
The other one was in much better shape. She was in perfect control of herself and exerted an aura of power that Sailor Pluto realized was from gaining her eternal form at long last.
"We need to talk," all three of her future selves said at once.
"For simplicities sake, I shall be Crystal," The version from Crystal Tokyo announced before turning to each one in turn. "You shall be Eternal," She pointed at Eternal Sailor Pluto. "You shall be Pluto," she said gently to the haggard Sailor Pluto. "And finally, our host shall be Setsuna."
"What's going on? Why are you all here?" Setsuna asked.
"My future must never happen," Pluto said as she leaned on her Time Key. "The silence..."
"You must let them live with the consequences of their choices," Eternal said easily. "The road before them is hard, but there is a good future in store for them."
"I don't understand!" Setsuna growled in frustration before she turned to Crystal. "What does she mean by live with the consequences?"
"I have visited each of their time gates at your prompting," Crystal held up one hand to forestall Setsuna's denial. "You haven't asked me yet. I dare say that Crystal Tokyo as you know it is doomed."
Setsuna reeled in shock from that revelation. "But... If I got rid of Ranma and Ryouga now..." She broke off at the scream of rage that erupted from Pluto.
"No! That's what I did! Now, there's no hope in my time-line! None! I fought as hard as I could, but the Senshi just couldn't do it alone, not with..." She broke off as Crystal raised her hand to silence her.
"Enough! There are some things that she must not know yet!" Crystal said sharply.
"I was curious when Crystal arrived in my timeline, and we compared the threads," Eternal said, her voice sounding oddly serene to Setsuna. "It seems that despite our best efforts, chance had re-asserted itself."
"Chance?" Setsuna said in disbelief. "I left nothing to chance."
"Exactly," Eternal smiled gently. "But there is always that random factor. Look at it this way, we think of you as 'reality'," she pointed her Time-Key at Setsuna. "We, are all the results of chance" She gestured briefly at her small trio.
"No matter how long you gaze into the gates and marvel at the future I am from, it is still only a chance to happen," Crystal sighed. "Fortunately, if events occur in such a manner as to cause my future to vanish, I wouldn't know it, or even feel a thing. I'd feel sorry for any time traveler from my time if they hadn't returned before it happened, though."
"Chibi-usa!" Setsuna gasped in shock.
Eternal nodded sadly. "She stands to suffer the most from this. You must encourage her to return immediately."
"She won't want to leave," Pluto said sadly, "and even then, she can't be forced to leave."
"Getting back on track," Eternal said gently. "When the prime reality gets disrupted from it's course by the interactions of time travelers, random changes ripple across the time stream."
"Are you saying that this is all Chibi-usa's fault?" Setsuna gasped.
"No, one traveler is not a demonstrable threat, as you know from what you did for Ranma in the past," Eternal smiled as Setsuna blushed. "It was the dangerous and destructive arrival of the Black Moon family that truly began this shift."
Crystal looked away ruefully, "Wiseman got his wish after all, Crystal Tokyo will be no more."
"Isn't there anything we can do to save Crystal Tokyo?" Setsuna asked.
"No, all you can do is stand with your Princess. Get Uranus and Neptune to work with them, and whatever you do, keep the wildcards alive!" Pluto screamed.
"Enough Pluto!" Crystal snapped.
"No, Crystal. She has made a point," Eternal said in a calming manner. "Her's is the future where we had made the most incorrect decisions."
"Still," Crystal said as she nodded in agreement. "We cannot give Setsuna too much foreknowledge. She may be tempted to stop what must happen."
"Hold the coldest facade that you can," Eternal said in a pained voice. "What will come to pass will hurt, but you must be as solid as a rock to survive this emotionally."
"You mean...?" Setsuna asked in a troubled voice.
Eternal nodded. "There are several alternate futures where you allowed your emotions to run away with you when you needed to exercise control. The results were... not nice."
"Basically, What I need to do is simple. Get everyone working as a team, keep everyone alive and not lose control of myself if something untoward happens," Setsuna summed up their meeting.
"Not if, when," Eternal said sadly before she stepped into the time gates and disappeared.
"Don't take this the wrong way," Pluto said with a wry grin, "But I hope to never see you again."
"I think that you need to avert your curiosity about Eternal's future. What I saw there..." Crystal broke off and shook her head. "Let's just say it made me homesick."
"Homesick?" Setsuna asked, puzzled. She waved as the last of her future selves stepped into the Gates and disappeared.
::What in the universe could make me homesick?:: She thought to herself as she began to ponder what she had learned.
Cologne smiled to herself as she approached Ranma and Ryouga's campsite. Although it was still before dawn, she could easily hear the two of them from quite a distance as they sparred with each other.
::Such dedication,:: she thought to herself. ::It almost reminds me of myself in my younger days.::
She cleared her mind from her reverie and closed the last bit of distance to the clearing. She was mildly surprised when they broke cleanly from their sparring as she entered the clearing and turned in her direction.
"Hey there, Granny," Ryouga greeted her. "You're just in time for breakfast."
"Thanks all the same, Ryouga," Cologne said as she hopped up to them. "But I ate before I left. Shampoo thinks I'm on a buying trip, so I have all day to work with you two."
"We learned that Ki channeling technique you told us about yesterday," Ranma said as he stirred up the fire. "We also found a new Ki attack in the process."
"Really?" Cologne asked in mild surprise. "What did it do?"
"It was like a ki blast that exploded from the end of your fist," Ranma explained. "It knocked Ryouga and I out cold in one go! Then again, we weren't ready for it either."
"It's weaker than our Ki blasts, but we can do more of them at a time," Ryouga said.
"It seems that you two stumbled across today's lesson," Cologne chuckled. "Very well, I shall be helping the two of you refine those two techniques today."
"Why don't you ever use those anymore?" Ranma asked curiously.
"Because, Son-in-law, I have much more powerful techniques at my disposal. It will serve you well, though, to be able to have every single one of your attacks be effective against those monsters."
Ranma and Ryouga nodded grimly as they quickly cooked and ate their breakfast.
The sun had already risen by the time Hotaru woke that morning. Despite the heavy drapes across her window, sunlight still filtered into the room. When Hotaru looked out the window, she sighed in contentment. It would be a beautiful day, and she decided that she would watch her newest friends practice again today.
It was almost midmorning by the time Hotaru made it to the park. She felt a little guilty about not calling Chibi-usa, but she also didn't want her noisy friend to give her away. She peeked cautiously around a tree and watched with wide-eyed wonder as Ranma and Ryouga performed feat after feat of amazing physical prowess under the direction of the ancient Cologne. Ranma was using his incredible speed to dodge a veritable storm of rocks being thrown at him by Ryouga. On occasion, Ranma would let loose a yell and punch one of the rocks. With a loud noise, the rock would either shatter under his fist, or fly back at Ryouga, who would calmly catch it only to hurl it right back at Ranma again.
Hotaru sighed as she watched them. If only she could be that active, that fast, that strong! She smiled then, as she recalled what they had told her the previous day about eating right. She almost felt bloated with the amount of food she had eaten, but she hadn't thought twice about it.
"Impressive, aren't they?" an amused voice asked from behind her. With a startled yelp, Hotaru turned quickly and put her back against the tree. She looked up at the blond girl smiling down at her, noting in passing that she was wearing a loose red sweater and a pair of blue jeans.
"Minako!" Hotaru gasped as recognition set in. "You startled me!"
"Sorry, Hotaru," Minako giggled. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
Hotaru smiled shyly at first, and then began to giggle as well.
"Shall we go over there and say good morning?" Minako asked.
"I don't know... I'm not sure we should bother them," Hotaru tried to demure.
"Nonsense! Look, they're taking a break right now!" Minako pointed before she took Hotaru's hand and started walking.
Hotaru resisted for only a second before she jogged a few steps to relieve the pull on her arm.
"Ryo-chan!" Minako waved as she shouted her greeting across the clearing. Ryouga looked up and waved as well, but didn't move from where he was standing.
"Shouldn't he walk out and join you like the guys in the manga do?" Hotaru whispered.
"Ryouga's too shy to do something like that," Minako giggled. "He's just so cute!"
Hotaru smiled as Minako's eyes seemed to fill with stars as they got closer to where Ryouga and the others were waiting for them. Once they had reached the neat little campsite, Minako released Hotaru's hand and immediately grabbed onto Ryouga's arm and looked dreamily up into his blushing face.
"I see you finally decided to come out of hiding, little one," Cologne said to Hotaru.
"Not really," Hotaru smiled. "Minako forced me to come over here."
"Is that so? Were you afraid that you would distract us?" Cologne asked gently. When Hotaru nodded with a blush, Cologne chuckled.
"Do not worry about it child. I'm sure you couldn't distract those two if you tried. Now Minako, on the other hand..." Cologne trailed off as she watched Ryouga collapse with a nosebleed while Ranma roared with laughter and Minako gasped and began to fret over his fallen form.
"Oh dear..." Hotaru giggled.
"Enough of that," Cologne chided them. "Since we are taking a break, I want you two to tell me how hard those monsters can hit."
Ranma looked up in thought as he recalled his most recent adventure before he fixed his blue eyes on the old woman. "I'd say their blasts hit just as hard as Herb's ki blasts."
"Some of them are as strong as Mint as well," Ryouga growled.
"A deadly combination," Cologne murmured. "Have you taken steps to avoid being recognized?"
Ranma and Ryouga looked at each other and sighed.
"No," Ryouga admitted finally. "But usually those Sailor girls end up killing them, so we didn't really worry about it."
"Didn't you mention something about a witch that controls them earlier?" Cologne asked acidly. She continued without waiting for them to respond. "Ranma, do you know the Xia Fang Gao shiatsu attack?"
"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "Shampoo used that one on Akane shortly after she showed up here. What's that gotta do with anything?"
"I'm going to teach you a subtle variation of that attack," Cologne cackled for a moment. "It can be used to force people not to learn something they have never known as well. For example, if I really hadn't wanted you to learn the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, I could have very easily used the Xia fang Gao shiatsu attack to prevent your learning of it. Nothing you could have done training wise would have worked for unlocking that block."
"I get it!" Ranma smacked one fist into his palm. "Next time I see that witch, I use that to block any chance of her learning where Ryouga and I live!"
"Exactly, Son-in-law," Cologne nodded. "Now, let us train until dark." Cologne turned a hard look on Minako and Hotaru. "I'm going to have to ask the both of you to leave for the time being. The techniques I'm going to be working on with them are simply too dangerous to practice with distractions about."
Hotaru looked pleadingly at Ranma while Minako hung her head and scuffed her feet a little.
"C'mon granny," Ranma said in a light tone. "Iffen they're quiet and sit here by the fire, they wouldn't be any bother."
"I don't want to take any chances with Ryouga getting distracted in the middle of his training," Cologne countered.
"I wasn't any bother yesterday," Minako said quietly before she looked up with an odd gleam in her eye. "Besides, this is a public park, you can't make us leave!" She crossed her arms and smiled her most winning smile at Cologne.
"If I hear so much as one peep out of you," Cologne threatened, "I'll throw you out of the park myself, and then I'll make Ryouga forget you."
"Knock it off, granny!" Ryouga snapped.
"Don't worry, Ryouga," Minako said. "I'll just sit here and wait quietly for you to finish. Besides, I still have to take you to get your school uniform afterwards."
Ryouga mumbled something incoherent as he walked away and proceeded to blast a tree stump to pieces with his newly learned explosive ki punch.
"Goodness, I haven't seen him that nervous since the last time I saw Akane try to feed him something," Cologne chuckled. "Come along, Son-in-law, we have work to do."
Much later that night, Hotaru smiled to herself. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have met Chibiusa in the park that day that seemed to have happened so long ago. Now, she had several friends that she knew somehow she could trust. Ranma and Ryouga acted almost like older brothers; they fought all the time amongst themselves, but they were both kind and gentle towards her. Hotaru giggled as she recalled how Minako seemed to enjoy just sitting there next to the campfire and watching Ryouga train. Hotaru hadn't left until Chibi-usa had shown up and had wanted to show Hotaru something she had gotten developed. It was a photograph that Chibi-usa had a passerby take of all of them standing together Hotaru in the very center of the photo with Chibi-usa just to her right.
They had left almost immediately after that to find a frame for the photo. When Hotaru had glanced back at the camp, she was surprised to see Ranma, Ryouga and Minako waving to her. She couldn't tell if Cologne was waving, but she did have a kind of grandmotherly smile before she told the boys to return to their training.
That night, Mamoru dreamt again. This time, he found himself standing next to a giant throne inside what appeared to be a grand castle. Judging by his perspective, he was still quite young. He looked around curiously, and saw that the walls were bare stone. Even as he looked, people seemed to fade in like mirages amongst the columns. He didn't have to look at the throne, he already knew who sat there. He looked anyway and saw the giant man from his last dream. He was considerably cleaner this time, but he still wore the same armor. The man looked directly at him and smiled kindly at him. The expression seemed out of place on the man's face, as if kindness rarely showed on his features.
There appeared to be some kind of celebration going on, but two of the people there seemed to be aloof from the crowd. Their pale skin was a distinct contract from the weather beaten ruddiness that seemed to mar the men's faces around them. Mamoru looked closer at these visitors. He felt he should know them, but for some reason he did not. After some time, one of them stepped up in front of the throne and waited patiently.
"Kneel before the King, wench!" one of the mailed guards barked at the woman before the throne.
"I kneel only for the royal family of my kingdom," she replied calmly as she brushed a few stray strands of black hair away from her face. Mamoru felt stunned, but didn't move. He recognized her voice, but still couldn't quite place it.
The guard growled and raised his pike, but the man on the throne held up one hand to forestall him. With obvious reluctance, the guard settled back into his position. By now, the throne room was silent. All attention was on the King as he rose from his seat.
"I greet the emissary of the Moon Kingdom," he said in a booming voice. "What is it that Serenity wants this time?" He asked in an insulting tone.
"Her Majesty, Queen Serenity, appreciates the kind words you sent upon the death of her husband, but rejects your proposal of marriage. Do recall that it is forbidden for one of the Moon Kingdom to marry one from the Earth."
"Perhaps she will change her mind when our children come of age. A permanent alliance between the Earth and the Moon would be in the best interests of everyone," the King smiled.
"I doubt it."
Stunned whispering filled the hall then. Mamoru decided that no one here had heard someone deny this obviously powerful man before.
"Bitch!" The guard yelled as he charged her with his pike. With a disdainful move, she easily sidestepped the charge and tripped him. The guard lay sprawled out on the flagstones as the court laughed.
"If he persists, I will defend our messenger, Your Majesty." The messenger's escort stated bluntly before she moved between the woman and the guard. The guard stood and leveled his pike at her, a strange look in his eyes, possibly even panic.
"Give them room!" The King bellowed. "Go ahead, Sailor Venus. Show these people why we have a treaty with the Moon Kingdom."
"Is this wise, your Majesty?" A robed man asked. Mamoru decided he was either an advisor or a court magician.
"One of my men broke the treaty by attacking the Queen's emissary. Despite our differences, Serenity and I came to an agreement some time back." He smiled then, a cruel, haughty smile that seemed to belong on his face. "Besides, I haven't seen Sailor Venus fight since she did this to me." He pointed to a long, jagged scar that barely missed his eye.
Mamoru looked back at where Sailor Venus was facing off against the hot headed guard. The guard had discarded his unwieldy pike and had drawn his sword and buckled on a large shield. Sailor Venus stood a short distance away wielding the most fantastic looking sword he had ever seen. Even as they began their duel, Mamoru realized why the sword seemed so unusual. While the guard wielded a sword of beaten steel, her sword appeared to have been carved from a huge crystal.
The duel was over in three strokes. Her first stroke had neatly cut the shield in half, but had not cut his arm. The second sent his sword clattering across the floor. The third stopped barely an inch away from his throat.
"Do you yield?" She asked formally. When the guard bowed his head, she stepped away from him and turned to face the king. Behind her, the guard growled and drew his dagger.
"Look out!" Mamoru heard himself yell.
In a flash, Sailor Venus spun on her heel and beheaded him. Even before the man's body fell, the King burst out laughing.
"This concludes our visit, Rithallex the Conqueror," she said as she coolly wiped the blood from her sword and turned to walk away.
"Wait," Rithallex said in a commanding tone. Sailor Venus paused and looked over her shoulder. "Tell the Queen that I hope she reconsiders. Also, I hope that her daughter is not too distraught over losing her father."
"I shall deliver your message."
"That was a good move, warning her like that," Rithallex said to him once Sailor Venus and her entourage had left. "She will begin to doubt that you are like me."
The dream shifted, and this time he was standing next to a coffin. Inside lay Rithallex, looking no different than he had earlier. Although he could not see the people passing in front of the coffin clearly, he could hear the whispering.
"I heard he was poisoned by someone from the Moon Kingdom."
"Nonsense! Serenity wouldn't do something like that! I heard that his latest wife stabbed him in bed."
"Will Endymion be able to hold the kingdom together? He's awfully young."
"Word is that four of the most powerful warrior magi are on their way to protect him. I thought they hated the King."
"He seems different now. He used to be just like his father and then one night, poof! I guess the warrior magi can see that he's changed and they want to make sure he stays that way."
"Well, it is harder to rule justly than with terror..."
Mamoru woke more puzzled than he was before. These were obviously memories from his past life resurfacing, but they were nothing like what he thought they would be like. What kind of man was his father in the past? His memory was clearest from the time he met Princess Serenity on, but before that there was a blank. Almost like a wall in his mind, preventing him from going any further.
When Ryouga looked upon Shibakouen Junior High the next morning, he felt for a moment like he had been cast into hell. He and Minako had searched until late the previous night for a uniform for that school that would fit. Not a single one they had tried would accommodate his large frame. So now, he stood in his green pants and yellow sweater ready to run at the slightest chance.
"You're tensing up again, Ryo-chan," Minako whispered as she latched onto his arm and began to gently tug him towards the school.
"This is never going to work," Ryouga muttered.
"Why not?"
"Because, I don't fit in here! I'm older than everyone here, not to mention taller. I'll stick out like a sore, and the teachers will never leave me alone since they don't make a uniform in gargantuan!"
Minako gave him a penetrating look before she giggled. "Are you really that worried about a few teachers? All they can do is bluff and bluster. As long as you do well in class, you'll be fine!"
"Aino!" one of the boys waved as he walked up to the two of them.
"Asai!" Minako greeted him warmly before she gestured at Ryouga. "This is Ryouga Hibiki, he's starting class here today."
"Really? He looks a little older than everyone else."
"So I'm a little behind..." Ryouga muttered even as Asai pulled Minako away.
"Look, Aino," Asai whispered, "I know why you quit volleyball, are you sure this guy is safe?"
"What?" Minako glanced back at Ryouga before she returned her attention to Asai.
"Aino, just be careful, ok? I don't want you getting hurt because those monsters attack him to get to you."
Minako gave him a startled glance before she began to laugh. "Don't worry about him! He's strong enough to hold his own."
"If you're sure..." he trailed off, a skeptical look on his face.
Minako smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "Who better to judge how well someone can deal with a fight than me?"
"You've got a point there," Asai agreed with a chuckle. "You be careful, alright?"
"Sure, see you later," Minako waved as she walked back to where Ryouga was waiting patiently.
"What was that all about?" Ryouga asked.
"Don't worry about it, Ryo-chan," Minako sighed a little as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "He just doesn't want to see me get hurt."
"Huh, too bad he wasn't around the other day," Ryouga said as they continued into the building.
"What is it, Mimet?" Professor Tomoe asked as he entered his laboratory and found Mimet waiting for him there.
"I discovered something very interesting, Professor," Mimet smirked as she walked up to him. "I found that one of Eugeal's old targets displayed an unusual amount of energy, even after her pure heart was removed."
"Oh?" His glasses glinted slightly as stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Go on."
"Apparently, she had sufficient energy to be able to grab her own heart crystal from Eugeal and flee with it. Such energy is just what we need."
"Yes..." Professor Tomoe rubbed his chin as he approached his worktable. "Yes, that is an unbelievable amount of stamina. How far did she get before she collapsed?"
"According to the data I recovered from Eugeal's computer, she escaped with it and apparently put it back in on her own."
"Fascinating. Let's find out if she can do that again, shall we? Only this time, I'll send a Daimon capable of keeping her in place!" He laughed maniacally as the door of the fusion machine slammed shut, cutting off a boom box from view.
Ryouga felt even more out of place when time for sport rolled around. While everyone else had on shorts and a long sleeved T-shirt, he was still garbed in his usual traveling clothes. While he didn't expect to sweat during sport, he still felt awkward.
"Today, we are going to be practicing archery," the gym teacher announced. Several of the students began passing out the bows while the teacher began talking to them about how to shoot. Ryouga gave an askance look at the fiberglass bow he had been given and snorted. He raised his hand and waited patiently for the teacher to recognize him.
"Yes, Mr. Hibiki?"
"Do you have anything with a stronger pull on it? I'd break this thing if I tried to use it," Ryouga said as he held up the bow.
The teacher gave him and odd look and shook his head before he moved the students to their respective targets.
Mimet peeked out of the bushes bordering the athletic field of Shibakouen Junior High and smiled when she saw Minako practicing intently with a bow.
"This will be too easy!" She smirked as she released the Daimon from the briefcase.
"Booming!" The Daimon said loudly as it formed.
"Hush!" Mimet scolded it before she pointed out Minako. "She's your target. I'm going to go make a distraction so that the Sailor Senshi won't know what's happening until it's too late!"
Booming nodded and watched as Mimet fled from the field. Booming waited for some time, when a distant explosion startled it. It glanced over its shoulder to see a column of smoke rising from some distance away, along with the occasional discharge of a magical attack that streaked off into the sky. It shrugged and sauntered out of the bushes. Unnoticed, it snuck up behind Minako, its power-chord tail whipping back and forth in anticipation
"Look out, Minako!" One of the other students yelled when Booming was only a few meters away from Minako. Minako spun and shot her arrow straight at the Daimon in one smooth motion. Booming gasped in shock as the arrow penetrated the side casing of its boom box like chest.
"Hey! That hurt!" Booming complained as it yanked the arrow out.
Minako backed up a step and plucked another arrow out of the turf. The other students in the class also raised their bows.
"Ready..." Called the teacher while Booming backed up a step in fear.
"FIRE!" Ryouga yelled as he released his arrow and then ran, dropping his bow. The other students reacted immediately, and Booming fled back a few steps before the sheet of arrows coming at it.
"That does it! Sonic Wave!" It screamed. The speakers in its chest began emitting a sound so loud, the students in the field had to cover their ears. The arrows shattered in mid air, along with the discarded bows.
"Ha! Now let's see you stop me!" Booming laughed.
"Fine by me!" Ryouga yelled as he delivered a jumpkick to Booming's jaw.
Booming staggered back from the attack slightly before it counter attacked. As Ryouga and the Daimon fought, Minako glanced around, looking for a good place to transform.
Ryouga stepped back from the Daimon and tried to regain his breath. Despite his strength and skill, he had only managed to get a few good hits in.
"What's the matter? Not enough power?" Booming taunted even as its tail whipped around. Instinctively, Ryouga grabbed it and realized his mistake as electricity arced through his body. His muscles spasmed as he fell at the Daimon's feet.
"Ryo-chan!" Minako screamed as she ran up to him. "Leave him alone!" she yelled as she tried to kick Booming. The Daimon smirked as it dodged her kick and leaned in close, grabbing her in a bear hug.
"Get away from her!" Ryouga yelled as he slowly struggled to regain his feet.
::Oh no!:: Minako thought as she frantically struggled against Booming's grip. ::It's after me this time!::
Booming chuckled a few times as it sucked Minako's heart crystal out. Time seemed to stop for Ryouga as Minako's eyes seemed to glaze over and her head rolled back limply while her heart crystal glimmered in the air mere centimeters from Booming's gaping mouth. Booming froze as an eerie, high pitched giggle escaped from Minako's throat as her head snapped back forward. Startled, the Daimon let go and backed up a step.
"What the? You shouldn't be able to do that!" Booming gasped.
Minako grabbed the heart crystal hovering before her and turned to run, still giggling in that strange manner. With an inarticulate yell, Booming grabbed her again and struck Minako with its tail, shocking her unconscious and forcing her to release the heart crystal.
"NO!" Ryouga's scream tore his throat as he leapt forward with his hand outstretched. With a super human effort, he managed to snag Minako's heart crystal right after punching Booming in the face.
With a howl of pain and frustration, Booming dropped Minako's limp form. Ryouga dove to catch her before leaping off to the trees surrounding the field. Once he reached the edge of the field, he gently put Minako down and shook her shoulders.
"Minako! Speak to me! Minako!" Tears were standing in his eyes as he watched her face slowly become more and more ashen.
"Put the crystal near her chest!" An insistent voice said. Ryouga looked around, but saw no one.
"Just do it, you big oaf!" Artemis called down from the tree he was hiding in.
Ryouga shook his head before he gingerly picked up Minako's heart crystal. "This had better work," he growled as he moved the crystal towards her chest.
He gasped as the crystal seemed to dissolve in his hands and flowed into Minako in the form of a lot of little glimmers of light. Although the color returned to her face, she did not stir.
"Minako!" Ryouga howled as he gingerly hugged her limp form to his chest. He gently laid her down on the soft grass and turned towards Booming with fire in his eyes and tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You..." He said eloquently.
"Get out of here, pest!" Booming made a shooing gesture.
"Made a big mistake!" Ryouga continued as if he hadn't heard the Daimon. His battle aura flared around him, slipping his face into a pool of shadow save his burning eyes. "You stole my chance for happiness, and for that you deserve to die."
Booming quailed a little and took a step away from him. "Can't we talk this over?"
"But worse than that, you stole Minako's chance for happiness. For that, you deserve to suffer horribly as I rend you limb from limb before you die," Ryouga continued in a voice like a death knell.
Booming snarled and whipped it's tail at him again, only now when it contacted his aura, the end burned off. Ryouga snarled as he continued his methodical approach. Booming cut loose with its sound wave attack, but Ryouga didn't even flinch as he raised his fist. His aura flowed into that fist like an oil fire in reverse as he cocked it further and further back.
"For ruining her happiness, destroying her life," Ryouga growled as the last of his aura was concentrated in his fist, causing it to glow like a miniature green sun. "I will kill you in the most painful manner I can imagine!" his voice increased in volume until it was a deafening shout. The other students in the field gaped as Ryouga faced off against the Daimon, his glowing fist upraised.
A short distance away, Minako stirred slowly and sat up.
"Easy now," Artemis cautioned her quietly. "You had your heart crystal taken. I've called the others, but it will be a few minutes before they get here."
"Ryouga doesn't have a couple of minutes," Minako grunted as she struggled to stand.
"Eat this!" Ryouga screamed, "Concussion Fist!" His glowing fist left a comet like trail as it sped towards the Daimon. The resulting explosion knocked Minako off her feet. She brushed her hair out of her face and looked out across the battlefield. Inside a small crater, Ryouga was doling out his vengeance on the Daimon. His eyes had turned blood red and his face was contorted into a snarl of pure hatred as tears ran down his cheeks, unashamed. He executed all of the most painful attacks he could think of as flawlessly as if he was facing off against a practice dummy.
Minako was speechless as Ryouga savagely broke the Daimon's arm backwards at the elbow and then twisted the broken limb while kicking it squarely in the face. Without bringing his foot down, he looped it over the Daimon's shoulder and dropped to his other knee without letting go of its mangled arm. Booming let out a keen of agony as its shoulder was dislocated. He shattered its knee with a kick before sweeping it's other foot out from under it. Without hesitation he pinned it's arms against the ground with his knees and began to alternate punching it in the chest and face. His aura flared again, but he did not focus it again.
Minako held her hands up to her mouth as she watched his savage attack. There was a complete circle of students around the crater in which Ryouga was slowly pounding the Daimon to death.
"This is the end!" Ryouga screamed as he raised his fist high. With every ounce of strength in him, he drove his fist into Booming's chest. His fist broke through the boom-box like torso of the Daimon with the sound of tortured plastic and he buried his arm up to his elbow in the Daimon. Ryouga panted slightly as he pulled his fist from the center of the Daimon's chest and rose from his crouching position. Like a wavering mirage, the Daimon shifted back into a boom box. The other students in the yard stood in a stunned silence, they knew Ryouga was strong, but they had no idea he was this strong.
Ryouga stood over the boombox and watched as it expelled the Daimon egg. Before it could break open on its own like all the others had, he ground it under his heel with a satisfying crunch. Even though the battle was won, his aura continued to grow like an out of control bonfire.
Minako suddenly remembered the pillar of green energy that he and Ranma had shot off before and the devastation it had left behind.
"No!" She screamed as she scrambled down the lip of the crater. "Damnit Ryouga! Don't do this! I'm all right!" She pleaded as she stumbled into him and clutched at his shirt. He didn't seem to notice at first, so Minako grabbed his head and forced him to look down at her.
"M-Minako? Is it really you?" He asked quietly, his aura slowly fading away.
"It's really me, Ryo-chan. Thank you," she whispered as she hugged him gently and laid her head against his chest.
Ryouga's face suddenly twisted into an ecstatic smile as his arms twitched at his side, almost as if he was trying to make a decision. His aura winked out and he was barely aware of the whistles and catcalls from the other students. Suddenly, his arms snapped up and crushed Minako against his chest.
"Oh, Minako..." He sighed dreamily, not noticing Minako beginning to struggle in his grasp.
"Oh no! He'll crush her!" Artemis gasped as he leapt from the edge of the crater and latched onto Ryouga's face before he began clawing and hissing.
Ryouga released his grip on Minako long enough to brush Artemis away, but when she began to fall, he deftly moved and caught her.
"Minako?!? Are you alright?"
"Next time, Ryo-chan," she gasped, "be a lot more gentle!"
Ranma sighed as he approached Setsuna's office. He had been summoned to her office over the intercom, and he wondered why she wanted to see him again. He knocked tentatively on her door and waited.
"Come in, Ranma," her voice sounded oddly strained, even through the heavy door.
"Yeah, what is it?" Ranma asked as he stepped into the office. His sharp eyes took note of her general appearance of being disheveled and quite tired.
"I have gone through several sources available to me and found you and your friend, Ryouga, a place to live," Setsuna said as she brushed back a stray strand of hair from her face.
"What?!?" Ranma exclaimed as he reeled back in shock.
"I said..."
"I heard what you said, but why? And how do you know about Ryouga?" Ranma interrupted.
Setsuna smiled slightly. "I heard about Ryouga from Usagi. As for why, well... Let's just say that after reviewing your files and researching your past a little I felt that it would be in the best interest of your welfare if you did not have to return to your father for a time. Also, with winter approaching it would not be wise to continue camping out in the park."
"I don't wanna take no handouts anymore," Ranma muttered as he turned to leave the office.
"Sit down!" Setsuna commanded as she rose from her own chair.
Stunned, Ranma sank onto one of the chairs in the office. Setsuna paused for a moment and regained her composure a little.
"Do not think of it as a handout," She lectured. "Rather, think of it as a fresh starting point. I pulled a lot of strings to get permission for you two to stay there, don't make me regret the effort."
"A fresh start, huh?" Ranma mulled his way through that idea. "Whose place is it?"
"You'll see," she smiled cryptically as she handed him a slip of paper with the address and directions. "You may go back to class now," she waved as he turned to leave the room.
Ranma wondered about Setsuna's seeming change of heart for the rest of his classes, and throughout his first shift at the Crown Arcade. Although his mind was busy mulling that over, he did not allow it to distract him from his work. Most of what he did that day was clean the screens of the various games. Although there were a few customers, the arcade was far from being full.
"Slow day, isn't it?" Ranma asked Motoki as he wiped down a glass prize case.
"No, this is fairly normal for a school day. You should be here on a weekend or during break," Motoki gave a wry smile. "Then it's so busy, you can't hardly turn around in this place without bumping into someone."
"I see," Ranma murmured as he gave one final swipe with his cloth and glanced at the clock.
Motoki followed his gaze to the clock as well and sighed. "Well, that's it for your shift."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Ranma waved jauntily and turned to leave.
"Ranma, do you have a permanent address yet?" Motoki asked.
"Uh, yeah," Ranma said as he dug through his pockets for the piece of paper he got from Setsuna. "Ah, here we go." Ranma repeated the address and then paused. "Uhm, ya don't give out the addresses of your workers, do you?"
"Of course not!" Motoki laughed.
"That's good," Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "There's a few people that I'd rather didn't know where I live."
"You're not in trouble with the law, are you?"
"Nah, just some girl and family trouble. See ya," Ranma waved and left the arcade.
"What an interesting fellow," Motoki mused before he leaned on the counter and kept watch over his empty arcade.
Usagi sighed dreamily as she walked away from the Hikawa shrine after a study session, interrupted only by a quick story from Minako and Ryouga about a Daimon attack at their school.
"To leap to her defense," Usagi giggled to herself, "How romantic! I've got to tell Mamo-chan about this!"
She hummed happily to herself as she practically danced her way towards his apartment building. Everyone who saw her on the street thought that it was nice to see such a cheerful youth these days. Only one pair of eyes watching her seemed saddened, but the owner of those eyes turned and disappeared into the crowd before Usagi could notice her. Setsuna looked over her shoulder one more time at Usagi and sighed to herself before she began to discreetly follow her.
When Usagi reached the door to Mamoru's apartment, she rang the doorbell and waited impatiently for him to answer. When he did open the door, she leapt into his arms.
"Mamo-chan!" She cried as she hugged him tight.
"Hi, Usako," he smiled warmly as he hugged her back. "You seem more worked up than usual today, what's going on?"
"Something happened to Minako at school," she paused for a moment as she suddenly realized the full implications of the incident. "Mamo-chan, the Daimons are going after some of their old targets."
"What?" He looked stunned as he closed the door and led Usagi in to the couch. "What happened?"
"When Minako was at sport, a Daimon appeared and attacked her. Ryouga tried to fight it, but it knocked him down long enough to steal Minako's heart crystal."
"Were you able to get it back for her?"
Usagi shook her head, "No, I..."
"What are we waiting for! We have to go find that Daimon!" Mamoru stood and got ready to transform into Tuxedo Mask.
"Hold on, Mamo-chan! Let me finish!" Usagi said as she grabbed onto his arm.
"Is Minako alright?" he demanded.
"Yes. Ryouga was able to get the heart crystal before the Daimon had a chance to swallow it. When he returned her heart crystal and she didn't wake up right away, Ryouga went into a rage. Minako said that he beat it to death with his bare hands."
"His... Bare hands?" Mamoru sank into the couch, a strange look on his face.
"Yeah! Minako said that he pinned the Daimon and just kept pounding and pounding on it until it was dead! Isn't it romantic the way he fought against impossible odds for her, and won?"
"Yeah... Great..." Mamoru's voice slowly got deeper and more melancholy. ::He killed a Daimon with no help at all... How can I compare to that?::
"Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked worriedly.
"Huh?" He asked as he looked up at her sharply. "Oh, it's nothing Usako..."
Despite his reassurance, Usagi felt as if there was something different about him, something she hadn't seen in him since they had first met. She felt more than just a little afraid as Mamoru's face twisted its way through conflicting expressions. For a moment, his face seemed haughty and cruel, but an instant later he smiled at her so brightly that she wondered if she had imagined it.
Halfway across town at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei paused in her duties and looked toward the sacred fire. The fire shrunk to a single tongue of flame for a minute before roaring back to life. She frowned before she knelt in front of the fire and composed herself for a fire reading.
::Something terrible is going to happen,:: she thought. ::But this time, it feels different then that unnerving silence. It's almost like some new evil is approaching...::
Ranma waited impatiently at the campsite for Ryouga and Minako to show up. When he had gotten there, he had packed up both his and Ryouga's tents and other gear and cleaned up the campsite.
"C'mon! What did they do? Go to a movie?" he growled to himself as he paced about.
Even as he started to consider just leaving a note, Ryouga and Minako arrived.
"It's about time!" Ranma exclaimed.
"What's your problem?" Ryouga growled.
"C'mon. We got us a place to stay now," Ranma said as he tossed Ryouga his tent.
"That's great!" Minako enthused as Ryouga stuffed his tent into his pack.
"How'd you find a place for both of us?" Ryouga asked as Ranma began to lead the way from the park.
"I didn't. The counselor at my school, Setsuna, found it."
Minako stifled a gasp and listened intently as Ranma explained about the house.
"Hmm," Ryouga grunted and shifted his pack, "Why would she go through that kind of trouble for us?"
"She said somethin' about a fresh start."
"Heh, we were making a fresh start from that campsite," Ryouga said.
"Now you two have a much better place to stay!" Minako giggled. "And I get to be the first one to see your new place too!"
Ryouga blushed a little as Minako nuzzled against his arm. Ranma chuckled a bit and motioned for them to follow him. As they walked, Minako recounted the fight at school to Ranma.
"It was strange," Minako said as they walked. "The last time my heart crystal was taken, it didn't hurt nearly as bad."
"That's happened to ya before?" Ranma asked, amazed.
When Minako nodded slowly, Ryouga growled.
"Never again," Ryouga declared flatly.
"You can say that again," Ranma said as he clenched his fist.
Minako frowned slightly when she noticed that they had turned down Usagi's street.
"Are you sure you're going the right way?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Ranma replied.
"I didn't know there was a place for rent on Usagi's street."
"Usagi lives near here?" Ryouga asked.
"Yeah. See? That's her house," Minako pointed to the house they were passing just then.
"Hey, that's a nice house. I wonder..." Ranma peered at the address on Usagi's house and the one on his note. "Huh? The house is only a few doors down from Usagi's place!"
"What? Let me see that!" Minako exclaimed as she snatched the paper from Ranma's hands. A quick glance at the address showed that Ranma was indeed correct. In unison, the three of them looked up at the house in front of them.
The wall surrounding the yard was new looking, and the house itself was seemed to scream that it had been built recently.
"B..but..." Minako stammered, remembering that this was a vacant lot not that long ago. ::Setsuna had better have an explanation for this!:: She thought fiercely to herself.
"Wow... It's brand new," Ranma breathed as he opened the gate. The yard itself was deceptively large. A small flower garden graced the area next to the front door. The rest of the yard was open space save a large tree.
"Cool! Plenty of room to practice!" Ranma laughed as he read the last bit on the note. "Hold on, I'll get the place open."
"How? You don't have a key," Minako said, still a little stunned to see a new house when there wasn't even a hint of construction the previous day.
"Setsuna's note says that she was gonna leave an upstairs window open. I'll find it and open the place up," Ranma said as he walked around the house looking for the open window.
"There it is, I'll be right back!" Ranma leapt and disappeared inside the house. Ryouga and Minako walked around to the front door and waited patiently. A few moments later, Ranma opened the door and beckoned for them to enter. He looked stunned, almost as if he had found a cat in his bookbag.
"What's with you?" Ryouga asked as he stepped past Ranma into the house before he came to a screeching halt.
"Ow!" Minako complained as she bumped into him from behind, "Hey Ryo-chan, keep.... moving?" She trailed off as she looked around in awe.
Instead of a small hallway leading off from the front door, it opened up into a large room that was fully furnished and the walls decorated with various martial arts slogan scrolls. They removed their shoes and began to walk around the house, amazed at its size and appearing opulence.
"Man... Who-ever lived here was really into the Art," Ryouga murmured as he opened a door that lead into what could be best described as an armory. Minako poked her head into the room and let out a low whistle as she took in the wide variety of martial arts weapons that were carefully stored along the walls of the room and the suit of samurai armor that was on a rack in the corner.
"Hey! Check this out!" Ranma called from a different part of the house. Ryouga and Minako closed the door to the armory and hurried to where Ranma was. When they found him, he was standing in a fair sized kitchen that had a full sized refrigerator and freezer. Both of them were open, revealing that they were packed tightly with a large amount of food.
"Heh... I think Setsuna knows you better than you think, Ranma," Ryouga chuckled.
"Hmm," Minako looked through the food and then closed the doors. "She knows you too, Ryo-chan."
"Huh?"
"No pork in there at all," Minako announced with a smile. Both of the boys facefaulted as Minako collapsed giggling
"Hey, Usagi," Chibi-usa said as she entered Usagi's room that evening.
"What?" Usagi looked up from her manga.
"Did you notice something strange when you came home today?" she asked as she sat on Usagi's bed.
"No, not really."
"Well, you know the vacant lot that was a few doors down?"
"Of course we know about it," Luna said as Usagi took a drink of water.
"Well, someone built a house there overnight."
Usagi's drink sprayed from her mouth, soaking Chibiusa and Luna before she fell into a fit of coughing.
"Usagi!" Chibi-usa growled.
"It's your fault! You startled me!" Usagi countered angrily even as she left the room to fetch a towel.
"Did you notice anything else about the house?" Luna asked after she had shaken the water from her fur.
"The place was pretty big, and it had a large yard. The odd thing was, there was no name plate on the mailbox," Chibi-usa said as Usagi re-entered the room and handed her a towel before she finished drying off Luna.
"Should we go and say hi to our new neighbors then?" Usagi asked brightly.
"Usagi, don't you think it's strange that they built a house overnight?" Luna asked acidly.
"That's true..." Usagi sighed. "But that doesn't mean we have to be rude to them." She stood and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Chibi-usa asked as she finished drying off.
"I'm going to go over there and say hi. Who knows, they could be really nice people!" Usagi giggled as she walked off.
"Hey! I'm going too!" Chibi-usa exclaimed as she dashed to catch up with Usagi. She caught up with Usagi in front of the new house.
"Wow, that's a nice house," Usagi commented as she opened the gate. "I wonder why I didn't notice it earlier?"
"That's because you were too busy pawing at Mamoru to pay attention!" Chibi-usa snapped.
"Humph! Well, he is my boyfriend!" Usagi crossed her arms and glared down at her daughter.
"Just knock on the door, Usagi," Chibi-usa said in a weary tone of voice.
Usagi stuck her tongue out before she composed herself and knocked on the door.
"Comin'!" A familiar sounding voice called from inside.
Usagi and Chibi-usa exchanged a startled glance.
"It can't be..." Chibi-usa muttered.
"No way..." Usagi gasped right before the door was opened.
"Hey, Usagi! Chibi-usa!" Ranma greeted them warmly. "C'mon in! We were just about ta eat. You two want some?"
"Ranma?" Usagi gasped. "How... When... What?" She stammered as she looked around the large living room area.
"What she meant to say was, how did you manage to build a house in one day? And how did you get the stuff?" Chibi-usa said as her eyes narrowed slightly.
"The counselor at my school, Setsuna, said she pulled some strings to get us this place. I didn't know she had contacts in Nerima though..." Ranma trailed off as he started to lead them to the dining room.
"What makes you say that?" Usagi asked, still a little stunned.
"Heh, the builders there are about the only ones on Earth that could build a house like this in a day," Ranma chuckled. "You should see how fast they can re-pave a street too." He led the way into the dining room where Minako and Ryouga were waiting patiently at the table.
"Usagi! Chibi-usa!" Minako greeted them as she waved at them excitedly.
Chibi-usa sat down next to Ryouga while Usagi sat at the corner on the other side of Minako. Once Chibi-usa was seated, Ryouga reached over and ruffled her hair.
"Hey there, short stuff! How're you doing?" he asked. "And how's Hotaru doing?"
Chibi-usa giggled and smiled at him. "I'm fine! Hotaru seems to be following the advice you two gave her. She's had so much more energy recently! Thank you!" She said as she hugged Ryouga.
"Not a problem, kiddo. Happy to help," Ryouga said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You're so sweet, Ryo-chan," Minako smiled as she patted his shoulder.
After they ate, the girls excused themselves and returned to their homes. Ranma smiled contentedly to himself as he quickly cleaned the dishes while Ryouga wiped down the table. Just as they finished cleaning up, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Now who could it be?" Ryouga asked irritably as Ranma dried his hands and went to answer the door.
"Setsuna! What are you doing here?" Ranma asked as he opened the door.
"I own this house. I just stopped by to see how well you two are settling in," She smiled cryptically.
"Oh, come on in then." He stepped aside enough for her to enter before he closed the door. "Ryouga and I were just about to have a quick sparring match."
"Really? I hope you have your homework done," her voice took on a serious tone. Ranma laughed a bit as he turned to enter the dining room where Ryouga was waiting impatiently.
"Who is it now?" Ryouga growled.
"Be nice, Ryouga!" Ranma snapped, "This is Setsuna. She's the one that got us this house."
"Oh, sorry about that. It's nice to meet you," He bowed in apology.
"Somehow, you're different than I expected," Setsuna said mysteriously. ::Honestly, he looks so different when he isn't scowling.::
"C'mon, Ryouga. Let's get to our training," Ranma said as he opened the back door.
"Heh, I'll kick your but this time, Ranma!" Ryouga yelled as he charged out the door after him. Setsuna smiled and followed them outside to watch them train for a short time.
"Heh," Ranma smirked as he grabbed the charging Ryouga's arm and threw him back into the house. Setsuna watched in horror as Ryouga crashed through a wall inside. Setsuna rushed inside and made a strange whimpering noise even as Ranma came inside and Ryouga dug himself out of the pile of rubble.
"Ranma! How dare you?!" Ryouga snarled.
"Stop it!" Setsuna screamed, "Look at what you've done!" She gestured at the wall.
The boys looked at wreck and then looked up at Setsuna.
"Uhmm... Sorry?" Ranma said sheepishly to Setsuna as she stared in shock at the rubble where a wall used to be.
"Sorry? Sorry?!?" Her voice reached the upper register as she turned on the pair of martial artists and vented her fury. "Do you two have any idea how much it costs to fix a wall?!? Do you?"
"No, but I know how to fix one," Ryouga volunteered hesitantly.
"Good. I expect the two of you to buy the materials and repair this wall as soon as possible," her tone was icy as she turned to leave with a toss of her hair.
"Man, and I thought Nabiki could be cold.." Ranma muttered.
"I heard that, Ranma," Setsuna said over her shoulder before she slammed the door behind her.
"Think she's pissed?" Ryouga asked.
"Nah, she didn't hit us."
Sailor Pluto practically stomped up to the Time Gates before she regained control of her temper with a sigh. She gazed into the swirling colors of the time stream and started to look in the very distant past, to when she first became a Senshi. She gazed longingly at her much younger and more innocent self as she was escorted to the queen's throne by several armored figures. Sailor Pluto narrowed her eyes as she tried to remember the importance of those heavily armored men.
"I know they used to be important... But why?" She asked herself as she shifted her view to follow the guards for a time. Even as she watched, she remembered that she was the first Senshi.
"Of course, they were the royal guard. Why did they catch my eye, though?" She mused as she continued to study them.
Close to the end of that week, Ranma picked up his first paycheck from the Crown Arcade. Some of it he used to pay for the broken wall, the rest he decided to use to take Usagi, Mamoru, Ryouga and Minako out to eat. He smiled slightly to himself as he waited outside the Hikawa shrine for them. As the sky began to be tinged with crimson, he realized that he had shown up way too early for the study group to be finished. Anticipation slowly gave way to boredom. Even after going through a few of his kata, he still found himself with plenty of time on his hands. He got so bored waiting that he pulled out one of his school books and began reading it.
"I see you are taking your studies more seriously now," Setsuna commented as she walked up.
"Hey there," Ranma grunted without looking up.
"Which subject is that?" She asked idly as she peered at the cover.
"Literature," Ranma said as he closed the book. "Look, is there somethin' ya want?"
"I see your social skills need work," Setsuna said blandly.
"That's why I'm gonna try talkin' with people. I'm gonna use what left of my paycheck to take a few of my friends out fer dinner, if ya don't mind."
"Good for you. I need to talk with a few of them privately before you go though," Setsuna said as she continued to walk up the steps to the temple. Curious, Ranma followed her into the temple.
"I thought I said I wanted to talk to them privately," Setsuna said without looking over her shoulder.
"If ya wanna do that, I hafta lead Ryouga away," Ranma shrugged.
"I see," she said as she pulled open the door to the room where they were studying. "Ladies, I have something important to discuss with you. Ranma, Ryouga? If you will excuse us please?"
"Sure. C'mon, Ryouga. We can wait on 'em out front," Ranma said.
Once Ranma and Ryouga had left, Setsuna turned a serious gaze at the girls.
"Things are getting worse," she said.
"How?" Makoto asked, confused. "With Ranma and Ryouga helping, the Daimons aren't lasting very long at all."
"They've been striking in more than one place at a time, with multiple Daimons. You haven't heard about it because Uranus, Neptune and myself have been taking care of them," Setsuna said gravely. "We may have to begin patrols."
"Ah man!" Usagi complained. "That means more lost sleep!"
"You would think about sleep," Rei glowered, although she was just as irritated by the idea.
"Setsuna, have their attacks been diversionary, or have they been trying to take heart crystals as well?" Ami asked.
"They seem more diversionary. However, it has been keeping us very busy," she responded with a weary sigh. "We have to find a way to track down their headquarters, or find the messiah before it's too late."
"I agree that patrols are a good idea, but Sailor Moon seems to be the only one able to actually kill a Daimon... It could be a problem if we're spread too thin," Makoto mused.
"I don't know about that," Minako said quietly, "I haven't had a chance to use the Crystal Sword against one. It might be able to defeat them. Not to mention the fact that Ryouga managed to kill one by himself earlier this week. Who's to say Ranma can't do the same thing?"
"It's a matter of will he, rather than can he," Setsuna said. "He's reluctant to kill, and Ryouga only killed that one because he thought it had killed you at first. It may take something very serious and almost catastrophic for those two to use their full potential in these fights."
"That, and they have to spend a lot of time dodging," Makoto noted. "They don't have the magical protection that our uniforms offer us, and they get hurt often."
"True," Usagi agreed. "If there was only something we could do to help protect them as much as they protect us..."
"You mean protect you!" Rei cut in. "I've noticed how often Ranma ends up jumping in the way of an Daimon aiming at you."
"Well excuse me!" Usagi said as she stuck her tongue out at Rei.
"Enough!" Makoto said as she slammed her fist onto the table. "It doesn't matter how or why they get hurt, the point is that they do get hurt much easier than we do!"
"I'll start looking through the Mercury computer for any ideas on protecting them. Who knows what it will come up with?" Ami said.
"Good, you do that. Now, I believe Ranma was waiting outside to ask a few of you a question. Why don't you go see what he wants?" Setsuna said before leaving. She nodded at Ranma and Ryouga in passing before she turned the bend at the bottom of the stairs and disappeared from view.
"What is it, Ranma?" Usagi asked him as she and the others came outside.
"Uhm, I wanted to invite you and Chiba out for dinner, seein' as how it was you guys that got me out here. Ryouga, you and Minako can come along as well," Ranma said a little nervously.
"Wow, thank you! I'll go call Mamo-chan right away!" Usagi squealed as she dashed back inside to use the phone.
"Aww, I wanted to go too," Makoto sighed.
"I think Ranma just wanted to bring the people he feels closest too," Ami said.
"That ain't it at all," Ranma said. "I can only afford a few people, so I decided to bring the people that got me outta Nerima." He paused and grinned a little at Ryouga. "I couldn't leave out my bud and his girlfriend either."
"Thank you, Ranma," Minako said as she bowed to cover up her blush.
"Mamo-chan is on his way here!" Usagi said a bit breathlessly as she ran back up to them.
"Great. The restaurant ain't too far from here, so we can walk," Ranma said as he sat down on the steps.
"Where are you taking us to eat?" Ryouga asked as he began to stuff his study materials into his bag.
"No place too fancy, but nice enough I suppose," Ranma shrugged as he glared up at the cloudy sky. "I just hope it don't rain."
Ryouga grunted a response before he closed his pack and sat down on it.
They didn't have to wait terribly long before Mamoru arrived on his motorcycle.
"Mamo-chan!" Usagi called as she dashed down the steps, waving vigorously at him.
"Hi, Usako," he said, just a little listlessly. His eyes looked slightly sunken in his head and dark circles were easily visible. Rei suppressed a gasp as she felt some sort of struggle going on inside of him.
"What's wrong?" Her face mirroring the concern in her voice.
"It's... Nothing," he replied shortly as he stowed his helmet. When he looked back toward them, the signs of strain that had been marring his face were gone. "So, where are we going to eat, Ranma?"
Rei's eyes narrowed when she noticed the difference in his features. Although the signs of strain were gone, there was an almost unnoticeable tightness around his eyes and his easy smile seemed insincere now. With an casual seeming movement, she slipped a ward into Usagi's purse.
"It's just up the street. It's really not that fancy," Ranma said critically as he eyed Mamoru's suit.
"Whatever! C'mon, let's go!" Minako said enthusiastically as she grabbed onto Ryouga's arm.
"Have fun!" Makoto waved as they walked off down the street. "I wish I was the one he took..." she sighed to Rei.
"I'm not sure if I would be wishing the same thing," Rei said ominously.
"Oh? Why is that?" Ami asked curiously.
"It's something I felt, something long since sealed away, but gaining in strength."
"Should we follow them?" Makoto asked, a note of concern in her voice.
"No..." Rei trailed off as she turned to walk back into the temple. "This is something he has to face on his own..."
"What does she mean by that?" Makoto asked Ami as Rei disappeared inside the temple.
"I don't know. She said something about something sealed away. Could it be the dark messiah that the Death Busters have been trying to find finally awakening?"
"I hope not. We still haven't found the messiah, and the Daimons are attacking all over the place. We're going to spread ourselves too thin at this rate."
"It can't be helped. We're really on the defensive until we can gather enough information."
When they reached the restaurant, Ryouga looked at Ranma in some surprise.
"Sushi? I thought you said you couldn't afford much."
"Well," Ranma rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I can't afford much sushi, that's why I only invited you guys. What kinda thank you dinner would it be if I sprung for ramen?"
"I suppose you've got a point," Ryouga said as he opened the door and held it open for everyone.
Mamoru stopped in front of Ryouga and looked at him carefully before he bowed his head slightly.
"I'm sorry, Ryouga," he said softly, "I shouldn't have kicked you out over such a small argument."
"Don't worry about it," Ryouga waved it off, "just don't keep hurting her."
"That's still none of your business," Mamoru hissed.
"Just get in there," Ryouga grumbled, his face becoming set. "I don't feel like arguing with you about it again."
Mamoru gave him an icy glare as he stomped into the restaurant. Minako looked on sadly as Ryouga's facade crumbled and a very hurt expression overtook his features.
"Ryo-chan?" She asked softly as she took his arm and led him through the restaurant to where the others were waiting.
"He's family, but he makes me want to pound him into the ground... I don't know what to do with him anymore," he muttered just loud enough for her to hear.
"Just relax and enjoy dinner, Ryo-chan," Minako whispered as they sat down at the table.
Mimet smiled as she looked down on the restaurant from the roof of a building across the street.
"This will be too easy," she giggled as she opened the briefcases that she had next to her. Two identical Daimons formed from the mist that sprung from the cases.
"Chop," the first called.
"Stick!" the other screamed.
"Your target is the head chef in that restaurant! Go, and don't fail to bring it back!" Mimet commanded them.
Chop and Stick leapt off the roof of the building and burst into the restaurant below.
"Thanks for dinner!" Usagi said happily as she sipped her tea.
"Hey, no prob. We're friends ain't we?" Ranma laughed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Are you sure you can cover the bill?" Mamoru asked as he took a peek at the check. "It's kind of expensive."
"Got it covered," Ranma winked as he stood. "I think I'll go settle the bill now."
Even as he turned to leave the table, two Daimons burst through the window.
"Damn it all!" Ryouga cursed as he rose and grabbed his umbrella, ignoring the screaming customers as they fled.
"Get out of here you guys," Ranma said as he stuffed the check into his pocket. "Let's get 'em, Ryouga!"
While they leapt to attack the Daimons, Usagi and Minako rushed to the ladies room to change. Ryouga knocked aside one of Stick's arms with his umbrella and used his momentum to body check it into a table, splintering it.
"Chop!" Chop declared as it dodged Ranma's initial strike. It counter attacked much faster than Ranma expected and hit him hard on the shoulder, half turning him. He flowed with the attack and spun into a kick that connected solidly on Chops' face. A bright red fluid that might have been confused for blood if it didn't seem to glow seeped from between Chop's lips.
"Careful, Ryouga!" Ranma warned as he rubbed at his sore shoulder, "They're fast!"
"You just worry about your opponent!" Ryouga growled as he pinned Stick's arms beneath his legs. His fist began to glow as he prepared to pound it to death like the last Daimon he had fought. Stick screamed in agony each time his fist connected. With a sudden burst of strength, it freed one of it's arms from under Ryouga's leg and blocked his next punch. Without missing a beat, Ryouga attempted to punch with his other hand. Unfortunately, that shifted his weight just enough for Stick to free it's other arm.
"Damn it!" Ryouga yelled as he struggled to maintain his superior position. He knew things had gotten bad when it managed to clamp one hand on his throat. Despite himself, he stood to pull free of its grip. Stick released his throat and slid between his legs before rising and grabbing one of his arms. With a howl of rage, it flung Ryouga away and dashed into the kitchen.
"Curse you!" Ryouga roared as he flipped to his feet and dashed after it.
Ranma slammed his fist into his opponent's face before sweeping it's feet out from under it. Chop crashed through a table and lay still for a moment. Ranma did not wait for it to regain its feet, but rather grabbed it by one arm and twisted hard while placing one foot on its head.
"You ain't goin' nowhere!" Ranma growled as Chop screamed in pain. He glanced over his shoulder when he noticed some movement from the back of the restaurant.
"You who have interrupted the enjoyment of fine food," Sailor Moon started her speech as she and Sailor Venus walked into the main area of the restaurant.
"Stop the speeches already and help Ryouga! He's fighting another one in the kitchen," Ranma interrupted irritably before Chop threw a fistful of chopsticks at him. Ranma barely dodged them, noting in irritation that despite their dull appearing tips, they had managed to cut his shirt.
"I'll go help Ryouga, you help Ranma!" Sailor Venus said as she pulled out the crystal sword and dashed for the kitchen.
"Wait!" Sailor Moon called after her.
Sailor Venus stopped and looked back right before Ryouga and Stick crashed through the wall right in front of her. They were growling like wild animals as they grappled and traded blows. With a mighty heave, Stick threw Ryouga into Sailor Moon and dashed for the broken window.
"Stop that thing! It's got a heart crystal!" Ryouga yelled as he scrambled to his feet and yanked Sailor Moon back to hers.
"Right!" Sailor Venus ran and cut it off. She held the sword in front of her briefly before she yelled and attacked.
Stick held out one hand and summoned a staff sized metal chopstick and parried the blow. Sailor Venus could feel her old skills with the sword flowing back into her as she parried and slashed at the Daimon with tightly controlled movements. The ring of crystal on steel rung through the ruined restaurant as they dueled back and forth. Ranma smirked slightly when he noticed her technique seem to firm up with every stroke.
::It's almost like she's remembering how to use that thing,:: he thought as he returned his concentration to Chop. Ranma's fists glowed a bright blue as he punched again and again. Each hit seemed to send a shudder through Chop as it staggered back from the repeated blows. As it reeled from his attack, it saw that Sailor Venus had slapped the staff from Stick's hands and had her sword cocked to run it through.
"We will complete our mission!" Chop yelled as it leapt away from Ranma and tried to attack Sailor Venus from behind.
"Oh no you don't!" Ranma yelled as he grabbed it's foot in passing and threw it over to Ryouga and Sailor Moon.
Ryouga smashed it in the head with his umbrella even as Sailor Moon began to power up her attack to take out the one fighting Sailor Venus.
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Sailor Moon called out and fired the magical attack at Stick.
"No! The mission!" Chop screamed even as Stick was destroyed, leaving behind a chopstick and the heart crystal. With an inhuman growl, Chop leapt forward and grabbed the heart crystal before Sailor Venus could retrieve it.
"Chopstick swarm!" Chop yelled and faced it's open hand at its enemies. A storm of chopsticks shot forth and pinned all four of them against a wall by their clothes.
"Damn you!" Ryouga yelled as he struggled to free himself.
"Finishing touch! Ramen bonds!" It cackled. Chop grinned evilly as tendrils of energy flowed from each chopstick and tied each of them up before solidifying. It waited until the two boys were almost mummified in the rubbery pasta before it held the heart crystal up for them to see before promptly swallowing it.
"Eeew! I'm tied up with sticky noodles!" Sailor Moon wailed as she struggled against the slimy pasta.
Chop laughed and turned to leave only to find itself face to face with Tuxedo Mask.
"Those who would spoil a traditional dinner should be punished. Prepare to face me, Daimon!" He said as he extended his cane and took on an en'garde stance.
"You fool!" Chop said disdainfully as it kicked him squarely in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him.
"No! Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon cried as she finally broke free and rushed forward to kneel next to him.
"Hurry, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Venus said as she continued to struggle.
Even as Sailor Moon tried to power up her attack, Chop fled, disappearing into the dust cloud left from the demolition of the wall.
"Damn it..." Ryouga cursed as he broke free and retrieved his umbrella.
"Give me a hand here, Ryouga," Ranma asked as he continued to struggle.
Once Ryouga had freed Ranma and Sailor Venus, he walked up to the downed Tuxedo Mask.
"It got away," Ryouga growled. "Do you have any way of following it?"
"No," Sailor Venus said sadly. "If Sailor Mercury was here, we'd have a chance. But by the time she gets here, it will be too far away."
"Damn it!" Ranma slammed his fist against the wall. "It's my fault! I should have killed it when I had the chance!"
"Ranma," Sailor Moon said softly as she walked up to him. "It's not your fault. You value all life, even those who are fighting you. You don't want to kill because you care for your enemies as well."
"..." Ranma was speechless as he turned to look down at her.
"They were ready for us," Ryouga growled. "They sent two of them for one crystal, and we couldn't stop them." Even as he spoke, his aura sprung up around him. "Now that cook is gonna die, all because we weren't strong enough!"
"Ryouga," Ranma said as he approached him.
"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryouga yelled. "The next Daimon I see dies! They all will die by my hand!"
Ranma glared at him before he punched him squarely in the jaw, knocking him off of his feet.
"Shut up for a sec, will ya?!" Ranma yelled as Ryouga looked up and nursed his sore jaw.
"I felt that one, Ranma."
"Ya ain't gonna kill them all alone ya know," Ranma continued. "Don't forget ya got friends," he paused to glare at Tuxedo Mask who was still gasping for breath. "Some stronger than others."
Ryouga glared at him for a moment before he allowed his aura to fade.
"I guess you've got a point. Come on, let's go find the others," Ryouga said as he rose to his feet.
Once Ranma and Ryouga had left, Sailor Moon knelt next to Tuxedo Mask.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"Go... Away..." he gasped.
"What?" Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus said in unison.
"I said go away! Leave me be!" he said more forcefully as he regained his breath and stood. His face was twisted into a snarl and his eyes seemed somehow very cold behind his mask.
Sailor Moon looked up into his face and then fled crying. Sailor Venus pointed her sword at him and growled.
"I don't know what's gotten into you," Sailor Venus said ominously, "but If you ever make her cry like that again, I will make you regret it."
"Is that a threat?" he asked in a dead sounding voice.
"No," she sighed as she lowered her sword. "Look, it's not your fault the Daimon got away, so don't blame yourself and take it out on her, ok? None of us were able to stop it."
"Then it's a good thing we were nearby," Sailor Uranus said as she and the other Outers walked into the shattered shell of the restaurant. Sailor Venus's face lit up when she saw the heart crystal that Sailor Neptune had in her hands.
"He's in the back!" Sailor Venus said as she gestured towards the kitchen with her sword. She and Sailor Neptune hurried into the back to return the heart crystal.
Tuxedo mask snorted and turned to leave.
"Wait, Prince of the Earth," Sailor Pluto said.
Tuxedo mask stopped and spoke without turning around. "What?"
"Be careful of the path you choose," Sailor Pluto warned. "There's more at stake than your pride."
"Heh. I know that already," he said before he leapt off.
"What was that about?" Sailor Uranus asked.
"It's begun," Sailor Pluto said sadly.
"What's begun? What are you talking about?" Sailor Uranus demanded.
"Steel yourself, soldier of Uranus. The real fight for the fate of planet Earth will begin soon," Sailor Pluto said cryptically as she disappeared through a portal.
Sailor Uranus was still staring at the point where Pluto had disappeared when Neptune and Venus came back out of the kitchen.
"It was a close thing, but he'll live," Neptune said as they approached Sailor Uranus.
"Good," she said shortly as she eyed the sword Sailor Venus was still holding. "Where did you get that?"
"This?" Sailor Venus asked as she held up the crystalline blade. "We got it from the moon a long time ago."
"I see. Come then, Neptune. It's time for us to go," Sailor Uranus said before she and Sailor Neptune walked away.
Sailor Venus watched them leave before she too departed. ::Why was she so interested in the sword?:: She thought as she ducked into an alley to de-transform.
Mamoru Chiba grumbled about the indignity from losing, and then the insult Ranma has so casually thrown his way as he retrieved his motorcycle from in front of the Shrine. His fists were clenched tightly as his anger rose to a level he hadn't known possible. He gasped suddenly as a searing pain lanced through his head. He stopped and knelt on the sidewalk, holding his head in both hands as he forced his breath between clenched teeth. Despite the pain, he felt more powerful and destructive. He caught himself looking around for something to destroy, just to see if he could do it.
At the same time, the small shrine in his apartment cracked before the shelf it was on broke and it shattered upon hitting the floor. And then, without warning, the pain receded and the feeling of power left him. Mamoru stumbled to a nearby bench and sat down before he began to think about that sudden rush of power, and how he might be able to harness it.
Sailor Moon continued to run until she was deep in her favorite park and standing in front of the thicket that was her special retreat. Even as she shifted back into civilian form, she remembered how shortly after their victory over Beryl and Mettalia, she had retreated here and cried for what felt like hours. She slowly worked her way into the thicket and sat down on some protruding roots before burying her face in her hands. Her chest felt heavy and it was very difficult to breath, so her soft sobs did not carry far past the edge of the thicket
It could have been hours, or merely minutes later when her communicator started to beep urgently. It took some time before she even noticed it, and even longer before she could summon the will to answer.
"Y-yes?" she sniffled a little as she answered.
"Are you alright, Usagi?" Minako asked, her tiny image doing nothing to hide the concern on her face.
"I'll be alright," Usagi said as she rubbed at her eyes with her arm.
"I wish this was just a courtesy call, but things just got bad," Ami said as her picture replaced Minako's. "We have at least three Daimons attacking right now. The worst part is, we aren't sure which one is the one after a heart crystal."
"Oh no!" Usagi sprang to her feet only to bang her head against a branch. "Owww...." More tears fell from her eyes as she rubbed the sore spot on the top of her head.
"Mars and Jupiter are each moving to distract one," Ami continued, pretending to not have noticed her friend's bout of clumsiness. "Minako just transformed and is on her way to the last one. That one is fairly close to you, so you should meet her and take care of it before moving to help the others. I can't seem to raise any of the Outers on the communicator, so it's just us."
"Anything from... Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked timidly. When Ami shook her head, Usagi felt her heart sink even further.
"Hurry, Usagi!" Ami urged her. "I'm going to go lend Mars a hand and keep trying to get the Outers to help. Good luck!" Ami said with a thumbs up before her image was replaced by a miniature map of where the closest Daimon was.
With one last swipe at her eyes, Usagi raised her broach and once again prepared to leap into action, although her heart felt too burdened to even bother.
Ranma glanced sidelong at Ryouga as they walked along a nearly empty street. The lost boy was stomping his feet hard enough to crack the pavement, his face a mask of anger.
"Uhm, Ryouga?" Ranma asked.
"What?" Ryouga growled his response through clenched teeth.
"Ya need to..." his voice trailed off as he noticed Sailor Venus land a short distance in front of them and then leap off again, her sword gleaming in the light from the street lamps.
"I need to what, Ranma?" Ryouga asked, having not noticed Sailor Venus.
"Ya need to get yourself together quick, I got a feelin' there's another fight brewing. Come on!" Ranma yelled as he leapt to follow her.
"Damn it Ranma! Wait up!" Ryouga yelled as he followed suit.
Unnoticed behind them, Sailor Moon walked slowly in the same direction they had left in.
It wasn't long before Ranma and Ryouga caught up with Sailor Venus in a shadowy alleyway. She was frantically dodging or blocking a Daimon's scythe with her sword. Despite her desperate looking defense, Ranma's keen eye noted when she would almost casually flick the sword point in a quick slash that opened shallow wounds on the Daimon.
"Gotta buy her some time," Ranma muttered as he sprinted towards it.
As he neared the Daimon, Sailor Venus's eyes widened with real fear. "No! Don't!" She called out, but it was too late.
The Daimon shoved an open palm at Ranma as he neared it and he was flung backwards by an invisible force. He was spared from a painful impact with the wall by Ryouga.
"Thanks," Ranma muttered as he knelt and fought to clear his vision.
"Right, my turn!" Ryouga grinned ferally as he pulled a number of bandannas from his head and hurled them at the Daimon. Even as it dodged the wildly twisting bandannas Ryouga moved in close enough to engage in hand to hand.
The Daimon's eyes narrowed as it skillfully blocked his punches and kicks with its scythe, but failed to completely dodge another slash from Sailor Venus. With an incoherent growl, it hit Sailor Venus with its force attack and sent her flying into a wall where she slid slowly to the ground.
"Protect her! I'll get this thing!" Ranma yelled as he leapt back into the fray, his fists and feet flying.
Ryouga didn't bother to respond before he leapt over to where Sailor Venus had fallen and pulled her a little further away from the fight. Even as he laid her out gently, he caught a slightly familiar scent. He blinked in confusion for a moment before he ignored it and concentrated on trying to wake her up.
Ranma's aura was tightly controlled as he concentrated a portion of his ki into every strike and block. Although he felt some small satisfaction when he saw the winces of pain every time he connected, he knew he wasn't getting through it's defense enough to put it down.
"Try this on fer size! Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma yelled as his glowing fists blurred and he pummeled the Daimon mercilessly. It staggered under the onslaught of punches before finally being knocked from it's feet. With a howl of victory, Ranma leapt at it ready to take it out with the concussion fist. Even as he descended on it, it once again knocked him away with its force attack.
Ranma twisted catlike in midair and landed heavily on his feet and fell into a crouch. He looked towards the Daimon with an intent look before he noticed a presence right next to him. He looked up and saw Sailor Moon's profile. Ranma frowned slightly when he noticed that she had none of her usual energy. The Daimon regained its feet and looked at her expectantly and at the same time, Sailor Venus was also standing back up with Ryouga's help.
"I'm Sailor Moon," she said in a half hearted tone as she pointed at the Daimon. "In the name of the moon, I will punish you."
"Sailor Moon..." Sailor Venus said softly, certain that her current lack of enthusiasm was going to be trouble in this fight. She clenched the crystal sword tighter in her fist as she charged the Daimon with a wordless cry of challenge. She barely noticed Ryouga running along side her as she clashed again with the Daimon.
Ranma stood and looked closely at Sailor Moon's face. He saw that her eyes were still red and puffy, and there were dried tear tracks running down her cheeks.
::Probably from that lost fight earlier,:: He surmised as he moved to help Ryouga and Sailor Venus.
Sailor Moon continued to stand almost listlessly as she watched the others fight with the Daimon. Even as they fought, her head slowly sank until she was staring at the ground by her feet.
"Backlash Dome!" the Daimon yelled as it slammed it's palm against the ground. A dome of force sprung up around it, knocking the others away. As they struggled to gain their feet, it looked about and saw Sailor Moon standing in the open and not paying attention. With an evil grin, it hefted it's scythe and approached her.
"Damn it! Look out!" Ranma yelled as he dashed towards the somnolent Sailor Moon. She looked up just in time to see the Daimon approaching quickly, it's scythe cocked to behead her. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, Ranma tackled her out of the way. Almost a full second after Ranma had gotten her out of harm's way, a single rose spun out of the darkness and struck the Daimon in the chest, stopping it in its tracks.
"Stay out of the way, Ranma," Tuxedo Mask said coldly as he stepped out of the shadows.
"If you think yer such hot stuff," Ranma said as he helped Sailor Moon to her feet.
"It's my place to protect her," Tuxedo mask interrupted as Ryouga and Sailor Venus engaged the Daimon behind them.
"Yer tellin' me to stay outta the fight when you ain't even doin' a single thing!" Ranma shouted. Tuxedo Mask flinched visibly, but Ranma wasn't finished insulting the masked protector. "I'm doing more damage and helpin' her even more, so maybe you should be the one stayin' outta this!" Ranma turned to return to the fight.
"I can't keep her from getting hurt if you keep getting in my way!" Tuxedo Mask yelled as he grabbed Ranma's arm and spun him around so that they were face to face again..
"Then get yer pansy ass, rose throwin' butt in the fight if ya don't want to see her get hurt!" Ranma shouted. "And if ya don't let go of my arm right now, I'm gonna make you wish you never even had that arm," he continued in a low, threatening growl.
"Oh no! Stop it, both of you!" Sailor Moon pleaded with them. "The Daimon is the enemy, not each other!"
Ranma immediately subsided, pulling his arm out of Tuxedo mask's grip. Tuxedo Mask turned and snarled at Sailor Moon.
"Butt out, Sailor Moon! This is between me and him!" he snapped.
Stunned, Sailor Moon stepped back a step shaking her head in denial before she sank to her knees and began to cry. Her whole body shook with heartbreakingly soft sobs as she covered her face with her hands. Crystalline tears flowed freely from between her pristinely white gloves to splatter on the uncaring concrete below. For a split second, Ranma swore he saw her uniform waver, as if it was suddenly a flowing white dress for an instant before returning to its current, miniskirted state.
Ranma's aura flared into life around him with an angry red flash. He had heard Sailor Moon wail about this or that minor indignity or injury, but never this kind of soft, heart wrenching sobbing before. For a moment, it reminded him of how he thought Kasumi would cry, and that thought only fueled his anger. All his training on focus and control flew out the window and for the first time since Mikado kissed his girl side in the skating rink, he saw red.
"You jerk!" Ranma yelled as he swung a ki charged punch at Tuxedo Mask. "Concussion Fist!" The explosive ki punch sent Tuxedo Mask hurtling to the ground, where he struggled to rise.
"Dammit, you just don't treat girls like that! If ya ain't gonna be nothin' but a whiny little wuss, then you just get on outta here," Ranma snorted.
"Why should I?! She's destined to be mine!" Tuxedo Mask gasped as he spat out blood onto the cold concrete.
"Fate's real cruel, pal. Sounds like she got dealt the short end o' the stick if ya ask me," Ranma said in an icy voice, unknowingly echoing Ryouga's words before he turned and leapt to attack the Daimon.
Sailor Moon gaped at the fallen Tuxedo Mask as he struggled to rise. She was torn between helping him stand and returning to the fight where she was needed by her hard pressed friends. The Daimon made her mind up for her as it knocked Ranma aside with a backhanded swing of it's scythe, sending him flying into a wall where he left an impression the shape of his body before he slid to the ground. There was a splatter of blood on the wall where he had hit. The Daimon charged Sailor Moon with a blood curdling scream.
"Moon tiara action!" Sailor Moon launched her tiara as she dodged to one side and then dashed to where Ranma had fallen. The Daimon was forced to block with it's scythe before it turned to track her movement. Behind it, Tuxedo Mask had finished regaining his feet, and the first thing he saw was Sailor Moon and Ranma dodging around the Daimon while Sailor Venus was approaching it from behind with her Crystal sword held low with Ryouga in step with her. Tuxedo Mask snorted, wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and walked back into the shadows, leaving the fight and turning his back on everything he once loved.
Even as he disappeared from view, Sailor Venus finally got an opening and stabbed the Daimon in the middle of it's back. It screamed and writhed on the end of her blade before what passed for its blood gushed from its mouth. Grimly, she twisted the blade. The Daimon thrashed for a moment before finally going limp. Sailor Venus pulled the blade from its back, turned and promptly threw up.
"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried, "Are you alright?"
"I'm ok," she replied weakly. "It's just, I'm not used to our enemies bleeding like that."
Tuxedo Mask snarled to himself as he yanked the white mask from his face.
"Curse you Ranma Saotome!" He yelled into the uncaring night as he thrust the fist that clenched his mask into the air. "I will never forgive this insult!"
From the rooftops nearby, Mimet watched him curiously. She recognized him, of course, but she had never realized that there might be a split in her enemies ranks. With a smirk, she assumed her favorite disguise of a autograph seeker and vaulted off of the rooftop. Even as she walked up behind him, she could hear him muttering to himself about needing more power.
"What kind of power?" She asked him in her sweetest voice.
He stopped and slowly turned to face her. When she could finally see his face, she almost gasped in shock. His regal features were twisted into a snarl of pure hatred and his eyes, though narrowed to mere slits, seemed to burn with a sickly red glow.
"The kind of power to make mine enemies suffer. The kind of power to rule this world!" His voice slowly raised in volume and changed, becoming deeper and more exultant. "The kind of power I once had!"
Mimet stepped back as he raised his arms to the sky and sparks of lighting arced across his body. A wordless scream of pain erupted from his throat as a bolt of lightning struck him. The force of the blast flung Mimet from her feet and shattered the windows of the buildings around them. She looked up at his lightning encased form with true fear in her eyes. The scream quickly changed into maniacal laughter as the smell of ozone permeated the air and the lightning slowly faded away. He stood in antique blue armor and a sword was strapped at his side. His arms slowly returned to his sides and his laughter trailed off. His once neatly combed hair was slightly unruly now, and his features were twisted into a malicious grin.
"And thus, the seal is broken. I am Endymion, prince of the Earth and son of Rithallex the Conqueror," Endymion smirked down at her before he leaned forward and offered her his hand.
"In the interest of conquering this world again, I'd say we need to join forces," he said smoothly as he grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. "To that end, I want you to take me to your boss."
"B..but..." She tried to object, but he focused his gaze directly on her eyes and she felt her will drain away. "Of course, right away," she said demurely as she turned to lead him off into the dark. Endymion smirked as his blood red cape swirled in the wind and the sky began to weep hot rain.
::It is time for this world to once again feel the iron fist of my family,:: he thought as he looked up into the rain. ::The key to that power lies in me living long enough to bend them all to my will once again. It is time to take the Princess of the Moon, by force if necessary. Once she is mine and I have control of her power, I will be unstoppable! This time, though, I won't have to hide from her mother!:: His laughter rung through the empty streets of Juuban as he followed Mimet away into the night.
Ranma-chan looked disgustedly up at the night sky as she ran along side Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus and Ryouga. Ryouga had managed to get his umbrella out in time and thus was spared from the unusual rainstorm.
"Don't this just figure," she complained as they leapt to the top of a low building.
"It's unnatural," Sailor Moon said softly. "It's almost as if the sky is crying." Even as they landed on the next building, her communicator started beeping. She held it up to her face and talked as she ran. "What is it?"
"The Daimons suddenly disappeared," Sailor Mercury announced through the communicator. "A few minutes ago, they all started writhing like they had gotten stabbed and then disappeared in puffs of smoke."
"Really? Wow, Venus killed the one we were fighting with her sword not that long ago."
"She did?" Sailor Mercury asked in a puzzled tone. "Fascinating, we must have been fighting shadows of the original one that you two were facing. We better meet up at the..."
"Usual place, right!!" Sailor Moon interrupted loudly. "I'll thank Ranma and Ryouga for their help and meet you there."
Sailor Mercury winced a little at the volume, but nodded her understanding as she closed the connection. Sailor Moon looked over at her friends as they stopped on another roof. Ranma-chan and Ryouga were looking at her expectantly, while just behind them Sailor Venus gave her a covert thumbs up gesture.
"Thank you," she said as she bowed to them. "For everything." Despite herself, her voice cracked a little as she spoke. Ranma-chan and Ryouga exchanged a quick glance before Ranma-chan stepped forward and placed her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder.
"Any time, kiddo. Look, don't let that jerk boss ya around. Yer the one everyone counts on in these fights. The rest of us gotta fight really hard to kill those things, but with your power the fights end faster. Don't depend on that jerk protectin' ya!"
"Ranma's right," Ryouga said solemnly. "While it's good to know that you have friends that will help you if you get into trouble, it's not a good idea to become dependant on that. If you can depend on yourself, you will be that much more powerful."
"Wise words coming from someone that has to follow his girlfriend to school every day," Ranma-chan quipped.
"Shut up Ranma!" Ryouga snapped before he sighed. "It's just, well... It's just the way it has to be right now."
"Whatever. Look, if ya need our help again, don't be afraid ta ask. We wanna help fight these things too, with or without that jerk's help. Everyone's counting on you here, and I for one think ya got the right stuff to win this battle. You got the magic, now use it!" Ranmachan said seriously before she and Ryouga turned to leave. However, as they were about to bound away in their normal fashion, Ranma-chan was stopped, her wrist caught. Turning around, she saw Sailor Moon with tears shining in her eyes, clearly visible despite the rain.
"Thank you..." was all she said before she released the redhead's wrist and fled with Sailor Venus right behind her.
"Ah...heh. Anytime," Ranma-chan whispered at the fleeting figure.
Endymion smiled to himself as Mimet led him into the Professor's laboratory. He took in the dark, musty atmosphere and decided that he liked it. He looked at Professor Tomoe as he stood over his equipment mixing various noxious smelling chemicals.
"Is that him?" he asked Mimet. She nodded and tried to flee, but Endymion caught her arm in an iron grip. "No, stay," he commanded. Despite her almost overwhelming fear of him, she stayed. Endymion walked up behind the Professor and cleared his throat to gain his attention.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Tomoe asked as he looked over his shoulder at Endymion.
"I am Endymion, Prince of the Earth and son of Rithallex the Conqueror. I am here to enlist your services in taking over this world."
"Enlist... Our services?" Tomoe asked in an amused tone. He turned back to his equipment and smiled. "So, the son of a long dead conqueror comes to pick up where daddy left off..." His shoulders shook slightly as he began to giggle before he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Careful, fool. I have killed people for less than that!" Endymion snarled as his hand flashed to his sword.
"Idiot!" Tomoe screamed as he spun and faced him. "You have no idea do you? You have no concept of what we are trying to accomplish! You are trifling with powers that you cannot comprehend! When Mistress 9 is awakened and Pharaoh 90 has arrived, what makes you think they will stop to even think of your puny existence?"
"Because, I can kill you right now and they will never make it here," Endymion smirked. "Without their pawns, they will remain as they are now, waiting impatiently for the labors of idiots and madmen to bring them to glory."
"Only if you do not die first," Professor Tomoe laughed as he pressed a button on his table. The Daimon fusor opened and a Daimon with blades for it's arms stepped out and approached Endymion menacingly.
"Kill him and be quick about it," Tomoe ordered as he turned back to his workbench. He heard the clash of steel on steel go on for a short time behind him. A steely crunch followed by a wet gurgling sound and a thud as a body hit the floor announced the end of the fight.
"Ah good. Clean up the mess, will you?"
"Fat chance," Endymion said threateningly as he placed his bloodied sword on the professor's shoulder. "Now, shall we discuss this, or should I just kill you now and get it over with?"
"A force to be reckoned with then. Come with me, you should meet Mistress 9," Tomoe said as he pushed the blade off of his shoulder with two fingers. He walked over to a certain doorway and stepped through after a curt gesture to follow him. Even as Endymion followed him, Mimet could only stand and stare after them in shock. No matter how much she wanted to run, she was compelled to stay.
Endymion kept his guard up as he followed the Professor down the corridor and into a vaulted room. At one end of the room, there was a raised dais littered with dolls and stuffed toys. At each end of the dais, there was a large speaker, each one easily as tall as himself. In the very center was a throne, and upon that throne sat a slight figure enshrouded in shadows.
"What is the meaning of this?" Endymion snarled as he raised his sword. "You spoke of a Mistress, but you bring me before a child!"
"ENOUGH!" the speakers blasted as the figure on the throne straightened. Endymion rocked back from the noise before he was flung against the far wall and held there by an unseen force.
"Do not trifle with me, Endymion, son of Rithallex the Conqueror!" The voice was now hardly more than a whisper echoing ghostlike through the chamber. Endymion struggled against the force holding him back but to little avail.
"I trifle not," he growled as he focused his long forgotten power. "I either rule, or I die."
"Then," the figure on the throne slowly raised one hand as a pair of fiery eyes glowed from the shadows, "die!"
A beam of red energy lanced out from the dais and would have destroyed him had he not brought his power into play and shielded himself from the attack. He then broke free of the force that held him and approached the dais arrogantly.
"Is that all you can do, oh mistress of the shadows? Until your awakening, you are little more than hollow whispers easily ignored." He sneered up at her.
"Your impertinence shall be dealt with," Mistress 9 threatened.
"By whom? I've already proven to your lackeys that I can either control them utterly, or destroy their creations. The way I see it, I'm the one who should be talking about impertinence." He stuck the point of his sword into the ground and placed his hands on the pommel. "Enough of this small talk. I have a deal to make with you. In return for my aid, you and this Pharoh 90 will leave Earth alone and ravage elsewhere. The Earth is mine to do with as I please, and if it means destroying your little group to get what I want, so be it."
"What kind of aid?" The Professor asked.
"I'm not dealing with you!" Endymion snapped.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are," Mistress 9's voice whispered through the chamber. "Gain his assistance. His demands are reasonable and his power a worthy asset," she directed the Professor as her voice slowly faded out. Without warning, she disappeared from the throne.
"I'll ask you again, what kind of aid?"
"Nothing less than the completion of your goals. With our combined strength, the Sailor Senshi do not stand a chance," Endymion said as he started to leave the chamber and return to the lab. Tomoe hurried to walk next to him.
"It would be a welcome change to have all those nuisances dead."
"Not all of them," Endymion smirked as he thought of something. "One of them I intend to make mine. The rest I care not what happens to them."
"Very well," Tomoe said as they re-entered the lab. He walked over to his workbench and selected four vials that contained Daimon eggs. "These four Daimon I have been saving for a special project. Since you are now our ally, I am giving them to you."
"Fitting," Endymion smiled. "I've always been attended by four great warriors." He looked over to where Mimet was still standing. His eyes glowed briefly as he whispered his command. "Come to me."
Mimet walked towards him on trembling legs. She could feel the waves of power emanating from him, and it scared her.
"I'll pick them up along with one more first thing in the morning," Endymion said as he looked closely at Mimet, a hungry look in his eye. "Tonight, I shall rest and enjoy the first of my concubines." His hand cupped Mimet's chin and forced her to look him in the eye. Her fear seemed to melt away and was replaced with something else... Something she used to only feel when she looked upon the different idols and movie stars she had chased for so long.
"What was that?" Tomoe asked as he looked over his shoulder. "Ah, yes. You two will be working together, so get to know each other a little more, hmm?"
"Fear not," Endymion chuckled as he started to walk out of the lab, his hand placed familiarly on her bottom. "I shall know her quite well by tomorrow morning."
Professor Tomoe watched them leave, a gleaming drop of sweat coursed down the side of his face. "That's not quite what I meant..."
Sailor Pluto stared in shock at what the Time Gates showed her. She could not believe that Mamoru had turned that easily.
"There must be some reason behind this..." she said to herself, "but first, I have to get Small Lady home before it's too late!" She stepped through the gates and appeared from a portal not far from the Tsukino home. Even as she de-transformed Chibi-usa skipped around the corner, twirling an umbrella and humming happily to herself.
"Small Lady," Setsuna said softly.
"Puu!" Chibi-usa cried out happily as she turned and ran towards her friend. "What are you doing here in the rain?"
"Small Lady," Setsuna gave her a wan little smile, "Don't you think it's time to go home?"
"But, I like it here," Chibi-usa said petulantly.
"I know, but wouldn't it be nice to visit your parents for a little while?" Setsuna said relentlessly. Chibi-usa looked down and scuffed her feet a little.
"I want to stay, can't I stay Puu?" she asked as she looked up at the older woman with tears standing in her eyes.
"Small Lady..." Setsuna cried as she engulfed the small girl in front of her in a hug. "You can stay as long as you can," she said cryptically.
"Puu? What's wrong?"
"Something completely out of my control. Nothing I can do now will help." Setsuna's voice cracked slightly as tears began running down her cheeks.
Chibi-usa hugged Setsuna tightly as her oldest friend wept, still not understanding her sadness. Even as she moved her hand to hold her Luna-P umbrella over Setsuna as well, it disappeared.
"Huh? Luna-p? Where did you go?" Chibi-usa asked in confusion as she looked around.
"Do not worry, Small Lady," Setsuna said softly as she stood. "I must bid you farewell now, please reconsider about returning home."
"Puu? What are you talking about?"
"I really can't say," she replied sadly. She took one last look at Chibi-usa's face, committing her to memory before she turned and opened a portal to the Time Gates. She looked back and held her hand out to her. "Please."
"Nuh uh. I'm gonna stay here with Usagi and be friends with Hotaru!" Chibi-usa said as she shook her head.
"Goodbye then, Small Lady," Setsuna said as she stepped through the portal. No sooner was she back at the Time Gates, she broke down and wept. Unnoticed behind her, the image of Crystal Tokyo shattered.
The next morning found Usagi, Chibi-usa and Minako knocking on Ranma and Ryouga's door. As they waited for the boys to answer the door, Chibi-usa thought back to the rather cryptic visit she had gotten from Setsuna the night before. No matter how hard she thought about it, nothing her friend had said had made any sense to her. Further thought on that was shoved to the back of her mind as Ranma opened the door. He smiled when he saw them.
"Hey guys, g'morning!" He stepped to one side and gestured expansively. "C'mon in! Ryouga 'n I were just getting ready to leave."
"Thank you," Usagi said somewhat listlessly.
"What's wrong?" Ranma asked, a frown darkening his features.
"She tried calling Mamo-chan last night," Chibi-usa said, "but he never picked up the phone."
Ranma's face darkened further, but he said nothing. Instead he placed a comforting hand on Usagi's shoulder. He was mildly surprised when she placed her hand over his and turned her blue eyes on his.
"I'll get through this Ranma," Usagi said softly.
"Look, just leave the jerk, alright?" Ranma said intensely. "You of all people don't deserve this."
"Like you're one to talk about that!" Ryouga said lightly as he walked up. "I seem to recall a number of girls you kept stringing along over the last while."
"The difference here is that I didn't want none of 'em!" Ranma snapped.
"Whatever. C'mon, let's get going so that we aren't late," Ryouga said as he shouldered his pack and Minako laid claim to his arm. Ranma shrugged and shut the door behind them as they left. They walked in silence to the next intersection where Ryouga and Minako turned to go to their school. He looked down at Chibi-usa and frowned.
"Yer lookin' a bit pale this mornin', squirt," Ranma said as he tousled her hair. "Ya feelin' alright?"
"Not really," Chibi-usa said with a sigh. "I couldn't find Luna-p this morning and I've been feeling pretty weak as well."
"I hope ya don't catch a cold," Ranma said as he looked about, his danger sense screaming that something was terribly wrong. He kept a wary watch as they turned another corner. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a fleeting shape shadowing them, moving with blinding speed from one alleyway to the next. Unconsciously, he tensed and positioned himself between the figure he had seen and the two girls walking next to him.
That slight movement probably saved his life. A split second after he had moved ever so slightly closer to the girls, a blast of energy impacted the ground where he had been. Ranma reacted without thinking, scooping the girls into his arms and leaping to the roof of the nearest building.
"Ranma!" Usagi screamed as she pointed behind him. Ranma put the girls down and spun on his heel. He now saw four Daimons, each one looking an awful lot like the samurai Daimon he and Ryouga had fought a while back. They parted and an armored figure stepped out from behind them. Ranma didn't notice Usagi's gasp, but he did hear Chibi-usa's cry of pain.
"What's wrong?" he asked without looking.
"It feels like I'm being pulled to pieces!" Chibiusa gasped.
Ranma growled and dropped into his stance. "That leaves me no choice! Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts Final Attack!" he yelled as he let his aura flare into a blinding pyre of ki, forcing the Daimons and the mysterious armored figure to cover their eyes. When they looked again, Ranma and the girls were gone.
"What the?" Endymion gasped. "Find them! Kill the boy, but do nothing to harm the girls!" he ordered his minions. Wordlessly, they ran across the roof and leapt off of the edge in search of Ranma.
"You may have escaped for now, but my Daimons will find you, Ranma Saotome, and when they do..." He laughed long and hard as he to leapt off the edge of the building. Unseen behind him, Sailor Pluto hurried to follow.
Ryouga's eye twitched as he and Minako turned a corner and found themselves face to face with a Daimon. This particular Daimon had a segmented green body, a scorpion-like tail with a wicked looking blade instead of the stinger and large pincers for hands.
"You better run, Minako," Ryouga growled as he slowly pulled his umbrella from his pack and held it at the ready. "Things are about to get ugly."
"Be careful, Ryo-chan," Minako said as she kissed him on the cheek before she dashed towards the next alleyway. The Daimon moved as if to intercept her, but Ryouga jumped in front of it.
"You gotta fight me first!" he roared as he stabbed his umbrella into the middle of its chest. The Daimon lurched backwards from the blow and before it could recover Ryouga had closed in and was viciously battering at it with his umbrella. The Daimon's tail snaked out and tripped him just as he was winding up for a massive blow. Ryouga fell to his back and quickly rolled to one side as the Daimon lashed at his with its tail.
"Stay still and die!" the outraged Daimon yelled as Ryouga continued to frantically dodge the deadly strikes. Just when it seemed that it would impale him on the wicked blade, a golden chain with heart shaped links snaked out of the alley and coiled around the tail. Even as the chain was pulled taut, Ryouga kicked the Daimon solidly in the knee before flipping to his feet to deliver a ki charged punch to the Daimon's face.
"Good timing," Ryouga said as Sailor Venus ran to his side.
"Thanks, let's get this thing!" She said with a wink as she shifted her grip on the sword and rushed it. The Daimon caught her sword in one pincer and knocked her to the side with the other.
"Concussion Fist!" Ryouga roared as he leaped in to take advantage of the opening. The explosive punch knocked the Daimon backwards into a wall, causing it to lose its grip on the Crystal Sword.
"You ok?" Ryouga called over his shoulder even as he rushed the stunned Daimon.
"Ryouga! Look out!" Sailor Venus screamed as the Daimon stepped forward, it's tail lashing back and forth like an angry cat's. Ryouga slowed slightly and juked to one side. The Daimon took the bait and slashed it's tail to where it thought Ryouga was going to be. Ryouga smirked slightly as he grabbed the extended tail and began to spin. The Daimon was jerked off its feet as Ryouga spun faster and faster, slamming the Daimon repeatedly against the already abused wall and the unrelenting concrete. With a great cry, he released the Daimon's tail and let it fly across the street where it crashed into a group of trash cans, sending up a spray of refuse.
"And stay there," Ryouga snarled as he bent to pick up his umbrella and the Crystal Sword. He walked over to where Sailor Venus stood and extended the blade to her hilt first.
"Here, let's go kill that thing!" Ryouga said as he turned to face where the Daimon had landed. He backpedaled a step as the Daimon leapt out of the trash to land directly in front of him. Off balance, Ryouga could only deflect the tail strike just enough to keep it from gutting him. There was a rending sound as the bladed end cut through his shirt and grazed against his skin, opening a small cut. Ryouga struggled futily as one pincered hand closed on his throat and lifted him off of the ground.
"I won't let you hurt him any more!" Sailor Venus screamed as she cut off the arm that held Ryouga. He landed on his feet, but before he could recover and strike back, the Daimon smacked him with it's remaining pincer and sent him sprawling to the pavement.
Sailor Venus scowled as she fired her Crescent beam, knocking the Daimon away from them. Her scowl faded and was replaced by a worried expression when she noticed that Ryouga had not risen yet.
"Ryouga!" Sailor Venus cried out as she rushed over to where he had fallen, "Ryo-chan, are you all right?"
"It just knocked the wind outta me," he muttered as he struggled to his feet. ::Wait a sec!:: He did a double take, ::Did Sailor Venus just call me Ryo-chan?!?! I thought only Minako called me that::
"Sit this one out, Ryo-chan, and let me take care of this!"
"No way, Minako!" he hissed. Minako looked stunned as he picked his umbrella back up, "No way am I going to let you fight that thing alone!"
"Ryo-chan..." she whispered with stars in her eyes.
"C'mon, let's nail that thing!" Ryouga yelled as he raised his umbrella over his head and let his aura flare. The Daimon seemed to shrink back as the grim pair advanced on it, their weapons at the ready. A low growl started in the back of Ryouga's throat as his aura flowed into his umbrella causing it to be sheathed in eerie green flames.
"DIE!" He screamed as he flung his umbrella like a spear. The Daimon dodged it, but Sailor Venus wrapped the handle with her Love Me chain and whipped it back towards the shocked Daimon.
"You wanted to fight both of us," she started.
"And now you got us!" Ryouga finished as the umbrella slammed into its chest with the force of a crashing boulder. It fell hard to the ground and as it struggled to rise Sailor Venus leapt and impaled it with her sword even as Ryouga planted both his feet firmly on it's head. With one final agonized scream, the Daimon faded out and left a mangled toy scorpion behind.
Ranma stopped running and took in his surroundings even as he set Chibi-usa and Usagi back on their feet. He appeared to have stopped in an industrial district that had seen better times. The warehouses and factories around them were old, and a few were boarded up.
"You alright, kid?" Ranma asked Chibi-usa, who was breathing hard and clutching at her chest.
"It hurts..." she whimpered as she seemed to blur for a moment before solidifying again.
Ranma winced at her pain in her voice even as Usagi knelt to sooth her. "We better keep moving, they can't be that far behind," Ranma said as he warily watched in the direction they came from. It was thus that he was caught offguard by a blast from his left. Usagi gasped and backed up a step as Ranma was flung into the side of a warehouse from the force of the attack. She saw that his shirt was burned and smoking on the right side of his chest as he rose quickly to his feet.
"You two had better hide," Ranma said as the Daimons allowed themselves to be seen. He moved between them and Usagi and dropped into his stance. "Alright, uglies, who's first?"
"Will you be alright?" Usagi asked, worried.
"No sweat. Get outta here," Ranma said as he gave her a cocky grin and a thumbs up.
Usagi touched him briefly on his arm before she gathered Chibi-usa into her arms and ran down an alley. One of the Daimons moved as if to follow her, but Ranma intercepted it with a fierce kick.
"Yer fightin' me!" Ranma growled as he let his aura flare.
The Daimon turned and glared at him. "So be it," it intoned before it unsheathed an evil looking sword.
"So be it," the other three repeated in unison as they too drew their swords.
With great control, Ranma pulled his aura back in as Cologne had taught him, executing the soul of ice. He couldn't quite suppress his grin when their swords were sheathed in fire.
"Come get me then!" Ranma yelled as he prepared to dodge. A moment later, he realized his mistake as all of them began to attack in a well co-ordinated strike. The next few moment were filled with pain as he was battered from multiple sides. Barely able to dodge the blades, he quickly re-evaluated his battle plan and closed in with one of them. He ducked under its sword and punched it hard in the kneecap. He allowed himself a tight little smile as the Daimon screamed in pain and fell to the ground. He backflipped away even as two blasts converged on where he was a moment ago.
Twisting in mid-air, he changed his trajectory so that he landed on the shoulder of the first Daimon.
"Concussion fist!" Ranma roared as he punched the Daimon on the top of it's head. The force of the blast flung him from his precarious perch, but he was ready. Before his feet had even touched the ground, he shot a Mouko Takabisha at the closest one. While the Daimon was knocked back a few feet, Ranma landed and charged the last one. Just as soon it was in reach, his aura flared as he called out his next attack.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken revised! Explosive fury!" He yelled as he tried punching it with the concussion fist at Amaguriken speeds. The Daimon's armor buckled and split from the attack as it was hurled into a pile of crates from the massive explosion.
Ranma panted slightly and looked around. The first three Daimons were regaining their feet and holding their swords aloft, although their approach was much more wary this time. Ranma swore as he was once again forced to dodge and weave between the flaming swords. As the fourth one returned to the deadly dance, Ranma knew he was in trouble. Small cuts were opened along his arms and chest as he slowly began to wear down. He grit his teeth and focused, concentrating all his strength into the soul of ice as he dodged his way through the spiral.
As he placed his foot in the center of his spiral, he braced himself and threw an uppercut into the swirling mass of hot air, not bothering to waste his breath calling out the attack. The victorious look on the Daimon in front of him was changed suddenly to surprise as it was sucked up into the vortex and spun mercilessly about. Ranma paused and waited as the Daimons were tangled together and then dropped hard on the concrete. Ranma swore to himself as he ran down the alley. He had forgotten about the armored man who had ordered the Daimons on them.
"If that bastard even thinks of touching her, he's dead!" he yelled as he sprinted off, searching for where Usagi was hiding.
"Hang in there!" Usagi said to Chibi-usa as she ran.
"Usako! Over here!" Mamoru waved at her from the door of a warehouse. Usagi turned and ran past him into the warehouse. Mamoru suppressed a smirk as he closed the door.
"We gotta do something, Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried as she gently laid Chibi-usa down on the cold floor. Sailor Pluto entered the warehouse, unnoticed by the others, and took up a position where she could watch unobserved.
"Yes, you do have to do something," Mamoru said as he pulled out a wilted looking rose and held it for a moment.
"What happened to your roses? Are you sick?" Usagi asked as she knelt next to Chibi-usa and took her hand. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw that she could clearly see her hand through Chibi-usa's.
"No, nothing's wrong. Not now, anyways," he grinned as he transformed into his armored state.
"You!" Usagi cried as she looked up and saw Endymion standing over her. "I thought it was you that set those Daimons on us!"
"Correct, _my_ Usako," he said, bowing sardonically as his voice dripped with venom.
"What happened to you? And what's happening to Chibi-usa?" Usagi asked as she looked back down at her whimpering future daughter.
"What happened? You could say that I finally broke the seal on my powers."
"But, Chibi-usa..."
"She suffers," He shrugged, indifferent to the pain in front of him. "Soon, she will be no more."
"Why?" Usagi's voice cracked as she looked up from her daughter's agonized face to the man she thought she loved.
"Why?" He let loose an evil chuckle, "Why not? She seems to enjoy making you suffer, so now I guess I'm making her suffer. Come, join with me and we'll have a family that will not make you suffer, ever."
From her place of concealment, Sailor Pluto struggled against her desire to rush out there and protect Usagi. It took all of her self control to avoid attacking Endymion with the full intent of killing him.
"I..." Usagi looked away from him, "I don't know..."
"Don't take too long to decide!" He snapped, "I could kill you right now if I wanted too, but I'm giving you the choice, join the Death Busters and aid in the return of Pharaoh 90, or die!"
Sailor Pluto tensed. The next few seconds were critical to the survival of the Earth. If she stood and joined him, all would be lost.
Usagi looked uncertainly at him, but just as it seemed that she would stand up and join him, a brilliant blue ball of Ki slammed into him and knocked him away. Her head swung around and found a very bloody Ranma standing in the doorway of the warehouse. Sailor Pluto almost collapsed in relief as Ranma began crossing the room with stiff, angry strides.
"Get away from her! I don't know what yer problem is, but I do understand fighting! You wanna try ta fight me without your little group of Daimon body guards this time?" Ranma challenged as he neared them.
Endymion stood slowly and casually dusted his armor off, "Well, it seems that there is another nuisance for me to get rid of."
"I'll show you nuisance!" Ranma yelled as he charged, "Meteor shower kick!" Ranma jumped and started sending ki charged kicks at Endymion. He staggered back from the assault and threw a wilted rose at Ranma. The rose hit, but instead of merely sticking in Ranma's arm it exploded, splattering Usagi with blood.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma let loose another ball of ki and then held his wounded arm. "Run!"
"What?!?"
"I said run! I'll hold him off while you get the kid and yourself outta here!" Ranma swore under his breath as Endymion stood again, "Go on, run!"
"..."
"I said run! Get outta here!" Ranma snapped before his voice softened. "I don't want you and the kid to get hurt, ok?"
Usagi stood and tried to lift Chibi-usa, but the small girl had faded so much that her arms passed right through her.
"No! Chibi-usa!" Usagi wailed and knelt again next to her daughter and watched her agonized face fade even more.
"Go," The single word seemed more like a whisper of the wind.
"What?" Usagi leaned closer to Chibi-usa's face.
"Go, live. I've been happy, but without you there's no hope for me to ever exist. Go!"
Usagi stood again with tears running down her face and ran for the door. "Goodbye, Chibi-usa..."
Endymion smirked when he saw that Chibi-usa had finally faded away. "Well now, looks like it's just you and me." He drew his sword with a steely rasp and held it in an en'guard. Ranma tensed and got ready, sensing the malevolent power that dripped from him like slime.
"No!" Usagi's voice rang clear and true. Both Ranma and Endymion turned to look at Usagi.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ranma yelled.
Usagi held up her brooch and her face took on a determined cast. "Helping you," she said simply before she called out her transformation phrase.
"Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"
"No!" Endymion screamed.
Before Ranma's stunned eyes, Usagi was enveloped by a bright light as her clothes dissolved into translucent red ribbons. Even though she was technically naked, the only details that Ranma could discern was her outline and oddly enough, her eyes. Even as he determined that, the ribbons wrapped around her, forming her Senshi uniform. With one last flourish Usagi, no, Sailor Moon, struck a pose as the lights faded.
Ranma fell over backwards, stunned at the revelation. Suddenly a thousand little clues clicked into place in his brain. Endymion was just as stunned, but for a completely different reason. He still couldn't believe that Usagi would lift a finger against him.
"You're Sailor Moon?" Ranma asked as he snapped back to his feet.
Sailor Moon nodded sadly before she looked at Mamoru with her heart in her eyes. "Mamo-chan, I'll beat whatever's possessed you. I'll make it all right again."
Endymion let out a bark of derisive laughter. "Posses? Dear little Usagi... Don't you get it? Nothing is possessing me, this _is_ me!"
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "You're Chiba, ain't ya?"
"You finally figured it out? I knew jocks were slow, but you are ridiculous! Still, that's who I used to be," Endymion smiled bleakly as his group of Daimon bodyguards entered the room. "And now, my little friends, you are outnumbered, badly."
Ranma glanced around and swore. He was too wounded already to be able to fight effectively against all of them and he knew from experience that Sailor Moon was not a very good fighter unless she was given enough time to power up her final attack.
"Maybe so, but I have a little surprise for you!" With that, Ranma moved so quickly that he was a blur. Within the blink of an eye, he landed behind Mamoru and pulled out a small bottle of shampoo "Xi Fang Gao Shiatsu!"
"What the...!" Mamoru reeled as his head suddenly felt like a thousand needles were stabbing his scalp at once. It took only a few seconds to recover, but by then it was too late. "What? What did you do to me?" He looked around but could see no trace of Ranma or Sailor Moon. His Daimons were equally stunned by their rapid disappearance.
"Just making sure you won't be bugging us at home!" Ranma's voice filtered down into the room. A chance reflection revealed his position as he kicked open the window.
"There! After them!" Mamoru yelled and pointed.
"Dead Scream!" Sailor Pluto launched her attack from the shadows, knocking him across the room with the deadly energy.
"That's for making the wrong choice," she snarled before she faded from view. She knew that imbued with evil power, Mamoru was much more dangerous. ::The purest of heart become the most sinister when they fall from the light,:: She thought philosophically as she reappeared on the rooftops, not far from where Ranma had stopped to rest and bind his wounds with Sailor Moon's gentle assistance.
"This is a dangerous path you have chosen, Ranma Saotome," She said as she approached them. "Are you prepared for what that entails?"
"Pluto!" Sailor Moon said in an astonished voice before she clung to her waist and began crying. Sailor Pluto looked down and smiled warmly before she patted her on the head and returned her attention to Ranma.
"Well? Are you prepared, Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts?"
"I ain't sure I understand what yer askin' of me, but I'm ready for any fight!" Ranma declared as he snapped to his feet, only to wince in pain from the wounds he had received at the hands of Endymion's quartet of Daimons.
"Then tell Sailor Mercury to use her computer to find some kind of armor for you. The protection that would offer shall assist you in your fight," Sailor Pluto said before she gently disentangled Sailor Moon from her waist. "Princess, it would be wise if you and Ranma hurried to Mamoru's apartment and cleared it of anything that may help him regain his memory. Especially the guardian stones."
"R..right," Sailor Moon sniffled before she stood and dashed her tears away with her fist. "What will you be doing?"
"I need to convince Uranus and Neptune that it is in their best interests to work with you now. I'm not sure how they are going to take it," Sailor Pluto sighed. "I'm sorry, I failed you."
"No!" Sailor Moon said firmly as she took the eldest Senshi's hands in her own. "You didn't fail me, we still have a chance at defeating the Deathbusters! I still have the grail, and the best friends someone could hope for..." She trailed off as her eyes filled with tears again.
"Usagi..." Ranma said as he reached out with one hand to clasp her on the shoulder.
"But why did Chibi-usa have to die?!?" She wailed as she buried her face into Ranma's chest. Without even thinking about it, Ranma gathered her up into his arms and leapt off towards Mamoru's apartment. Sailor Pluto watched him leave before she opened a portal to the time gates and stepped through. The real war for the fate of the Earth had begun, and there were forces that needed to be rallied.
A short time later, Ranma landed softly on the narrow ledge outside the window to Mamoru's apartment. He set Sailor Moon down and peeked cautiously through.
"Ok, what do these stones look like, Usagi?" He asked quietly as he moved back away from the window.
"Please, Ranma," Sailor Moon said between sniffles, "Call me Sailor Moon when I'm like this."
"Alright, Sailor Moon, what do those stupid stones look like?"
"They're in a glass case on his book shelf," she said as she looked up in thought. "The one in his bedroom. They kinda look like uncut gems."
"OK, stay put and I'll be right back out," Ranma patted her shoulder comfortingly before he silently opened the window and slipped inside. The interior of the apartment was strangely dark once the drapes had fallen back into place and unusually cluttered. All the other times Ranma had seen it, it was immaculate and brightly lit. He stooped and picked up a discarded garment and held it up to his eyes so that he could identify it in the dim light. It was a gaudy orange miniskirt that he had seen several times before.
He dropped it with a growl and a snarl and disappeared into the shadows along the walls. As he edged towards the closed bedroom door, he heard somewhat heavy footsteps, as if the person moving about was still very sleepy. He leapt and clutched to the ceiling, breathing as quietly as possible to avoid being heard.
The bedroom door opened and Ranma was forced to bite his lip to keep from making any noise. Just inside the doorway was the nude form of witch Mimet. Ranma smiled to himself as he thought of the nosebleed Ryouga would have gotten from that sight. Mimet stumbled out of the bedroom with the shuffling gait of someone still mostly asleep. Shortly after she passed under Ranma, he dropped catlike to the floor and smiled to himself as a vicious plan came to mind. He shook his head and pushed the notion to the back of his mind and he concentrated on his mission.
He ducked into the bedroom and found the glass case that Sailor Moon had told him about. Inside the case were four stones that glowed ever so softly. He opened the case and pulled the stones out and placed them into his pocket. As he touched each one, he could feel a consciousness that was overwhelmed with grief.
His task complete, Ranma glanced around the room and noted that Mimet's staff was leaned against one of the walls. The half formed plan in the back of his mind came rushing back. With a self satisfied smirk, he walked over to the staff and picked it up. He could feel the magical energies racing through it the moment he touched it. He sighed as he realized that not even Ryouga's Bakusai Tenketsu technique would work on it.
His head snapped around when he heard a startled gasp from the doorway. Mimet stood there holding a steaming cup of tea in one hand while she tried to hold an oversized robe on with the other.
"What are you doing here?" Mimet asked in a voice shaking with fear.
Ranma snarled as he flung the staff away and advanced on her. Mimet screamed and flung the tea at Ranma. He ignored the scalding hot liquid as his aura flared to life and crackled with an angry red glare. Terrified, Mimet could not move, her eyes riveted on Ranma's ice hard blue eyes. Ranma grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.
"I want you to deliver a message," he growled as Mimet struggled futily against his iron hard grip. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't completely cutting off her air, just gripping tight enough to make it very hard to breath. Spots swam in front of her eyes and she felt more than saw Ranma walk into the living area of the apartment.
She was flung roughly against the couch and even as she struggled to regain her breath, Ranma had hog tied her. Her borrowed bathrobe flopped loosely about her small frame as she struggled in vain against her bonds. Amazingly enough, it stayed on her.
"What kind of sick game are you playing?" Mimet asked hoarsely.
"No games, witch. Tell Mamoru that he had better watch his own back because someday, I will be there and I will not hold back," Ranma said in a deathly quiet voice. He turned and walked towards the window. As he re-opened the window, he looked back at the hog-tied form of Mimet.
"Ya know, for a witch with an attack named the Charm Buster, ya sure don't have much in the way of charms!" He laughed as he stepped out the window, Mimet's angry shouting falling on deaf ears.
"What was that all about?" Sailor Moon asked as Ranma reappeared on the ledge.
"I ran into Witch Mimet in there," He shrugged as he made a quick decision. "I guess she got mad because I got away." He decided against telling Sailor Moon that by all appearances, Mamoru was dallying with witch Mimet.
The poor girl's heart is bruised enough,:: He thought. She doesn't need to know about that.::
"Did you get the stones?" Sailor Moon asked as he picked her up and prepared to leap off the ledge.
"Yeah, piece of cake," he grunted as he leapt, still feeling all the injuries he had received that morning.
Ami sighed as her communicator went off even as she neared Juuban Junior High. She glanced around and found a fairly secluded spot.
"Yes?" Ami asked as the tiny screen lit and revealed the tear-streaked face of Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon! What's wrong?"
"Ami-chan..." Sailor Moon sniffled and then broke down crying. The perspective of the communicator moved and revealed Ranma.
"Ranma!?!" Ami gasped.
"Ami?! Nevermind, there's no time to explain. We all gotta meet at tha shrine, alright? Make sure Ryouga gets there too."
"What's going on?" Ami asked, a worried note audible in her voice when she saw his wounds.
"I'll tell ya when everyone's at the shrine," Ranma said as he cut the connection.
Ami was puzzled, but opened a wide channel and contacted the rest of the Senshi.
"Everyone, we have a situation..."
***
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 5
Sometimes, destiny is not what is meant to be...
Ranma grunted as he leapt from the fence to the sidewalk below. Despite the fact that he had grabbed a fresh change of clothes, it was painfully obvious that he had been hurt recently. Blood soaked bandages covered his arms and a few smaller ones were on his face. He ignored the startled looks of the other pedestrians and continued walking towards the Hikawa shrine. When he reached the gate he decided to wait a few moments to catch his breath. He was fairly certain that he had beaten everyone but Rei here, so waiting a few moments at the gate wouldn't be a problem. No sooner had he leaned against one of the imposing stone pillars and closed his eyes than he heard someone call his name. He spun and fell into a fighting stance before he even realized that he knew the voice.
"You scared me to death, Ranma!" Makoto placed one hand on her chest as if to try and slow her heart back down. Ranma relaxed and leaned back against the pillar.
"Sorry..." he muttered.
"You're hurt!" She gasped when she finally noticed the bandages. "Let me see if I have something a bit cleaner for those bandages..." she said as she searched through her bag for anything that could be used.
"Ferget about it. Just go inside and see if Rei's in there will ya?"
"What about you?" She stopped her search and looked at him curiously. "Doesn't that hurt?"
"I'll be fine, just do it will ya?" He said, exhaustion finally creeping into his voice.
"Geez, it's not like someone died," Makoto said in a huff as she started walking through the gate.
"That's exactly what happened!" Ranma snapped as he looked away. Makoto stopped dead in her tracks and turned slowly to face him. She could now see that the pained look he had was not from his wounds, but from something much worse... Grief.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she bowed her head. "I didn't know."
An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Several moments passed before Ranma finally spoke.
"It's alright..."
Makoto jerked as if she had been shocked awake. "What happened?" She asked.
"I'll tell you guys when everyone's here... Just go inside." Ranma slowly leaned himself back against the gate and looked out at the street again.
Makoto nodded and proceeded back up the stairs. When she was halfway to the top, she looked over her shoulder at Ranma. His head had rolled forward as if he was asleep on his feet. She fought the urge to rush back down the stairs and try to comfort him as she resolutely continued into the shrine.
Usagi peeked around the lamppost she was hiding behind and watched as Makoto walked into the shrine. Although Ranma had told her to stay at his house, she decided that she would get Luna and follow him to the shrine. Although she had lost sight of him when he started to roof-hop, she knew where he was going and had dashed there. She had arrived just in time to witness the exchange between Ranma and Makoto. Luna poked her head out of the duffel bag that Usagi was carrying and frowned.
"What are you doing, Usagi?"
"He's going to be mad at me." Her voice quavered as she ducked back behind the questionable concealment of the lamppost. "He wanted me to stay at his place while he told everyone else. He thought it'd be safer for me."
"Trust me, Usagi; you'll be a lot safer with the rest of the Senshi with you. He'll understand if you tell him," Luna said comfortingly as she ducked back into the bag. "Now go!"
Usagi swallowed hard and stepped out from behind the lamppost. Her heart gave a nervous flutter when she caught sight of Ranma again. She almost turned and ran, but she shook her head and took the first step towards the shrine. When she was maybe a meter away from him, his head snapped up and his blue eyes fixed on hers. Her heart seemed to leap into her throat as she lost herself in his eyes.
"I thought I told ya to stay put," Ranma said in a level tone.
"I'm sorry Ranma, but I couldn't take being alone anymore," her voice sounded small and timid, even to herself. She broke eye contact with him and looked at her feet.
"I wanted you safe! I made sure he didn't know about that place, so you turn around and risk yourself just to have some company?!" Ranma demanded as he stopped leaning against the wall. "What would you have done if Chiba had attacked you on the way here?"
Usagi bit her lower lip and tears began to flow silently down her cheeks as she looked up at him again. Ranma's expression softened considerably then and he spread his arms wide.
"Uh, hey I'm just worried about ya. You've been through a lot this mornin', I just... You know..." He trailed off when he noticed that Usagi didn't seem to be listening to him. Without any warning, she lunged forward and clutched onto his shirt before she buried her face in his chest and began to cry in earnest.
"I want them back! I want them back! I want them baaa-aaack!!" She wailed, her voice only slightly muffled by Ranma's chest.
Ranma looked around nervously, as if he expected a mallet wielding fiancee to come out of nowhere. When nothing happened, he slowly placed his arms around her and patted her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. Usagi gasped as she felt his strong arms encircle her. Suddenly she felt safe and protected, as if nothing on Earth could harm her as long as she was in his arms.
::Is this too fast? Do I really want to?:: she thought briefly before she stopped caring about that and just enjoyed the security of Ranma's arms.
For his part, Ranma still felt a bit embarrassed about hugging her like that in public, but for some reason he didn't mind. He looked down as her crying slowly tapered off into a contented sigh. She felt so slight, so frail in his arms but he knew that she was made of tougher stuff than that. He had seen her in many fights, quite often diving in to save one of her friends without any consideration of her own safety.
"You know, if Mamoru saw this, he'd be pissed," Ryouga's voice jerked Ranma out of his thoughts. His head snapped around and he saw that Ami, Minako and Ryouga were standing there. Minako had one hand over her mouth as if she was trying to keep from giggling while Ryouga had a slightly amused expression on his face. Ami was blushing furiously and she had one fist in front of her mouth. With a feeling of dread, he turned his head to look the other way and found Makoto and Rei standing there, looks of anger were on their faces.
"No fair, Usagi!" Rei said.
"Yeah! You've already got Mamoru!" Makoto chimed in.
At the mention of that name, Usagi burst out crying again. They shared a startled look as Ranma returned his attention to the crying girl in his arms.
"He's not my Mamo-chan anymore! I want my old Mamochan back!"
Ranma winced at the volume of her cries and sent a withering glare at Rei and Makoto.
"Ya know, I almost had her calm again. Help me get her inside, and I'll tell ya what's goin' on."
"The wind is rustling about," Haruka said softly as she stared out the window of the house she shared with Michiru.
"Oh?" Michiru asked mildly as she poured some tea for her.
"It's ominous, like a storm is about to break."
"The storm has broken," Setsuna said as she approached the table.
"When did you get here?" Michiru asked as she stood to get another teacup for Setsuna. "Tea?"
"Please. I have some important news for you two. The players in this game have changed."
"What do you mean by that?" Haruka asked as she turned her attention to Setsuna. She didn't respond until after Michiru had returned with another cup and had begun pouring the tea.
"Mamoru has changed sides, and Small Lady is..." she paused as she fought to control her voice. "She is no more."
"Dead?" Michiru gasped.
"Worse than dead, it's as if she never existed now," Setsuna said sadly.
"But, we can remember her!" Haruka protested.
"True, because she came to a time from before she existed. All that there is of her existence is our memories." She gave them an intense look as she sipped her tea.
"Did this happen because Mamoru joined the Death Busters?" Michiru asked. She heard a slight clinking noise. When she looked down, she saw that it was because her hand was shaking as she held her teacup.
"I believe so, yes." Setsuna calmly sipped at her tea.
"Damn it! How could this have happened?" Haruka demanded as she crossed her arms.
"I don't know yet, but I will find out," Setsuna said as she took another sip of her tea.
"So what does this mean for our mission?" Michiru asked.
"The mission hasn't changed, but you both have a decision to make. You can continue the way you have in the past, or you could join forces with the Inner Senshi and face the enemy together." Setsuna looked into their eyes and could almost see their reluctance.
"I take it that you have a preference?" Haruka smirked a bit.
"Yes, but it still has to be your choice. I cannot force you to do things my way. That can only lead to disaster." She took one last sip of her tea before she placed her cup on the table.
"Heh," Haruka flicked her hair back with a toss of her head. "Why should we join up with them? They're so weak in comparison. They're children!"
Haruka and Michiru nearly jumped out of their seats as Setsuna slammed her fist against the table, spilling her tea. "Those 'children' have been fighting almost constantly for over a year against various enemies. Those 'weaklings' have defeated beings that have rent asunder the Time Stream. They have looked down the throats of the hounds of Hell and yet they fight on! Most of them have even sacrificed their lives to defeat the evil that claimed the Silver Millennium when it returned to ruin this era! While they may lack the individual power that each of us has, they more than make up for it in spirit and teamwork." Setsuna's eyes flashed with anger, betraying the calmness in her voice.
"Have you forgotten who risked her life to save you from Kaolinite, Michiru?" She asked the green haired girl in front of her.
"N..no..." Michiru stammered her reply.
"And you!" Setsuna said sharply to a chastened Haruka. "Did you forget who ran to help you even though you had threatened to kill her and even took away her means of transforming? Risking her life by facing the enemy as a normal girl, and winning?"
"Of course not..." Haruka said softly.
"Keep that in mind when you make your decision. Talk to them, you might be surprised by what they have to say. Neither they nor myself will stop you from choosing your own path; they respect you enough to let you try to do things your own way." Setsuna stood and walked towards the door.
"Think about it, but don't choose right away. Decisions made in haste are never fully thought through," she smiled mysteriously before she opened a portal and stepped through.
"I'm going for a ride to think about this," Haruka said as she stood to leave the table. Once she was gone, Michiru gazed at her reflection in the spilt tea and sighed.
"The sea is very stormy today..."
Endymion threw open the door to his apartment and stomped inside in disgust. Everything was going according to his plan when Ranma had interfered! He slammed the door behind him with enough force to cause a picture of himself, Usagi and Chibi-usa to fall from its place on the wall and shatter on the floor. A crack ran down the middle of the picture, separating Usagi and Mamoru, while the glass that covered Chibi-usa's image was so spider webbed with cracks as to make her unrecognizable.
"My lord!" Mimett screamed from the couch, "Help me, I beg you!"
"What is this?" Endymion asked when he saw Mimett tied up on the couch.
"Ranma was here! He gave me a message to give you and then he tied me up. Please, untie me!"
Endymion snarled and with a wave of his hand, a beam of energy cut her bonds. "Now, what was his message?"
"He said to watch your back, because someday he is going to be there and he won't pull his punches," Mimett said as she rubbed her reddened wrists and ankles.
"Call the professor. Have him release another daimon now!" Endymion snapped as he walked into the bedroom. "We need to strike again while they are still off balance."
"At once!" Mimett bounced over to the phone and made a quick call. After speaking with the professor for a moment, she put her hand over the receiver and called over to Endymion. "My Lord? He says that he anticipated that and had released several."
"Excellent. How many are still out there?" Endymion sighed as he lay down on the bed.
"He says that his sensors indicate that one is still on the loose." Mimett passed along after a brief pause.
"Tell him to prepare some quarters for me. My home is no longer secure." He rubbed his temples as he tried again and again to remember where Sailor Moon lived, but failed miserably. He thought for a moment and then grinned evilly.
"If I cannot attack directly, then an indirect attack shall have to suffice," he laughed aloud. "Ranma Saotome, you may have found a way to block my memory of where she lives, but you failed to protect all of her friends!" He laughed aloud.
"My Lord?" Mimett asked nervously as she entered the bedroom.
"We'll see how long Sailor Moon continues to fight once her friends begin to die, one by one!" Endymion laughed as dark energy began to play across his skin. "First, I need to relax and then gather my strength for this..." he said as he reached out to Mimett.
"Now, would you mind telling us just what the hell is going on?" Rei demanded once she had closed the door to her room.
"To be blunt, Chiba's gone bad and tried to kill me an' Usagi. He caused Chibi-usa to just fade out like a ghost or somethin'. The bastard's got four really mean daimons workin' for him and his stupid roses explode now," Ranma growled, ignoring the gasps of shock and half screamed protests that followed his words. He looked around the room to gauge their reactions.
Makoto looked angry more than anything else and Rei had turned as white as a sheet and was leaning against the door for support. Ami had her brow furrowed, whether in thought or anger, he couldn't tell. Minako looked like she was about to be sick and was clinging to Ryouga's arm like a life preserver while he glowed a sickly green color as his aura betrayed his emotions. His scowl alone would have been enough to cause most people to back away, but with his aura flaring he looked positively frightening. After a few minutes, a painful silence fell over them, punctuated only by a few soft sobs that escaped from Usagi.
Rei sank to the floor in shock. "The last time I saw him, I could feel something... evil... about him. I had no idea it would be like this."
"Something evil?" Ami asked as she raised one hand towards Makoto to silence her. "What do you mean?"
"Last night, when you guys were heading off for dinner, I felt something sealed away in him, something malevolent. I thought it was some bad memories from the Silver Millennium that were starting to resurface." Rei shook her head ruefully before she turned to look out the window, at the ceiling, anywhere except straight at Usagi.
"Bad memories? More like memories of being bad!" Ryouga said with a snarl similar to Ranma's. Like his friend, he did nothing to conceal the emotion from his voice.
"That's it!" Ami snapped her fingers. "That's what was sealed away, it has to be! Usagi," she turned and gently took Usagi's hand and held it, "did he say anything, anything at all that would help us figure out how this happened?"
Usagi looked up in thought, but quickly shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. All he really said was that he finally broke the seal on his powers."
"That's not much to go on," Ami sighed as she pulled out the Mercury computer. "Maybe there's a clue in the historical files..." Her voice trailed off as she began typing rapidly on the keyboard.
"I dunno if these things would be of any use, but Pluto seemed ta think that they would be dangerous in his hands. I blocked his memory, but that was before I knew all of you guys were involved in this," Ranma said as he offered the Guardian Stones to Ami.
"How did you get these?" Ami gasped as she took the stones and placed them next to the Mercury computer.
"I kinda snuck into his place and stole them. Mimett was in there, but I managed to evade her and escape," he rubbed the back of his head as he remembered exactly how he had escaped.
"What do you mean by that?" Makoto asked.
"I disarmed her and gave her something to think about..." He shrugged as he leaned back against a wall and began to absently pick at his bandages. Usagi gently restrained him, but he pulled his hand away. She put her hands back in her lap and stared intently at the floor.
"I felt somethin' when I picked those things up. It was like those things were sad," Ranma said after a moment of thought.
"Unfortunately, only Mamoru knew how to get the spirits bound inside them to respond to his questions," Rei shook her head and passed one hand over the stones. She closed her eyes for a moment before she frowned and jerked her hand away from the stones. "I can feel it too, along with a strong sense of betrayal."
"Do you think you might be able to unlock them long enough for us to get some answers?" Makoto asked as she leaned forward excitedly.
"I'm not sure..." Rei slumped back and started to massage her temples. "Maybe one at a time. The feelings they are emitting are very strong. If I try to get them all to respond at once... Well, who knows what could happen?"
"So basically, we're back at square one again?" Minako asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so," Ami sighed as she continued to refine her search through the computer's files. "It appears that the Central Computer on the moon had very little in the way of organization, it's almost as if someone dumped all the data from every terminal in the kingdom into it at once."
"Considering how quickly Beryl's invasion took place, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that's exactly what happened." Makoto said as she clenched her fist in anger. "Once again she's coming back to haunt us!"
"Moon?" a bewildered Ranma asked, "What the heck are you talking about? There ain't no computers on the Moon!"
"Actually, there is. There used to be a civilization that thrived on the moon and most of the other planets in the solar system. The only planet that was not part of that kingdom was Earth. The people of the earth then were just..." Ami paused and looked apologetically at Ranma, "Well, too violently unpredictable. Also, their lifespan was extremely short in comparison. The average citizen from the Moon Kingdom could live for several thousand years. It would have made assimilating them into the kingdom very problematic, so it was decided early on to let Terrans, well... Grow up."
"Huh?" Ranma and Ryouga blinked in confusion as they tried to reconcile what they were hearing to what they had been told all their lives. "Wait a sec! How long ago was this?" Ranma demanded.
"Several eons, at least," Rei said with a distant smile as she remembered what the desert canyons of Mars looked like at sunrise.
"You make it sound like you were there," Ryouga chuckled.
"We were," Minako said as she placed her hand on his knee. "In our past lives anyways. When the Silver Millennium fell, our Queen sacrificed her life to send our souls into the future, to give her people a second chance through her daughter, her lover from Earth and her bodyguards."
"Ok, you're Sailor Venus," Ryouga said to Minako, who nodded in agreement. "Then the others are?"
"Sailor Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Sailor Moon," She replied as she pointed to each one in turn.
"Then, Sailor Moon is...?" Ranma asked, his eyes widening as he looked over at Usagi who continued to stare at the floor.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity," Rei said seriously. The room fell silent for a brief moment before Ranma suddenly let out a long, low whistle.
"Then Chiba was her lover in the past?" he asked.
"And in the present, until very recently..." Makoto said softly. She winced when she noticed that Usagi had flinched at the mention of his name.
"So how did Chibi-usa fit into all of this?" Ryouga asked.
"She is... was, my daughter from the future." Usagi whispered. Ranma opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly noticed the tears streaming from her eyes. He clamped his jaw shut and instead placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him as she placed her hand over his and stars seemed to dance in her eyes.
It was at that exact moment that Artemis decided to stick his head out of the bag that Minako brought him in to say something. Unfortunately, Ranma saw him out of the corner of his eye.
"Ahhh!!! C-c-cat!!!" He screamed as he scrambled to the far end of the room and slammed against the wall.
"Artemis!" Minako scolded him, "I thought I told you to stay in there!" She disengaged herself from Ryouga and picked up the bag. "Geez, curiosity deafened the cat..." she muttered under her breath as she opened the door to leave the room.
"Isn't that supposed to be curiosity killed the cat?" Makoto asked as she tried to pry Ranma away from the wall with Usagi's help.
Minako looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Not this time..."
"Now wait just a second!!!" Artemis screamed after Minako closed the door behind her. Everyone in the room sweat dropped as they heard Minako begin to yell at him as she walked away from the room, Artimes' indignant replies were nearly drowned out by her voice.
"Did that cat just talk?" A wide-eyed Ryouga asked. The girls nodded as Ranma finally sat down again.
"We have got to do something about your fear of cats, Ranma!" Rei snapped. "We can't have you freaking out like that all the time!"
"I can't help it!" Ranma yelled as he snapped back to his feet.
"So the high and mighty martial artist can't even deal with one cute little kitty cat?" Rei yelled as she too got to her feet and proceeded to try and stare down Ranma.
"Stop it! Both of you! This isn't doing us any good!" Makoto said firmly as she placed herself between them and pushed them both out to arms length.
Inside her bag, Luna shook her head and sighed. Things sounded like it had gone from bad to worse and she could not do any kind of damage control without Ranma freaking out. Very cautiously, she peeked out of her bag and saw that Ranma had his back to her and was arguing loudly with Rei while Ami and Makoto did their best to calm them down. Usagi had sat back down again and was hanging her head. Luna reached out with one paw and tapped on her leg.
"What is it, Luna?" Usagi asked, her voice sounding nothing like her usual bright self, but more like she did after the first time Mamoru had dumped her.
"I need to talk with Rei," Luna whispered. Usagi nodded as she stood and picked up Luna's bag. With purposeful strides, she walked right into the middle of the argument, snagged Rei's arm and dragged her out of the room before she had a chance to protest. After Usagi had slammed the door behind her, all activity in the room halted.
"She do that often?" Ranma asked.
"No, it's usually the other way around..." Makoto said in a stunned voice.
"Hi! Did I miss much?" Minako asked as she walked back into the room. She looked around puzzled as they all sighed and shook their heads.
"Not really, Minako... Not really..." Ryouga grumbled sourly.
"I'm going to see if I can borrow Rei's kitchen. I think we all need a snack right about now," Makoto declared as she walked to the door. Just as she was about to open it, Usagi flung open the door and barged into the room, knocking Makoto over, and grabbed Ranma's arm.
"Come on! One of our friends is going to try something to help with your fear of cats!" She said excitedly as she yanked on his arm.
"Hey! Take it easy!" Ranma hissed as he pulled his arm out of her grip and gingerly held his hand over the wound from Endymion's exploding rose.
"OhmygoddidIhurtyou?DoyouneedapainkillerandIcan'tbelieveIforgotaboutthat!I'msoorry!!!" She fell to her knees beside him as she fussed over his injured arm for a moment before she finally broke out crying.
"I'll be ok Usagi! Just stop crying, please!" Ranma winced. "What were you saying about a cure for my fear of cats?"
"Oh yeah!" She brightened instantly. She gently took his hand and gestured for him to follow her. "Come on! We got this idea that just might work! Let's go, Ranma!"
"Ok, ok! Hold your horses!" Ranma smiled a little at how quickly her mood changed as he allowed her to drag him from the room.
"Are you alright, Mako-chan?" Ami asked as she knelt next to her.
"Sure, just as soon as the little birdies stop spinning around my head..."
"In here Ranma," Usagi said as she opened the door to the room where the sacred fire was burning. Ranma stepped in and looked around. He frowned as he caught sight of Rei in her miko's robes kneeling in the center of the room.
"What's she doing here?" He growled out the question.
"This is my Grandfather's temple after all," Rei sniffed.
"Oooh! Knock it off, both of you!" Usagi snapped.
"OK, OK!" he half yelled as he stepped the rest of the way into the room. "What do ya want me to do?"
"First, lie down in front of me, your head pointed towards the sacred fire," Rei said as she gestured to the spot in front of her.
"So, what now?" Ranma said impatiently as he lay down on his back in front of Rei. Usagi knelt on the other side of him.
"I want you to close your eyes and meditate. Just relax," Rei said soothingly. Ranma grumbled a little, but did as she asked. Rei beckoned to Luna once she was sure he was relaxed.
"How's this gonna help me with my fear of cats?" Ranma asked suddenly.
"It's kind of like an exorcism," Rei lied smoothly as Luna approached Ranma's head on silent paws.
"Do not worry, Ranma," Luna said softly and soothingly, "I will not hurt you."
"I'd feel better about this if I could see you, you know."
"All in good time, Ranma," Luna said as she stopped next to his head. She slowly placed her forehead against his and gently probed his mind with hers. The crescent moon on her forehead glowed slightly as she slowly worked her way into his psyche.
"Just open the door for me, Ranma. Let me see what terrors lurk deep in your soul so that I may purge them," Luna crooned to him.
Reluctantly, Ranma lowered his mental defenses. Rei watched with a strange sort of detachment as the minutes ticked by. Usagi was fidgeting nervously and even reached out towards Ranma a few times, but snapped her hand back before she would touch him. Eventually, Luna pulled away from Ranma and sat down wearily.
"Did it work?" Usagi asked, not quite able to suppress the excitement in her voice.
"Let's find out," Luna said, her voice as tired as she looked. "Sit up, Ranma, and open your eyes."
Ranma sat up slowly and opened his eyes, expecting to see another priestess in the room with Rei and Usagi. His eyes widened when he saw Luna, but he didn't feel the terror.
"I'm sitting next to a c-c-c-cat, and I'm not screaming..." He stuttered slightly. "Did I fall asleep? Is this a dream?"
"No, it's not a dream," Luna responded.
Ranma jumped and latched onto the ceiling. "The c-cc-cat talked!"
"Come down from there, Ranma!" Usagi called up to him. Ranma let go of the beam he was holding onto and twisted nimbly to land on his feet.
"I'm... not afraid of you... I'm not afraid!" Ranma began dancing around the room in joy.
"Oh, Ranma!" Usagi leaped to her feet to give Ranma a hug, but instead found herself dancing with an ecstatic Ranma. Usagi blushed as Ranma twirled her around the floor, a strange warmth covering her heart. For a brief moment, she found herself forgetting her worries and her sorrow and just drank deep from the sense of Ranma's presence.
"Well... Not exactly..." Luna said cautiously from where she sat. Ranma and Usagi froze mid-step.
"I was able to get him to not be afraid of Artemis and myself, or any Mao for that matter. But, I was unable to completely eliminate his fear of cats. It's just too deep in his psyche."
"That is because I had already placed the means within him to deal with this very problem." Setsuna said as she entered the room. "The Neko-ken was too much, even for me to deal with."
"Huh?" Ranma peered closer at Setsuna, and for the first time noticed her eyes. "What a sec! You were that old woman, weren't you?"
"That's rude, Ranma!" Rei snapped. Setsuna held up one hand to forestall any additional comments.
"He is correct though, Rei. The first time he saw me I was disguised as an old woman. I couldn't stand to watch his father train him in that horrid technique any longer. Unfortunately, I was too late."
"Why didn't you do something sooner?" Usagi asked quietly.
"I didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late. I did what I could for him afterwards, but it was not sufficient." Setsuna hung her head slightly.
"Don't get yerself down about it. I mean, ya did what ya could, right?" Ranma said, "Besides, without the Neko-ken, I'd be stuck in China living with the amazons there."
"Amazons?" Rei blinked a few times.
"Ya know, the old Ghoul's people," Ranma said.
Usagi was staring at Setsuna's face and frowning. "The neko-ken isn't the only sad thing you're thinking about, is it?" She asked softly in a voice full of compassion.
Setsuna gave a wan little smile. "Of course not. I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see this coming."
"We already went over this," Usagi said gently as she took her hands.
"We really need to figure out what happened to Mamoru though," Luna said as she leapt up onto Usagi's shoulder.
"That's why I'm here," Setsuna said. "I discovered the answer using the Time Gate."
"Let's go back to where the others are," Rei said as she stood. "They deserve to know as well."
Artemis poked his head through the door. "Is it safe around him now?" he asked nervously.
Ranma shot a hard glare at Artemis before he shook his head. "How many more talkin' c-c-cats do you guys have running around this place?" he asked no one in particular.
Usagi and Rei giggled as they filed past Artemis with Setsuna and Luna. He shook his head and walked up to Ranma.
"I don't think we've officially met," Artemis said as he looked up at Ranma.
"Yeah, well..." Ranma grinned as he picked him up by the scruff of his neck. "You're the little furball that's always hanging around Minako, right?"
"My name is Artemis!" he snapped.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's get back to Rei's room."
Setsuna looked over the gathered Inner Senshi, martial artists and moon cats and took a deep breath to compose herself. "Endymion's father was known as Rithallex the Conqueror. He was an ambitious man whose ruthless battle tactics and skilled diplomacy allowed him to conquer the entire earth by the time he was in his thirties. His son, however, inherited none of his good traits."
"No way!" Usagi screamed in denial. Her outcry set off the rest of the Senshi who began to barrage Setsuna with their own questions.
"Let me finish, please." Setsuna said as she lifted one hand in an attempt to quiet them down. Once they had subsided, she continued. "Although Rithallex was ruthless in battle he had a sense of honor and fair play about him. While his tactics were brutal and his use of power cruel, he had to be admired for being able to keep that many nations of people all under one government."
"But Queen Serenity was doing much the same thing, but with several planets full of people!" Rei protested.
"That is true, but she inherited that kingdom. Also, the Moon kingdom grew and expanded over many, many years. The use of magic to facilitate communications and transportation also helped considerably." She smiled a bit ruefully. "That is beside the point. When Endymion was born, Rithallex tried to conquer the Moon Kingdom. He failed miserably when his army came in contact with a company of the Royal Guard under the command of Sailor Venus."
"I don't recall that..." Minako said as she petted Artemis.
"Of course you don't, your mother in the Silver Millennium was Sailor Venus at the time. After that defeat, he apparently contented himself with running his empire and raising his son. Many of the people that surrounded him were very cruel people, and more often than not, they would take over Endymion's education while Rithallex was brutally crushing a rebellion. It was during one of those uprisings that he learned something very important." She paused then for effect. "He learned that if someone from the Earth were to marry someone from the Moon Kingdom, the terran would gain the lifespan and possibly even the magical powers of their mate. He became obsessed with the idea of becoming a nearly immortal king on Earth. However, the prospect of also ruling the Moon Kingdom at the same time was too tempting for him to ignore, and thus he paid court to Queen Serenity once her husband had died in a terrible accident."
"Of course, the Queen refused his proposals, quoting an ancient law forbidding intermarriage between the moon folk and the terrans. As for Endymion, the education he had received from the various courtiers had molded him into a monster of a man. To cross him was death and worse than death. Then, on the day his father died, he changed overnight into the man you remember falling in love with," Setsuna said directly to Usagi. "It is my belief that he had the mages from his father's court seal away his evil in order to lull the Queen into a false sense of security so that she would relax that law. Quite frankly, he arranged for your first meeting with him."
"But... What about his generals? They were good men until Beryl forced them to be evil!" Makoto protested.
"Yes, there is another story behind that. You see, they were the leaders of four different resistance groups. Powerful warrior magi that were no strangers to battle. When they learned of Endymion's apparent change of heart, they resolved to insure that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps, or return to the way he was as a youth. They became his most trusted friends and bodyguards, much like the Senshi were to the Queen and then the Princess." Setsuna sighed as she picked up Kunzite's stone. "They too were fooled. But Endymion made one fatal mistake. His favorite concubine was not told of his plan and she became insanely jealous. The rest, as they say, is history."
"You mean all this time, deep in his heart all he wanted from Usagi was her lifespan and her power?!?" Rei demanded as she shot to her feet. "This is unforgivable! I'll tear him to pieces myself! I'll shove a Burning Mandela so far up his ass that flames will shoot out of his ears!"
"My, how pungent," Setsuna said mildly.
Usagi dashed from the room, tears streaming from her eyes as the bitter truth hit home.
"Hey! Usagi!" Ranma yelled as he leapt to follow her, knocking Setsuna out of the way when she attempted to stop him. The other girls stood as if to follow, but Setsuna called for them to stop.
"Now is not the right time to go after her. She needs to get it out of her system."
"Why didn't you stop Ranma then?" Makoto asked.
"Do you honestly think I could stop him without transforming?" She asked in an acid tone. "You saw how he pushed me aside." She rubbed at her arm and visibly calmed down.
"Now, did Ranma remember to ask you to look up information on armor for him and Ryouga?" She asked Ami.
"No, I'll get started right away... I just need a minute to finish writing this search engine." Ami hummed as she typed rapidly on the computer while Ryouga and the girls sweat dropped.
"You wrote a search engine from scratch?" Rei demanded.
"What's a search engine?" Ryouga asked as he scratched the back of his head.
Tears clouded Usagi's vision as she ran, but she did not slow down. Even when she stumbled and almost fell down the stairs that led to the temple. She thought she heard Ranma following her, but she continued to run.
Ranma shook his head as he tried to force his battered body to move faster. He failed to notice when the bandages around his arms became unraveled as he leapt over the wall surrounding the temple in an effort to cut her off. He swore when he landed, the pain from the impact getting the better of him for a moment. When he looked up, he saw that Usagi had already crossed the street and was still running. He leapt to follow, not noticing the blood that dripped from his arms and left a glimmering trail of red in the air as he ran.
Haruka frowned slightly as she gunned the engine on her motorcycle, speeding through a turn as she tried to work things out in her mind. Too often she had looked at the Inner Senshi as weak obstacles to her mission. Now Setsuna had forcibly reminded her that they had sacrificed a lot more than she ever had. She swore as a car right in front of her suddenly slammed on the brakes. She swerved around the car and swore again when she saw Usagi running across the street, ignoring the traffic.
"Dammit!" Haruka screamed as she desperately downshifted the bike and hit the brakes at the same time. She felt tires lock up and knew that in a moment, she would be thrown from the bike and there would be nothing else that she could do to stop the bike from crushing Usagi.
Just as the bike began to pitch wildly, she saw Usagi disappear in a red blur. Before she could even wonder what had happened, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the out of control bike a split second before it hit a telephone pole and exploded. Her stomach was left behind as she watched the street shrink below her.
Without warning, she hit a rooftop in a heap of tangled limbs with her rescuer. She ripped the helmet off of her head as she struggled to sit up.
"Are you alright Ranma, Haruka?" Usagi asked worriedly.
"Keep it down, ok?" Ranma grumbled as he sat up. Usagi frowned at him as she punched him in the arm.
"You had me worried!"
"I had you worried?" Ranma asked in disbelief. "What about us when you ran outta the temple bawling your head off?"
"I'm sorry," Usagi said in a small voice as she twiddled her hands in her lap.
"Hey, we're all worried about ya, considerin' what happened..." Ranma clamped his mouth shut as he looked at Haruka.
"It's ok, Ranma. She knows who I am," Usagi said.
Whatever Ranma was going to say in reply was drowned out by screams from the street below. They rushed to the edge of the roof and looked down. In the middle of the street there was a daimon that looked like it had a crossbow for a hand chuckling evilly as it stood over a man who was frantically crawling backwards in an attempt to escape. Several other people lay still nearby, unconscious or dead, they couldn't tell.
"Damn, when it rains, it pours." Ranma muttered as he vaulted over the edge.
"We'd better take care of this," Haruka said as she pulled out her henshin pen. "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"
Usagi nodded and held up her brooch. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"
Meanwhile, Ranma had engaged the daimon. He had surprised it with his first attack, but he found himself on the defensive as it fired arrow after arrow at him from its crossbow like arm. He swallowed hard when he saw one of the missed arrows bury itself to the fletching in the side of a car.
"Nyah! Missed!" Ranma taunted as he began to gather his ki. The daimon smirked at him as it seemed to blur before it disappeared.
"Above?" Ranma looked up just in time to get the daimon's foot in his face. He rolled away and its arrows slammed into the concrete as it tried to get a bead on him.
"Stay still and die!" it snarled as it fired again and again at the desperately dodging Ranma.
"World Shaking!" The words meant nothing to the daimon, but the ball of yellow energy that slammed it across the street definatly got its attention. It looked up in the direction the attack came from and saw two figures outlined in the morning sun.
"Who dares?" it snarled as it took aim.
"Guided by a new era, Sailor Uranus acts with grace!"
"Knock off the speeches and let's kick its ass!" Ranma yelled. "Mouka Takabisha!" His ki blast slammed into the daimon, spoiling its shot.
"That's not fair!" Sailor Moon cried. "I didn't get to do my speech!" She frowned as Sailor Uranus leapt from the rooftop and engaged the daimon in hand to hand. She followed her down, her rod at the ready in case she could get a clean shot.
Ranma held his arm as he watched Uranus fought toe to toe with the daimon, raining down punches on it. He took a deep breath before he leapt in just as the daimon managed to trip Sailor Uranus.
"My turn!" He grinned cockily as his ki flared. "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" The battered daimon flew backwards into a parked car from the force of the attack.
"Moon Spiral heart attack!" Sailor Moon launched her attack at the downed daimon, hoping to end the fight quickly. The daimon dived out of the way at the last second, leaving the heart shaped attack to explode against the car. Ranma covered his eyes to protect them from shrapnel and couldn't see the daimon taking aim at him.
"Look out!" Sailor Uranus cried as she leapt towards him, her whole body extended in a vain attempt to push him out of the way.
"Too late!" The daimon laughed as it took the shot.
Sailor Uranus tackled Ranma, but did not stay to see how he was but rather leapt at the daimon again. Unnoticed behind her, Ranma lay still.
"World Shaking!" Her attack hit the daimon straight on, sending it right at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon screamed and she swung her rod at the daimon as hard as she could with both hands as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was a sickening crunch as the rod caved in the side of the daimon's head. Its body fell at her feet and twitched for a moment before it faded out and revealed a crossbow. She stood there and looked at it before she suddenly looked up.
"Oh no! Ranma!" She screamed as she dashed to where Ranma still lay on his side. Sailor Uranus followed her over and knelt next to him looking for any additional injuries.
"Don't die on me Ranma!! Don't you dare!" Sailor Moon screamed as she rolled Ranma onto his back, tears rolling down her face. Sailor Uranus frowned when she saw the bloody mess that was Ranma's arms and the bloodstains on his shirt. Ranma began to struggle to sit up.
"No! Keep him lying down!" Sailor Uranus said sharply as she pushed against his shoulder.
"Uranus? What?" Sailor Moon asked in confusion. Sailor Uranus pointed solemnly at his chest. When Sailor Moon saw what she was pointing at, she let out another scream. One of the daimon's barbed arrows was impaling him just below his ribs. It was angled upwards into his chest though, and that made Sailor Uranus even more concerned.
"Ohmygod! Ranma!"
"How bad is it?" Sailor Uranus asked Ranma as she placed one hand on what little of the shaft was protruding.
"Dunno... Just pull it out, will ya?" Ranma through clenched teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut. His eyes snapped open as he felt his hand being picked up. He looked on in amazement as Sailor Moon held his hand in both of hers, seemingly calm again.
"Don't worry, Ranma," she said softly. "I'll make it all better."
Ranma only had a moment to consider the changes he saw in Sailor Moon before all he knew was pain as Sailor Uranus pulled the arrow out of his chest. He wanted to scream in agony, but somehow a sort of calmness overcame him. He clearly heard the metallic clinking as she tossed aside the arrow and could feel her binding the wound. For some reason he couldn't quite focus on any one thing for very long. She said something that went unanswered.
::Maybe she's talking to me...:: he thought sluggishly.
He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a wet sounding gurgle before he coughed up a spray of blood.
"Damn! It punctured his lung!" Sailor Uranus swore as she held her hand against the wound. "He's dying." She couldn't let herself feel anything. It was a war, and people died in wars. His agony she could ignore but the sudden look of pain, the soul rending anguish that covered Sailor Moon's face she could not bear.
::No way..:: Ranma thought as he blinked his eyes.
I don't feel bad enough to be dying...:: He looked over at Sailor Moon, an apologetic look on his face. His vision seemed to blur and she now seemed to be wearing a flowing white dress as she knelt next to him. She gently lifted his hand to her face and placed her cheek against it. Ranma gasped suddenly as all of the pain seemed to leave his body.
"I won't let you die, Ranma," she whispered as she began to glow.
Sailor Uranus gasped in shock as she watched Sailor Moon, no, the Princess, begin to glow a blinding white. Ranma's wounds slowly closed, leaving behind healthy, unblemished skin. He coughed long and hard, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth until finally he relaxed and breathed easily, seemingly asleep. The glow around Princess Serenity faded as she transformed back into her normal self and collapsed across Ranma's chest. Sailor Uranus reached out for her before she paused and drew back with a soft smile. Usagi was smiling as she clutched to Ranma's chest.
"I told you that I wouldn't let you die, Ranma..." She whispered before she too fell asleep.
Sailor Uranus looked around the street and saw that a few people were beginning to venture into the area. She scooped Ranma and Usagi into her arms and leapt off, grateful for the enchantments that made her stronger and faster.
Sailor Uranus sighed as she climbed the last step leading to the Hikawa shrine. Even though she was transformed, the combined weight of her passengers was taking its toll on her. Moving as quickly as she could, she hurried to Rei's room.
Without pausing to knock, she opened the door with one foot and strode in. She almost fell over backwards from the concerted yells of the Inner Senshi.
"Usagi!!!" Minako, Rei and Makoto screamed at once as they rushed to ease her off of Sailor Uranus's shoulder.
"Ranma you idiot! Wake up!" Ryouga yelled as he leapt to his feet.
"Oh my," Ami said as she held one hand up to her mouth. Setsuna remained silent as she watched the Inner Senshi take Usagi off of Uranus's shoulder and then bowed their thanks to her.
"Are they alright?" Luna asked as she walked up to Sailor Uranus who was putting Ranma down.
"Yeah. Buns here managed to heal Ranma after we got into a fight with another daimon. She exhausted herself with the effort though." With a flutter of rose petals, her Senshi uniform faded and was replaced with her riding outfit. "Damned thing nearly killed him."
Silence fell over the room as Haruka's words sunk in.
"He almost died?" Rei managed to squeak out as she sunk down next to Usagi. Ami crossed the room and examined Ranma briefly.
"He doesn't appear to be hurt at all," she said as she looked up at the rest of the gathered Senshi. "A few of his old scars are gone as well."
"Well?" Setsuna asked Haruka. "Have you decided?"
Haruka shook her head. "No, I still need to talk to Michiru about this. But," she paused as she looked at the other girls. "I think it can work. You didn't tell me that Ranma and Ryouga were working with them!" She accused.
"You didn't ask, did you?" Setsuna said with a faint smile. Haruka chuckled as she left the room.
"What was that all about?" Minako asked Setsuna while Rei and Makoto saw to it that Ranma and Usagi were comfortable.
"I posed a question to the Outer Senshi earlier this morning. You'll learn more about it later." She turned to leave.
"Wait!" Ami said as she looked up from the Mercury Computer. "I think I found something that may work for their armor, but I want to find out what you think of it." She turned the computer so that Setsuna could see the screen.
"That'll do, Ami. That'll do." Setsuna said after peering at the data for a moment. She straightened and left the room. The others gathered around the computer and gazed at the slowly rotating image of a suit of armor on the screen. Lines would point to various sections while text scrolled listing capabilities.
"Wow that looks cool..." Minako breathed as she began to imagine what Ryouga would look like wearing it.
"Where can we find it?" Makoto asked as she eased away and sat back down.
"According to the computer, we should be able to find some in what's left of the underground armory on the Moon," Ami said as she tapped at the keyboard again. "According to the central computer there, at least a quarter of the armory is still intact, so we should have little difficulty finding two complete sets."
Rei snorted as she flopped back and put her hands behind her head. "That's if Usagi ever wakes back up."
"She's worn out, Rei," Ryouga growled. "Give her a chance to rest." He crossed his arms and leaned heavily against the doorframe.
"He's right, you know," Ami said as she closed the computer. "Usagi has been through so much this morning. Personally, I find myself surprised that it took this long for her to fall asleep." She smiled gently at Usagi's sleeping form.
Rei snorted and looked away. Ryouga snarled and pulled away from the wall, ready to rip into Rei but Minako gently restrained him.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "If she wasn't acting like this, then I'd be worried."
Ryouga shot her a confused look before he leaned back against the wall. He glanced around the room and saw that each of them had silently busied herself with something. Ami was typing away at her computer again with a frustrated look on her face. Makoto had slipped out of the room, but his sensitive nose caught a faint aroma that nearly made his stomach rumble. Rei was busy with a brush and a few slips of paper, mumbling under her breath with every stroke. His eyes finally came to rest on Minako. She seemed to be just sitting there, watching the others work industriously towards one end or another. She caught his eye for a moment before she looked away sharply, but not before he clearly saw the tears she was desperately trying to hold back.
"Uhm," Ryouga swallowed hard and blushed as he leaned towards her. "You wanna go for a walk or something?"
Minako looked at him with an expression of profound gratitude as she stood and took his arm. "Lead on!" She said cheerfully, although it sounded a bit forced.
"Maybe you should lead, we still want to find you two later," Rei said acidly before turning back to her calligraphy. Ryouga just turned a deeper shade of red as Minako stuck her tongue out at Rei before leading him outside.
Once they were safely outside, Minako leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks."
"Uh, no problem." He rubbed the back of his head. "What was wrong with you back there?" He jerked his thumb back towards the house. Minako looked away and blushed as she mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" Ryouga asked as he cocked an ear towards her.
"I felt out of place," she sighed as her shoulders slumped. "Everyone else was busy doing something useful, but I didn't have any skills that could have possibly helped."
"You gotta be joking," Ryouga said with a laugh.
"Am I? Rei was busy making spirit wards, Makoto is cooking our lunch and Ami was busy researching... something. I... I have nothing to contribute... I'm useless..." she sobbed as she hung her head. Ryouga felt a great swell of pity for her as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Nonsense," he said. "You might not have had anything to do back there, but I've seen you in a fight. You always seem to have a plan when it comes to a fight and stuff. You might not have anything to do at the moment, but you are hardly useless."
Her heart was in her eyes as she looked up at him. His lopsided, nervous smile barely revealed one of those cute little fangs. She smiled and dashed her tears from her eyes as she raised herself ever so slightly on her toes. She leaned slightly towards him and closed her eyes and waited patiently. Ryouga's eyes bugged as he realized that she expected him to kiss her. He looked quickly to his left and to his right before he leaned closer to her.
Minako shuddered with anticipation when she felt Ryouga's shadow cover her face. She puckered slightly when she felt his breath. Ryouga began to sweat nervously as he leaned closer and closer. He stopped suddenly and looked about with only his eyes.
"What is it?" Minako breathed.
"It almost feels like we're being watched..." he muttered. Wordlessly, they both looked over each shoulder in an attempt to catch whoever was spying on them, but they saw nothing.
"Must have been my imagination," Ryouga chuckled nervously. When he looked back at Minako, she was patiently waiting again with her eyes closed in silent anticipation. His heart leapt into his throat as he slowly placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward. Minako blushed deeply and shivered slightly as his touch sent an electric thrill through her.
He was maybe an inch from her lips when they heard a rather loud sneeze. Ryouga and Minako froze and they both slowly turned their heads to look towards the bushes lining the porch. Rei, Makoto and Ami were crouching there, watching. Rei and Makoto each had a finger under Ami's nose, who was blushing furiously. Ryouga's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell over backwards in a dead faint. Minako gasped as he fell and then stomped towards her friends and began to berate them soundly.
"Damn it, I was so close!" She shouted at last.
"Don't blow an artery, Minako," Makoto said as she waved her hands in front of her as if to ward off her shouting friend.
"Are you sure you want to rush into this?" Rei asked.
"Are you ready to take precautions?" Ami asked seriously. Makoto and Rei stared at her in astonishment while she looked away and blushed. Minako's jaw dropped before she looked back at the comatose Ryouga and her face turned the same shade of red as her ribbon.
Ranma shook himself awake. He felt sore and physically drained. He blinked a few times and looked around the room. His eyesight still seemed very blurry, but he was able to focus on Usagi's peaceful face right next to his. He sat bolt upright then and looked around quickly. He was alone, save for Usagi, and they were on a futon in Rei's room at the temple. He started patting at his chest when he realized that he did not hurt anywhere. He wrenched his shirt open and stared at his chest for a moment. Right where the arrow had pierced him he saw some flesh that was slightly pinker than the rest. A quick inspection revealed that the rest of his wounds had been healed as well.
"Well I'll be..." he said in an awed whisper.
He froze as Usagi stirred slightly next to him before she rolled over and clasped her arms around his waist and laid her head in his lap with a contented sigh. He looked around in a near panic as he thought about what the others would say if they saw them like that.
"Why me?" He muttered as he tried to gently disengage from her. Without warning, she tightened her grip and curled her legs against his back. Ranma stopped moving when he heard her start to mumble in her sleep.
"Don't leave me..."
He wasn't sure if she was awake or asleep anymore, but he didn't want to take any chances. He was still sitting there with that embarrassed look on his face when Rei and Makoto re-entered the room.
"Cuddling up to a new guy already?" Rei demanded of the sleeping Usagi. "How fickle can you get?"
"It ain't like that!" Ranma protested, turning a bright red. "She's still asleep." He spoke in a much gentler tone then.
Rei ignored him as she stalked up to Usagi and lifted her head by her ear and shouted, "Rise and shine!"
Usagi jerked awake with a startled cry. "Rei! What did you do that for?"
"You needed to get up anyway," Rei said as she let go of her ear. "Ami found some armor for Ranma and Ryouga and we have to get it from the moon."
"The moon?" Ranma asked incredulously. "How are we gonna get there? Hitch a ride on a rocket?"
"No, we'll just teleport there." Rei said as she crossed her arms. Usagi rubbed at her ear as she pouted.
"You didn't have to yank on my ear you know." She complained.
"Wait a sec!" Ranma said before Rei could respond. "What armor? I don't need no armor. It'll just get in my way."
"What!" Usagi shrieked as she grabbed the front of shirt. "What do you mean you don't need the armor? Have you already forgotten what happened to you earlier? You almost died!"
"I got careless. It won't happen again." He shrugged.
"Careless? Is that what you call it?" Usagi demanded as she shook him a little. "What if it happens again and I can't heal you in time? There won't be a next time!"
"It's a chance I gotta take! The armor would slow me down too much." Ranma protested as he tried to free himself from her grip but was unable to muster the strength.
Usagi's face seemed to cloud over. Great tears welled up in her eyes as she pouted at him. "Please? Wear it for me?" She asked in a quavery little voice. "I won't ever forgive myself if you or Ryouga gets hurt in the future."
Ranma's will wavered then. "Uhh...." He hemmed and hawed for a moment until one glistening tear ran down her cheek.
"Oh hell, I'll probably regret this, but I'll wear the stupid armor if it'll make ya happy." He grumbled as his head drooped in defeat.
Her face cleared instantly as she engulfed him in a hug. "More than you can imagine," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"Uhm, anyway," he tried to ease her arms from around him, "Where's Ryouga?"
"He's outside, kissing the dirt at the moment," Rei smirked as she tossed her head.
"Huh?"
"Minako wanted him to kiss her, but I guess we interrupted," Makoto said with a little blush of her own. "Minako and Ami are trying to wake him up. I have lunch ready for everyone, and I'd hate for it to get cold."
Haruka paused as she entered the house she shared with Michiru. She could hear Michiru playing a poignant melody on her violin. She silently removed her shoes and followed the music to the source. Haruka smiled to herself when she saw Michiru standing in the middle of one of the rooms wearing a flowing powder blue dress and playing her heart out on the violin. Her eyes were closed as she expertly pulled the bow across the strings and continued that heartbreaking song.
"Something happened, didn't it?" Michiru asked without ever opening her eyes.
"How could you tell?" Haruka asked as she plopped into a chair.
"I couldn't hear your motorcycle, but I heard you open the door." She stopped playing and looked at Haruka as she pulled the violin away from her chin. "What happened?"
"There was another attack," Haruka said. "The daimon wasn't after heart crystals, it was just killing people. Damn thing nearly killed Ranma as well." She practically spat out that last. Michiru gasped as she slowly sunk into another chair.
"If that wasn't bad enough, it had to happen right in front of Usagi. I thought she was going to lose it when it looked like he wasn't going to make it. She did something then that I never dreamt was possible." Haruka leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. "She healed him completely." Michiru gave a long, low whistle as Haruka described the seriousness of Ranma's injuries.
"Is that all?" Michiru asked.
"No, she's the princess."
"What?!?" Michiru asked in shock. "Say that again?"
"Usagi is the princess. When she healed Ranma she changed before my eyes, right into what I remember what the princess looked like." Haruka said softly as she closed her eyes to better enable her to envision what she had seen. "The power I felt just then was like nothing I had ever felt before." She lifted her head and looked deep into Michiru's eyes. "I've made my decision. We may have our mission, but we also have an older and much sterner duty."
Michiru nodded. "Protect the life of those in the Royal Family, even to the expense of our own. Are you sure? She is the most flighty girl I have ever seen."
"That may be true, but I know what I saw and what I felt." She grinned then. "Too bad it cost me a bike to find out."
Michiru glared at her for a moment before she laughed. "You're just impossible, you know that?"
"I'm hurt. So, what's for lunch?"
Michiru gaped at her before tossing a cushion in her face.
"Don't we have to wait for the full moon or something, Luna?" Usagi asked as she and the others picked their way through the wooded park in search of a properly secluded area.
"Don't worry, you all have gained a lot of strength since that first trip. I don't think you will have a problem, even with all the extra weight." Luna said encouragingly.
"So we're just baggage now?" Ryouga asked sourly.
"Lighten up, Ryouga," Minako chided him.
"Could be worse..." Makoto said as she lifted a branch out of her way.
"How?" Rei asked as she untangled her hair from a branch for what seemed like the tenth time. "I'm amazed you can walk through this and not get tangled up!"
"Well, it could be raining," Ami said with a sly grin at Ranma and Ryouga. Both of the boys winced and then laughed.
"You were about the last person I woulda expected to tease us," Ranma chuckled as he ducked under a branch.
They all laughed for a moment and then proceeded in silence. When they stopped in a very small clearing, the girls pulled out their henshin rods and got ready to transform.
"Moon... Hey!" Usagi shot an angry look at Ranma who had grabbed her hand.
He ignored her complaint and looked seriously at Ryouga. "You ain't never seen them transform, have ya?" He asked bluntly.
"Well, no." Ryouga admitted.
"You'd better look away then," Ranma advised. "I'm not sure we wanna carry ya all the way to the moon."
"That's not funny, Ranma!" Ryouga snapped as he crossed his arms.
"It's yer nose bleed, pig butt." Ranma shrugged as he let go of Usagi's hand. "Just make sure you watch Minako, I'm sure she'd get a thrill out of it."
"That's uncalled for! Minako is not that kind of girl!" Ryouga almost yelled as he held Minako's arm defensively while she blushed a deep red.
"Should we not just transform while they are arguing?" Ami asked in a low voice.
"Nah, it's more fun this way," Makoto grinned as she raised her henshin rod. "If you two are quite done, why don't we get this show on the road?" she asked the arguing martial artists with just a bit of an edge in her voice.
"Fine with me," Ranma said as he stood back and smirked at Ryouga.
"Mercury Star Power..."
"Mars Star Power..."
"Venus Star Power..."
"Jupiter Star Power..."
"Moon Crystal Power..."
"Make Up!" The girls yelled as one. There was a dazzling flash of light that forced Ryouga to squint a little as he watched Minako undergo her transformation. His eyes went wide when he saw that her clothes had disappeared and she was twirling what looked like a gymnasts' ribbon made out of stars. He blinked once and then stared even harder when he realized that no matter how hard he looked, he could only make out her outline and her eyes, the rest was covered with a multihued, shifting light. A trickle of blood escaped his nose as his imagination supplied the details for him. After she twirled the stars around her for a moment, they seemed to explode outwards. Involuntarily, he lifted his arms in front on his face and when he looked again; Sailor Venus was standing in front of him with one hand reaching above her head. The stars that had disappeared a moment earlier flowed back to her outstretched hand and coalesced into the Crystal sword. She slashed the sword in front of her twice before she struck a pose with it.
Almost absently, Ryouga wiped the blood from his nose even as his face continued to turn red.
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Ranma gloated.
"At least he didn't pass out," Sailor Mercury said.
"Shall we get going, or are we going to have to leave you and Ryouga behind?" Sailor Mars said impatiently.
"We're going, we're going!" Ranma said as he threw his hands into the air. "Uhm... What do we need to do?"
"Just hold you're hands out to your sides and close your eyes," Sailor Jupiter instructed as she moved to stand next to Ranma. With a brief nod, Ranma and Ryouga did as they were told. They felt a small-gloved hand grasp each of their hands and a feeling of weightlessness overcame them. The air around them seemed to seethe with an unnatural wind. Without any kind of warning, their feet left the ground, but they felt no sense of motion.
"This is eerie," Ryouga complained. "Can we please open our eyes now?"
"Alright, just don't let go," they heard Sailor Mercury advised.
"Don't crush our hands either!" Sailor Venus said as well.
Cautiously, Ranma opened one eye. He then opened both eyes wide as he looked around. They were already miles above the surface and rising quickly, a rainbow like tail followed them as they effortlessly reached the upper atmosphere within seconds.
"Oh man.... I'm not seeing this..." Ranma said as he swallowed hard. A quick glance around showed him that Sailor Jupiter was on one side of him while Sailor Moon was on the other. He looked over at Ryouga and saw that the lost boy was looking around in much the same way. Absently, he noticed that Sailor Venus was on one side of Ryouga while Sailor Mercury was on the other. The slightly pained look on Mercury's face indicated that Ryouga wasn't quite being as gentle as he really should.
"Ease up, Ryouga. Yer gonna break Ami's hand like that." Ranma said.
"Just shut up Ranma," Ryouga said in a slightly pained voice. The look of relief on Mercury's face indicated that he had relaxed his grip, somewhat.
Ranma smirked then blinked and looked around in amazement. In the brief amount of time that he was talking to Ryouga, they had left the atmosphere and was racing towards the moon at an astounding speed. He looked down and saw the Earth shrinking far below him.
"I think I see why yer a bit nervous, Ryouga," He said softly as he looked up and concentrated on watching the landscape of the moon draw closer with every second.
Faster than he believed possible, they were skimming over the surface of the moon. Despite their speed, they were not kicking up any moon dust in their wake. Finally, they came to a stop and landed softly at the edge of a wide open area.
"Where on the moon are we now?" Ryouga asked as he looked around, still unwilling to let go of either Sailor Venus's or Sailor Mercury's hands.
"Mare Serenetas," Sailor Mercury replied.
"Say what?" Ranma asked as he turned to look at her sharply.
"The Sea of Serenity," she replied evenly.
"Why didn't ya say so before?" Ranma demanded as he let go of Sailor Moon's and Sailor Jupiter's hands.
"She did, in Latin," Ryouga said as he looked around the moonscape, an awed expression on his face. "I don't see anything though."
"It's an illusion that's been in place for thousands of years to protect the remains of the palace from being observed." Sailor Mars said as she led the way. "We should be able to see the ruins soon."
"Sea of Serenity, huh?" Ranma mumbled to himself as he followed Sailor Mars.
Sailor Mercury tried to pull her hand away from Ryouga, but not only did he not let go, he failed to even notice that she was trying to pull free. With a resigned sigh, she activated her visor and began scanning for the armory as they walked.
They had not gone far before broken pillars wavered into view like solidifying mirages. The ground changed from the slightly pitted grey to gleaming white marble. Ranma and Ryouga looked around in wonder at the broken shell of what had once been a grand palace.
"Whoa... This is freaky," Ranma said as he laid one hand on the single unbroken pillar. Images seemed to flood his mind as he stood there. He saw flashes of banquets and battles, revelry and slaughter. With a startled oath he snatched his hand from the pillar, but the images continued to bombard his brain. After a moment, it was over. He stood trembling as the Senshi spread out, searching for the armory.
He examined the pillar closely and found a hole on the other side with jagged cracks that radiated out from it. He peered into the hole and saw that the darkness inside of it was not from shadows, but rather from long dried blood. With a shiver, he turned away. His eyes clouded with tears as he realized that the visions he had had a moment ago had not been the disconnected scenes he had originally thought they were, but more like a fast forward replay of something that had happed eons ago.
"You bear a far gentler soul than even you would admit to yourself," a faint voice seemed to whisper in his ear. Ranma turned towards the voice and saw a wavering image that slowly solidified into a regal appearing woman with platinum colored hair done up in the same style as Usagi. Ranma squinted slightly and found that he could still see through her if he tried.
"Who...?" He asked before he coughed slightly. "Yer a ghost, ain't ya?"
The apparition nodded sadly. "I am... Was, Queen Serenity. Who are you, warrior?"
"Ranma Saotome, of the Anything Goes School of Martial arts," Ranma said proudly as he hit his fist against his chest in a kind of salute.
"I sense a great deal of pain and a feeling of betrayal from my daughter. What has caused this?" She asked softly as she drifted towards him.
Ranma scowled for a moment before he quickly told the ghost about what had happened that day. When he had finished, phantom tears were running down her face.
"Then everything was my fault. If I had not permitted her to see Endymion, she would have only suffered for a short time before she got over him. I was blinded by the hope that the son was a better man than his father..." She looked away, her face conveying eons of sorrow.
"Don't blame yourself. Blame that bastard Endymion fer foolin' you and tryin' to seduce your daughter!" Ranma said earnestly. "Hell, he had everyone fooled! But we're gonna make him pay fer hurtin' Usagi."
"Thank you, Ranma Saotome, for helping me see the truth of this. Why did you come here?"
"Ryouga 'n I have been trying to help the Senshi fight off daimons and stuff. Sailor Moon is insistin' on making us wear some kind of armor since we keep getting hurt."
"That would be the course of wisdom," She nodded.
"We don't really need the armor," Ranma insisted.
"Oh?"
"The path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril," Ranma quoted.
The ghost sighed. "But the path of the truly foolish is even more perilous, and right now you seem to be walking the path of the fool rather than the path of the martial artist."
"Hey!" Ranma said indignantly.
"Which is more foolish, dying for a cause or fighting for a cause?"
"Dyin' of course," Ranma replied instantly.
"By refusing to wear the armor, you are making yourself vulnerable to becoming a fool twice over. Once for dying and a second time for not taking a sensible precaution." Queen Serenity's ghost hovered close then and looked deeply into his eyes. "The Senshi are protected to a degree by their magic. You don't have that advantage."
Ranma flinched as he recalled what it felt like when Sailor Uranus pulled the arrow out of his chest. "Alright, I'll wear the stupid armor." Ranma sighed as he glanced over to where the others were. "Don't you want to talk to them?" He asked.
"No, it would cause her too much pain to see me again so soon after her loss," Queen Serenity's ghost said quietly as it faded away.
"Sleep well, your Majesty," Ranma whispered.
"Fight hard, Ranma Saotome," her disembodied voice whispered.
Ranma stood there and stared at the pillar until a soft voice interrupted his musings.
"I see you met our queen," Luna said as she placed one paw against the pillar.
"How long have you been there?" Ranma asked as he put one hand over his rapidly beating heart.
Luna looked up at him with a feline smile. "The whole time. For someone who spent his whole life learning how to fight, you are a rather soft touch."
Ranma shrugged. "I ain't no softie, I just couldn't let her keep berating herself over that." He grinned and cracked his knuckles noisily. "Now I've got another reason to kick his ass!"
"Come along then, the sooner we clear the rubble blocking the way into the armory, the sooner we can go back to Earth." Luna said sternly before she turned and started walking to where the others were carefully moving pieces of rubble under Sailor Mercury's direction. "It looks like you're strength is needed as well..." Luna trailed off as she watched Ryouga lift a gigantic piece of rock and almost casually tossed it to one side. "Then again..."
Ranma laughed as he joined them in clearing away enough rubble to reveal an opening just large enough for one of the girls to squeeze through.
"I'll be right back," Sailor Mercury said as she slipped easily inside.
"Be careful!" Sailor Moon cautioned.
Silence was her only answer. Most of them waited patiently, but Sailor Moon kept shifting from one foot to the other and otherwise fidgeting enough for all of them.
"Will you knock it off?" Sailor Mars complained.
"I'm worried, she hasn't said anything since she went in there!" Sailor Moon said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Mercury knows what she's looking for and we don't. She'll let us know if she needs help." Sailor Jupiter said soothingly.
"But..." Sailor Moon said as she looked again at the opening.
"No buts!" Sailor Mars said in an exasperated tone.
Ranma and Ryouga shared a worried look. "Are you sure you guys saved the Earth a few times already?" Ranma asked nervously. "You guys fight almost as much as Ryouga and me."
Sailor Venus sighed. "It's a burden we have to bear. I'm surprised that we all haven't gone deaf from their constant wrangling."
"That wasn't nice!" Sailor Moon complained.
"True, though," Sailor Jupiter laughed.
Sailor Mercury squeezed her way back out of the crevice holding two pairs of ancient looking metal bracers.
"That was quick," Sailor Jupiter commented with a sly look at Sailor Moon as Sailor Mercury handed a pair to Ranma and to Ryouga.
"Put these on, please, and we'll see if they still work." Sailor Mercury opened her computer and began to type rapidly as the boys replaced their plain leather bracers with the metal ones.
"How do these things work?" Ranma asked as he tightened the ancient bracer on his arm.
"Well," Sailor Mercury said a little uncertainly, "the files said that they were activated by the fighting spirit of the men that wore them."
"Fighting spirit, huh?" Ranma said as he examined the ancient bracers on his arms.
"Sounds like our ki..." Ryouga said thoughtfully, his thick brows knit together.
Ranma nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. His battle aura flared around him suddenly and seemed to drain into the bracers on his arms. With a brilliant flash, the old magic in the bracers was re-awoken.
Tendrils of magical energy snaked its way up Ranma's arms and wrapped around his body. His clothing began to glow and quickly changed into a suit of white armor. The armor covered him from head to toe, and on each shoulder pad was the symbol of a crescent moon, along with a single small one on the left side of the breastplate.
"Hey!" Ranma's voice sounded oddly muffled from within the helmet, "This thing restricts my movement too much!"
"It looks impressive, though," Sailor Moon said as she inspected the armor.
"I don't care how impressive it looks, I can't fight if I can't move!" Ranma complained.
"Let's see," Sailor Mercury tapped at her computer, bringing up old historical files. "Here we go. Ranma, think of the parts of the armor you want to remove while channeling your ki into the bracers again. They should remember the form for the next time you use them."
Quite suddenly, the bulk of the armor surrounding Ranma disappeared. All that was left were the hip-guards, breastplate, the left shoulder pad and the bracers. The sudden lack of armor revealed a sky blue shirt with full sleeves and a flowing pair of pants colored in a gray so shiny it was almost silver. Several flaps of sky blue material flowed from under the hip-guards as well.
Ranma smirked as he dropped into a stance, "Oh yeah, much better!"
"Show off," Ryouga said before he began to channel his ki into the bracers. His bracers seemed to suck in the light around him, and the magical energies that formed his armor appeared dark, almost menacing. When the light came back up around Ryouga, he was revealed to be in jet-black armor with golden trim, much like a mirror image of Ranma's. Ryouga's sleeveless shirt was a dark, shimmering blue and oddly enough the dark purple pants were tied about the calves in Ryouga's usual fashion. The remaining shoulder pad was on his right side, along with the small crescent moon sigil.
"I ain't gonna make no stupid soundin' speeches," Ranma grumbled as he inspected his armor.
"Any reason as to why they are different colors?" Sailor Venus asked, not entirely pleased with the darkness of Ryouga's armor. Sailor Mercury sighed as she struggled to come up with a way to tell her without giving offense.
"It has to do a lot with their emotional state of mind," Sailor Mercury ventured to say. "Ryouga is driven more by his personal angst and his anger than anything else. The black doesn't mean he's evil, just... well..."
"Depressive?" Ranma asked pointedly.
"To be short, yes." She nodded.
"Let's just go home," Ryouga said with a sigh.
Without another word, they joined hands again and sped off back to Earth. Although the trip was still unnerving, Ranma found himself watching the Earth grow larger and larger in wide-eyed fascination. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would have ever seen a view quite like this. It was well after dark when they arrived back in the secluded clearing. With a brief wave, they split up and headed back to their homes.
Endymion's mouth twisted into a tight smile as he watched his target's house. He had left his samurai quartet back at the professor's and taken a daimon formed from a ninja uniform. He and his daimon had waited silently until the lights in his target's room had been out for over an hour. Now was the time to make their move. As silent as death they slipped from shadow to shadow. Luck was with them, her window was open to let in the night breeze. They leapt through the window and waited as their eyes adjusted to the darkness.
"Go," Endymion whispered as softly as he could. "Kill her."
The daimon lunged forward... and fell on its face, its foot tangled in the cord for the lamp. His target sprang from the bed, throwing the blanket at him in an attempt to blind him. He yanked the offending material away from his face and drew his sword. He smirked when he saw Minako facing off with him holding the crystal sword tightly in both hands.
"Give it up," he advised her as the daimon regained its feet. "You can't win against both of us."
"We'll see, won't we?" She said with confidence in her voice she didn't really feel. Her henshin pen was still on the desk behind Endymion and the daimon. She wasn't sure how she had managed to summon the crystal sword, but was grateful for it.
The daimon threw about a dozen shuriken at her and followed with a blindingly fast slash with a blade that was embedded in its arm. Endymion was slightly surprised when Minako not only managed to block the shuriken, but also dodged the daimon's attack with a backwards leap. She then rebounded off of the wall and cut the daimon lightly across the back before she made a diving slash at Endymion. He parried quickly and took a step to one side to get a better angle.
Minako shifted to a one handed grip and stepped away from him. Although to him it seemed that she had shifted styles to deal with two enemies, she was groping desperately with her other hand for her henshin pen on the desk behind her. Endymion slashed at her face several times and then feinted low in an attempt to get past her guard, but Minako was moving her sword with a speed and skill that would have made Kuno take note.
The daimon had nearly worked its way over to her side and was about to leap at her when her door burst open, slamming it against the wall. Endymion and Minako swung their heads to see who had entered.
"Don't worry, baby! Daddy's here!" Mr. Aino said with as much bravado as he could muster as he brandished his golf club at Endymion. Minako nearly froze. It was practically her worst nightmare, her parents getting involved in one of her fights and could possibly discover her secret. Now she was faced with a decision, continue to fight as she was, or transform and blow her cover forever?
"Oh, please," Endymion snorted as he casually lopped the head of the golf club off. While her father distracted him Minako snatched her pen off the desk, leapt in front of her parents and made her choice.
"Venus Star Power, Make Up!"
Endymion grimaced in chagrin. Not only was his daimon next to useless, but now she had transformed and would be much more difficult to fight.
"You haven't won yet, Sailor Venus," he snarled.
"Maybe not, but I don't intend on giving up!" she shouted right back, ignoring the gasps from her parents.
Endymion thrust his empty hand at her and her parents, causing them all to be shoved away from him by an unseen force. The wall at the other end of the hallway collapsed as they were slammed into it. Sailor Venus grit her teeth against the pain and stood to face Endymion and his daimon as the walked into the hallway.
"Get out of here," she said in an undertone to her parents. "I'll explain later."
"But..."
"Just go!" Minako shouted as she dashed towards her enemies, swinging her sword in wide strokes. Endymion dodged them easily and wondered just what she was trying to accomplish. Then he saw her parents as they scurried away.
"So, you sought to distract me to give them time, is that it? Too bad. Daimon, kill them!" He shouted.
Without letting up with the sword, Minako held out her left hand.
"Venus Love me chain!" She cried out and hoped. Sure enough, the golden heart linked chain appeared in her hand and she snapped it at the daimon like a whip. The chain wrapped around its leg. With an almost casual flip of her wrist, she sent the daimon flying into another wall. It was almost deja vu for Sailor Venus as she pointed the tip of the crystal sword at the prone daimon and yelled, "Venus Crescent Beam!"
The yellow shaft of light slammed into the daimon's back, cutting deeply and causing it to shriek in pain. Endymion took advantage of the distraction and made a quick thrust. Sailor Venus dodged, but not quite fast enough. His thrust opened a shallow cut low on her left side.
"First blood is mine!" He laughed as she winced in pain.
Sailor Venus stumbled back and then focused everything she could through her sword for her next attack.
"Venus Crescent beam shower!" She yelled her mantra as she swung her sword in Endymion's general direction. Neither of them was prepared for what happened. The ceiling was ripped off of the house as hundreds of thousands of little beams of yellow energy formed along the arc of her swing. Endymion barely managed to cast a shielding spell in front of himself before they hit him, but the force of the attack hitting his shield flung him backwards through the wall and out into the street where he shattered the windshield of a parked car. The daimon wasn't as lucky. It didn't even get a chance to scream before the attack pulverized it.
Sailor Venus stared in shock at the ruined upper floor of her house. An entire corner was open to the outside now. She cursed when she heard the timbers of the house groan in protest. She dashed down the stairs and checked to make sure her parent's were no longer inside and then ran outside. Her father's car had a shattered windshield, but there was no sign of Endymion. Exhausted, she fell to her knees. She barely noticed when her parents walked up to her and started asking her too many questions all at once. There was a tremendous noise as the house finished collapsing behind her, but she barely noticed.
"Mom, Dad... I guess I have a lot to tell you..." she sighed as she transformed back to normal.
"That may have to wait."
Minako turned her head and wasn't too surprised to see Sailor Pluto approaching them from the shadows.
"What do you mean, it may have to wait?" Mr. Aino demanded. "Our little girl is fighting these, these things and has been doing it for who knows how long without saying a word; and you say the explanation may have to wait?!?"
"Yes," Sailor Pluto said in that extremely neutral tone that she knew irritated people to no end.
"What now, Pluto?" Minako asked tiredly.
"We have to get you somewhere safe so that you can recover," Sailor Pluto said as she helped Minako to her feet.
"Wait! Where are you taking her?" Ms. Aino asked.
"You don't need to know. Why don't you two go back to England for a while? You shouldn't get too involved in this." Sailor Pluto started to move away from them before she looked over her shoulder at them. "Don't worry about Minako; she can take care of herself as you have seen. Just tell the police that she is staying with some friends while you go to London and your house is rebuilt."
"But..."
Sailor Pluto gently put Minako down before she turned to glare at the Ainos. "Do you really enjoy endangering your daughter? If you stay within reach of her enemies, she will never be certain that you are safe. Believe me, it is a lot easier to fight without that particular distraction."
"We might never see her again!" Mr. Aino complained.
"Pray that you do... Because if you don't, it means that our world is doomed." Sailor Pluto turned and walked away, pausing only to help Minako back to her feet.
Mr. and Ms Aino stared after them until they heard the wail of the police sirens and other emergency vehicles.
"Do we trust her?" Ms. Aino asked softly.
"Do we have a choice?" he countered as he wrapped an arm around his wife and prepared to face the officers that came running towards them.
Ranma yawned as he stumbled down the stairs. He had barely gotten himself settled into his futon when he heard someone knocking at the front door.
"I'm comin'," he called as he reached the foyer. He could hear Ryouga stumbling down the stairs as, without even checking at the peephole, he flung the door open. Setsuna, Minako and Artemis were waiting at the doorstep. When Ranma saw the blood staining one side of Minako's PJs he shook himself fully awake and gestured for them to come inside quickly. As soon as they were inside, he slammed the door closed.
"What's going... Minako? Are you all right?" Ryouga asked as he finished running down the stairs and hurried over to her.
"I'm fine, Ryo-chan. It's just a scratch." She slumped into a chair.
"Endymion attacked her at home this evening," Setsuna said gravely. "Artemis sent out the alert and warned the rest of us. Makoto should be here soon since she doesn't have to convince any parents to let her go. Did you blank the shrine out of his memories?"
"Yeah. Made sense to me since Usagi's always spendin' time there," Ranma said as he shook his head in disbelief. "Wait a sec, you said Makoto's comin' here?"
"Yes. Ami should be along as well, although I am not certain he even knows where she lives." Setsuna paused and looked around the living room. "This house should be large enough, since Rei and Usagi don't have to move in. Fortunately, there are sufficient rooms upstairs for everyone to have their own."
"Wha-what?!" Ryouga asked, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets. "You mean... they're moving in?"
"Yes." Setsuna replied simply.
Ryouga flushed as he thought of everything that could possibly go wrong, and then spaced as he realized that Minako really was going to be living in the same house as him.
"It's a dream come true..." He whispered, oblivious to Ranma's amused look and Minako's blush.
"If yer done daydreamin', maybe ya should go back to bed," Ranma said as he jerked his thumb towards the stairs.
"But," Ryouga protested before he changed his mind with a shrug and headed towards the stairs. "See you tomorrow, Minako," He said with a wave before he disappeared upstairs.
"Now that that's done," Ranma muttered once Ryouga was gone. "We need to take a look at that cut of yours," he said to Minako.
"It's not that bad," she protested.
"Not bad my foot! It's bleeding too much to not bandage."
"He's right, we should take a look at it," Setsuna said evenly as Ranma left the room. He returned a minute later with the first aid kit.
"Now as fer why I had to get Ryouga outta here, lift yer shirt," Ranma said as he leaned over her.
Minako blushed a deep red. "No way!" she protested as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Ranma slapped his forehead. "I didn't mean it like that, just lift it enough fer me to bandage that cut of yours."
Somewhat reluctantly, Minako lifted her pajama top just enough for Ranma to be able to clean and bandage her cut. Ranma worked quickly and in just a few minutes, he was cleaning up the first aid kit and preparing to put it away. It was then that he noticed that Setsuna had departed.
"That's eerie," he grunted as he stood.
"What?"
"The way she disappears like that.
Endymion staggered into Professor Tomoe's lab. His armor was scored deeply in many places and smoke still wafted from underneath a few of the plates.
"Things did not go as you had planned," The professor stated simply before he turned back to his workbench.
"You noticed," Endymion said dryly before he raised his voice. "That daimon you gave me was next to useless! Now they are alerted to this tactic and it won't work again!"
"Then what do you propose we do about it?"
"Make your daimons smarter! As it is they can barely comprehend the simplest of orders," Endymion snapped as he sat on a pipe.
Professor Tomoe turned and gave him a slow, steady stare. "It took years of valuable time and effort to get the daimons to their current level. I have been refining them as we go along, but we are running very short on time."
"There must be something," Endymion said as he stood. "The Sailor Senshi are even now organizing and preparing for our next attack and it won't take them too long to start a serious search for this place."
Professor Tomoe threw his head back and laughed. "You overestimate their intelligence now! They have already been to this house and not realized the truth that lies under the facade built above." He continued to laugh for some time, ignoring Endymion's pacing. Finally, he turned to his workbench and placed both hands palm down on the smooth surface.
"There is one way, but it does hold a danger," he said softly.
"What is it?" Endymion demanded.
"Infusing a daimon into a human being. The human's intelligence will be used by the daimon, but the daimon will be physically weaker than the others. Also, it will be unable to steal the heart crystals that we need."
Endymion held his chin as he looked up in thought. Suddenly he laughed. "What if, professor, I tell you that I know where there is a human with an already high physical prowess? One that is nearly on par with Ranma?"
Professor Tomoe's glasses gleamed as an insane smile spread across his face. "The resulting daimon fusion would be significantly stronger than its host and it will have the intelligence you desire. Who is it?" He asked in a husky whisper.
Endymion smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Let's just say it's the last person they would ever expect to see..."
Minako yawned and stretched as she slowly woke. She had fallen asleep in the overstuffed chair the night before. A coarse wool blanket had been draped over her and she now wrapped it around herself as she followed the sounds of Ranma and Ryouga sparring out into the backyard. Even though she was half expecting to see Ami and Makoto watching them, she was surprised to see that Rei and Usagi were there as well. She clutched the blanket a little tighter around her shoulders as she stepped out into the slightly chilly air.
"Good morning, Minako!" Usagi said brightly as she gestured for her friend to join her.
"'Morning," she yawned, "why didn't you guys wake me up when you got here?"
"You looked like you were sleeping very well and we all know how rough your night was," Ami said. She held up a suitcase for Minako. "Here, we managed to find some decent clothes for you and we hung up school uniforms in the closet upstairs."
"Thanks," Minako said with a short bow before she took the suitcase and opened it to look inside. Slowly, she reclosed the suitcase and looked over at her friends.
"This... Is every bit of clothing any of you ever borrowed from me," she said evenly.
"Well," Usagi said as she began to fidget, "yeah, but you need them back now, right?"
Minako laughed as she stepped back into the house to change. When she returned the boys had stopped sparring and headed for the gate.
"Where are you two going?" Rei asked.
"To the park," Ranma replied. "The old ghoul is going to train with us some more today."
"Wait up! We're coming too!" Makoto said as she scrambled to her feet.
They found Cologne waiting impatiently for them at the park.
"There you are," Cologne said as they approached. "I had thought for a minute that something had happened to you two."
"We just found a different place to stay," Ryouga said.
"A lotta junk's happened over the last week, not much of it good." Ranma grumbled as he clenched his fist. "At least the techniques you showed us last time helped a lot."
Cologne cast her ancient gaze over the group and sighed. "Are you fit to train Ranma, Ryouga?"
When they nodded their readiness she led them out into the middle of the clearing and they began their training in earnest.
Endymion pulled the brim of his hat lower as he stepped off of the bus in Nerima. He gestured curtly to his cloaked companion as he started walking briskly towards the Tendo Dojo. The residents didn't seem to take much notice of them as they worked their way through the morning crowds. When he was nearly to the Dojo, he spotted his quarry on the opposite side of the street.
"Perfect." he smiled as he crossed the street and began to follow her. The Professor needed someone strong and somewhat intelligent for the fusion to work, and Akane was now the unwitting prime candidate.
He ducked quickly into an alleyway and cursed his carelessness when Akane suddenly turned around. After a few moments, he cautiously peeked out and spotted her. He could afford no witnesses to take word back to Ranma and the Senshi.
"When she's alone, or with one easily eliminated person, I will strike." He chuckled to himself over the irony that was going to play out soon.
Kasumi sighed as she looked at the newspaper in her hand one more time before she knocked on Nabiki's door.
"Come in." Nabiki said.
Kasumi entered the room and sat on Nabiki's bed before wordlessly handing the paper to her.
"What's this?" Nabiki asked as she took the paper.
"It's the newspaper from Juuban that you subscribed too." Kasumi's voice was in that extremely level tone she used when she was doing her best to remain calm.
Nabiki caught the tone in her voice and immediately looked at the paper. Her eyes widened as she read the article before she jumped out of her chair.
"I gotta go, Kasumi!" Nabiki said as she dashed to her closet and grabbed a jacket.
"Akane said she was going to Ukyou's this morning," Kasumi said as she stood as well. "Shall I tell Father or Mr. Saotome?"
"No," Nabiki said after a moments thought. "I'll send Akane and Ukyou, they're more stable." She pulled the jacket on and started walking briskly to the front door.
"Are you going too?" Kasumi asked as she followed Nabiki down the stairs.
"I might, if nothing else I can help keep Akane and Ukyou from killing each other," she paused and put a finger on her chin in thought. "Besides, someone's going to have to pay for his hospital stay."
"Good luck!" Kasumi called as Nabiki put her shoes on and ran out the gate.
"What's going on?" Soun asked as he and Genma came in from the dojo.
Kasumi thought quickly before she spoke. "Nabiki got some news and she has gone to take care of something." She brushed her hands on her apron before she turned and walked into the kitchen.
Soun and Genma looked at each other and shrugged before they pulled out the shogi board.
Ukyou had just opened her shop when Akane walked in. She had to cough to cover her gasp of surprise on seeing Akane this early.
"Hi Akane, what can I do for you today?" She asked in a very level tone. She already knew what Akane's response was going to be, but she also knew that one wrong word could set Akane into a fit of rage and that was rough on her restaurant.
"Hi Ukyou," Akane sighed as she slumped into a stool at the counter. "Can I get a special please?"
Ukyou blinked a few times. She was expecting Akane to demand to know where Ranma was and then stomp off. "Sure hon, just a second." Deftly, she prepared the okonomiaki and served Akane
Akane merely stared at the food for a while without touching it. Ukyou shook her head before she walked over to the door and flipped around the closed sign. "Ok, what's wrong Akane?"
"I can't find Ranma," Akane said listlessly.
"No-one can find him, hon." Ukyou shrugged. "I've been looking everywhere I can think of, but it's like he dropped off the face of the earth. Heck, even the school lost his transfer papers and the secretary that helped him moved out of the country. It's almost like someone with a lot of power is hiding him from everyone in Nerima."
Tears began to well up in Akane's eyes. "I... I just want a chance to apologize to him. The last while seems like it was covered in a haze, but everyone keeps telling me how terrible I've been acting."
"There is that," Ukyou said as she tapped her chin with one finger. "You want to know what was really odd? Shampoo hasn't been out looking for Ran-chan."
"Say what?" Akane asked sharply, suddenly sounding a lot more like her old self.
"Shampoo has barely been out of her restaurant since Ranma disappeared. She'd make an occasional delivery but that's about it. Cologne, on the other hand, has been leaving town every weekend and doesn't seem to be showing any concern about the fact that Ran-chan is gone." Ukyou paused and took a deep breath. "I think she knows where he is."
Before Akane could respond, Nabiki burst into the restaurant and ran up to them.
"Akane, Ukyou! I found him!" She gasped out as she put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.
"Ranchan?" Ukyou asked hopefully.
Nabiki nodded, still too out of breath to talk much.
"Where is he?" Akane asked, hope singing through her voice.
Nabiki sat on one of the stools and held up the newspaper. "I'm feeling generous today, so I'll be happy with just a glass of water and a deluxe."
"I'll pay for that deluxe, Ukyou!" Akane said excitedly as she dug into her purse.
"Two deluxes, coming up!" Ukyou said as she rapidly made the okonomiaki and served Nabiki. No sooner was the plate in front of her than she held the paper out to them.
Akane snatched the paper and began reading the headlines aloud as Ukyou looked over her shoulder.
" 'Mysterious Martial Artists Battle Demons in Juuban, bystanders describe tremendous physical feats.'" She looked at Nabiki, "You think he's in Juuban?" she asked.
"Keep reading," Nabiki replied before she took another bite of her food.
"'Eyewitnesses report that once again the valiant Sailor Senshi has received help from a pair of young men who appear to be highly skilled martial artists...'" her voice trailed off as she lowered the paper.
"He's in Juuban..." Akane whispered.
"And he's fighting demons," Ukyou said as she shouldered her battle spatula. "Well, you coming, Akane?"
"Huh?" Akane said as she seemed to shake herself out of a reverie.
"I'm going to Juuban to help Ran-chan fight those demons!" Ukyou declared.
"Didn't you read the whole article? You might want to reconsider the fighting part," Nabiki said flatly.
"I read enough," Ukyou declared.
"I don't think so," she said as she grimly turned the page and showed them a very grainy photo that showed the moment that Ranma took an arrow in the chest. "They aren't even sure he survived that, although they said in the article that the Senshi carried him off."
"All the more reason to go and help!" Ukyou declared while Akane almost numbly held the newspaper and gazed at the photo.
"If they could get through Ranma's defenses like that, imagine what they would do to you!" Nabiki snapped. "Right now, he doesn't have any distractions. If he did, he'd probably be dead. Right now the most important thing is to make sure he's aright."
Ukyou slumped against the counter as the truth in Nabiki's words finally sunk in. "So, how do you think he got involved with those Sailor Senshi people?" She asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"The usual, I suppose. Ranma probably just happened to be there when a fight broke out. You know he won't sit out of a fight like that." Nabiki laughed before she took on her most serious look. "Ladies, I don't want either of you to get hurt trying to help him. Just make sure he's alive and well and then we leave him alone."
"What's your stake in this sugar?" Ukyou asked bluntly.
"That's for me to know."
Ukyou turned back to Akane. "Well, Akane? Do you think we should at least go and say hi to Ran-chan? See if he wants to come back?"
"Well, I do want to see him again..." She trailed off as a man wearing a dark cloak and a broad brimmed hat slid the door open.
"We're closed," Ukyou said.
"I'm not here to buy, I'm here with an offer for Akane Tendo," he said in a soft, yet intense voice. As he stepped inside a smaller cloaked figure could be seen lurking just outside of the store. Akane straightened in her chair, the voice was familiar somehow.
"What is it?" Akane asked despite herself. Nabiki frowned to herself as she moved away from the man. Something about him just felt wrong.
"I know where Ranma is, and I offer to take you to him." His eyes glowed red from under the shadows cast by his hat. Akane half stood before she was able to fight the compulsion enough to remain seated. The stranger's eyes flashed a brilliant red and Akane's hair stood on end as she continued to resist his power.
Ukyou gasped when she saw his glowing eyes and the effect it was having on Akane and brought her battle spatula to bear only to have it slapped out of her hands by the other cloaked figure.
"Leave Akane alone!" Nabiki yelled as she threw a chair at him.
In one smooth movement, he drew a sword from under his cloak and cut the chair in half.
The distraction allowed Akane to break completely free of his power. With a sharp kai, she leapt forward and punched him solidly in the face, knocking his hat off. She gasped as recognition set in.
"You!"
"Enough games, you are coming with me, Akane!" Endymion snapped as he backhanded her with enough force to knock her out. He shook his hand a few times as she fell, amazed at her ability to resist his ability to dominate people's minds. He looked over at Ukyou and licked his lips as he threw Akane over his shoulder. The figure next to him pushed back its cowl and revealed a yellow skinned somewhat feminine face.
"Maybe I should take you as well. A younger plaything would be a welcome change." He turned back to Nabiki and glared. "You, however, will die."
Nabiki backed up a few steps. ::Now would be a good time to run,:: she thought nervously.
"I'd rather die," Ukyou declared as she jumped over the counter and retrieved her battle spatula.
"That can be arraigned. Daimon! Kill them!" He commanded.
Ukyou didn't wait for the yellow skinned daimon to finish removing its cloak. She slipped one hand into her blouse and pulled out a bag of flour and threw it at them. The interior of the restaurant filled with billowing white clouds of flour.
Endymion cursed as he began to cough on the fine white powder. He spun as he heard the crash of shattering glass and moved cautiously in that direction. A moment later the cloud cleared enough to reveal that one of the windows had been shattered and there was no sign of Ukyou or Nabiki other than a few drops of blood near the window.
"No big loss," he said to himself as he hefted Akane's weight. "I have what I came for. Find and kill them both before they can find Ranma." He said to the daimon who leapt off in pursuit.
Ukyou panted as she carried Nabiki along the rooftops. "I think we lost it," she said finally as she looked over her shoulder again before putting Nabiki down.
"We need to find Ranma and tell him what's happened," Nabiki said as looked around to get her bearings.
A loud crashing sound interrupted them. Both girls spun around and saw the yellow skinned daimon approaching them and licking its lips in anticipation.
"Run!" Ukyou said as she hefted her spatula. "I'll lead it away from you!"
"Good luck! I'm going to go warn my family," Nabiki said as she ran for a fire escape ladder. The daimon moved to follow Nabiki, but stopped as Ukyou stepped between them.
"You're going to have to go through me!" Ukyou declared as she threw a few of her small spatulas at it.
The daimon dodged the spatulas and charged at Ukyou who turned and ran. ::I have to buy Nabiki some time and get to Juuban!::
Hotaru peeked around the tree she was hiding behind and saw that Ranma and Ryouga were once again training with the strange old woman. She also saw that Usagi and the others were sitting nearby talking and otherwise watching the boys train. Hotaru frowned slightly when she noticed that Chibi-usa was not with them.
"Where could she be?" She asked herself as she screwed up her courage and walked over to where the girls were sitting.
"Hi Hotaru," Usagi said as she patted the turf next to her. "Have a seat."
"Thanks. Uhm, Usagi?" Hotaru fidgeted a bit as she asked her question. "Where's Chibi-usa? I haven't seen her in a while and..." She trailed off as she was suddenly engulfed in a hug from Usagi.
"I'm really sorry, Hotaru," Usagi whispered in a choked up voice. "Yesterday... Yesterday Chibi-usa got very, very ill."
"I've got to visit her then! Is she at your house in bed?"
Usagi began crying then, and was too choked up to speak. Minako moved over and gently took Hotaru's hand.
"Hotaru," Minako said softly as Ranma, Ryouga and Cologne broke from their training and approached the girls. "Chibi-usa is... going to be missed."
Hotaru's eyes grew wide as her meaning slowly became clear. She too, began to cry as she clung desperately to Usagi.
"I'm all alone again," Hotaru sobbed.
"No, you're not, Hotaru. We're all here for you," Minako said.
Hotaru apparently hadn't heard as she broke free from Usagi's grip and tried to stumble away only to be caught up in a hug from Ryouga.
"Take it from me, kid. Being friendless is about the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. Don't turn it down when it's offered to you in good faith," he said as slowly rocked her back and forth.
"But, Chibi-usa..."
"I'm not saying to forget about her," Ryouga said gently. "But rather remember her fondly, as we all do. Remember her kind heart, her smiles and her laughter. Use those memories as your pillar of strength during your darkest days. Thanks to Chibi-usa, you met all of us, and I for one am grateful to her for that."
Hotaru looked up into his face and saw only concern there. She clutched his shirt and wept, but no longer struggled to get away.
It was midmorning by the time Ukyou reached Juuban. It had been touch and go with the daimon following her, but she gained some time by jumping on top of a train and riding it into Juuban. She didn't waste any time in her search and she began roof hopping as she hunted for likely placed for Ranma to be staying. More than once she passed a building that showed signs of recent repair or fresh patches of pavement on the streets.
"Kinda feels like Nerima," she said to herself as she hurried along. As she leapt up to the next rooftop, she saw a number of trees off in the distance.
"A park, it's the kind of place Ranchan would practice at." Ukyou grinned at her luck before she continued roof hopping in the general direction of the park. Almost as soon as she reached the park she was able to hear what sounded to her like a fight between Ranma and Ryouga. She wasn't quite prepared to see six girls watching them train under Cologne's guidance though.
"Ran-chan!" Ukyou yelled as she ran up to them.
"Ucchan? What are you doing here? How'd you find us?" Ranma asked wearily, fully expecting her to try and glomp onto him.
"You're hurt," Ryouga said as he pulled off one of his bandannas and tied it over a cut on her upper arm.
"Nabiki showed us an article from a Juuban newspaper; they had managed to get a picture of you fighting a demon yesterday." She poked him in the ribs a few times. "You don't look like you got an arrow stuck in you at all."
"Was that enough to make you come running over to Juuban, or was there something else?" Cologne asked. The girls gathered around them as well as Ukyou began recounting what had happened earlier that morning.
"This weird guy came into my restaurant and attacked Akane, Nabiki and I. He was wearing armor and he had a sword. He also seemed to have this strange power over Akane for a moment, but she resisted him. He took Akane, but I managed to escape with Nabiki." Ukyou said as she sat down. "Nabiki split off and headed for the dojo while I led his pet demon this way. It won't be long before it gets here."
"Endymion," Ranma snarled, "It has to be."
"Go home, Ukyou. It's a lot safer there," Ryouga said in a grim voice as he adjusted one of the bracers on his arms.
"But I want to help Ran-chan!" She protested.
"Not this time, child," Cologne said grimly. "These foes are too far beyond your skills. Even Ranma and Ryouga have a difficult time fighting them and their skill is tremendously greater than yours. Go to the Nekohanten and tell Shampoo and Mousse to be on their guard, this Endymion may try to attack one of them next. Then go to the Tendo Dojo and tell them that I am looking into the matter. Do not mention that Ranma is here."
"You didn't call him son-in-law..." Ukyou gasped.
"Uh oh, looks like you're follower just caught up with you," Ryouga interrupted as he pointed at the daimon that was rapidly approaching.
"Scatter!" Ranma barked as he charged the daimon.
"Get Hotaru outta here Granny!" Ryouga roared as he too leapt at the daimon.
Cologne grabbed Hotaru's hand and ran into the woods, dragging the taller girl behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other girls had split up and run into the woods, except for Ukyou who had drawn her battle spatula and was charging the daimon as well.
"Go home, child," Cologne said as she let go of her hand. "I have to stop Ukyou from being a fool."
Without waiting for a response from Hotaru, Cologne spun and moved as fast as she could towards Ukyou. Before she could get close the daimon ploughed head first into the ground between her and Ukyou, courtesy of a throw from Ryouga. Cologne jumped backwards as the daimon surged to its feet and slashed at her with an arm that ended in a large circular saw.
"Dammit Ucchan! Get outta here!" Ranma yelled as he kicked the daimon in the chest. With a vicious looking smirk, the daimon jabbed at him with its buzz saw arm. Ranma bent over backwards to avoid the spinning blade and lashed out with a foot at its knee. Although he couldn't put much into it, he managed to cause it to stumble. Before the daimon could recover, Ryouga had grabbed its buzz saw arm with one hand and had snapped his belt out with the other. With a deafening yell he brought the ki charged blade down as hard as he could.
Ukyou blanched and backed up a step as purplish blood sprayed from the maimed daimon.
"You'll pay for that!" It screeched as it grabbed Ryouga by the throat and lifted him off of the ground.
"Put him down!" Ukyou yelled as she charged with her battle spatula high overhead. With a mighty yell she brought it down on top of the daimon's head. To her chagrin, the daimon seemed unfazed by her attack. Ukyou backed up a step and stared at the daimon head imprint on her spatula in confusion for a second until Cologne roughly tackled her out of the way.
"Foolish girl!" Cologne snapped. "You cannot hope to defeat one of these. Not even a combined Full Shi Shi Hokkoudan could take one down."
"But Ryouga..." Ukyou protested and was silenced by a roar of pain from the daimon as a shaft of yellow light cut off its other arm. Ryouga dropped heavily to the ground and was dragged away from the daimon by Ranma as a gigantic pink heart burst out of the trees and smashed into the daimon. Ukyou covered her eyes for a moment to protect them from the bright light as the daimon screamed and disappeared.
"Go home, Ucchan," Ranma said in a tired voice as he helped Ryouga to his feet. "Warn the others and then stay home. It's safer in Nerima."
"Do it," Cologne ordered as she hopped over next to Ranma. "Or do you really want me as your enemy?" She spoke in a low, threatening voice.
Ukyou's shoulders slumped and her spatula fell from her hands. "I get it. You hate me, don't you Ranchan?"
"Dammit! That ain't it at all! I just don't want ya gettin' hurt tryin' to fight those things! You saw how little your attack did!" Ranma yelled as he waved his arms. "The Ghoul wouldn't even let Shampoo come to help. Do us a favor and go home!"
Ukyou opened her mouth to protest again but collapsed unconscious as Cologne idly tapped a point on her neck with her staff.
"I'll take her back to Nerima and insure she doesn't return. I'm sorry your allies didn't show themselves after the fight, but they have their reasons I suppose." Cologne said as she sat on the turf. "You should leave as well."
Ranma and Ryouga nodded before they left. Cologne sighed and reached into her robes and produced a small bottle of shampoo.
"I'm sorry, Ukyou, but it's the only way to prevent you from coming back here."
Professor Tomoe looked over his latest masterpiece and giggled with glee.
"Perfection! Absolute perfection!" He laughed as he held up a daimon egg that was colored a deep crimson instead of the usual white. He turned to the form strapped down to the table and laughed again, ignoring the frantic pleas.
"Don't worry. Soon you will understand the purpose behind being brought here... Soon, you will be mine to command!" He laughed as he pressed the daimon egg against his prisoner's forehead who screamed in indescribable agony. A red light burst from the egg as it slowly sunk into the skin and left a ruby oval on the forehead like a third eye. An explosion of force hurled him away from the slab, but he continued to laugh as his newest warrior rose from the table and then kneeled before him.
"What is your bidding, my master?" Akane asked. As she looked up at him the light coming from the ruby in her forehead dimmed until her face was once again lost in shadows.
***
Twin Dragons Under Moonlight
Chapter 6
Sometimes, destiny is not what is meant to be...
The wizened matriarch of the Chinese Amazons stood in front of the Nekohanten, feeling every one of her numerous years. What had begun as a search for a reluctant groom had turned into an epic battle that her charge wasn't prepared to be involved in.
"You've returned," Mousse said as he approached the restaurant carrying several boxes of produce.
"Put those away and meet me and Shampoo inside," she said sharply. "There is much to discuss."
Mousse didn't say anything to disagree, he knew that tone of voice and sincerely hoped that he was not the target of her anger. He hurried to the storeroom and then returned to the main part of the restaurant. Cologne and Shampoo were already seated at a table and he hurried to seat himself opposite of Shampoo.
"What is happening, Great Grandmother?" Shampoo asked.
"To be brief, Akane Tendo has been kidnapped," Cologne said gravely. "This time, however, it appears that her life may be in danger."
"So? Is good that violent pervert girl gone. Leave way to Ranma heart open to Shampoo," Shampoo said with a disdainful toss of her hair.
"Be quiet!" Cologne yelled. "You do not know what you are speaking of, so I will forgive you this time. You two will listen to me and listen to me well!" She glared at both of them before she took a deep breath and spoke again. "Ranma and Ryouga have found themselves in the middle of a war between good and evil. The battles they are involved in would kill lesser people. The monsters employed by their enemy were the ones that captured Akane Tendo and they would have killed or captured Ukyou as well if she hadn't run into Ranma and his allies."
"What are we waiting for then?" Mousse asked. "We should be fighting this evil as well, for the glory of the Amazons!" He grinned to himself as he thought about how impressed with his prowess Shampoo would be if she saw him in a true battle, not to mention a chance to defeat Ranma once and for all.
"Neither of you are skilled enough to participate in this fight," Cologne said flatly. "I am not about to send you two out to fight and die. What I do want you two to do is help protect what remains of the Tendo family. Soun is going to be too distraught over the loss of his daughter and we all know how reliable Genma is."
"Why, great grandmother?" Shampoo asked, "Mercenary girl pay for protection?"
"No, you owe this to them after what you put them through over the last month. Or had you forgotten why you are being punished?" Cologne replied.
Shampoo blushed as she recalled the hours long lecture she had gotten from Cologne after she had recovered from the effects of the powder she had used on Akane. "Shampoo no forget, just want to fight by Ranma's side."
"No child. Ranma and Ryouga are protecting the neighborhood they are in, we should do the same here," Cologne gave both of the teens a hard glare. "If I even suspect that you are going to try and run off to look for Ranma, I'll confine you in the cage for a week."
"Yes, great grandmother," Shampoo said meekly while Mousse merely nodded.
"Now, I am going to the Tendo's to let them know what has happened," Cologne said as she hopped to the door on her staff. She stopped and looked over her shoulder once she reached the door. "The lunch rush will begin soon, be ready."
The Tendo Dojo appeared almost serene as Cologne approached. She hopped onto the wall and gazed over the garden for a few moments, appreciating the care it took to maintain the peaceful atmosphere. With a practiced leap she cleared the yard entirely and landed on the small porch. Just inside Kasumi was cleaning a small cut on Nabiki's arm while Soun was running in circles and wailing.
"I see that the news has already made it here," Cologne said as she hopped down off of her staff. "Ukyou wasn't terribly coherent about what had what happened. Still, Ranma, Ryouga and their allies are working on what little info they have."
"Ukyou got away from that thing?" Nabiki asked as Kasumi finished cleaning the cut and bandaged it.
Cologne nodded. "Yes, she managed to lead the monster straight to Ranma, Ryouga and their allies. They were able to kill it, but not before Ukyou got roughed up a little. Her recollection of the affair is a little, foggy."
"Oh my, is she alright?" Kasumi asked, a note concern in her voice.
"She'll be just fine," Cologne assured the eldest Tendo daughter, "I left her at her restaurant." She then looked around the room and seemed to notice something for the first time. "Where is Genma?"
"He's gone to Juuban to find Ranma," Nabiki said. "I told him where to look in case Ukyou didn't get away from that monster."
Cologne sighed and placed one withered hand across her eyes. "This could be a problem..."
Sailor Pluto held her staff firmly as she directed the gates to show some of the various futures. The chaotic images beyond the gates slowly formed into several images of various futures. Drawing upon her abilities as the Senshi of Time, she began gently probing the futures in order to try and determine what event would cause each one to come into being as well as the overall wellbeing of the people in each timeline.
After working on that for what seemed like days, she finally settled on the version of the future that currently had the strongest possibility. She sighed to herself as she looked over that possible future. She couldn't see anything in great detail, not without actually going there. She could, however, see that for the most part things were peaceful. She could also feel the evil that still survived in that time.
Sailor Pluto sighed to herself as she remembered the utopia that was the Crystal Tokyo that she had strived for centuries to nurture. There, all evil had been banished and the people were all happy.
"That's all a phantom memory, you know." A voice drifted out of the gates.
"Hello again, Eternal," Sailor Pluto said as she stepped away from the gates.
"Don't worry, I'm not visiting this time."
"Oh?" Sailor Pluto cocked an eyebrow at the gates, fairly certain that Eternal Sailor Pluto could see her from her side of the gates.
"May I come in?" a second, much younger voice asked.
Once Sailor Pluto nodded, the gates flashed a brilliant white as someone stepped through.
Genma growled softly to himself as he stood on the rooftop of a bookstore in downtown Juuban. Nabiki had told him that his son was somewhere in this district, but hadn't been able to provide him with an address.
"Damn it boy, where are you?" he yelled before he leapt off the roof to the top of a lamp post, ignoring the gaping pedestrians below him. He scanned the crowd before he leapt off to continue his search.
::Maybe he's back in that park somewhere,:: he thought as he bounded off the corner of a building and landed easily on the sidewalk before he started to running towards where he had seen a park earlier. Mimett watched him race off and smiled to herself before she turned to follow him. After only a short time, though, she lost track of him. She stomped her foot angrily as she glared at the building that her quarry had so casually jumped over.
Ryouga hissed slightly as Ami gently examined a large bruise on his neck. They all had gathered in the living room of Ranma's house following the fight in the park. Hotaru winced as she looked at the ugly purple bruise.
"Doesn't that hurt?" she asked once Ami had left to get some ointment for it.
"Yeah, but I'm used to it," Ryouga shrugged, and then winced.
Hotaru took a deep breath and cupped her hands around his neck without actually touching him. Ranma almost asked what she was doing when he noticed the pinkish white glow that escaped through her fingers. Ami stepped into the room at this point and stopped to watch in open mouthed amazement as the bruising on Ryouga's neck slowly faded away. After nearly a minute, the slight girl pulled her hands away and slumped to the floor, exhausted. Ryouga rubbed one hand on his now bruise free neck.
"Wow! Thanks!" he said finally. Hotaru nodded weakly before she clutched her chest and leaned forward, her breathing short and ragged.
"What's wrong?" Ryouga asked as he grabbed her by the shoulders as the others gathered around them.
"It's... just... a... seizure," Hotaru gasped, "It'll... stop... soon..."
"Back up all of you! Give her some room!" Ami snapped as she shooed everyone away from Hotaru. She then knelt in front of the stricken girl and spoke. "Lean back if you can, it will help you to breathe easier."
Hotaru hesitated for a moment and then leaned back a little. She would have fallen over if Ami hadn't quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She seemed to shudder slightly before her whole body went limp.
"Hey!" Ryouga shouted as he stepped forward with one arm extended.
"It's alright," Ami assured them with a smile. "I'm sure she just feels very tired now that her seizure has stopped." Ryouga relaxed and sat back down on the floor.
"I've never seen anything like that," Makoto said softly. "How did you do it?" She asked as she placed her hands on her knees and leaned down towards Hotaru.
"It's my gift, and my curse," Hotaru said weakly as she looked up at the tall girl. "I've always been able to heal other people, but my classmates are all scared of me because of it."
"Well, unusual things scare people," Ami said gently, "especially if they don't understand it."
"I know, but..." tears sprung to her eyes as she spoke, "but does that give them the right to bully me?"
Upon hearing that, the reactions of everyone in the room startled the purple eyed girl. Anger had suddenly become the predominant emotion as they all began venting at once. Ranma had clenched his fists so tightly that his nails cut into his palms causing a few droplets of blood to fall to the floor. An angry red aura sprung up around Ryouga as his face twisted into a mask of rage while Minako sat heavily on the couch.
"How stupid can you get?" she demanded as she hugged a pillow tightly.
"Beating up someone because they have a special gift? That's unforgivable!" Makoto ranted as she waved her arms in the air.
"That's mean!" Usagi sounded scornful as she stomped back and forth before she finally plopped down on the sofa next to Minako.
"They'll race a final reckoning for their actions," Rei said ominously as she clapped her hands in prayer. She seemed to sense something, though, and a concerned look crossed her face. "Ami? Are you all right?" she asked as the blue haired girl slowly turned red and began to shake.
"Those bastards!" Ami screamed, startling everyone there. "Don't pay any attention to them, Hotaru! They don't realize how special you are. You have a gift, a unique and wonderful gift, don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" Ami spoke intensely as she grabbed Hotaru by the shoulders and turned her so that they were face to face.
"Ami," Usagi said softly as everyone stared at the usually reserved girl.
"Thank you, everyone," Hotaru said with a sudden smile. "I should go home, my father worries easily."
"I'll walk you home," Ryouga volunteered.
"I'll go with you as well," Minako said as she stood.
"Let's all go." Usagi declared with a smile to Hotaru.
Genma stepped into a clearing in the wooded park and took in the damage that he could see. The ground was churned in several places, indicating to him that either his boy had been training here, or had gotten into a fight. He knelt next to some damp grass and dabbed two fingers against the ground and held them up to his face. The purple liquid on his fingers felt like blood and had a strange smell to it. With a grunt, the elder Saotome stood and wiped his fingers off on his gi.
"What happened here?" He asked himself as he continued to investigate the clearing. Finally, at the far end of the clearing, he found a clue that made him feel much more confident. A small fire pit and two areas of slightly browned grass told Genma louder than words that his son had stayed here for some time. He grinned as he quickly looked about for a trail that would hopefully guide him in the general direction his son had left in. He felt a momentary twinge of despair when he saw how many footprints overlapped each other. Genma frowned to himself when he noticed the tell tale impressions that Cologne left behind whenever she hopped around on that stick of her's.
"That damnable old woman knew," he growled to himself as he stood and began following a footpath. The fact that the ancient amazon was training the boys did little to assuage his feeling of unease, however. As far as Genma was concerned, without him there to drive his son every day, Ranma would only become lazy and slack off.
When Genma finally made it out of the park he glanced at the sidewalk and smiled. There was a number of muddy footprints that had traces of the same purple blood like substance mixed in. With a tight grin, he followed the trail until it turned onto a street and finally petered out. He looked about and saw the rather nice homes and sighed. He didn't believe that there was any way his son could afford to even rent a room in any of these houses. A woman with long, wavy blue-black hair was just leaving her house as he stood in front of it looking around.
"Can I help you?" Usagi's Mother asked sharply. Genma jerked a little and turned to look directly at her while he put his hand on the back of his head.
"I was just looking for my son, you wouldn't have happened to see him at all, have you?" He asked as he held out a photo of Ranma. She took the picture and glanced at it.
"Oh yeah. He's been walking Usagi to school lately," she giggled a little then. "I had thought she had headed the wrong way to school one morning, but by the time I had gotten down the stairs and opened the door, she was walking past the house again with your son. I think that it's a good thing that she finally started noticing boys that are a lot closer to her age."
"Is that so?" Genma asked as he frowned. ::If the boy is dating this girl, it will make it a lot harder for our houses to be joined!:: he thought angrily to himself. ::But then again, it might be just what he needs to force him into making a decision.::
"Yes, I think it's very sweet of him to do that. By the way," she frowned slightly , "why are you looking for him?"
"He's been disappearing early each morning, skipping his training. I was wondering what had gotten into him lately," Genma lied easily. "It's a relief to hear that it's over a girl and not something else!" He laughed long and loud to cover himself. "Thank you for laying my fears at ease," he said with a slight bow.
"My pleasure, have a good day," she replied as she bowed as well.
Genma affected a lilt in his step as he walked further down the street, keeping a sharp eye out for any vacant lots his son may have moved to, as well as any place that would make for a good lookout for his son. After walking to the next intersection he sat heavily on a bench and sighed. There was something about that woman's daughter's name that seemed to ring a bell, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Any further thought on that was interrupted when he noticed an orange haired girl stop directly in front of him, breathing heavily as if she had been running very hard. Genma merely raised an eyebrow and returned to his contemplation.
Inwardly, Mimett was scowling. Here she was, doing her best to look like someone in distress, and the guy was only sitting there like a lump! She played up being out of breath for another moment before she stood up straight and turned to face Genma directly.
"Excuse me," she asked in her most frightened voice, "but are you a martial artist?"
"Yes," Genma answered shortly.
"Thank goodness!" Mimett squealed as she lunged forward and hugged him tightly around the neck.
"Uhm, I'm sorry but I'm married," Genma said nervously.
"I'm sorry," Mimett said contritely as she let go of him. "I was just so relieved that I lost control for a moment. You see, these big men have been following me around all day. Would you be so kind as to escort me to my home so those men will leave me alone?" She asked in her most piteous voice.
"Well..." Genma grunted as he crossed his arms.
"Please..." Mimett repeated, giving him the puppy dog eyes.
"I can't see how it could hurt," he gave in as he stood. "Which way?" he asked.
"You're too kind!" she squealed as she latched onto one of his arms. "I live further down this street," she pointed as she started leading Genma off. For some reason, Genma's danger sense had gone into overdrive as soon as they started walking, but he couldn't see any kind of threat. Never the less, he stayed very alert.
::Maybe there really was something to her story about being followed.:: he thought with a frown. ::I can find the boy after I do my duty as a martial artist and escort this girl to her home. Maybe I can get a free meal out of the deal::
Mimett smiled to herself as she guided her as yet unwitting victim into an alleyway. Genma however, felt his danger sense peak. He spun on his heel and roughly shoved Mimett behind him.
"Alright, show yourself!" he barked as he fell into a stance. When he heard Mimett begin laughing he turned back around.
"Fool!" She laughed. "You are the one in danger! Come forth, Daimon!" Mimett yelled as she opened her briefcase, releasing a cloud of red smoke.
"What?" Genma gasped as he backed up a step and watched in fear as the smoke coalesced into a vaguely female shape. He frowned then and buried his fear as much as he could. This wasn't something that could be mollified by bowing and scraping, he realized.
"Hurry and take the pure heart of this man who lives to teach martial arts!" Mimett commanded the daimon.
Genma wasted no time in grabbing a bag full of garbage and flung it at the daimon before he turned and dashed out of the ally. The daimon tried to smack the bag out of it's way, but the bag burst and covered its face with trash, buying Genma a few precious seconds to escape.
"You can't get away!" it screamed as it flew after him. Just as it exited the alley a heavy iron bar slammed down on the back of its neck, forcing it into the pavement where it left a crater from the impact.
"Idiot," Genma spat and then swore as the daimon stood, relatively unharmed.
"You really want to die, don't you? I can arrange that!" The daimon said as it pointed at him.
"You leave me no choice but to use the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial arts Final attack!" Genma roared as he fell into a stance.
The daimon lunged for Genma with one claw like hand outstretched. Genma nearly laughed as he grabbed its wrist and threw it down the street. He didn't wait for it to hit the ground, but rather dashed the other way as fast as he could run, knocking Mimett over when she tried to stand in his way.
"After him, Daimon!" she screamed as she crashed into a group of trash cans. For some reason she was feeling unusually weak and had a great deal of trouble just standing back up. By the time she had regained her feet, both Genma and the Daimon were long gone.
"I'm telling you, there's something not quite right with that woman!" Ranma declared as they left Hotaru's home. Ryouga had to nod in agreement. That Koilinite woman gave him the creeps.
"You’re thinking too much about it," Usagi said with a giggle. "I've been here before and she didn't do anything."
"I felt something too," Rei said suddenly. "There's an evil aura over the entire house."
"What could cause that?" Makoto asked.
"Usually, it's because of some sort of tragedy," Rei said after some thought. "But, if something evil has been happening there for some time the same sort of aura can form."
Minako looked back at the house they were walking away from. While large by Japanese standards, it looked perfectly normal. She shuddered despite herself, though, as a chill ran down her spine.
A sudden beeping noise caused them to gather around Ami as she opened the Mercury computer and began typing rapidly.
"What is it, Ami?" Makoto asked eagerly.
"There is a Daimon about three hundred meters in front of us," she frowned as she read the additional readings that began scrolling across the screen. "I'm also picking up a fairly strong energy source, very similar to the one that Ranma and Ryouga give off."
"Huh?" Ryouga asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I get it," Ranma said as he snapped his fingers. "You're talkin' about our ki! That means that daimon might've found the old ghoul! C'mon!" Ranma practically yelled as he started running down the street.
"Wait! Ranma!" Usagi yelled. Ranma skidded on his heels and ran back to them. "We need to get in that alley and transform first! You should activate your armor too."
They nodded and ducked into the ally. A short lightshow later, five sailor senshi and two armored martial artists were roof hopping towards the disturbance.
Genma Saotome knew he was in trouble. His gi was torn in several places from attacks that came too close for comfort and he was starting to get too tired to dodge the lightning quick daimon. Only his skill and experience allowed him to survive this long. He glared at the daimon and flared his aura. He had sealed his greatest techniques long ago because they were too dangerous. Now, for the first time in years, he seriously contemplated unsealing those techniques to destroy the monster in front of him.
Again the daimon charged, but Genma couldn't move fast enough this time. In the blink of an eye, it was inside his guard and had lifted him off of his feet. His eyes widened when it seemed that the daimon was moving in to try and kiss him.
::The kiss of death?!?:: He thought frantically, ::How can I stop this thing?:: He turned his head to avoid the daimon's mouth twice before realization struck. With a tremendous yell he head butted the daimon, causing it to drop him as it held it's face in pain. He landed awkwardly and before he could scramble to safety the daimon kicked him hard in the stomach. The kick launched him through the air but the elder Saotome twisted and landed on his feet facing the daimon.
"The time has come!" Genma shouted as he took up a new stance, "Prepare for your doom, monster! Kijin Rashu Dan!" He swept his arms through the air and launched a pair of ki charged vacuum blades at the daimon.
The Daimon dodged the blades easily by jumping straight up, but rings of fire shot down from one of the roofs and engulfed the daimon. Even as it screamed in agony a ball of lightning shot down from the same roof and slammed the daimon across the street. The bald martial artist saw none of this, though, as he was staring at his hands.
"Kami, forgive me," he muttered as the battle raged around him. He had unsealed his forbidden techniques, breaking the vow he had sworn to himself years before. He clenched his fists as thunder struck behind him. "I thought I was stronger than this, I thought I was better," he looked up, determination on his face, and saw the daimon charging at him with one arm outstretched. Genma's face crumbled, but his powerful legs bunched in preparation for a last second leap to safety when one of the warriors surrounding him punched the daimon in the ribs causing a small explosion that sent the daimon sprawling away. Genma blinked once and focused on the back of the armored warrior in white... A black pigtail.
"Ranma!" Genma roared as he grabbed his son's pigtail and yanked, spinning the younger martial artist around to face him. "Where have you been boy!"
"I ain't got time for this pops!" Ranma snapped back. He looked over his shoulder and saw his friends fighting the daimon without him. ::At least Usagi didn't do a speech this time,:: He thought before he looked back at his raging father.
"While you were playing around over here, Akane was kidnapped! Did you even know about this?!" Genma yelled, his glasses reflecting Mars' fires.
"Of course I know about it," Ranma retorted as he struggled to get Genma to let go of his hair. "Now leggo, I got a fight going on here!"
"You're coming back with me to the Tendos' right now!" Genma growled as he started to drag Ranma back. He hadn't even gone two steps when he felt a heavy blow on the back of his head and his son's pigtail was pulled out of his hand. He reached back and managed to grab the rim of Ranma's shoulder pad and pulled him to the ground as he spun to face him.
"Damnit boy! What do you think... you're... doing?" he trailed off when he saw the red boots just past his prone son. Slowly, he raised his eyes and took in the blue skirt and white body suit. A very pissed off Sailor Moon was glaring at him as she tapped the Spiral Heart Moon Rod on her shoulder.
"How dare you?" She said in a disgusted voice. "Ranma has been fighting hard for everyone! How dare you try to pull him away from this battle?"
"What could you know about fighting, little girl?" Genma asked in a scornful voice, completely ignoring the blasts of fire and lightning that impacted not that far behind him. "Ranma has his duty to his family. He will join our schools."
"I've fought more battles than I ever cared for. But tell me, have you ever tried weighing the needs of the world against your own personal needs?" Sailor Moon snapped as she pointed the Spiral Heart Moon Rod at Genma who cringed away from the glowing artifact. "Have you any concept of the word sacrifice? Have you ever watched your friends die one by one until you were the only one left to fight on? I've nearly lost everything and everyone important in my life! All I have left is my friends and my Duty."
::Usagi...:: Ranma thought as he regained his feet and took a step backwards to watch Sailor Moon confront his Father.
"Ranma is trying to help us win this war against the same people that took Akane. You've fought a daimon now, haven't you?" She asked coldly. When Genma nodded, she continued. "Good, then you know how hard they are to fight. Ranma has allies and help here. If you take him back to the Tendo Dojo not only will we lose a valuable ally, you practically guarantee that he will die trying to find Akane. Now, what will it be? Will you continue to insist that he goes 'home' against his will, or will you let him stay and fight?" She crossed her arms and tapped one finger impatiently on the shaft of the Spiral Heart Moon Rod. A slight frown marred her features.
Genma swallowed hard and looked over to where everyone else was fighting. Energy blasts were flying left and right as three of the girls tried to shoot the daimon as a black armored Ryouga was struggling to regain his feet while a blonde girl with a sword was guarding him. With a roar, the daimon suddenly grew tentacles from its arms that batted the senshi away. The tentacles grew impossibly long as they shot towards a stunned Genma and Sailor Moon.
"Look out!" Ranma yelled as he shoved both of them away only to get wrapped up by the tentacles.
"Ranma!" Sailor Moon yelled as the pigtailed martial artist was lifted off his feet and slammed into the pavement repeatedly. She leapt to her feet and grabbed her tiara in a single motion.
"Moon Tiara action!" She screamed as she flung the glowing disk. It rolled in the air slightly as it arced towards the daimon. With a spray of purple blood, it severed the tentacles before returning to her. Ranma dropped limply to the ground and Sailor Moon rushed over to him. Genma could only watch stupefied as Ryouga and the other girls leapt at the daimon to distract it from Sailor Moon and Ranma.
"It's too fast," Sailor Jupiter growled as she charged up for another blast.
"Mercury! Do you think a Shabon Spray will slow it down?" Sailor Mars yelled. She swore then as she was forced to leap away as the daimon launched a blood red blast of energy at her. The impact melted the pavement easily.
"Not likely," Sailor Mercury responded. "Venus, try to wrap up its legs with your chain!"
"Right! Venus Love Me chain!" she dodged another blast from the daimon and sent her chain right at its legs. The daimon leapt forward to dodge the chain and grabbed her by the arms. The blond senshi screamed in agony as the daimons claws dug into her arms as it lifted her above its head and then slammed her against the ground. Sailor Venus rolled limply on the pavement, obviously unconscious. The daimon jumped towards her fully intent on crushing her head with it's feet, but Ryouga shoulder checked it and they fell into a tangled heap. Sparks flew as the daimons claws gouged his armor again and again while Ryouga pummeled it mercilessly with glowing fists.
"Concussion fist!" Ryouga roared as he slammed both fists onto the daimons collar bones. The resulting explosion sent Ryouga skidding along the pavement and into a wall while the daimon was sent flying through the air. Before Ryouga could regain his feet, the wall cracked and collapsed on top of him.
"This is not good," Sailor Jupiter muttered as she looked around and saw that over half of their team was down.
Genma watched all this and then stood with a stern look on his face. He walked quickly to Sailor Mercury and looked down on her.
"Let me help," he said simply. "I may not have your magic, or Ranma's speed nor Ryouga's strength, but I have experience on my side."
"What do you suggest?" Sailor Mercury said while Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter engaged the daimon again.
"Can one of you use water based attacks?" Once she nodded he continued. "watch for the next time it jumps and then freeze the ground where it's going to land. It should fall and then pound it with everything you've got."
"Right! Mars, Jupiter! Make it jump!" Sailor Mercury yelled as she dashed back into the fight. Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter gave no indication that they heard other than to step up their attacks. As they expected, the Daimon jumped high into the air to avoid the strikes.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury directed the freezing water at the ground, coating it with a thick layer of ice. As Genma had predicted, the daimon fell on its face when it landed.
"Hit it now!" Genma roared. Magical fire, ice and lightning hurtled towards the prone daimon. The resulting explosion of magical energy obscured the daimon from their sight for a brief moment. Unfortunately for them, it was one moment too long.
With it's inhuman speed it leapt out of the smoke straight at Sailor Mars. Even as she raised her arms in defense she realized how it was able to come at them so quickly, it's feet had nice long, sharp claws. The daimon's kick knocked her back into a wall where she stuck for a second before slowly falling to her knees. Sailor Moon looked up from Ranma's still form in time to see Sailor Mars stand shakily, a red stain growing slowly across her uniform.
"This is too much," Sailor Moon cried as she shook Ranma again. "Wake up, Ranma! We need you!"
Ranma groaned a little and then opened his eyes. Sailor Moon sighed in relief as he sat up.
"The Daimon!" Ranma suddenly shouted as he shot to his feet. "Is it still around?"
Sailor Moon stood as well and pointed towards where the daimon was engaged in hand to hand with Sailor Jupiter. Ranma's eyes narrowed when he saw Sailor Mercury and Genma wrapping a strip of cloth torn from his gi around Sailor Mar's abdomen and Sailor Venus out cold on the pavement. Ryouga was nowhere to be seen, but Ranma guessed that he was buried under one of the piles of rubble.
"I'm gonna try to hold that thing long enough fer you ta kill it," he growled as he leapt back into the battle. He hit the daimon in the face with a jumping roundhouse kick before it could completely overwhelm Sailor Jupiter with its speed.
Ranma found himself quickly on the defensive, though, as the daimon turned and began attacking him at Amaguriken speeds. The daimon was too quick in recovering from each of its attacks for him to find a viable opening. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that some of the senshi had regained their feet and that Sailor Jupiter was pulling Ryouga out from under the collapsed wall. Sailor Venus was still unconscious and as soon as Ryouga was free of the rubble he rushed to her side.
His momentary distraction cost him as the daimon punched him hard enough to force him back a few steps. Ranma scowled at it and let his aura flare as he prepared himself to throw a Mouko Takabisha.
"Hold it right there!" A clear voice rang out from the rooftops. Ranma backed up another step and built his aura up further.
"Now who is it?" The daimon screamed as it turned to look at the figure silhouetted in the sun.
"As my daddy told me, I don't do speeches. Never the less, Sailor Daichi is here to kick your butt!" The figure on the roof called out.
"Sailor Daichi?" Sailor Moon repeated as she squinted in an attempt to make out the details of this new senshi. She was unable to make anything out until Sailor Daichi leapt from the roof. As she twisted in the air, Sailor Moon was able to briefly make out a purple skirt and boots and gleaming silver bows.
"Shards of rock!" Sailor Daichi called out her attack in mid air. A cyclone of dirt surrounded her for a brief moment and then coalesced into many dagger like chunks of rock before they shot towards the daimon with the alacrity of a machine gun. The daimon screamed in agony as several of the shards buried themselves deep into its flesh.
"An opening!" Ranma yelled as he dashed towards the daimon and locked it up in a full nelson hold. "Now, Sailor Moon!"
"But," Sailor Moon hesitated.
"Don't worry about me! Just do it!" Ranma yelled back as the daimon began struggling in his grasp. "Hurry!"
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Sailor Moon launched her attack with a silent prayer that Ranma would not be hurt.
As the nine foot wide pink heart sped towards them Ranma placed a foot in the small of the daimon's back and kicked it into the magical energy, destroying it utterly as he flipped away safely.
"That was tough," Sailor Mars said as she held her hand against her wound.
"Are you guys ok?" Sailor Daichi asked as she jogged up to them, her chestnut brown hair flowing to a stop mid shoulder.
Sailor Jupiter glanced at the rest of the team and let loose a sigh as Ryouga carried Sailor Venus over to them with a concerned expression. "For the most part," Sailor Jupiter replied.
"Who are you anyways?" Sailor Moon demanded, forgetting that Genma was right there.
With a mischievous grin that set her blue eyes twinkling, Sailor Daichi struck a pose and her uniform faded into a familiar looking red chinese shirt and slightly baggy black pants. "I'm Kouma Saotome of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial arts!"
"Kouma?" Genma said, dumbfounded.
"Saotome?" Ranma asked, so stunned that his armor faded and revealed his red chinese shirt.
"Hi Daddy!" Kouma grinned as she glomped onto him.
"Ranma!" Genma roared as he grabbed the front of Ranma's shirt and lifted him off of the ground. "What is the meaning of this?!?"
"I'm telling you, I have no idea!" Ranma protested.
"Leave him alone, grandpa!" Kouma said forcefully as she punched him in the shoulder. "I came here from the future!"
The Sailor Senshi almost groaned in unison and Genma dropped Ranma in shock.
"Uhm, Kou-chan..." Sailor Jupiter said gently, "Don't you think it's a bad idea to tell him that?"
"Oh, don't worry about Grandpa," Kouma giggled. "He won't say anything, will you Grandpa?" She asked as she turned to Genma with her best puppy dog look. "It's not like they would believe him anyways."
"But..." Genma spluttered.
"Besides," Ryouga said as he shifted his burden slightly, "if he does he'll be in for a world of hurt."
Genma opened his mouth to say something when the sound of police sirens reached them.
"We better split," Ranma said. "Go back to the Tendo's, pops. I'll find Akane and get her home."
All the Senshi and Ryouga leapt off, leaving Ranma, Genma and Kouma behind. Genma looked down at Kouma and sighed. "This isn't quite how I pictured first seeing a grandchild."
"Get goin' pops, before the cops get here. C'mon Kouma, you got a lot of explaining to do." Ranma picked Kouma up easily and leapt off over the rooftops. Genma watched them leave before he too jumped to the rooftops with a self satisfied smirk. The smirk melted off his face when he saw absolutely no sign of Ranma or the Senshi.
"There's more than one way to do this," Genma muttered to himself as he turned to return to Nerima. He knew where Ranma went to school now, and he fully intended to confront him there. But first, he had to talk to the old ghoul...
Mimett staggered back into Professor Tomoe's lab and collapsed onto the cold concrete floor, gasping for breath.
"What's wrong with me?" she wondered aloud. Professor Tomoe walked over and gave her a brief examination.
"Your magic has been drained," the Professor replied shortly. "I'll remove you from all assignments until you recover sufficiently to continue our work."
"No!" Mimett yelled as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Professor, isn't there anything you can do?"
"Short of fusing you with a daimon, no," he chuckled as the light reflected from his glasses. "However, should you manage to steal a pure heart crystal and then eat it, you would recover most admirably."
"Really?" She asked hopefully.
"But!" He yelled as he thrust his face to within an inch of hers, "Should you manage to bring back a heart crystal, you will give it to me for our mistress! Understood?"
"Yes," she replied, downcast again.
"What's all the racket?" Endymion asked as he strode into the lab. Professor Tomoe stood up straight and put his hands into his pockets.
"It seems that our little Mimett has been working herself so hard that she has very nearly run out of magic. Until she recovers, she will be of only minimal use to us. Until then, Tellu will take over obtaining pure heart crystals," He laughed a little. "You should find her interesting to work with."
"Speaking of help, how is Akane coming along?" Endymion asked as he gazed at a large tube. Inside the red fluid floated Akane's nude form.
"The initial fusion was successful," Professor Tomoe said as he began checking some instruments. "The secondary infusion is in progress. When complete, she will almost be ready to assist. My current estimate is that she will have almost no magical ability, but her physical strength will be slightly greater than a normal daimon. And, as you requested, she will be significantly more intelligent."
"Excellent," Endymion whispered as he placed one hand on the tube.
"One other thing I've noted," the Professor continued, "despite the lack of magical ability, she has a tremendous amount of energy stored. I was tempted to use that energy to revive our mistress."
"Oh?" Endymion looked at him with some surprise on his face. "Why didn't you?"
"Because that damned Sailor Moon has the Grail. We need this weapon to tip the scales in our favor. Besides, the energy I would have obtained from her would not have lasted terribly long. Mistress 9 requires a very large amount of energy to be revived."
"Let me know when Akane is ready to be used. I'm going to go find Tellu and tell her the good news in person."
"Lord Endymion!" Mimett cried from where she sat on the floor. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.
"You're of no use to me right now," he said coldly before he continued walking and disappeared into the shadows.
Ranma was scowling as he ushered Kouma into the living room. When he tried to close the door behind him, Usagi stopped him.
"Let me talk to her as well," Usagi said softly. "I know exactly what kind of position you're in."
Ranma opened his mouth to object, but decided against it and waved Usagi into the room before firmly closing the door.
"Alright young lady," Ranma said as he sat Kouma down on the couch. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Getting chewed out," she replied flippantly.
Ranma's face turned an interesting shade of purple before he suddenly burst out laughing. Usagi gave him a strange look.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Just Kouma," Ranma chuckled. "With an attitude like that, she almost has to be my kid."
"Ok, I have a question for you Kou-chan," Usagi said as she sat next to the younger girl. "Why did you come back?"
"Training," Kouma said simply.
"Training?" Ranma and Usagi asked in unison.
"Yeah, training," Kouma smiled. "In the future, Daddy told me that this was a good time to come back to. Mommy didn't like the idea much, but he insisted."
"Who is your mother anyways?" Ranma asked.
Kouma looked down at her lap and fiddled with her fingers. "I really can't say right now..." she mumbled.
"It's alright, Kou-chan," Usagi said softly.
"Not really..." Kouma sighed. "Daddy told me that no matter what I wasn't supposed to say who Mommy is until after he figured it out on his own in this time." She shook her head and grinned a little. "It's kinda funny, though. How often do you get the chance to watch your father date your own mother?"
Usagi sighed a bit and looked away. "I don't know, but it's dangerous."
"Huh?"
"If something should happen to break up your parents, you'll disappear. From what I saw, it's a painful process." She stood and walked over to the window and looked out into the yard. She saw Ryouga practicing one of his kata while Minako and the rest of the girls watched him. Even as she watched, Ryouga broke off his kata and entered the house. "I only wish..."
"Wish what?" Ranma asked.
"I wish that I hadn't treated Chibi-usa so harshly while she was here. It seems like most of the time we had, we spent arguing." Usagi stiffened when she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her from behind.
"I'm sorry," Kouma said softly. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"It's alright, Kou-chan," Usagi sighed.
"All that aside," Ranma said as he crossed his arms and sat down on the couch's arm, "if yer here for training, and I supposedly sent ya, why didn't I train ya in the future?"
"You did," Kouma said as she let go of Usagi and turned to face her father. "It was for training in with my senshi abilities that you sent me back. The future that I come from is rather dull compared to the way things are now. Still, the possibility of something happening is very real and you weren't sure if the formal training you and the others gave me was enough. You felt that practical experience would be the best way for me to be ready. Just in case..."
"Just in case of what?" Usagi asked.
"In case someone like the Death Busters were to appear again. It's not a perfect world I live in, but it's pretty darned close. Still, Diamond keeps saying that battle is the fastest teacher and..."
"Diamond?!?" Usagi yelled. "He's alive?"
"Of course he's alive! He's a general in the Army," Kouma said before she shook her head and held her arms out wide. "Look, forget what you think you know about the future. Pluto told me that you had once been to an alternate future. People that you thought had died from that future are very likely to be alive, and people you thought lived in that future may have died. Also, different people may have different names now."
"That's not a clear answer," Ranma frowned.
"She's not allowed to say much more than that," Setsuna said as she stepped out of the shadows. Ranma leapt halfway across the room and made several warding gestures towards the Senshi of Time. "Time travelers cannot talk about the future, or they risk destroying themselves." Setsuna continued, completely ignoring Ranma's antics.
"I wish ya wouldn't do that!" Ranma gasped as he clutched his chest. "Ya coulda given me a heart attack!"
Setsuna smiled at him as she crossed the room to stand behind Kouma. "My future self told me why Kouma was to come back. I did argue for quite some time against it, for the same reasons that you already mentioned."
"If nothing else, I want to be able to help!" Kouma said forcefully.
"Telling Genma Saotome who you were was not the wisest course of action," Setsuna said sternly.
"So what? He's still my grandpa! I never got to meet him before." Kouma pouted.
Ranma sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "I don't have the strength for this," he lamented before he straightened up and glared at Kouma. She squirmed a bit under that steely gaze, her confidence suddenly gone. Little did Ranma know, he had chosen the exact look that he gave her in the future whenever she had done something wrong.
"One condition," Ranma said finally. "If you are told to go back, you will! Without waitin' or arguin' or so help me, I'll knock ya out hand ya over to Pluto to get sent home."
"You wouldn't!" Kouma gasped.
"Try me," Ranma fairly growled.
Kouma looked up at his stern expression for a few seconds before tears began welling up in her blue eyes. Ranma's expression changed to nervous in a heartbeat as he took a half step back. Kouma sniffed twice and rubbed at her eyes with her fist, but nodded her agreement.
"You scared her, Ranma!" Usagi chided him as she hugged the shorter girl.
"Kami knows I was tryin'." Ranma muttered under his breath as he turned and headed for the door. He saw Setsuna's smile from the corner of his eye and realized that she must have heard what he had said. Without further comment, Ranma flung the door open only to have Ryouga and the rest of the inner senshi fall into the room.
"Aheh, fancy seeing you here, Ranma," Makoto grinned sheepishly.
"I give up!" Ranma said as he threw his arms up in exasperation.
Genma scowled as he approached the Nekohanten. He hadn't stopped at the Tendo's, so he continued to wear the tattered and bloodstained gi. The large man paused as he felt something a lot like the flutter of a moth's wings across his senses.
"Well, well, well, look what the panda dragged in."
Genma spun on his heels to face the wizened matriarch of the Amazons.
"Cologne," he said shortly.
"Looks to me like you got yourself in the middle of Ranma's war," she chuckled.
"We need to talk," Genma sounded tired as his shoulders slumped from exhaustion.
"Come inside and I'll have Shampoo make some tea. We have much to discuss and little time." She gestured towards the Nekohanten with her staff. Genma followed the old woman inside and sank wearily into a chair at a table in the back corner while she hopped behind the counter. He didn't bother to acknowledge the looks he was getting from the other customers, not to mention the glare that Shampoo was giving him.
"What stupid panda-man want now?" The purple tressed amazon asked in a resigned tone.
"Just tea," Genma grunted as he adjusted a bandage, "just tea."
Shampoo left in a huff as Cologne hopped back over to his table and sat directly across from him.
"So Genma," Cologne paused to light her pipe, "what is it that you want to know?"
"Why?"
"Why what?" She snapped.
"Why didn't you tell me you were training the boy? Why didn't you bother to mention his involvement with those demons?" His voice was low, but not so low that Cologne couldn't make out what he was saying.
"Simple. In order to find him quickly I made a deal. I got his location in return for my silence." She leaned back in her chair and blew out a smoke ring. "Even when things got messy, I kept my word. More than I could say for certain others I know..." her ancient eyes bored into Genma's as her words trailed off. Genma squirmed for a moment under that piercing gaze for a few minutes.
"I don't want to lose him," Genma finally said. "Everything I've done was to make him a better man. Even if it was only by showing him what not to do."
"That's a shock. I thought all you wanted was a cushy place to retire," Cologne snorted.
"Retire? Bah!" Genma waved the notion off. "Even Soun understands that once Ranma either marries Akane or one of the other fiancees I will be moving on." He looked out the window and into the street. "We don't belong in this concrete jungle, you and I. I long for the open road under my feet again as I walk between training grounds and my home, maybe opening a dojo in the countryside. You would probably be a lot more comfortable back in your village, training your warriors."
Cologne found herself reassessing the morose man in front of her. For the longest time she was convinced he was a fat, lazy idiot but now she wasn't quite as sure.
"Most of all, I miss my wife," Genma continued, oblivious to the change in Cologne's expression. "You'd like her, I think," he smiled mischievously. "She's as devious as you are, maybe even more so."
"Oh?"
"Did you honestly believe that she would kill Ranma over a silly little pact made ten years ago? She made it up out of whole cloth and told me about it over the phone when I told her about my worrying about Ranma not being willing to take responsibility for anything." He sighed as he shook his head. "Maybe worrying about that when he was ten was not a good idea."
"I thought Ranma was much more responsible than you," Cologne stated.
"Not by a long shot," he snorted. "Ranma could have ended this fiancee mess long ago if he had just made a choice. Sure, I have a preference, but once he makes a solid decision I'll be behind him all the way."
"Even if he should choose a girl that he isn't currently engaged to?" the ancient matriarch asked.
"Especially if that should happen," Genma grinned. "Why do you really think I engaged Ukyo to the boy when they were so young, knowing full well that Ranma was engaged to Akane? It wasn't for that yattai, but to create a situation where the boy would have to choose."
Cologne shook her head wearily. "Then the prize at our tournament?"
Genma winced. "That I'll admit was a huge mistake."
"And Jusenkyo?"
"Another mistake," he groaned.
"The Neko-ken?"
"Alright! I get your point!" he shouted as he slammed his palms against the table. Several of the other people there jumped at his outburst, but Genma continued to ignore them. "I'm not perfect, far from it in fact. At least I've tried to moderate the damage to the best of my abilities and still teach Ranma to be the best!"
"Like hiding as a panda while your son goes through every difficult situation?"
"I wasn't a panda today," Genma snarled. "Those things Ranma is fighting against are too serious for me to just hide as a panda. We have to help somehow. The boy has to live through this even if it kills me."
Cologne gaped at him. "I never thought I'd hear something like that from you of all people."
"I can tell you one thing," Genma grunted as he stood to leave. "I found something today that is worth more to me than anything you can possibly imagine." With that he firmly closed the door behind him, leaving Cologne to ponder his words.
"He didn't even wait for his tea," she sighed finally.
Usagi sighed as she stared at the moon through her open window. For some reason, she could not sleep and it was starting to irritate her. Luna had curled herself into a ball and was watching her charge with one eye as she considered everything that had happened recently.
"Luna," Usagi spoke softly, "why do I feel like we're losing this fight?"
"Nonsense," the black moon cat responded with a slight note of scorn in her voice. "You haven't lost this fight yet."
The blond girl sighed mornfully again and didn't bother to respond to her cat. Even as she considered trying another glass of warm milk, she saw a dark shape land on the roof of the house next to hers. It only took her a second to recognize the silhouette as being Ranma's. Even as she realized this, he leapt off again.
Without thinking, Usagi snatched one of her coats and dashed out of her room, leaving a very confused Luna behind.
"Usagi! Come back here!" Luna demanded as she chased after her princess. Usagi ignored her pleas and ran out the front door and down the street in the direction she last saw Ranma going.
Even running as fast as she could, Usagi had a hard time keeping an eye on Ranma as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. It wasn't long before she realized that he was pausing after every few jumps to look around. She was so intent on keeping an eye on Ranma that she didn't realize that she had lost her bunny slippers several kilometers back.
After nearly an hour of chasing him, she lost track of the pigtailed martial artist. Usagi glanced around and realized that she had stopped in front of Mamoru's old apartment building. She swallowed hard and turned to walk back to her house when she heard a soft thump behind her.
"What on earth are ya doin' runnin' around town in yer pajamas?" Ranma asked as she spun around to face him. His expression was unreadable as Usagi began twiddling her fingers.
"Well... I saw you jumping from roof to roof and I didn't want to lose sight of you." She replied hesitantly. "What are you doing out this late?"
Ranma looked over his shoulder at the tall building behind him. "Lookin' fer clues. Looks like Endymion cleaned his place out pretty good." He reached into his shirt and produced two framed photographs. "This is about all he left behind."
Usagi took one of them from him and stared at it. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she slowly sank to her knees without ever taking her eyes from what she held. It was a picture of her, Mamoru and Chibi-usa, but the glass had been cracked at some point. A jagged line ran between the image of her and Mamoru and spidered out to mostly obscure Chibi-usa's image.
"Hey! You alright?" Ranma asked as he crouched next to her.
"It can't go back, can it?" She asked between quiet sobs. "Not back to the way things were?"
Ranma glanced at the picture and sighed. "No, not to that. Even if ya could, now that ya know about how he really is, could you stand the thought of him holdin' you?"
Usagi shook her head. "But, I was happy. He made me feel... special."
"You are, though," Ranma replied without thinking. "Even ignoring the whole senshi thing, you still have to be one of tha most caring people I know. You care so much about people that you end up hurtin' yourself." He looked up at the night sky and completely missed the look of pure adoration that Usagi was giving him.
"You really think so?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course I do," he replied as he stood and held a hand out to her. "Yer better off now than you were before. I mean, from what I saw he treated you pretty bad. It really made me mad when the others told me that this wasn't the first time either."
Usagi took his hand and stood, doing her best to ignore the electric thrill that ran through her at the brief contact. She stared up at his stern features and sighed.
"You still care for her, don't you?" She asked.
"Akane?" Ranma asked, startled at the sudden change in topic. After Usagi nodded, he paused and for the first time in a very long time considered his words carefully.
"It's more like I feel guilty. This fight wasn't ever supposed to involve her. We never did get along, but I never wanted to see her hurt. I never wanna see any of them hurt."
"But, didn't it hurt when she broke off your engagement?" Usagi asked as they began walking back to her house.
"Not really," Ranma looked away as he shrugged. He was silent for some time, causing Usagi to wonder if she really had broached a painful subject with him.
"She never was really all that great of a fiancee," he said finally. "Never really listened to my side of things and only thought the worst of me. Even when I put myself in traction to save her I didn't get a simple thank you." Ranma scowled as that particular memory resurfaced.
Usagi blinked in disbelief as she continued to listen to Ranma point out every single shortcoming Akane had in very unflattering ways. She felt her anger rising and was almost to the point where she was going to have to slap him on principle when he suddenly changed course on her.
"All that aside, she did have the cutest smile," Ranma smiled ruefully, completely unaware of how close he was to dealing with feminine anger. "Not only that, but she did always try her hardest when ever she did something."
The blond girl smiled slowly as the list of positives about Akane started flowing from Ranma. The list he rattled off continued on for nearly as long as his tirade about Akane's bad points.
"Sounds to me like you really knew her well," Usagi finally said once he finished.
"Yeah, maybe," he scratched the back of his head. "But it don't change the fact that we didn't get along. We're too alike, ya know? It didn't help that we felt forced into things, though."
Usagi sighed and grabbed onto his arm, causing him to stiffen like a board.
"You've got to relax a little Ranma," Usagi said with a musical laugh. "I think I've learned more about you tonight than all the rest of the time I've known you."
"But, I was talking about Akane the whole time," Ranma protested.
Usagi let go of his arm and placed herself in front of him so that she could look up into his eyes. "Yes, but it was how you talked about her."
"Huh?" Ranma grunted in confusion.
"Don't worry about it," Usagi giggled. "I just feel that I understand you a lot better now."
"If ya say so," he shrugged.
Usagi nodded and turned to start walking again when she stubbed her toe on an uneven section of sidewalk. She waved her arms in a desperate attempt to keep her balance even as she started to fall forwards. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to hit. Before she finished falling, strong arms had wrapped around her and pulled her back up into a standing position.
"Hey, you ok?" Ranma asked as she opened her eyes, concern written all over his face.
"Yes, thank you," Usagi replied with a blush.
"Geez, you can be such a klutz," Ranma snorted.
Usagi pouted and tears sprung to her eyes as the pain from her stubbed toe combined with the soreness of feet not used to running barefoot. Ranma backed off a step and held his hands out in front of him.
"Hey! I didn't mean to make you cry or nothin'!"
"It's not that," Usagi sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "My feet just really hurt."
Ranma smirked a little before he crouched in front of her and looped his arms behind his back. "Come on, I'll carry ya back."
Usagi hesitated for a moment. "You're not going to roof hop, are you?" she asked timidly even as she got situated on his back.
"Not unless we have to," he replied as he stood and started off down the street. They had gotten maybe half a block before Usagi's breathing became deep and regular and her arms fell limply over his shoulders.
"Sleep well, Usagi," Ranma whispered as he continued tirelessly. Unseen by him, Luna stood on the stone wall a short ways behind him. The black moon cat watched them continue down the sidewalk before she sat down and smiled.
"Yes, sleep well Usagi. Sleep well."
Mimett staggered into her private quarters and collapsed on her bunk. Ever since Endymion had forced his way into the Death Busters, she had not had many assignments outside of their base. In addition, it seemed to her that she was little more than a puppet, or a toy, to Endymion. She clutched her pillow tightly and shuddered as she recalled how easily he had dominated her thoughts. At the same time, she found herself wanting to be held by him again.
"I have to prove myself," she muttered as she sat up. She looked long and hard at the computer that used to belong to Eugeial before she turned it on and began rooting through the files, looking for anything that may be useful. After searching for nearly an hour, she found a reference to a device that Eugeial had made but never used. Mimett smiled to herself as she read more and more of what it was supposed to be capable of.
"With this, I can defeat the senshi, prove myself to Endymion and take my rightful place as the top witch of the Witches 5!" She laughed before she flopped back onto her bunk, carelessly leaving the computer on.
The next morning, the house was a flurry of activity as the girls scrambled to get ready for school. Ranma and Ryouga were in the yard sparring as Makoto dashed down the stairs and hurriedly prepared a large breakfast. As she cooked, she glanced out the window and saw that Kouma was outside with them. Makoto smiled briefly as she thought what it might be like to train with Ranma in the mornings. She shook the thought away as she hurried to finish preparing breakfast.
"Hey! That smells good!" Kouma said as she bounced inside.
"Thanks, it'll be ready soon. Why don't you go make sure Minako is up?" Makoto smiled.
Kouma grinned as she dashed up the stairs. Makoto shrugged and returned to her cooking. Ranma and Ryouga had just stepped inside when an ear piercing shriek came from upstairs. Before either of them could react, a laughing Kouma raced past them and outside followed closely by a soaking wet Minako.
"Get over here so I can punish you!" Minako yelled as she brushed past Ranma.
"C'mon then!" Kouma laughed as she faced off against Minako. Minako snarled and leapt to the attack, but was almost casually dodged by Kouma. This repeated itself several times before Minako twisted from a jumping punch to a flying roundhouse kick. Kouma had just enough time to get her arms up before the force of the kick sent her skidding and bouncing across the lawn.
"That should do it," Minako said to herself as she dusted off her hands and turned to go back inside. She blushed when she saw that Ranma and Ryouga was standing in the door applauding lightly.
"I thought you didn't know much about martial arts," Ranma commented as Minako walked past him back into the house.
"I don't really," Minako shrugged. "I've been in a lot of fights though."
"Hey!" Kouma called as she bounced back to her feet. "Do you think it's over already? We only just started!"
"Give it up, Kouma!" Minako stuck her tongue out at her. "It's time for breakfast anyways."
"No fair Auntie Minako!" Kouma pouted while Minako took an involuntary step backwards, a strange look on her face.
"What did you just call me?" Minako asked slowly as she turned around.
"Auntie Minako," Kouma replied with a tight grin.
One of Minako's eyebrows twitched slightly as she glared at Kouma before she smiled brightly and walked back out to where Kouma was waiting. Without ever taking the smile from her face, she reached up quickly and grabbed Kouma's ear.
"Oww! Hey!" Kouma protested as Minako dragged her back into the house by her ear. Everyone else watched with a slightly amused look as Minako unceremoniously dumped Kouma at her place at the table. After one last tug, Minako released her ear and sat at the table directly opposite of Kouma.
"Kouma, if you're going to call someone 'Auntie', then you better be prepared for them to act like it," She grinned viciously across the table. "Do we understand each other now?"
Kouma swallowed hard and nodded.
"Great!" Minako smiled as she leaned back a little.
"I thought she loved sparring in the morning," Kouma commented as everyone else sat down.
"Uhm, not yet Kou-chan," Ami said.
"So, what are we going to do today? Training? Find some daimon to fight?" Kouma asked eagerly. A look of confusion covered her face as a black schoolbag was held out to her by Ranma.
"Schoolin'," Ranma grunted.
"This isn't fair," Kouma pouted as she walked with Usagi, Ami and Makoto towards Juuban Junior High.
"An education is very important," Ami said easily. "Besides, by going to school you can meet new friends."
"Don't need any new friends," Kouma muttered darkly before she tugged at the collar of the sailor fuku that she was wearing. "Besides, this thing makes me look stupid."
"It's not that bad," Usagi giggled.
"At least Makoto's uniform has some real style to it."
"The only reason I still wear this one is because they don't make that uniform in my size," Makoto laughed before she got a really serious expression on her face. "So, what's it like?"
"Huh?" Kouma replied.
"To have Ranma for a father, I mean. He's like a martial arts kami, I'll bet he's really strict about training."
"Well, he does insist that I train a lot. Although Mom won't let us go on any training trips without her," Kouma sighed. "Daddy used to talk a lot about his training trips with his father, and later on Uncle Ryouga, but I never got to do anything that exciting."
"Exciting?" Usagi asked.
"I can't really say," Kouma shrugged. "Daddy got really vague about his exciting training trips."
"How did you know they were exciting then?" Makoto asked.
"The number of bandages on him when he got home," Kouma shrugged.
"By the way," Ami asked, "Why Sailor Daichi and not Terra or Earth?"
Kouma blushed and looked away as she muttered something.
"I'm sorry?"
"It's stupid. You'll laugh," Kouma muttered.
"We won't laugh at you," Makoto said earnestly while Usagi nodded enthusiastically.
"I thought it sounded silly," Kouma said seriously.
"Silly?" Ami asked incredulously.
"I thought that the name 'Sailor Earth' was silly, ok?" Kouma grumbled. "Besides, I overheard a couple of the palace workers refer to me as Sailor Mud a few times."
"Didn't you tell your father?" Ami said sympathetically.
"Of course I did. Daddy told me to ignore them since they obviously didn't know what they were talking about. It still hurt though." Kouma shrugged and then placed her hands behind her head and looked up at the clear blue autumn sky. They were nearly to the school and she wasn't really looking forward to spending the entire day there. She would have preferred staying at the house and trained the entire time, but Ranma had been adamant. They walked on in silence then, simply enjoying the crisp air and the peaceful morning.
Mimett leaned slightly into the lab and looked around cautiously. Save for the tube containing Akane, the lab was empty. Mimett tiptoed in and looked over the control panel on Akane's infusion tube. She smiled and read the readout aloud.
"Secondary infusion complete, perfect." She wasted no further words before she deftly manipulated the controls. Inside the tube, the red fluid quickly drained. The breathing mask retracted automatically from Akane's face as the glass slowly receded into the floor. The red gem on her forehead glittered in the dim light as Akane opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on Mimett.
"Where is the Professor?" Akane asked simply.
"He's conferring with Mistress 9 right now," Mimett said with more confidence than she felt. "We have a mission to complete."
Akane absorbed this information with a nod of her head. Black energy swirled around her briefly, obscuring her from view. When it receded, Mimett had to blink to be sure she was seeing correctly. Akane was garbed in a green jumper over a white blouse, the standard Furinkan high girls school uniform.
"I am ready," Akane said with a nod as she inspected the uniform for flaws. Mimett just stood in slack jawed amazement. Akane had somehow masked all sense of being a daimon fusion. Even the gem on her forehead was no longer visible.
"I'll pick up our support daimon and brief you on the way," Mimett managed to say finally as she turned to the daimon fusor and placed a European dagger inside before throwing the switch.
Setsuna sighed to herself as she leaned against the gate to Juuban High school and waited. Most of the student population gave her a wide berth, especially since she appeared to be very irritated. The fact that she was scowling and muttering to herself was not lost upon the students that had been in her office before. Her impenetrable calm was practically a school legend. None of them dared to get close to her, except one.
"Geez, you look pissed," Ranma quipped as he walked straight up to her. "Was it somethin' I did?"
"No, but you'd better come with me anyway," she sighed as she reschooled her features into a calm facade and began walking towards the school. Ranma shrugged and fell in next to her.
"So..." Ranma spoke once they were clear of most of the other students, "what's up?"
"Your father is in my office waiting for you," she replied quietly. Ranma swore under his breath
"Couldn't ya have just gotten him ta leave or somethin'?" He asked in a cross voice.
"Not without revealing that I already knew about your 'extracurricular activities'," Setsuna frowned as they entered the school. "If he had shown up looking for you just after you arrived, I wouldn't have blinked before turning you over to him. Now, I have to do everything I can to keep you around."
"Huh?" Ranma gave her a bewildered look. "You wanted to get rid of me? Why?"
"Because you didn't have a place in the future I had been planning for longer than you can imagine. It was a utopia." Her voice trailed off and her eyes became distant as she recalled how hard she had worked over the millennia to make Crystal Tokyo a reality.
"Utopia?" Ranma asked as he scratched his head. "What's that?"
Setsuna sighed in exasperation before she patiently explained. "A utopia is a perfect society where all is peaceful and no-one has any hardships."
Ranma grunted and crossed his arms. "Nice dream, but reality bites and bites hard. It ain't ever gonna happen like that. People are just too mean an' greedy an' stuff fer somethin' like that to happen."
"Normally, that would be true," Setsuna conceded. "But during the next ice age, a great deal of people die before uniting under one banner wielded by the kindest person. She assured them that they would survive and that evil would never befall them."
"That's rich!" Ranma laughed. "I'll bet it didn't last five years before something went wrong and there was this huge fight. How would've little miss super kindness dealt with that?"
"It would have been nearly seven years, and she banished those that could not live peacefully within Crystal Tokyo." Setsuna said softly.
"See? I'll bet they even tried to come back and conquer tha place too," Ranma chuckled. Setsuna glowered before she spun and grabbed his collar, lifting him off the ground.
"How did you know that?" She growled.
"'Cause I know how people like that think. You get this really strong guy that figures he's better than everyone else and before too long he's bullied a bunch of people into following him. Then, when he and his buds get their asses seriously kicked and thrown outta the place, he swears revenge. He don't ever do it 'cause he's afraid of gettin' stomped again, but he'll pump his kids full of that crap and eventually the kids take up the cause. Then they return to tha place that kicked 'em out in the first place, spew some self righteous garbage about their birthright and try to take the place by force." Ranma narrowed his eyes. "And if tha place they're hittin' ain't ready for a fight, they die. Those kinda people play for keeps and don't give a rats ass about who they're gonna hurt tryin' to get what they want."
Setsuna blinked repeatedly before she slowly lowered Ranma's feet back to the floor, studiously ignoring the stares that she was getting from the teenagers trying to get to class on time. Ranma brushed his shirt to smooth out the wrinkles before he smirked at Setsuna.
"That's where people like me come in. Yeah, my life's been a serious bitch, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let someone bully someone weaker than 'im. Ya know, I think ya might have just gotten too happy with the cream and forgot that it curdles."
Setsuna smiled mysteriously as she spoke, "Maybe, but if it curdles long enough and is cared for, it becomes cheese."
"What do you mean?"
"To use your metaphor," Setsuna said as she placed her hand on the doorknob to her office, "the cream has curdled, but if I take the proper steps I will get a cheese. Not quite as sweet or smooth, but still quite good."
Ranma scratched his head in confusion as Setsuna opened the door to her office and gestured for Ranma to precede her into the room. He stopped scratching his head and frowned when he saw Genma sitting in one of the chairs reading a magazine.
"Hey Pops. Whatcha doin here?" Ranma asked as he stepped into the room.
"I'm concerned, Ranma," Genma said as he slowly closed the magazine. "We need to talk."
"No prob." Ranma said easily as he plopped into the other chair in front of the desk. Setsuna softly closed the door and moved to sit in her chair behind the desk. Genma shot her a dirty look that she ignored completely.
She held a sheet of paper out to Genma and smiled. "Mr. Saotome, I'd like to lead things off by showing you Ranma's progress since he began attending Juuban High."
"What's this?" Genma asked as he took the paper and looked at a series of numbers. He promptly forgot the careful questions he had prepared to ask his son as he tried to make heads or tails of what was in his hands. "It's just a bunch of numbers," he spoke in a confused tone of voice as he looked up at Setsuna.
"Those, Mr. Saotome, are Ranma's grades and discipline scores from Furinkan high," she replied as she pulled out a second sheet and presented it to him.
"Pathetic boy, you should be ashamed!" Genma snapped at Ranma as he took the second sheet from Setsuna.
"Take a look at his grades and discipline marks since he started attending Juuban High before you get too critical of your son," Setsuna said calmly. Genma glanced at the paper and then had to look at it again. He shook his head and then removed his glasses. As he cleaned his glasses, Ranma gave Setsuna a questioning look. She merely smiled at him as Genma replaced his glasses and looked at the paper again.
"Are... Are you sure these are correct?" Genma asked in a weak voice.
"Of course," Setsuna said easily. "As you can see, the improvement is remarkable. Enough so that by the time he graduates he should have no trouble with the college entrance exams."
Genma sank back into his chair and looked at the grade sheet again. "I see," he sighed as he turned a steely gaze onto his son. "Where are you living, boy? I found your old camp site in a park."
"He's staying in a boarding house right now," Setsuna answered, "along with several other, displaced, students."
"Displaced students?" Genma asked.
"Yes. Several of their parents have traveled overseas and wished for their children to remain in their schools, as well as an orphan." Setsuna's face took on a calculating look that eerily reminded Ranma of Nabiki. "Of course should he leave before the end of the semester, you would be responsible for the costs of his stay."
"Costs?" Genma asked nervously. "How much are talking about?"
"Let's see," The green haired woman selected another file from her desk and showed it to Genma. "That would detail the costs for his boarding. Considering the cost of living, it's not too much."
"That's almost a million yen!" Genma screamed.
"Give or take," she agreed. "Of course, if he does continue to stay there and achieves passing marks, the stay is free, outside of food expenses."
"Ranma my boy," the bald martial artist towered over his son as he spoke. "I expect you to do well in school from now on."
"Whatever you say, pops," Ranma shrugged.
Genma looked over at Setsuna again. "I apologize for taking so much of your time and for all the trouble my ingrate son has caused you. The last thing I need is the address of the boarding house so that I can remain in contact with him."
"Of course. Ranma, you may return to your classes now."
The pigtailed martial artist rose and bowed briefly to Setsuna before leaving the office. Once he closed the door behind him, Ranma suddenly realized that Genma had already decided to let him stay. Otherwise, his father would have merely lay in waiting to ambush him and try to drag him back to the Tendos'.
"I guess yesterday changed his mind," Ranma muttered to himself as he made his way back to class.
That afternoon, Ranma, Ryouga and the senshi met at the Crown arcade shortly after Ranma finished his shift. Unlike her previous visits to the arcade, Usagi was quiet and withdrawn. Rei glanced worriedly at their leader and sighed. The last time she had seen Usagi act like that was right after the first time Mamoru had dumped her. She seriously considered starting a fight with Usagi just to get her out of her shell, but decided against it. They made their way towards the back where they could remain relatively undisturbed.
"Any ideas as to why they would kidnap Akane rather than just steal her heart crystal?" the shrine maiden asked pointedly.
"I'm not sure, but we can take this opportunity to review what we know of the enemy," Ami replied softly as she opened the Mercury computer and started typing. "We know that the daimons are formed by fusing a small shell containing some form of distilled evil with an inanimate object." As she spoke a small hologram appeared above the computed and showed a brief video showing a daimon egg fusing with Ryouga's backpack and forming a daimon. "We also know that daimons do not have a great deal of intelligence and require a great deal of guidance from the witches that control them."
"There's no faulting their power though," Makoto said grimly. They nodded in agreement while Ami brought up a new animation in the hologram that showed a rotating 3D image of previous daimons. The power levels for each were displayed in a bar graph format on one side of the image while on the other was a small image of what was used to form each daimon.
"My theory is that they have not been fusing with people because normal humans are frail and weak in comparison. All the data I've collected suggests that much of a daimon's power and ability to resist damage come from the properties of what it was fused with."
"That still don't explain why they took Akane!" Ranma growled.
"A bargaining chip maybe," Kouma said. "Endymion knows the value of a hostage."
"Damn it!" Ranma growled as he slammed his fist against the wall.
"We're getting off track," Ami admonished them. "We need to worry more about who is going to be the next target for a daimon as well as figuring out where they are based. We need to get on the offensive and soon."
"I agree," Haruka said firmly as she and Michiru walked up to join the group.
"Haruka! Michiru!" Usagi greeted them with an enthusiastic hug. "It's good to see you again!"
Haruka nodded briskly. "Any new developments?" she asked bluntly.
Ami nodded and proceeded to tell them about Akane's capture and the arrival of Kouma.
"Isn't it very dangerous for you to be here?" Michiru asked Kouma once Ami had finished her briefing.
"Yeah, a little," Kouma shrugged. "If danger bothered me, I wouldn't have become a senshi in the first place."
Michiru laughed a little at this and looked up at Haruka. "She sounds a lot like you." She blinked a few times when she saw the sudden tensing of the inner senshi. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"
"It's not that," Makoto managed to say as she relaxed a bit. "It's just that Kouma refuses to tell us who her mother is and it's causing a bit of anxiety."
"I think it's a safe bet that I'm not going to be her mother," Haruka laughed. When she finished laughing, her face took on a flinty look of determination. "Even knowing that Usagi is the princess, it's still not a sure thing that she is the messiah that we are looking for. We have to find the messiah before the Deathbusters find their dark messiah."
"Easier said than done," Minako remarked. "We know nothing about this messiah other than the ability to channel a tremendous amount of power from the grail."
"Can anyone use this grail thingy?" Ranma asked as he scratched at the base of his pigtail. "What I mean is, could we train someone enough to be able to use it tha way yer talkin' about?"
The girls shared a looked of disbelief before they all turned their eyes to Ranma.
"We never thought of that," Usagi admitted.
"I wonder if it could work," Ami wondered as she opened the Mercury computer again and began typing rapidly. Everyone waited impatiently for several minutes before Ami gasped in shock and stopped typing.
"What is it?" Rei asked anxiously.
"Ranma's statement made me stumble across something as I searched for more data on the grail." She smiled brightly at the other girls. "He's right, to a certain extent. All of us can train to increase the effectiveness of our magic and our capability to channel magic as well."
"And?" Michiru asked, sensing a leading statement.
"The key to this training isn't just casting our spells over and over again. From what I can tell our physical conditioning plays a factor as well. Also, our state of mind has a tremendous impact on our abilities."
"Huh?" Minako and Usagi said in unison.
"She means that you have to be in shape and have a clear mind to channel great amounts of magic," Rei snapped.
"If that's true," Makoto said uneasily, "then why is Usagi's magic more powerful than mine?"
"Natural ability, I think." Ami concluded as she slowly shut the computer. "Also, she focuses her energy through the Ginzousho. The stone itself acts like a magical amplifier for her will."
"Well, I guess I'll just have to try harder," Usagi giggled.
"C'mon, it's starting to get crowded," Makoto said as she jerked a thumb towards a rowdy group of students that had entered the arcade.
"Let's head over to my place," Rei suggested. "I think I still have some old clothes that might fit Kou-chan."
"What's wrong with the clothes I have?" Kouma asked sourly.
"Other than the fact that they look just like the clothes Ranma's wearing, nothing." Minako remarked. "Matching outfits are really unfashionable right now."
Kouma sniffed disdainfully, but didn't say anything as they filed out of the arcade.
"Mimett? Are you in here? Mimett?" Tellu called out as she opened the door to Mimett's room. "The wretch is hiding from me, how can I gloat properly if she isn't around to hear it?" Tellu laughed as she started to close the door. She stopped when she noticed the computer was still on.
"What's this?" She asked as she sat down in front of the computer. Her eyes widened and then narrowed as the data scrolled down the screen. She smiled wickedly to herself as she turned the computer off and walked towards the door.
"It's too bad, really," Tellu said finally as she turned to look back into Mimett's room one last time. "I was really hoping for more time to gloat."
She stiffened slightly as a pair of strong arms encircled her from behind. She relaxed almost instantly, though, and leaned back into the embrace.
"Gloat about what?" Endymion asked softly, his breath tickling her ear. Tellu turned to look him in the eye opened her mouth to respond when he swamped her with a kiss first. She squeaked indignantly as he pinched her rear and herded her towards the unmade bed in the corner.
"This is important!" she protested as he lowered her onto the mattress.
"So is this," Endymion grinned at her. He waved his hand at the open door and an invisible force slammed it shut.
Rei deftly steered Kouma into her room as the others made themselves comfortable in the next room in preparation for another study session. Rei suppressed a smile as she appraised the younger girl. ::She looks so much like Ranma's girl side. She'll be a real heartbreaker when she gets a little older.::
"How old are you?" Rei asked Kouma as she opened her closet and started rooting around for old clothes.
"Thirteen last January," Kouma replied.
"Thirteen?" Rei gave her a quick glance. "Are you sure?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kouma asked with just a hint of defensiveness in her voice.
"Well..." Rei drawled and slowly looked her from head to toe before stopping her gaze at her chest. Kouma immediately crossed her arms and blushed a bit.
"Daddy told me that when girls exercise a lot, they grow later, ok?" Kouma mumbled.
"Of course," Rei said evenly as she turned back to the closet.
"It's the truth!" Kouma half shouted before she began to cry. Rei gave her a sharp look before she knelt in front of her.
"Kou-chan, there's no reason for you to be so self conscious about it. You're still growing and, well, some people just fill out a little later than others." Rei said soothingly as she hugged her.
"You sound just like Mommy..." Kouma sniffled. "But all the boys at school are making fun of me. I'm taller than them, and yet I look younger than some of the girls in my class."
"Is that all?" Rei asked in mock amazement.
"Isn't that enough?" Kouma demanded.
"Not at all," Rei said sternly as she held the young girl at arms length. "Don't pay those boys any attention. They just feel intimidated because you are taller than them. Just be yourself and you'll be fine." Rei paused for a moment and then grinned wickedly. "However, if they get to be really nasty, why don't you tell your father about it?"
"Why? He wouldn't fight those boys, he wouldn't even want me to fight them 'cause they aren't martial artists." Kouma asked, confused.
"No, but I'm sure he could come up with some really nasty tricks to play on them... Like changing into a girl and picking you up at school claiming to be your older sister."
Kouma looked at Rei with wide eyes for a moment before she burst out laughing. "That'd be funny!"
Rei laughed with her for a while before she turned back her closet and began tossing a veritable storm of clothes at the younger girl. Kouma grinned as she caught each item, folded it and placed it on Rei's bed a split second before catching the next one.
"Rei!" Usagi whispered urgently as she stuck her head through the door.
"What is it?" Rei sounded exasperated as she leaned back from her closet.
"Come on, you gotta see this!" Usagi's ponytails shook as she giggled. She gestured again for Rei and Kouma to follow her as she scampered off down the hallway.
"Come on Kouma," Rei sighed. "She'll be back again in a minute if we don't go and see whatever it is she's talking about."
Kouma nodded and the two of them stood and walked out of the room. Once they were in the hall, they saw most of the others gathered around one of the windows.
"Well?" Kouma asked eagerly. "What is it?"
"Shh!" Makoto hushed her. "They'll hear you!"
Rei and Kouma peeked out the window and saw Ryouga and Minako talking softly while holding hands. Minako had an expectant look on her face while Ryouga looked slightly confused.
"I wonder what they're talkin' about," Ranma grunted.
"A planetarium?" Ryouga asked.
"Sure!" Minako gushed. "You get to see all the stars and constellations that you can't see from the city there. Not to mention when they show you the movements of the stars and planets. It's really cool!"
"I don't know," the bandanna clad boy hedged for a moment. "I've seen the stars plenty of times while traveling..."
"I haven't," she pouted. "Please? For me, Ryo-chan?" She grasped his hand in both of hers and held it up against her chest. She batted her eyes as she looked up at him. She knew she had won when she saw the sweat on his face and he was visibly trembling.
"Ah, alright then. Let's go," Ryouga barely managed to squeak out.
Minako squealed with delight and hugged him. Ryouga's face turned beet red as he slowly brought his shaking arms up.
"Gently," Minako whispered when she felt his arms move.
A feeling of warmth flooded through Ryouga when he realized that despite the fact that he had inadvertently hurt her with his strength twice before she was not running from him. The blond girl sighed contentedly as Ryouga engulfed her in a firm, but still gentle hug. She leaned her head against his firmly muscled chest and closed her eyes. Minako could feel his heart racing as she snuggled closer to him.
"Don't they look sweet together?" Usagi whispered to the others as they watched from inside the house.
"They haven't changed a bit," Kouma sighed, a dreamy expression on her face.
"Hey, where are they going?" Makoto asked as Ryouga and Minako ended their embrace and proceeded down the temple stairs hand in hand.
"A date?" Ranma wondered. "I woulda thought that Ryouga'd be pretty content just holdin' her..."
"Let's follow them!" Usagi declared as she pointed towards the stairs.
"We really shouldn't," Ami blushed, "what if they want to be alone?"
"If it starts to look like they're going to do that, we can always make sure that they stay undisturbed," Rei giggled wickedly.
"Come on!" Usagi half shouted, "They're getting away!" She dashed towards the temple stairs with the other girls not far behind.
"Why do I get the feelin' that we're gonna regret this?" Ranma asked rhetorically as he followed the girls out.
Professor Tomoe scowled as he entered his lab and found that Akane was gone. There was nothing damaged, so he knew that someone had let her out.
"Endymion!" the Professor bellowed. Almost immediately he could hear the steady clinking of metal shod feet striking concrete.
"What is it this time?" the armored man asked sourly. "I was getting to know Tellu better."
"You can amuse yourself later!" Professor Tomoe snapped. "Someone took Akane out early!"
"Was the infusion complete?" Endymion asked, suddenly all business.
"The secondary infusion, yes. The final infusion, which would have completely separated her spirit from the daimon was not done. As things stand now, there is a small chance that she could break free of its control. She will remember everything, should that happen."
"How small?" Endymion growled.
"Moderately," Tomoe adjusted his glasses. "If she meets with someone she knows the chances will increase exponentially."
"I've got to stop Mimett!" he turned to leave, his cape swirling dramatically.
"How do you know it was Mimett?" the Professor asked as he followed the prince towards the exit.
"It has to be her. Tellu was with me and the twins were with you." Endymion said shortly. "It's also the kind of half baked thing she would do." He paused for a moment and turned to Professor Tomoe. "Would you be able to do the final infusion despite this interruption?"
Tomoe shook his head. "No, once she left a controlled environment my ability to further adjust the fusion was effectively countered."
"Damn. Send my daimons after me once they are ready to fight again. I may need them to counter the Senshi." Endymion nodded curtly to him and then broke into a run.
Minako was hugging Ryouga's arm as they leaned back in their seats and enjoyed watching the stars projected on the domed roof. The announcer spoke often, describing the movements that the projected stars were taking, but they ignored him completely. They also ignored the large group of monitors that showed telescope images of nebulas and other galactic phenomena. Unknown to them, the others were three rows back watching the couple a lot more intently than the spectacular representation of the stars.
"Ryo-chan," Minako whispered.
"Hmm?"
"I want to watch the real stars with you someday," she snuggled closer to him.
"Soon," Ryouga promised. "When the fighting is done we can take a trip."
Minako resisted the urge to shout in triumph and settled for kissing him on the cheek. She could feel the heat radiating from his blush even before she had finished pulling her lips from him. She giggled softly and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Their peaceful moment was broken when someone else in the audience stood and approached the announcer.
"Excuse me," the announcer said in an irritated tone. "Please return to your seat so that you do not disturb everyone."
"Oh, don't worry, the only one I really plan on disturbing is you!" Mimmet said as she opened her briefcase and released the daimon. The rest of the audience screamed and stampeded to the emergency exits.
"Stiletto! Take the pure heart of this man!" Mimett yelled.
"Damn it!" Ryouga swore as he and Minako ducked into one of the alcoves.
"We'd better transform!" Minako said as she held up her henshin stick. "Venus Planet Power, Make Up!"
Ryouga nodded and channeled some of his ki into his armor, doing his best to ignore his girlfriend's nude, glowing form.
"You'd better call the others," Ryouga said once she had finished her transformation.
"No need," Sailor Moon said as she and the rest of the senshi dashed past their hiding place.
"You followed us!" Sailor Venus spat accussingly as she and Ryouga followed them out of the alcove.
"We can discuss this later," Ranma barked. "I'll get the guy away from the daimon, then we can get 'em."
Ranma leapt towards the daimon, his leg extended into a kick when a blast of dark energy knocked him out of the air. He landed roughly and rolled quickly to his feet and glared towards his unseen attacker. Much to his surprise, Akane stepped out of the shadows wearing a black and red skin tight outfit that exposed a lot of cleavage. A mallet formed in her hands and dark energy began coursing across its surface like black lightning. The ruby embedded in her forehead glinted as she grinned maliciously at Ranma.
"Hello, Ranma. Did you miss me?" she asked mockingly as she raised the mallet and charged him.
The pig-tailed martial artist dodged almost mechanically as he stared in slack-jawed amazement at his former fiancee. He grunted as he was tagged by a follow up attack that came much faster than anticipated. Ranma stepped back to gain some breathing room and maybe find some sort of an advantage, but that small hope died as Akane rushed in close, discarding her mallet in favor of punches and kicks.
Despite everything, Ranma still couldn't bring himself to strike Akane. Every time he saw an opening, he ignored it and dodged or blocked every punch and kick she sent his way.
"What's the matter? Is the great Ranma Saotome afraid to fight me?" Akane taunted him as they locked arms.
Ranma growled deep in his throat and shifted his stance ever so slightly before he bunched his muscles and lifted the surprised girl off of her feet. Deprived of any kind of leverage her kicks on his armored ribs had little to no effect.
"Ya know what?" he growled, "I think it's high time I did fight you for real." With that, he tossed his opponant into one of the support columns. Akane slumped briefly and shook her head.
"Come on then," Ranma gestured to her with one hand. "Show me what you've got."
Akane screamed wordlessly as she launched herself at him. A mallet formed of dark energy appeared in her hands a split second before she swung it at his head. Ranma bent over backwards, placed one hand on the ground and kicked her wrist hard enough to send the mallet flying. He finished the backwards flip and smirked at Akane as she formed another mallet.
He dodged the next attack by flipping over her head. When he landed directly behind her, he couldn't help but tap her on the back of the head with a single finger; just like he had when he had first met the Tendo girl. Akane turned slowly and Ranma could see that the evil expression had been replaced by one of fear.
"Help me, Ranma!" Akane yelled as she grabbed her head in both hands. "It's in my mind!"
"Akane?" Ranma asked as he leaned over her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What did they do to you?"
"They put one of _them_ in my head, making me do and say things I don't want to do! Get it out! Get OUT!" She screamed and backed away from Ranma as a blue aura and a black aura sprung up around her and seemed to be battling for control.
"Akane?" Ranma asked again and stepped closer to her.
"Get away!" she screamed as the black aura lashed towards Ranma and sent him tumbling head over heels. Just as suddenly, the black aura overwhelmed the blue one and Akane charged Sailor Mercury with a murderous expression on her face.
"Ranma!" Sailor Moon yelled as she moved to cover for the downed martial artist. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Ranma grunted. "Get rid of that daimon quick and then we can concentrate on helping Akane."
Sailor Moon nodded and looked over the battlefield. Sailor Mercury was being hard pressed by the possessed Akane, but Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars were leaping to her assistance. Sailor Daichi, Sailor Venus and Ryouga were fighting the daimon while Mimett was fiddling with something near the monitors.
"Aku Ryo Taisan!" the senshi of fire yelled as she attached one of her wards to Akane's forehead. Instead of freezing her in place, Akane reacted as if the ward was red hot and was scrambling to remove it. Interestingly enough, while one hand was trying to remove the ward, the other was fighting to keep it in place.
"Tie her up! Quick!" Sailor Jupiter yelled and then ducked to avoid a vicious slash from the daimons blade covered fingers. She snarled at the daimon and electricity arced around her as she charged her attack.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter yelled and threw her ball of lightning at the daimon, hitting it square in the chest.
The daimon screamed and stood stock still. Sailor Moon wasted no time and cast her magic as quickly as possible, reducing the daimon to a small dagger that quickly fell to the floor.
Mimett trembled slightly as the Senshi fanned out and surrounded her, ignoring Akane's struggles for the moment. The orange haired witch fumbled with the last connection and then plugged the device she was working on into an outlet.
"Ha! It's too late now!" She screamed in triumph. The lights dimmed as she threw a switch. "With this I will have more than enough power to destroy all of you!"
The assembled senshi and martial artists covered their eyes as the monitors on the wall began emitting a bright light. The witches laughter changed in tone as her body disappeared and then reappeared as a gigantic image on the screens.
"Oh hell," Ranma muttered as he crouched in preparation.
"Now I have the all the power of Tokyo behind me!" Mimet's image gloated from the wall of televisions.
"There's only one problem," a voice called from the shadows.
"What? Who's there?" The orange haired witch screamed when she saw a tall form in the shadows near the device. The newcomer took a step forward and revealed the smirking face of Endymion. He gestured slightly and the ward on Akane's forehead burst in flame. The possesed girl stood and moved to stand at his side as the senshi boggled.
"Tellu told me about this thing," Endymion said as he picked up the power cord. "Do you know why Eugeal never used it, despite the potential for such power?" He shook the cord twice to make his point clear.
"You wouldn't!" Mimett screamed, her face distorting as she gathered power to lash out at him. "I love you!"
"The feeling was never mutual, you were nothing more than a toy for my pleasure. You've failed me for the last time Mimett," Endymion said as he held up the cord so that she could see him yank it out of the wall. Mimett screamed in agony as she was slowly torn to pieces as the capacitors gradually discharged and finally emptied. The sailor suited defenders of love and justice covered their eyes as the screens suddenly exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. When they dared to look again, more than one of them felt ill when they saw the gore that dripped from inside the shattered electronics.
"How could you?" Sailor Moon sobbed as she clenched the Spiral Heart Moon Rod tightly in both hands, "How could you just throw away a life like that?"
"Easy," he leered at her briefly before continuing. "First of all, her power is nothing to what I would gain should I tame you, but I needed some power to quickly recover my full strength. Since I only know one way to do that she made a very useful play toy." He looked up as if in recollection. "The screaming was easy to deal with, but those nails of hers were murder on my back."
"You're sick," Ranma spat.
"Thanks awfully," The tall prince of the Earth sneered. "At any rate, I recently drained the last of her magic and since she's too bony to be a good concubine, I discarded her."
Ranma didn't hesitate any longer. He rushed towards him, roaring his anger and defiance only to have Akane smoothly step in the way and throw one of her mallets at him. Ranma ducked and quickly swept the feet out from under his former fiancee before launching himself at Endymion.
"Fool!" the black armored man yelled as his eyes glowed crimson. The pigtailed martial artist's forward motion took a sudden reversal and he flew backwards past his stunned allies. Ranma's eyes went wide as he was slammed into the far wall and held motionless.
"Shi Shi Hokkoudan!" Ryouga launched his ki blast at Endymion and readied his umbrella. He still didn't want to hit Akane, but the swirling black aura she had was enough to convince him that she had to be stopped before she could be helped.
Endymion was forced to dodge the glowing green sphere of angst laden ki and when he did so he lost his concentration. Ranma dropped lightly and landed on his feet and was instantly moving again. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the Senshi were spreading out and launching their magic at the evil prince randomly. At least it seemed random at first until he dodged a Burning Mandala only to get hit with both a Sparkling wide pressure and a Shine Aqua illusion.
"Keep it up!" Ranma yelled as he leapt past Endymion and dented his breastplate with a ki charged punch.
Sailor Venus barely heard him since she was slowly circling Akane, the crystal sword held low and its point weaving in the air.
"Your move," Akane said easily as she flexed one darkness enshrouded hand. Sailor Venus slashed at her opponent once, aiming to sever the major muscles in the leg. Unfortunately for her, Akane was much to quick for that to be effective. Before the blonde senshi could recover from her swing and bring her guard back up, Akane had stepped forward and punched her in the ribs several times. Sailor Venus screamed as the dark energy coursed over her midsection like bolts of black lightning and her vision went dim as she fell back from the assault. She never saw Ryouga leap between her and Akane.
"Snap out of it, Akane!" Ryouga pleaded as he blocked her punches and kicks. "This isn't you!"
Akane's face twisted suddenly into an expression of anguish and a look of terror could be seen deep in her eyes.
"Kill me!" She pleaded. "Before it can take over again!"
"Akane?" Ryouga hesitated.
That hesitation nearly proved fatal as Akane's features returned to being an angry sneer and she slammed Ryouga across the room with her mallet. Only Ryouga's superior endurance from the bakusai tenketsu training prevented him from becoming a pancake. As it was, he was badly bruised and shaking as he regained his feet.
Even as the senshi and Ranma repositioned themselves to cover for their weakened comrades, Endymion's daimon bodyguards burst into the room, surrounding them.
"Damn," Ranma muttered as he looked around. "This don't look none too good."
"There's too many of them for us to fight," Sailor Mars muttered angrily as she turned to face one of the daimons.
"What can we do?" Sailor Moon asked as she fidgeted with her rod.
That action caught Ranma's eyes and he thought rapidly. "Sailor Moon, when you do that heart thingy, don't you have to spin really fast?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Does it all go into that heart?" he asked intently.
Sailor Moon's brow furrowed as she thought. "No, some of it spirals off on it's own. It helps to contain the blast."
"Everyone, hold onto something!" He said urgently, but only just loud enough for the senshi to hear him. "Sailor Moon, I want you to do that attack, but aim it straight up,"
"Up?" She asked.
"Yes, up!" He yelled as he concentrated on the Soul of Ice. "Do it now! Mars, when that spiral starts to form, shoot as much flame as you can into it!" Sailor Mars nodded and concentrated.
"Are you crazy?" Ryouga demanded as he threw himself over Sailor Venus and dug his hands into the floor. Ranma didn't respond, an icy blue aura was visible around him as Sailor Moon began her spin. Sailor Daichi swallowed hard and flattened herself against the ground.
"Maybe, but he's doing it anyway!" she replied for her father.
"Moon..."
"Now Mars!" Ranma yelled.
"Fire Soul!" Sailor Mars yelled as she released a continuous torrent of flame into the forming spiral.
"What is he planning?" Sailor Mercury asked curiously as she started to reach for her computer. Ranma's sweat was visibly freezing against his skin now and the air around them seemed cooler.
"Spiral..."
"Hiryu..."
"Shut up and hit the deck!" Ryouga yelled as he grabbed Sailor Jupiter with one hand and pulled her to the ground. The flames had them encircled, forcing the daimons to keep their distance. A spiral of pure fire radiated out from the center of Sailor Moon's rod. Cold air drawn from Ranma's body had also entered the spiral. The senshi were alternately roasting and freezing.
"Heart..."
"Shoten..."
Sailor Mercury had pulled her computer out and was staring wide eyed at the readings she was getting. Ranma moved into a crouch as he prepared to launch his uppercut.
"No way! No-one can do that!" Sailor Mercury protested as she flung herself to the ground and held onto Ryouga's arm as hard as she could.
"ATTACK!" Sailor Moon finished charging her spell and launched it straight up.
"HA!" Ranma yelled as he drove his fist directly into the giant heart right as it finished forming.
The room exploded in a furious maelstrom of fire, wind, glass and debris!
"Hang on!" Ranma yelled as he clung to a metal post. Sailor Moon screamed as the seat she was holding onto broke free of its mounting and she was sucked into the cyclone.
"Sailor Moon!" Mars called out as she grabbed her friend's foot, only to be sucked in as well.
"Look after the others, Ryouga!" Ranma shouted as he leapt into the whirlwind. It was hard to breathe as he leapt from one chunk of debris to another in a vain attempt to reach the two girls. He swore as loudly as he could when the roof finally gave way and flung the two senshi away from him. There was no sign of Akane, Endymion and his daimons as Ranma was catapulted from the twister as well. Ranma narrowed his eyes and was barely able to pick out where Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars landed before he crashed into the side of a building, leaving an impression shaped like his body. With a yell of sheer determination he forced his battered body to move towards where he saw the girls land, ignoring the stares coming from the people below him.
::I'm coming!:: he thought furiously.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars landed in a tangled heap in an alleyway. They lay unmoving for several minutes until finally Sailor Mars stirred.
"Ok, that was pretty stupid," she muttered as she slowly worked her way out from under Sailor Moon's unconscious form. Her skirt was mostly shredded and the ribbons were missing except for tiny scraps where they were attached. She was bruised all over and very tired. With a grunt she sat up and checked on Sailor Moon. The pony tailed senshi wasn't in much better shape.
"Wake up," Sailor Mars said softly as she tapped her hand on Sailor Moon's cheek. "We've got to go."
Sailor Moon groaned and slowly sat up and took in the dark and dirty alley they were in.
"Where are we?" she asked as she struggled to stand.
"I can't really say, let me look around a little while you catch your breath," Sailor Mars spoke softly as she walked towards the mouth of the alley.
Sailor Moon bent over and placed her hands on her knees and breathed deeply. Just as she was starting to feel more like a human being again she heard an ear piercing scream. she turned to the source of the scream and saw Endymion's four daimons had surrounded Sailor Mars and were punching and kicking her repeatedly. Finally, one of the daimons picked her up by the throat. Sailor Mars kicked weakly for a moment before her eyes rolled back in her head and she stopped moving.
Sailor Moon screamed in horror as Sailor Mars' limp form was callously tossed aside by the daimon. Only the slow rise and fall of her chest kept Sailor Moon from believing her to be dead.
"How careless of you," Endymion said as he stepped in front of his body guards, causing Sailor Moon to back up a step. "You shouldn't have allowed yourself to become separated from your protectors."
Sailor Moon tensed, her eyes flicking back and forth between Endymion, his daimon guards and Sailor Mars. "What do you want?" She asked as she tried to put up a brave font.
"You know the answer to that question," he said coldly as he brushed his hair back with one hand. "Join with me and I'll let her live. Refuse, and Sailor Mars dies here and now!"
Sailor Moon froze in shock. She knew she couldn't join Endymion, but she couldn't let her friend die either. Her hesitation betrayed her as Endymion made a lightning fast grab for her. She snapped out of her confusion just as his grasped firmly onto the front of her fuku. With an ear splitting scream she struggled to pull away from him.
"You're mine!" Endymion growled.
"Never!" Sailor Moon screamed her defiance as she gave one last, desperate pull. The dark blue bow on the front of her fuku finally ripped and Sailor Moon fell backwards. She gasped in shock as translucent red ribbons encircled her quickly and then retreated, leaving her in her regular school uniform.
Endymion opened his hand and stared at the broach for a moment before he started to chuckle. This quickly turned into an evil sounding belly laugh.
"It seems you no longer have a choice in the matter," he said finally as he placed the broach inside a pocket. "You will be coming with me now," He looked over his shoulder at his daimons. "Kill the other one. We have no use for her."
"Mars!" Usagi screamed as she slapped Endymion as hard as she could. He sneered at her before backhanding her hard enough to send her back to the ground. Before he could take a step forward to claim the rest of his prize, he was cut off by Ranma leaping in front of him.
"Looks like I finally found ya," Ranma growled.
"Too late, I might say," Endymion smirked. "Kill them and bring Usagi to me!" he commanded his daimons as he faded from view.
"Not gonna happen," Ranma snarled as he flared his aura. The alley was narrow enough that the daimons could only approach him one at a time. As the first one cocked its sword to run him through, Ranma deftly twisted its wrist to force it to drop the sword. Without slowing down he slammed his elbow into the daimons chest, shattering the breastplate.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" The pigtailed martial artist's hands blurred as he brutally pummeled the daimon. Broken and battered, the daimon fell back and the next one took its place in front of Ranma. He snorted as he almost casually kicked it in the face. Purple ichor splashed from under his heel and the daimons head snapped backwards. Ranma spun on his heel and kicked the daimon on the back of its knees, toppling it over.
"Come on you worthless piles of trash!" Ranma yelled. "Show me what you got!"
The third daimon approached cautiously, its sword point weaving threateningly in front of it. Ranma gestured for it to come at him. The daimon scowled as it raised the sword for a powerful downward stroke. Ranma's form blurred as he stepped inside its guard and unleashed the Amaguriken on its unprotected belly.
"Oh no you don't," Ranma snarled as it started to fall back. His left hand flashed out and grabbed it by the neck as he continued to rain punches down on its face and chest.
Usagi watched in horror as the last daimon leapt over Ranma and his opponent and reached out for her.
"Ranma!" Usagi screamed as the daimon grabbed her blouse and lifted her off her feet.
Ranma spun and kicked off the daimon he was mauling and launched himself at the daimon that was getting ready to leap off. He paused only briefly to scoop up the sword that the first daimon had lost. The armored martial artist leaped over the daimon, turning in a flip as he did so. When he was upside down directly above the daimon, he slashed once with the sword, cutting off both of its arms.
Usagi was blinded by a spray of purple blood and she fell backwards screaming, only to be caught by Ranma as he landed.
"Hang on a second longer," Ranma muttered as he set Usagi back on the ground and dropped the sword. His aura flared larger than Usagi had ever seen and then flowed into the ball of ki that he held in the palms of his hands.
"Mouko..." sweat poured down Ranma's face as the ball swelled to a tremendous size and electricity arced from the ball to the surrounding walls. "Takabisha!" Ranma roared as he launched the ki towards the daimon he had just maimed. The daimon screamed once as the ki impacted it and burst through its chest and out its back to continue on and explode amongst the remaining three, scattering them. The other daimons took one look at the shattered remains of their companion and fled.
Ranma stood straight and tall only until he saw that the other daimons had retreated. Once they were out of sight, he slumped over in exhaustion.
"Are you alright, Ranma?" Usagi asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"A bit winded," Ranma gasped. "I'll be alright. Why ain't ya Sailor Moon anymore?"
Usagi let out a low cry and glomped onto Ranma's chest, nearly knocking the worn out martial artist over.
"H, Hey! What's wrong?"
Usagi looked up at Ranma with tear filled eyes. "He has the Ginzousho! I can't transform into Sailor Moon anymore!"
***
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