The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi Rumiko or Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current author. This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow my head in shame: please forgive. We also have guest appearances by Slayers and 3x3 Eyes. Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to it's story timeline... This story is dedicated to the letter M and the number -4.6. Visit my website at dzillman@ozemail.com.au http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire _________________ / \ | Destiny's Child | \_________________/ What has gone before: While on a training trip with his father, Ranma fell into the spring of the drowned young girl. Unfortunately, his curse can only be changed back with _very_ hot water, which means he spends most of the time in his cursed form. Not only that, but since the spring was drowned young girl, he turns into a 12 year old girl who never ages. Having finally returned to Japan after 400 years of travel and experience, Ranma is trying to make a new life. Ranma's (or Tomoe Hotaru as his girl half is known) does not seem capable of having a normal life. He is learning Shinto from Hino Rei, pursued by the boy starved girls of the Sailor Senshi and simply pursued by the enraged demon-pig Ryoga, and unbeknownst to him, his girl half's best friend is a time travelling Senshi-in-training. Just when he was worrying that there were no good martial artists in Tokyo, a certain Amazon arrives claiming the same thing. Well, one thing led to another and can you say "Amazon Law"? The Outers are plotting, the Inners are confused, and every woman, man and beast on the planet seems to be after Ranma for one reason or another. Now Ranma's troubles have increased further as he has manifested the powers of Saturn Knight, a masked defender not entirely unlike Tuxedo Kamen. And then there is Sailor Mars... ------------- Aftermath ------------- Chibi-Usa sat in her room, staring at the wall. For the last two hours, she had been sitting there, patting the black cat that she held in her lap. In the entire time she did not say one thing, just sitting and patting. Like any cat, Luna was a complete hedonist when it came to being petted. There was nothing that she liked more than being fawned over and cared for. Given the slightest opportunity she would lie in the sunlight, or stretch across a warm lap. Warm laps like Chibi-Usa’s were preferable because they often came with attentive arms, and those arms would have hands that were just perfect for stroking her back. Chibi-Usa was so much better at this than Usagi. Although Usagi’s heart was in the right place, she often had the unfortunate tendency to beat her pet when she was trying to be nice. Chibi-Usa on the other hand had the whole deal down pat - no pun intended. She stroked the right direction, firm without being rough, and she remembered to scratch just behind the head, on the back of the neck where it was often so hard to get the right sort of attention. Luna purred. She could taker this sort of treatment for hours. It was at that thought Luna realised that she had been receiving this treatment for hours. Not less than two hours had passed since Chibi- Usa had come home, picked her up without a word, and retreated to her room. While she would often give the cat a quick pat, it was entirely unusual for her to spend this much time just caring for her. Craning her neck, Luna looked up at Chibi-Usa and studied the girls face. Although her hands made all the right motions, her face showed that her concentration was on something other than looking after a cat. The little girl’s red eyes were unfocused and she stared into the middle distance. Watching her for a minute, Luna realised that she must have been like this the entire time. That indicated deep thought, and Chibi-Usa was a growing girl. She should be up and about, not brooding over difficult problems all afternoon. Luna knew that when Neo-Queen Serenity had sent her daughter back in time, she must have expected Luna to be there to help look after her. Luna knew she was the most level headed of any of the people Chibi- Usa would be associating with. She was supposed to be the responsible and wise one. Luna was the one that was supposed to provide the guardianship for the girl, and she was in some sort of trouble or quandary, it was her job to sort it out. "Chibi-Usa... Chibi-Usa... What’s wrong, Chibi-Usa? What are you worried about?" The girl looked down and her face fell. Chibi-Usa looked like she was about to cry. Standing on her rear paws, Luna leaned on the girl and tried to give her a hug. Soon she responded and hugged the cat back, cradling Luna to her chest. "Oh, Luna. I don't know what to do. I've got all these problems, and there's no-one I can tell. I've been sitting here for so long, and I still don't know what to do." "There, there. It's OK. You can tell me. I'm sure that whatever your problem is, we can get the rest of the Senshi to help, and it will be solved in no time." "But we can't! That's the whole problem. It's about one of the Senshi. And I can’t tell her because I don't the real truth. If I tell her something, or she finds out because of me, then it might just make matters worse. Oh, Luna. I don't know what to do." "Chibi-Usa, you know what I do these days, do you? What I did in the Moon Kingdom, and what I'm still doing in the time that you come from. You know what my job is, don't you, Chibi-Usa?" "Yes... You're the Queen's advisor. Or your Usagi's keeper I suppose." A small chuckle. Things can’t be too bad if she is making jokes. "That's right. I'm the Queen's advisor. Do you know what that means? It means I help the Queen make her decisions. If she has a problem, then I'm here to help her. I can offer advice, and I can offer a ear to listen. Just talking about your problems can often make then so much smaller." "I don't know, Luna. I mean... I've always been told it's bad to spread rumours. If I start telling you everything I know, then I'm going to be starting some pretty bad rumours." "You don't have to worry about that, child. That's why I'm an advisor. The Queen - or you - could tell me anything, and it would never go any further. I can only offer advice if you tell me what's worrying you." Sitting Luna on the bed, Chibi-Usa looked at the cat and put on a stern face. "OK, Luna. I need your advice on this, and you better not tell anyone else. "There's this boy Rei likes." "Yes. Ranma." "Well, what you probably did not know is I think he's Hotaru's brother. Rei know this, so far." "What do you mean you think he's her brother? This could be very serious if he is." "Oh, Luna! You've been listening to all those horrible things that Puu has been saying about Hotaru-chan, haven't you? Well they can't be true. She's the nicest, kindest and sweetest girl I know. There's no way that she's helping the bad guys. I just know it! I don't care what Sailor Pluto says! "But I'm a bit unsure about something. Rei once asked Hotaru if Ranma was her brother, and she said 'We have the same parents...' Why wouldn't she say yes? Is there any way that she couldn't be his brother if that have the same parents? "Anyway. Hotaru and Ranma are really close. I think they talk about everything. But the day there was that big explosion... you know the one... that day, when I was out walking with Hotaru we ran into some friends of Ranma and her. "Before... Before... Before Ki-chan..." Chibi-Usa sniffled a little, and Luna rubbed her head against her in sympathy. She had never met Kikyo but from what Chibi-Usa had said, Kikyo must have been a very nice girl. It was probably the first time that Chibi-Usa had seen a dead person. It is never pretty, and the first time is always the worst. Chibi-Usa was fortunate that she had so many caring and supportive friends. After a time, Chibi-Usa had calmed enough to resume her story. "Earlier we were talking, and Ucchan was saying that she was Ranma's fiancée. But Hotaru didn't know anything about it. But she did think that Ranma was going out with some other girl called Shampoo. "Not only that, but he's always so nice to the other Senshi when they come over to the shrine to see Rei. If he's there, he's so nice and sweet, and... "What if he's just playing with her? What if he doesn’t care about Rei at all? Hotaru never said that he did, and he never seems to notice her. Ranma's a nice guy, but what if he doesn’t care about Rei? Maybe he already has a fiancée.. or even two? Shouldn't Rei know?" Luna nodded her head. "I certainly think she should. Why don't you ask Hotaru or Ranma? Maybe one of them could clear things up. Perhaps Rei should learn to let go of him. If he has a fiancée, she shouldn’t be coming between them." "Are you saying that because Ranma is Hotaru's brother? She is not a bad person, Luna. You've never met her, but just wait until you do. I'm sure you'll get on really well. "And I've tried to speak to Ranma and Hotaru. No-one, not even Rei, knows where Ranma lives. None of the other girls do either. I think he must be a really private person. "I also went over to Hotaru's place three times in the last two days. Kaori never lets me in, and she just says that Hotaru is out. Nothing else. I can't find either of them, and I need to ask them. "Not only that, but Ki-chan was one of Hotaru's best friends before she came here to live with her father. She must be really sad, and she's all alone. "How can I help my best friend if I can't even find her?" Luna had no answer for that one. All she could do was suggest that Chibi-Usa was doing the right thing so far. Given the situation, Rei should know but they could afford to wait for a couple of days until they got the facts straight from the horse's mouth. On the subject of facts from the source, Luna had pursued the idea of asking Ukyo herself about her relationship with Ranma. She might not know Shampoo - a name like that was too hard to forget, and too much of a joke not to be mentioned to all her friends - but she would surely be able to say what her relationship was like with Ranma. If Ukyo was really engaged to him, it would put an end to Rei's romance very quickly. Unfortunately for all of them, Chibi-Usa had already thought of that one. She had also visited "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki". Ukyo had opened a Okonomiyaki restaurant only days before Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had bumped into her. When the Senshi had left to change back into school girls, Chibi-Usa had gone with Ukyo and Hotaru when they went to put Ukyo to bed. The poor girl had been devastated by the loss of her life long friend, and Hotaru had been in a bad state as well. After seeing Ukyo to sleep, Chibi-Usa had taken Hotaru home, only to then return and deal with her own concerned relatives. So far she was the only one that knew that Ukyo and Kikyo were much more than innocent bystanders. That state of affairs could not last long. As Usagi's friend Naru - or even Hotaru - could vouch, when things got crazy around here, it tended to drag the bystanders down with the people involved. Blocks away, at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei sat and tried to study. Like the rest of the Senshi she had not been able to stay around the scene of Kikyo's death for long. The Senshi relied heavily on their anonymity, and it was too much of a risk to stay around Chibi-Usa and Hotaru at that point. Besides, by the time they had returned, there were police, ambulances, and a huge crowd of onlookers. After Sailor Moon had seen that her daughter and her friend were all right, the girls retreated slightly and found somewhere to change. By the time they had managed to fight their way through the throng and reach the centre, the disturbance was beginning to dissipate. Chibi- Usa, Hotaru, and Ukyo had already left the scene, and Kikyo had been taken away somewhere. Rei gave a slight shake and tried not to think about that too much. In the past the Senshi had always managed to save the people who were attacked. But not this time. This time, they had failed. This time someone innocent had been the victim. From what few facts Rei had heard, they were lucky that Hotaru was still alive. Although she only had the news second hand from Usagi, she thought that Chibi-Usa had been almost out of her mind with worry about Hotaru. For over an hour, Hotaru had vanished. No-one knew where she was; just 'poof' and she disappeared into thin air. An hour when her best friends were tearing their hair out in fear. The only second hand information Rei had said that she simply appeared through the police line and had joined them crying over Kikyo's corpse as it was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Damn, back to Kikyo again. She knew they stakes they were fighting for, they all did. They were all willing to give their lives for their Princess, and to protect the future of the earth. Actually, they all had sacrificed their lives, only to be resurrected by the Moon Princess and the Silver Imperium Crystal. They knew that the Negaverse, and all the others since then had been bent on world wide destruction or domination. No doubt their current adversary had similarly grand plans. Even the fact that she was the reincarnation of the original Sailor Mars from the Moon Kingdom - and had memories of countless friends being slain during the Negaverse's attack - even that did not help harden her against the death of someone so innocent. The look of pure anguish on Ukyo's face, the frozen mask on Hotaru's, and that horrible look of adult realisation on Chibi-Usa's. All these things would stay with her till the day she died, and somehow she knew that the world had just become a colder and harder place for those three. A knock on her bedroom door made her eyes dash to the clock. Wow. She had come her straight from school, and now she had done absolutely no study in the past two hours. As soon as she had finished with this disturbance, she would really need to get some work done, or else she would never get into a decent college. Turning to face the door, she called admittance and smiled in pleasant surprise as Makoto came in. The tall athletic girl was smiling as she brought some tea on a tray. Rei was always glad to see her. Not only was she the fearsome Sailor Jupiter, she was also a damn good cook. Whenever she came over, good food was sure to follow. "Come on in Mako-chan. Have a seat." Sitting on the bed, Makoto passed her a cup of tea and offered her a small plate of home cooked cookies. What did I say about good food? All she had to do now was hope that Usagi would not drop in and she might actually get to eat more that one biscuit. "Mm, this is great! Say, aren't you training tonight?" She shrugged. "Well, I was, but, well, the Sensei couldn't come. I, um, I think he has a personal problem tonight and he couldn't make it." Rei nodded and sipped her tea again. Personal problems seemed to be the standard fare for the moment. Ranma had called her yesterday and begged off from their training, sighting 'a personal problem'. The pervert was probably out chasing girls, not hanging around with some dowdy temple maiden. At least, that was Usagi's suggestion. "So how's this mystery Sensei you keep hinting at?" The tall girl blushed deeply. A couple of weeks ago she had told them all that she was taking some martial arts classes at a dojo nearby. Even though she was the best in the class, she suspected that most of the people there had joined just to see the Sensei sweat; and watch the way his firmly muscled chest moved so well when the Gi opened slightly. Makoto coughed to hide the flush of excitement. She knew she should not keep secrets from her friend, but the Sensei was always so nice to her that she did not want to give up her chances with him to anyone. Besides, Ranma obviously liked her: he had met her once before at Rei's shrine, but the very first time she turned up at the dojo he had waved and called her 'Mako-chan'. Besides, even Ranma's little sister, the girl Hotaru that was always hanging around Chibi- Usa, she seemed to like her too. At least Hotaru had never said anything against her and Ranma. That was the real reason why Rei had not been told that she was taking classes from Ranma: when ever Rei was absent from the group, Hotaru tended to say the nastiest things. Hotaru would call her 'uncute' and a 'tomboy', saying that she was too slow, and weak and all sorts of things. It rarely came out as a direct attack on the girl, but Makoto realised the one place that a girl like Hotaru would learn to say such things. Obviously Ranma had been telling his sister what he really thought about the Shinto Priestess-to-be, and Hotaru was just parroting it. Since Rei spoke about Ranma in the same uncomplimentary terms - terms usually reserved for talking about Usagi - some times, Makoto had decided that she deserved a shot at Ranma. Obviously there was no real love between him and Rei, so it was not as though she was stepping on anyone's toes. Taking her mind of her constant boyfriend problems, Makoto started up a conversation with Rei. Implicitly, neither of them spoke about their Senshi problems. Even since that big blast, no-one had discussed it. Against that sort of magic, there did not seem to be much they could do differently from what they were doing. When they found out who cast it, they could defend themselves. Until that time, they just put it to a side, skirting around the issue. They had been talking for fifteen minutes when another knock came at the door. "Don't worry, it's probably just Grandfather telling me to get back to my study and stop gossiping. Come in!" The person that came through the door was about as far from Rei's grandfather as you could possibly get. He was tall and strong, handsome and of noble bearing, and the girls peeped at him, not the other way around. "Ranma!" They both said simultaneously. A small, crooked smile lit his face briefly, but it faded back into an iron mask of control, just like Rei had seen Hotaru wearing. They really were a close family, they looked so similar. "Hey, Rei-san, Mako-chan. Sorry I had to cancel the class tonight Mako-chan. I... Something came up." Rei turned a suspicious eye to her friend. "C-cancelled the class? Didn't you say your cute 'almost boyfriend' Sensei cancelled the class?" "Um, yeah, well, you see, Rei. Um, it's like this..." Rei tossed a book at Ranma, catching him squarely in the forehead. "Oh, so now you're trying to seduce all my friends are you?" Ranma back peddled and waved his hands in front of him, almost as though he was expecting Rei to strike him with something much larger and heavier. "No, no! It's not like that at all!" An evil gleam appeared in Rei's eyes. "Oh, really? So you've stopped trying to seduce my friends?" "Yes!" "You admit to the fact that you've been seducing all the girls in the class?" Bonk! A bedroom slipper bounced off his head. "No, I mean I never---" "No? No? So you're still seducing them? Mako-chan, how can you say anything nice about a guy like this? He's chasing after every girl he sees." Without waiting for a reply, Rei launched into another tirade, abusing the boy soundly. The whole time she yelled abuse at him and angrily shook her finger, but Ranma just stood there cringing and suffering whatever she offered. He was not completely passive, however. In the insults department he gave as good as he got, managing to insult her looks, her intelligence, and everything else about her that he could think of. It was the first time Makoto had seen them together for almost a week. In that time, their relationship seemed to have gotten even worse. The 'cold shoulder' routine that they had initially evolved had degenerated into a full blown name-calling session. It was almost educational to watch them. Two grown teenagers (or even possibly an adult... no-one knew what Ranma's age actually was) insulting each other like a pair of eight year olds. After two minutes of senseless name calling, they started to repeat themselves, advancing tactics to see who could insult the other the loudest. A couple of months ago when Rei had first told the Senshi about the new student at the shrine she fancied, Makoto would never have dreamed of trying to get him as a boyfriend, even if he was really cute. Now she felt completely vindicated. Not only was it obvious that Rei could barely tolerate him, he appeared to feel the same way about her. Something else struck her as odd about his behaviour. First and foremost, Rei seemed to hit him in the head every time she threw something. Makoto had only trained with Ranma a few times but she knew from first hand experience just how good he was at dodging. To say that Ranma was good was an understatement. Makoto could not think of anyone in the dojo over about eight years old that could actually hit him. In the dojo, Ranma was grease lightning, and as slippery as a fairy penguin near an oil tanker. Even when he was on his knees to even the height difference for young opponents, he seemed to be a master of not being where a punch would land. None of the teenage or adult students in the class had even come close to hitting him once. The little kids were another matter. Ranma seemed to take a positive delight in sparring with the youngest members of the class; he enjoyed it considerably more than fighting the odd black belt who turned up for his classes, and the black belts should be more in his league. Ranma ran a free kids class immediately before the adults class he ran to support the dojo. The adults class was something he did out of duty to the dojo: a task needed to keep the dojo running. The children's class was different. All of the little kids liked training under Ranma, and he seemed to enjoy it more than they did. Every class he would spend some time sparing with the kids, and they would take delight in attacking him, or making him call out in pain as they applied some for of pain hold. In the end though, it did not matter who Ranma was training, or who he was fighting, he was unfailingly friendly. Even when some hot headed challenger - with too much testosterone and too little brains - arrived, he would gently put them back in their place. Sure he might push a few of their buttons to make them angry and show them how it left them vulnerable, but he never insulted anyone like he was currently doing to Rei. Listening to his shouts of 'Tomboy' and 'Uncute', Makoto wondered how they ever got any training done when Ranma came here to study Shinto. Maybe Rei had actually passed that job onto her grandfather since she hated his guts so much. After waiting for a lull in the insults which never came, Makoto came to her feet and yelled at them both: "QUIET!" Both of them were stunned. They were so completely immersed in their argument that they had forgotten about Makoto. Looking sheepish, they both apologised. After a moment of silence, Makoto asked Ranma if he could wait outside while she finished her conversation with Rei. "Um, actually, I need to speak to Rei, it's really important..." "Idiot! Don't be so rude. She asked you nicely. You can't just come in here and expect us to drop everything. Just wait outside for a couple of minutes and we'll be ready." Ranma favoured them with one of his small, cocky smiles and walked out the door. Even as he turned and left, Makoto could see the smile fall from his face, and a mask take its place. It was a mask she recognised. It was the same sort of mask that she had seen Hotaru wearing the day that she had seen her friend killed. Somehow, Makoto knew that it was Ranma that taught the little girl to hide her feelings like that. It could not be a good way to live, and Makoto realised that both Ranma and Hotaru must be in some sort of pain at the moment. Rei brushed some hair back from her eyes and calmed herself as she sat down again. Oh, that boy could be so irritating. It was amazing. No-one else in the world could get under her skin as quickly as he did and she could not understand what it was that got her mad so quickly. "Rei-chan, you realise that Ramna's never tried anything at the dojo... don’t you?" She sighed. "Yes... Yes, I know. It's just... It's just he seems to go out of his way to try and make me feel bad. He's always telling me hour uncute I am, and how I'm such a tomboy... I'm not a tomboy, am I, Mako-chan?" Makoto slid over and put an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Of course you're not, Rei-chan. Come on, everyone knows you're really pretty. I could get a dozen guys here tonight and you could have your pick of guys." "Humph. That's what I told the insensitive idiot. But he just keeps calling me names." Makoto stirred uneasily in her seat and looked down at her hands for a moment. "Listen, Rei-chan. I guess I might have been wrong for not telling you I was training with Ranma. It's just that you two seem to fight all the time. I thought... well.. I was wondering if you minded if I asked him out at some stage." "WHAT?" "But you two are always fighting. You keep insulting him, and he only makes you unhappy. I've seen you after he's been here. You just sit there staring at the wall and you snap at anyone that tries to talk to you." "I do? I guess I do, now that you mention it. But it's like Usagi- chan. I... I think I feel the same way about both of them, but I different ways, I mean, somehow I really like them both. Trying to talk to either of them is an up hill battle. Usagi-chan's such a klutz and Ranma's such an... an annoying _boy_. Every time I try and say something nice to them, they managed to do something and it seems as though their trying to upset me." Makoto blushed. "I... I never knew you felt like that about Usagi." "Well, she's my Princess, and I guess I do love her, no matter what I say about her. If you tell her that, I'll deny every word of it! Besides, she would never believe you." "I think I understand now. I want you to know that I'll always be your friend, no matter what your preferences are. I think you'd realise that Usagi's pretty keen on Mamoru." "What on earth are you talking about?" "Well, you just told me that you love Usagi, and since Ranma and Hotaru are always calling you a tomboy and that gets you mad, I thought..." "IDIOT! It's not like that at all, she our Princess, of course I love her... Hang on. What do you mean Hotaru calls me a tomboy? She's always such a perfect little girl when she's here. Hotaru-chan doesn't come here often but she is always nice and sweet and kind. Not like her idiot brother." Outside the door Ranma heard the cry of 'idiot' and decided Rei-san was calling his name. Walking to the door he failed to hear any more entreaties to enter, so he stood there and listened for a moment. When he caught the rest of her sentence he considered just how right she was. 'Of course Hotaru is a perfect little girl. Girl's are supposed to be nice, and no-one cares if two girls like each other, it's not as though they can ever be anything more than friends. Besides, being a girl has it's uses. Girl's don't have to hide their feelings like guys do. A girl can be nice to Rei-san just because she likes her. If a guy was nice to an uncute tomboy like her... who knows where things might lead.' 'Don't go there, Ranma.' He told himself. 'Don't even think about that one. Not only is she an angry, uncute, uncaring, tomboy, who's legs are to thick and her chest is too flat; she's young enough to be your to be your... um... your great-great-great-great... Hang on, try that again. Great-great-great-great...' He was still thinking about this deep and vexing question when Rei opened the door. She had expected to catch him eavesdropping, but instead she found him standing in the middle of the hall mumbling something about how great things were. Sighing heavily, as though it was actually a chore for her - rather than something she desired in a strange fashion - Rei gestured him into the room. After poking his tongue out at Rei-san and giving Mako-chan a wink, Ranma sobered and clenched his hands in front of him. There was a reason he came here, a reason he came to Rei-san in particular. That very reason was making it so much harder to be able to do what needed to be done, and all because of that reason in the first place. Ranma was old. Really old. No matter how he might try and pretend to be a normal kid, or act like the young man he was supposed to be, he had experienced things that no-one his age should possibly have experienced. Through the years he had seen people maimed or killed in wars, and had seen people die from anything between infant death, to old age; accidents to executions. Somehow, the pain was still there, but he had learned to live with it. Ucchan had not. The days since Ki-chan's death, Ucchan had almost folded up upon herself. In the space of a few hours she had found a long lost friend, only to discover that she was terribly ill and receiving some sort of horrible treatment. Added to that, the man that was supposed to be her fiancée was apparently completely unaware of the situation and may well have his own love. This might have been enough to break most people, but Kuonji Ukyo was made of tougher stuff. The sort of tragedy that it took to crush Ukyo's spirit was something along the lines of: meet your sickly best friend, find out that your fiancée is unaware of the arrangement, have a witch steal the physical embodiment of your soul only to be told that your soul is not good enough to be worth their while, toss in a monster attack, then spend a terrified hour as one friend is missing and another's life ebbs away as you cradle her in your arms. Ukyo was strong enough to be able to cope with the fiancée thing, after all, she had three years to get used to the idea that the man of her dreams had run out on her. She might have come out of the torture of believing her best friend Tendo Ai had been carried off or worse; the pain of sitting the an endless, useless, futile hour waiting and wondering at her friend's fate. All these things can be overcome. Kikyo was someone special however. The two of them had grown up together. They had gone to Elementary school, Junior School and High School together. They both had plans to go to university together. Every day of their lives, the pair had been inseparable. They were best friends in every sense of the words. Ukyo had also been there for the last day of Kikyo's life. She had spent an agonised hour holding her friend. Kikyo had been rendered unconscious when her heart crystal was stolen, which spared her the pain. Ukyo had been the one that held her, had stared into her eyes as they closed that last time, and had felt it as he pulse slowed and stopped. Now Ukyo was falling apart and despite all of his training and all of his experience, there was nothing that Ranma could do to put her back together. For too long Ranma had spent his days cloistered away in mountainous retreats, hidden from the world, knowing only other ageing monks. He could offer Ukyo the wisdom of the ages, but that would not bring back Ki-chan, nothing would. The only thing he really knew how to do was fight, and that was no use here. Now her was in front of Rei-san, wanting to beg for help, and he could not even get that right. Rei-san was a temple maiden. This was her job: it was what she had been training her whole life for. She was the person supposed to be able to provide religious and spiritual guidance to those in need. She was supposed to be the one who had the experience and the knowledge to help the sick, the grieving and the suffering. But how do you ask someone to do this? How can you so openly reveal a friend's weaknesses? How are you supposed to throw yourself on the mercies of someone you yell at every day? Before he met Akane and after she died, Ranma knew that there was only one person you could count on in this world: yourself. How do you admit your own failings and short comings to someone who you can hold in respect? Before he realised what had happened, Ranma had been standing in Rei's doorway for almost five minutes, looking at his hands, out the window, or anywhere other than at Rei. The whole time he had been saying things like: "Um..." or perhaps: "Ah... you see" or even the highly descriptive: "Rei, you see it's like this... no..." Both Rei and Makoto were literally on the edge of their seats with anticipation. What on earth could it be that he wanted to say that was so important to him? Rei was entertaining thoughts that alternated between him deciding to declare his undying love for her, or the equally terrifying thought that he had come to declare his undying love for Makoto, an equally disturbing possibility. Makoto entertained exactly the same thoughts. By the time he reached the seven minute mark, the girls' patience had worn thin, especially since both of them had personalities on the more aggressive and action oriented end of the spectrum. Sharing glances, Rei turned back to the dithering Ranma and gave him her best glare. The one she saved for Usagi, and all those times that she had burst into tears just when they needed her. "Ranma! Just spit it out!" That seemed to do it. He stopped dithering. He looked at the floor and took a deep breath. Then he looked Rei in the eyes. Although his eyes were their same blue-grey they always were, there was something... different. Somehow, across the room, she could see the intensity of his emotions, feel the strength of his struggle as he forced out the words: "Rei-san. I need your help with a girl I really like." Hmm. Judging by their reactions that might not have been the right wording. "No, no, no! What I mean to say is: one of my best friends from school was just killed, and _her_ best friend held her as she died. "Please, Rei-san, please. You have to help me. I'm... I'm no good with all this talking stuff. And... Ucchan's hurting. I need to help her and I just don't know what to do. Please, Rei-san. You're my only hope." It was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds as realisation dawned on the girls. When they understood what he meant, understanding hit them like a slap in the face. Feeling guilty they both realised that while they had been thinking about themselves and how they felt about Ranma, he had been thinking about his suffering friend. Although Ranma did not know it, both of these girls were Sailor Senshi, and they had been there when Kikyo had been attacked. In the days since, they had spoken to Chibi-Usa and received even more information. That was why their rudeness and preoccupation hit them so hard. Ranma had no way of knowing that they knew about his problem, but they did. How could they say they were his friends if they concentrated on themselves when someone they knew was suffering. Makoto was the first to respond. Blushing and feeling guilty, she walked up and laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry Ranma. Chibi-Usa had mentioned that something had happened to a friend of yours, I sorry, I just forgot for a while there. Is... is there anything I can do?" Shaking his head, Ranma offered her a smile, but she could see the other emotion he kept bottled up. She had only known him a while but Makoto knew him well enough to understand the frustration he would be feeling at the moment. It was the same sort of frustration she had felt so often about the loss of her parents in the plane crash. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, but that does not make doing nothing any easier. "Ranma... if you need me... anything... please, just call. I'll always be here for you." With that she slipped past him and stepped out into the hallway. As much as she wanted to help, there was nothing she could do and it was not her place to do anything. Walking out of the house Makoto was thankful that Rei would be with him. Since trouble tended to hit the same target more than once, having one of the Sailor Senshi with them should make Ranma and Ukyo as safe as they could be. After Makoto left the room, Rei looked up at Ranma and the concerned look on his face. "I'm sorry too, Ranma. Just let me get some things together and we can go and see Ukyo. Where is she at the moment?" "Ucchan's got an Okonomiyaki restaurant not far from where we were attacked. We can be there in about five minutes on the bus." Rei nodded and finished packing things into a small carry bag. It was her first time actually doing the sort of counselling work that sometimes came with being a Shinto Priestess. The truth be told, she was so nervous, she wanted to sit down and start drinking some of the relaxing herbal tea that she had just put in the bag. If she was tense or not, Ranma was right: he was basically an insensitive idiot who kept putting his foot in his mouth. OK, things might not be quite that bad. Often one of the best things for someone who was suffering was just to have something comforting and familiar; an anchor to stabilise themselves. Religion was often about providing a security blanket or the assurances that people needed in the modern world. With her training, Rei may well be able to reach Ukyo when even her closest friend could not. The again, perhaps even Ukyo's friend needed help too. "Bag's packed and we're ready to go! Umm, Ranma... rather than taking the bus, do you think we can walk instead? If you can give me a few details before we arrive, it might make things easier." Ranma nodded and opened the door to Rei's room again, revealing her Grandfather standing next to the door. Giving the man a quick bow, Ranma stepped past him and waited for Rei to follow. He was surprise when Grandfather Hino stepped into the room and closed the door after himself. Shaking his head, Ranma leaned against the wall. Rei certainly was a popular girl: everyone wanted to talk to her. He wondered if they would actually get to Ucchan's tonight. The withered and shrunken priest of the Hikawa Shrine looked up at his tall and beautiful granddaughter. Sometimes she looked so much like her mother it made him want to cry. "Oh, Rei-chan. Going for a romantic evening walk with that handsome young man of yours. Have a pleasant time, remember your keys; there's no rush to get home early." Rei blushed as red as the skirt she sometimes wore. "Graaaaamps! It not like that at all. Ranma's got a friend that needs some help, so I'm going over to talk to her. We should be back in plenty of time. Remember this is a school night." When she had her hand on the door knob, he ran a hand through his remaining hair. "I spoke to your father yesterday." That stopped her mid-motion. Her father was too rich and busy to spend time with his daughter. That was why she was here at the Shrine with her grandfather. She loved him dearly but some days she wished she could have a normal life and live with her parents. "That's very nice to here. Is Father well?" "He is well. I told him you were well also. Actually, I told him you had a boyfriend. He asked me when the wedding was, you know. He trusts my judgement, Rei-chan. You should too. This is not the 1600's. We don't do arranged marriages or anything like that anymore, but we can help our children to get off to a good start in life. "It also means that you don't need to wait for the young man there to ask you, you can ask yourself. I could ask for you if you want." If she kept blushing this much today she would probably burst a blood vessel. "Grandfather! Don't even say such things!" "I just thought you ought to know. Your father and I both approve of the young man. He could help you take over the Shrine when I am too old. And you're such a lovely couple. Remember, if you're interested, I can speak to Ranma about an engagement." Fearing that the conversation would degenerate further, Rei pulled open the door and ran outside. Taking Ranma's hand she pulled him through the house, barely giving him time to put his shoes on before they ran down the road. After a while she calmed down and walked beside Ranma. On the way to Ucchan's she alternately wondered whether Ranma had heard what her grandfather had been saying, and worried about Ranma's past. Now that she was looking for it - since Ranma was confronting an emotional burden - Rei could begin to see the way that Ranma had cocooned his emotions. As they walked she tried to get him to open up, to tell her what he was feeling. All she wanted was to get a few of the details of what his life had been like before being reunited with his father Tomoe Souichi. From the little bits she had managed to gather from previous talks with Ranma and Hotaru-chan, the two of them had spent considerable amount of time travelling. By the time the reached Ucchan's, Rei was sure of two things. Firstly, Ranma was quite aware of what she was trying to do, but he had no interest in trying to unburden his soul. Unless she asked a direct question, he quite carefully avoided giving her the sort of historical information that she wanted. Even when she asked a direct question he usually avoided giving a real answer. Secondly, he was really worried about his friend. Not once in the entire trip did he start an argument or do anything as insensitive as he usually did. The one thing she was not sure about was even more important to her. She knew she liked Ranma but she could not understand why she wanted to help him so much. Why did she care like this? He was just an insensitive idiot... wasn't he? Eventually Ranma pushed open the door to the restaurant and they stepped inside. It was quite nicely appointed, even if it looked like it was done on the cheap. A large grill in the corner and small table and chairs for diners. No-one was there now, as the grand opening had been delayed due to 'unforeseen circumstances'. Up some stairs, and past the bathroom, Ranma did not even bother to knock before he pushed open the door to what turned out to be Ukyo's bedroom. The girl was wearing a dressing gown and was curled up in a foetal position, looking a framed photo of Ukyo, Kikyo and Ranma. Ukyo and Kikyo looked younger, but Ranma looked exactly the same as he did now. The way the Ukyo was withdrawing Rei realised that Kikyo must have been her one real friend in a strange city. To see her die had hurt the girl badly. Fortunately for Rei, Ranma's first sentence seemed to bring life back into the girl, and a certain fire into her eyes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ranma pointed to Rei. "Cute fiancée, meet my uncute fiancée." Even as a competitive life returned to Ukyo, Rei cursed to herself. 'Damn! He heard!' * * * It was close to midnight; hours later and quite distant from the small restaurant when Kaiou Michiru awoke screaming. It was three days since the horrid experience and every night since she had woken at least once. Each nightmare was different, but they were all the same in some way. Before she had even gathered her breaths from those gut wrenching screams she felt a pair of strong arms hold her close. Fighting back tears, Michiru held onto her friend, drawing strength from her closeness and her care. Tonight and the previous evening Haruka had quietly but forcefully insisted on watching over Michiru as she slept. While she was the same calm and composed girl by day, Haruka knew her well enough to see how badly the nightmares were affecting her. After the first night, Michiru had spent her lunch break sequestered away with Haruka, pouring her heart out as she was consumed with guilt. That was the key to Michiru's nightmares: imagined guilt, it was also the reason that Haruka had insisted on being with her this evening. Haruka and Michiru both knew that what they were doing as Senshi was the right thing but that did not make it any easier to deal with the anguish that arose when something went wrong, as it so obviously did with Hotaru and Chibi-Usa's friend. Sailor Pluto had dropped around yesterday. She did not say how she knew that Michiru was having nightmares. Pluto had ignored the question entirely to spend time giving both of the younger girls a short lecture. "I know you are having a hard time at the moment, especially you Michiru-chan. There is nothing that you or I can do to bring the girl back. All that I can do is offer you the consolation that you did the right thing. "It may not seem correct now, and the decisions you made will cause you more pain before the price has been fully paid... but it was the correct decision. The necessary one. "There is so much more that I wish I can tell you. So much more that, while it won't make the pain go away, it would make your suffering more meaningful. "But I can't. "Knowledge of the future is a burden. It is an agony of knowing when something will go wrong, and never being able to fix it. I don't want to say this, but I need to: you have to believe Kikyo's death was necessary. I... "I can't tell you any more. I wish to the Kami that I did not know what I do now, but I do. Remember you are not alone in your pain." That was all she had said, then she had walked out again. Neither Michiru nor Haruka could understand what would make her say that a completely innocent girl's death is necessary, but Setsuna had never lied to them before. What Setsuna had not revealed was how or why she knew this sort of information. Her job was to guard the Gates Of Time, to ensure that paradoxes did not occur, to ensure that the Moon Kingdom's future would again arrive. After hearing the girls' report, Setsuna had watched the event happen. She saw the Dragon Slave. She felt it evil power. She knew that without assistance an enemy that could do that sort of damage could defeat the Senshi and kill millions of innocent people. So she cheated. She already knew that Crystal Tokyo would exist some day. Some day, the Senshi would again be the glorious guardians of the solar system. It was her job to make sure that no-one used time travel to derail that goal. While she was supposed to aid the Outer Senshi, she had her own dominion to guard, and a foe that could cast the Dragon Slave could well be a traveller from the future, trying to destroy the Moon Kingdom while it was at its weakest. She had travelled forwards at the Gates Of Time. Time travel was an activity she engaged in most cautiously, every instance and every reason was always carefully analysed. As with the last time she had done this, she arrived at the Gates only a century or so from the foundation of Crystal Tokyo. Sketching a short bow, she welcomed herself. Of course the Setsuna from the future was here. She always was when Setsuna needed to speak to her. After all, the person she was about to speak to was herself, and thus remembered the conversation they were about to have. "I can't answer all your questions, you know that." "Yes. The danger is too great... What was it? What happened that day? Is this someone trying to create a paradox?" The Setsuna from the future gave an carefully shielded smile. "It was a spell called the 'Dragon Slave'. Although it was evil, you know who cast the spell: you saw her, and she is not the person to fear. Before you ask: yes, Kikyo's death was necessary. You cannot tell anyone else, but her death is a key event in making Sailor Saturn into the person we need." "I... I don’t understand." "I remember." "Is it time yet? Can you tell me why Chibi-Usa? She's just a girl. I don't care what Their Majesties may have said, what possible justification can there be for sending her through time?" "I still cannot say. You will know some day." Time. That was what this was about. Setsuna had not been able to tell Haruka and Michiru all of the facts because of the danger to the time stream. For that reason, Michiru needed time to recover from these nightmares that haunted her. The answer to one would solve the other, but fixing either of them would imperil the world through the introduction of paradoxes. So Haruka held Michiru and helped her recover from the nightmare as best she could. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Michiru eased back slightly and looked around as she gathered her thoughts. A book was open, spilled on the floor in the small pool of light next to a chair. Poor Haruka must have fallen asleep watching her again. "I was walking through the city. It was early evening, just like the other day. All around me were bodies. People were just lying in the streets, and their Heart Crystals were right next to them. "As fast as I could, I was running through the city. I don't know why, I just had to get somewhere. But every step I'd take, I had to stop and check the Heart Crystals nearby. "There were just so many of them. It went on and on. "Eventually I pick up one particular Crystal, and the person sits up, even though she hasn't got her Crystal. Her head turns around, I mean right around, and she looks at me with these dead eyes. "It was Kikyo, Haruka. She just looks at me with these dead eyes, and says 'You killed me. You killed me.' Over and over again. She just doesn't stop "Now I'm just standing there, and I can't move. I want to run away, but I can't. All I can hear is Kikyo saying that I killed her. "The next thing I know, there's a huge crowd around us. It's all the people in the city, all looking at me with their dead eyes. At the front of the crowd: it all the people who we've saved... and they're asking me 'Would you kill me like you killed Kikyo?' "All this time I'm Sailor Neptune, OK? But then one small girl walks out of the crowd. It's Hotaru, and she's the only one that isn't dead. She's standing there, glaring at me, holding this big glowing ball in her hands. "'You killed her Kaiou Michiru. You killed them all. I told you I'd get you if you hurt them Michiru.' "She knows who I am, even though I'm a Sailor at the time. She hates me so much. Then she lets go of the ball and it explodes like a bomb. "I'm in the middle of the blast, and I can see it destroying everything, and the people, they weren't dead, but they are now. I can see them burning up, and it's all my fault. "It's my fault because I didn't help them. "It's my fault because I let her die. "It's..." Haruka silenced her with a gentle kiss. Gripping her tightly, she rocked the other girl back and forwards, feeling the way Michiru's tears soaked through her shirt. "It's not your fault. Remember it's just a dream." Michiru only had one more nightmare that night. At school the next day, she looked a little tired, but other than that there was no reflection of the torture she had suffered that night. Drawing from the deep well of inner strength that she possessed, Michiru soldiered on. No matter how much she disliked what needed to be done, she would do it. She would do it with Haruka by her side. Always by her side. --- End Of Chapter The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi Rumiko or Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current author. This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow my head in shame: please forgive. Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to it's story timeline... This story is dedicated to the TV show Sesame Street. Visit my website at dzillman@ozemail.com.au http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire _________________ / \ | Destiny's Child | \_________________/ What has gone before: While on a training trip with his father, Ranma fell into the spring of the drowned young girl. Unfortunately, his curse can only be changed back with _very_ hot water, which means he spends most of the time in his cursed form. Not only that, but since the spring was drowned young girl, he turns into a 12 year old girl who never ages. Having finally returned to Japan after 400 years of travel and experience, Ranma is trying to make a new life. Ranma's (or Tomoe Hotaru as his girl half is known) does not seem capable of having a normal life. He is learning Shinto from Hino Rei, pursued by the boy starved girls of the Sailor Senshi and simply pursued by the enraged demon-pig Ryoga, and unbeknownst to him, his girl half's best friend is a time travelling Senshi-in-training. Just when he was worrying that there were no good martial artists in Tokyo, a certain Amazon arrives claiming the same thing. Well, one thing led to another and can you say "Amazon Law"? Of course, there's that "little matter" with Ucchan too. The Outers are plotting, the Inners are confused, and every woman, man and beast on the planet seems to be after Ranma for one reason or another. Now Ranma's troubles have increased further as he has manifested the powers of Saturn Knight, a masked defender not entirely unlike Tuxedo Kamen. And then there is Sailor Mars... -------------------------- Enter Saturn Knight! -------------------------- Everyone was gathered at Ami's place. Perhaps that was not so unusual since her mother was working late at the hospital - again. What made this particular Senshi meeting unusual was the fact the Sailor Mars had called for an emergency meeting, and that the Outer Senshi were there. Even the elusive and enigmatic Meiou Setsuna was there, making one of her rare and dramatic appearances. Rei had not managed to get into contact with her since she decided to call the meeting, nor had the other Outer Senshi... Setsuna had just appeared at Ami's door and wandered in; no explanation was given as to why she was there, nor was there any explaining how she knew about the meeting. Setsuna had just given a guarded smile and walked past Ami when she opened the door. The Guardian of Time was currently sitting off to one side of the room, doing her best to look wise and dignified. This was made a little bit difficult by the small girl that was sitting on her knee bouncing up and down. Sailor Pluto was one of Chibi-Usa's friends in the future and the small girl regretted the fact that she could not see much of her at the present. Eventually everyone was there and had started on the snacks that Ami's mother had left for them. That is, most people had started; Usagi was most of the way through Rei's portion having already finished her own share. While she shovelled the food into her face as fast as she could, she was obviously eyeing up who else she could steal some food from. Watching the path of her friends eyes, Makoto sighed and nudged the plate in her direction. Makoto rationalised that she needed to loose weight for the gymnastics anyway. Rei stood up and brushed an errant strand of hair back from her face. "OK, everyone." A hush fell over the room, broken only by the sound of chips being forced down Usagi's throat. After a moment of listening to the 'rattle, crunch, crunch' noises, Minako gave her a nudge and whispered in her ear. "Shhh, I think Rei wants to say something." Big blue eyes looked up at the brunette and she asked innocently, "Did you, Rei-chan?" Rei threw up her hands in disgust. "Of course I did! Why else do you think I called for an emergency meeting?" Makoto chimed in: "You wanted to tell us you were giving up on Ranma to pursue your mystery boyfriend?" "No!" Rei blushed furiously. "I'm not giving up Ranma! Besides, it's not as though were even going out together or anything." "No, you just spend every evening together 'studying'. Hey, even Ami- chan doesn't study that much." Now it looked like Rei's face was as red as the skirt she sometimes wore. Blushing as strongly and as often as she has been lately would no doubt lead to a coronary if she keeps it up. "She does too! Besides... study is all we ever do..." Her voice dwindled off and the Senshi had the good grace to look sheepish. It was all good fun to tease her about what might have been happening, but only if it actually might have been. Unfortunately for Rei, everyone was quite familiar with the fact that Ranma and Rei got on like a jar of nitro-glycerine at a jackhammer convention. It was like someone took everything good and perfect and right from Usagi's relationship with Mamoru and made sure that Ranma and Rei had none of those moments. After a moments silence, Rei looked up again and pulled some folded paper from her pocket. "Remember the Daimon attack yesterday? Well, our mysterious friend was there, and he gave me a letter this time." Most of the girls nodded. Setsuna looked blank... or was she really hiding vast knowledge and intricate plans behind a facade of false ignorance? Usagi just looked confused. As Rei started to read the letter, she rudely butted in again. "Who are we talking about?" Minako gave the girl a nudge. "Come on, Usagi-chan. Not even you could forget the handsome tuxedo suited boy that's been chatting to Sailor Mars." Brows came down and little fists clenched. "Oh, you better not be cheating on me, Mamoru. I'll make you _so_ sorry!" Before the much maligned Mamoru had a chance to defend himself, someone piped up. "Not Tuxedo Kamen, the other guy." "Huh? What other guy?" As the Senshi started to pick on her, Ami put her book on the floor and walked over to sit next to Usagi. "You know, I think she might be right. I really don't think they've ever been in the same place at the same time." Luna threw in her two cents also. "That would also explain why I have no recollection of who you are talking about. I am usually escorting Sailor Moon and since she always arrives late, it would explain why neither of us have seen this man. Artemis? Have you seen him?" The white cat stretched self indulgently on her person's lap and looked at Luna with sleepy eyes. "Yeah, sure. Lots of times. He's always there these days. I haven't had a close look yet since I'm smart enough to stay out of the fighting and he's silly enough to try and talk to Mars in the middle of the fight... But, yes, I've seen him." Luna batted Artemis' nose with one paw. "Silly cat! Why didn't you tell me something as important as this? It could be vital information, and you've been keeping it from me." "Right, and I'm sure that you would have made great use of it even if you did know. Besides, its not as if there's anything you could do about it, is there?" Luna was opening her mouth to reply when Rei jumped to her feet and cried out. "QUIET!" Everyone fell into stunned silence. Rei was standing there with her fists tightly clenched at her sides. "I've got some really important information here, and you've not giving me a chance to tell you." "Humph, you're just saying that because your boyfriend gave it to you." Minako looked rather cowered under the harsh gaze that was levelled at her. When she was sure everyone would remain silent for at least a few minutes, Rei opened up the pages she was holding and began to read. "To the pretty soldier Sailor Mars and her friends." That earned a few snickers. They might introduce themselves that way, but none of them actually though of themselves as Pretty Soldier So-And-So. When there was quiet, she resumed. "The first and by no means most important part of this letter is to clear up something that might be worrying you. Recently I have looked into the auras of you and your friends and seen new traces of fear. "Fear for what I ask myself? What could possibly make the... er... the sexy soldier Sailor Mars..." This time she had to stop for a while. The laughter was just too loud to continue. "What could possibly make... Sailor Mars afraid? What was worth worrying about? "I wracked my brain, and I tried to divine what it was that would upset you so. Your enemies have not changed, and despite being set upon from all sides, you triumph at every turn. What could possibly make you worry so, and how could I ease your fears. "Then I realised: you know nothing about the Dragon Slave." Ami perked up hearing that. It was a leading statement, promising to divulge more of the secrets of the universe to her ever hungry brain. Joining in with the others, she badgered Rei: 'What was the Dragon Slave?', 'Do dragon's really exist?', 'How does he know anything?', 'Can we trust this information?', 'Are there more chips?', 'How does this affect us?' This time it was Setsuna that quietened the room. Although her voice was soft, it held the strength of wisdom. Over the time that they had known her, all of the Senshi had learned to listen when she spoke. You might not always understand what she was saying, but it was always worth hearing. "You would be wise to listed to what Rei has to say. What she is about to reveal of the Dragon Slave may well change your views on how things are to unfold." Inside Setsuna cheered herself. She had recognised the name 'Dragon Slave', and now she had an opportunity to demonstrate her supposedly perfect foreknowledge. True, she was older and wiser than any of the Senshi, so she could do a good job of guiding them, but she deliberately did not know everything that was to come. Not only would it spoil the surprise but it represented an unacceptable danger of creating a temporal paradox. Most times - like now - all she needed to do was nudge the girls in the right direction with a few well chosen words. When it came to wise sounding statements that contained very little real meaning, Meiou Setsuna excelled beyond anyone politician ever born. Rei looked down at the paper and began to read again. "I have watched your fights and realised something important: both yourselves and your enemies are White Sorceresses." That statement caused a few mumbles of discontent. How could he place the Sailor Senshi into the same category as the Witches Eudial or Kaolinite? For that matter, how could he describe the Witches as being White Sorceresses? White was the colour of the good guys... surely. When the comments subsided, Rei sighed in frustration and continued. "White magic is the magical power derived from within a single person. This is not to say that bad, horrible people cannot use White magic, they just use it for evil purposes." "Elemental magic is another form of focus..." Rei put in a comment of her own here. "I suspect that Ail and Ann used Elemental magic, after all, they got their power from draining things around them. "Holy magic is power given to the caster by the Gods, this is not to be confused with Spiritual power, the power of the human spirit is something completely separate to magic, and developed in a different manner. "Finally, there is Black magic. Black magic uses another source of power, and it is that source that defines the magic as Black. I will not go into details because of the dangers involved, but suffice it to say that the Dragon Slave is a fraction of the power that the source of Black magic can deliver." "Black magic takes some of this power and uses it for the caster's purpose. The caster does not need to be evil to cast this magic... but it is often the situation. "The Dragon Slave is one of the most powerful spells available to Black Magic, and a skilled caster can rival the power of a minor god for short periods of time and in small areas. "Take heart, pretty soldiers. The caster of the Dragon Slave is on your side. The destruction of the Daimon in such a manner is an object lesson for those who would oppose us. Victory will be ours, and we shall smite our enemies in glorious battle." As the Senshi let that start to settle in, Rei read out the short paragraph at the bottom of the page. "You do not need to fear the source of the Black magic becoming active or malignant. I have it on the best authority that in this era, all those that supply the power are completely incapacitated. "Besides, if they were capable of acting, you, I and everyone else would be nothing more than chaff for them to harvest as they desired, such is their power compared to ours." "The source of the power is not my concern, and neither should it be yours. I am writing this to tell you that you have nothing to fear from the caster of the Dragon Slave. "We are all on the same side. All fighting for the one cause, all striving to protect our Queen and those we love. "United we stand, and we shall never be defeated." Rei looks up from the paper and looks at the girls and their cats. "He just signs it: 'With you until the end and beyond.'" When she stopped talking, there was a moments silence, then everyone began to speak at once. Ideas flashed back and forwards as people tried to make sense of what they heard. This went on for a while until Ami's normally quite voice rose and brought calm to the room. "We can't go on like this. I'm sure we know all the answers, it's just that we probably don't know what the right questions are. "First things first, let's make sure everyone is clear on who gave us this information. For the last month or so there's been another man dressed like Tuxedo Kamen appearing at the start of the fights. He usually only stays around for a little while, then he leaves again." Minako wiggled her eyebrows at Rei: "He only stays long enough to give his darling Sailor Mars a rose or chocolates or something. Then he's off again." "It was my rose he gave her the first time, too." Griped Mamoru. He had a light tone in his voice to reassure Rei that he did not mind, but his comment drew a few chuckles nonetheless. Rei leaped to his defence. "I don't think he actually runs away. I'm actually pretty sure that he's still around somewhere... he's just hiding. I'm not sure how I know... I'm just sure that he's there watching over me. I think he realises that I have a job to do, and he doesn't want to interrupt it." Ami cleared her throat. "We're getting off the topic again. Let's get together a description, and see if anyone can recognise who he actually is. I think it's probably safe to assume that he is related to either the Moon Kingdom or our current adversaries in some way. Since he seem keen on Sailor Mars, we can probably say he's not an enemy." "He wears black pants and a white shirt, just like Tuxedo Kamen." "He's got this really big black cape." "He's got a black mask... not white like Tuxedo Kamen's." "True, but remember, his mask is actually part of... I don’t know... a scarf or something that covers his whole head." "I've never seen him use magic! Remember, he held off the Daimon for a while this morning while Sailor Mars was busy with the fruit juice for breakfast." The other scouts added various features that they remembered, Rei even mentioned his piercing blue eyes. She was the only one that had received a good enough look at him to vouch for that, so no-one disputed it. As the description built up, Luna began to look concerned, or as concerned as a cat can look. Even though Chibi-Usa was sitting on her knee, Setsuna also became agitated. After a time she set the girl on the floor and began to pace slightly. At the sight of this, silence fell onto the room. Setsuna was always in control. She was never worried or afraid. If this man was someone who could upset her, then the Senshi might have a serious problem. When she noticed the silence, Setsuna looked over the girls and focused on Luna. "You know who it is, don’t you?" "Saturn Knight..." The Guardian of Time nodded. "Yes. Saturn Knight." Artemis looked horrified and smacked his own head. "Saturn Knight! Of course. How could I have forgotten. Yes, it's definitely Saturn Knight... Oh no." Setsuna raised an eyebrow at that. Now that the cards were out on the table and she had no more unexpected surprises, she was much calmer. "We have Saturn Knight wandering around and you can think of something else to say 'oh no' about?" "He has the Silence Glaive." The three people who realised the implications of that statement went white. Actually Artemis was always white, and since Luna was a black cat, she just 'went white' in an implied sense. Setsuna did actually go white. She recovered with admirable speed and aplomb, but it was yet another sign to the Senshi that all of their mentors were worried. Searching the faces of the three people discussing her suitor, Rei demanded answers. "Back a step! Who is Saturn Knight, and why is it so bad if he has the Silence Glaive?" "Saturn Knight was someone we all knew in the Moon Kingdom." Luna began. "I expect your memories will start to return over time now that they have been prompted, but that's not particularly necessary. "If Endymion was not engaged to Sailor Moon - which made him 'Prince' - he would have been known as 'Earth Knight' since he was from Earth, and he was one of their leaders. Similarly, if Sailor Venus had a husband; he would have been called Venus Knight. Hence we have Saturn Knight. "We all like to think of the Moon Kingdom as being a paradise. Somewhere that nothing ever went wrong. Somewhere ideal. "Saturn Knight was exception." Amid the curious and confused looks, Artemis picked up the story. "If you ask me, Saturn Knight was a borderline psychotic, and a danger to everyone around him. The only people he cared about was Sailor Saturn and Queen Serenity. Even then, the Queen was his second loyalty. The man was a harmful presence and a threat to society. He was mentally unbalanced and delusional." "Then why couldn't Queen Serenity cast a healing on him. Surely she could make him better." Setsuna gave a short laugh. "She did. After the healing he was a borderline case, close enough to normal that people actually questioned whether he was sane or not. Before the healing there was no question at all. The man actually threatened to kill me once." "WHAT?" "Oh yes. He and I never got along. I think he saw me as some kind of threat. I know I saw him that way. Imagine letting a paranoid with tendencies to violence be the closest advisor of the strongest and most hair triggered Senshi. "Sailor Saturn was the only person who understood him, the only one that really talked to him. The Queen held his loyalty since she supported him and Sailor Saturn, but even then she was rather wary of him. She treated him like a pampered pet tiger: calmly, nicely and with lots of respect. "The reason he threatened to kill me was because he somehow got the idea that I was trying to create a rift between him and Sailor Saturn. He took great offence to it, and told me that if I ever tried to interfere with him again he would see me dead." "Were you trying to interfere?" "Yes." "Could he have killed you?" Setsuna laughed. "Not even on his strongest day. Saturn Knight was a brawler, a fighter. He had no real magic to speak of. He may have been the most skilled magician in the Moon Kingdom, but he did not even have the magic to light a candle. Despite the fact that he got into fights with almost all of the Senshi - attacking them at royal balls and the like - he never could do any real harm." Ami nodded. It made sense. If the man was powerful and crazy, surely something would have been done. If he was just a nuisance, he would be tolerated and treated as well as possible. "Does this mean that it wasn't Saturn Knight that cast the Dragon Slave?" "Perfectly correct. I may not tell you who cast it, but I can assure you that it was not him." "Possibly Sailor Saturn then?" "No. Sailor Saturn has not awoken yet. She still slumbers, hidden deep in the subconscious of whoever she currently is. Also, Sailor Saturn's magic is quite distinctive. If she had cast the Dragon Slave, I would have known instantly." Rei was beginning to feel concerned. She had spent quite a while now, talking to Saturn Knight. Each time the Senshi were called to battle, he would seem to materialise. The would talk, sometimes joking, sometimes serious. Always he was so polite and perfect. She could tell by the way that he acted that he cared for her. He brought her small gifts of flowers, juice, small cakes or poetry. He might not be perfect, and they were both still hiding behind their masks or magic, but she felt her heart being drawn to him. Just being near him, she knew that he felt the same way. It was the way that he looked at her. It was the way he moved. It was all of the little things. There was no way that her lovely man could be the same person they were describing. "Don't you see? He's not the same person he was then. We've all changed since we were reincarnated. Why can’t he? Believe me, this Saturn Knight would never do any of those things that you have described. He's nice, he's just like Tuxedo Kamen was when we first met him." Setsuna did not look convinced. Before she could open her mouth to raise further objection, Ami shifted the focus of the conversation slightly. Rei gave her an appreciative look. It is hard to accept it when people debase and insult someone you care for; unfortunately what they were saying was true, it just did not apply any more. "You seemed worried that Saturn Knight had the Silence Glaive. Why is that? Also, what is it?" Luna jumped onto a table and pointed out the distance between herself and the wall. "The Silence Glaive is Sailor Saturn's weapon. It's a magical pole arm about this long, a weapon of massive power and capabilities. "No-one knows exactly where it came from or when it was made. All that is known about it's history is that one day Sailor Saturn arrived at one of the royal functions carrying it. "She demonstrated it's power for the Queen once. I remember watching as an entire asteroid was boiled away into space. "In many ways the Silence Glaive is just another example of how unbalanced Saturn Knight was. He was obsessed with the weapon. Every time he met the other Senshi, he would describe how great the weapon was. He would tell everyone how great it was, and then claim that he had made it. "It was another part of the fantasy world he lived in. He honestly believed that he had created it, when everyone knows that it takes a great and powerful magician to make even the weakest of magical items. "It was sad, really." Ami steered the conversation for a while, trying to elicit all of the information that she could about Saturn Knight, Sailor Saturn, or anything else that it seemed that Setsuna may not have been completely open about. They talked for over an hour, rehashing what they knew, and making sure that no-one missed any of the details. This was especially difficult since Usagi was beginning to get bored. Once she had verified that Mamoru was still her loyal and devoted boyfriend, and that there was no immediate and present danger to herself or her friends, her mind started to wander. For a while she considered sleeping but that would have earned her a cat in the lap. Luna would have claimed that she wanted to be patted, but Usagi knew that she would be making sure she stayed awake. As the next most entertaining alternative, Usagi decided it was time to tease Rei. Rei not only had Ranma, she also was apparently making some good moves on Saturn Knight. Now Rei had read out one page of the letter she had shown them... that means that there are two pages they have not heard. Some good gossip to be found there! Working her way around the room, Usagi spent gradually crept up on Rei. The letter was hanging loosely from her fingers, and Rei was concentrating intently on what was being said. Now her hands were just millimetres from their goal and no-one had noticed yet... Got it! Before Rei could rescue the pages, Usagi was dancing backwards out of her reach. Laughing in delight at her good fortune, she scanned the pages, looking for juicy bits. First page: dull, just that stuff she already read out. Second page: dull, something about the focusing of spell energies and alternate power sources. Hmm, 'Mars Fire Soul Bird' nice name, must be some sort of power up for the current 'Mars Fire Soul' attack that Sailor Mars used. Third page: jackpot. This was what she was after. Out loud she began to read, retreating across the room from the rapidly pursuing - and rather angry - Hino Rei. "Oh, I like this bit: 'What Earthly beauty distilled / Than the single rose / Withering on the virgin thorn / That live, grows and dies / In single blessedness?' Oww!" That last part was not in the poem. That came about when - at the same time as Rei seized her letter - Usagi fell on her behind. As tended to be the case, it was the much abused Luna that took the brunt of the damage, Usagi escaping with not even a bruise on her dignity. Rei towered over the girl, shaking in anger. Her face was red, and her hands were tightly clenched. "That was a private letter, Usagi! If it had anything to do with the Senshi I would have read it out. But it didn't. It was between him and me. Private." Grabbing her jacket, Rei stormed out of the room, heading for the door. Usagi looked up at her retreating form, tear brimming at her eyes. She did not mean to hurt her, she only wanted to have some fun: these Senshi meetings could be so dull some times. "Rei-chan... please..." The brunette did not even turn her head or acknowledge her leaders words. Shrugging into the jacket, she opened the door and stepped outside into the night air. "Goodnight." The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of Usagi's timid crying. No-one made any move to scold her. Everyone could see that she knew she had crossed a line she should never have been anywhere near. Two days later Rei was still fuming slightly at Usagi. She had calmed down mostly, now it was a delayed indignation. Her feelings were more the sort of 'I don't believe she did that...' than 'I want to tear her lungs out and see how well she can talk then...'. Despite the size of Usagi's gaff, it was hard for Rei to stay angry. Not only was she the sort whose anger burned brightly and briefly, but there were other reasons. It can be difficult to be truly angry with someone who you had lain down your life to save. Even harder still to be mad at someone who brought you back from the dead. Considering Usagi fill both of those categories, and she really did not mean any harm, Rei buried her anger. What helped bring her around were her friends. Everyone understood why Rei was upset; who would not be? It was the way that the other Senshi criticised Usagi's actions that made Rei realise what a minor issue it really was. Despite (or perhaps because of) their flirtatious and boy hungry natures, it was Makoto and Minako that had come down on the clumsy leader of the Sailor Senshi the hardest. Just listening to Makoto talk made Rei realise that she needed to patch things up with Usagi. Her own anger she could deal with; being the focus and reason for someone else's anger was another matter. She was a champion of love and justice, she should not be making people angry. As long as she stayed mad, so would her friends, and that was bad for everyone. That was the reason she had allowed herself to be talked into this trip with Makoto. She had agreed to go to one of the Martial Arts classes that Ranma taught. It was not as though the insensitive jerk could compete with the suave, sophisticated and charming Saturn Knight, but he was here and he was accessible. Most importantly, the trip from Makoto's to the dojo gave the two time to talk, time to air out all of the issues. Time to end the problems with Usagi. It did not take long to convince Makoto to forgive the girl, all of the Senshi were too close; they were friends as close as any group of girls could be... Other than Michiru and Haruka, but that was another matter. As they neared the dojo, Makoto pointed to her watch. "You'll like this, Rei-chan. Ranma has about half an hour left with the kids class before we begin." "What? Why did we come so early?" "Come on... Surely you have to realise just how cute Ranma is under that Chinese shirt he always wears. Just think of it: firm muscles moving under that perfect skin. Sometimes his Gi comes open, and you can see all the way down his perfect chest to those rock hard abdominals. "Ohhh, it sends shivers down my back thinking about it." A look of scorn crossed her face. "Oh, please! I prefer my men to have a brain in their head, not just be some insensitive, idiot, jock with muscle in place of his brains." Makoto chuckled. "Just wait until you see him with those little kids. I bet it will change your opinion of him forever." When they arrived at the dojo, it was a struggle to get to the front of the crowd so that they could see Ranma. The entrance of the dojo was not very large, but it was currently required to fit almost forty mothers, some of which also had a pram or other infant child with them. Looking out onto the training floor, Rei could understand the number of parents: the class was packed. In the middle of the room, Ranma was demonstrating a basic throw for an enthusiastic group of children. The most amazing thing that caught Rei was not the large number of children that were present, but it was the way that he treated them. Ranma seemed to take the time to treat each of them as individuals, while simultaneously pitching his instruction to the whole class. Feeling a little envious of the attention the children were getting – not to mention upset at the fact that she had never had a teacher like this – Rei leaned over and whispered in Makoto’s ear. "Wow, the dojo must be making a fortune with a class this large... and he does this what, three times a week?" Makoto gave her an odd look. "Not from what I hear. Miyama Sensei, that's the dojo's owner, used to charge for the children's class, but I hear that Ranma asked him to stop. When Ranma started teaching here, they began an adult's class: it's the one we're going to. They charge for that, but since it was so successful, Ranma got permission to teach the children's class for free." Rei chewed on that for a while. She was no stranger to charity work – she was training to be a Shinto Priestess, a job that was not well known for it's massive pay – she just did not expect to see it in others. Least of all she expected to see it in an insensitive jerk like Ranma. So why would he be willing to do a children's class for free... unless... "Hey, Mako-chan? Do you remember a while back, Hotaru accidentally got Mamoru into some sort of trouble about Chibi-Usa?" "Yeah, apparently Hotaru thought Mamoru was interested in Chibi-Usa, you know, like _that_. Then she decided to do something about it. Without talking to anyone, or asking what Chibi-Usa or Mamoru thought, but she's just a kid, so she can make mistakes. Poor Mamoru though, being beaten up, then tossed into a garbage bin." "Eww, yuck! You don't think that's why Ranma does these classes for free do you? If he and Hotaru were on their own for a long time, then they might have had some sort of problem when they were younger. Maybe this is his way of trying to protect the little kids, the way he wished he was protected?" Makoto shook her head. "I think you're reading to much into this Rei- chan. Ranma just likes to teach. Besides, he's so good now, he must have been able to fight well when he was younger. Did you realise that Ranma was the one who beat up Mamoru?" "What? All by himself? I've seen Mamoru take on three or four guys at once. You've can't make me believe that someone like Ranma could possibly beat him by himself." They might have continued for longer, but the children's class had ended, and the adults were beginning to line up. Joining in, Rei prepared herself for some heavy exercise. 'Who knows?' she thought, 'I might actually learn something here.' After bowing to Ranma, they began their warm ups. Leaning over to Rei, Makoto whispered in her ear. "I think Ranma might be better than Mamoru, after all, I've fought against both of them, and I can't even hit Ranma." Class went well. Ranma showed no favourites, other than giving Makoto and Rei a short smile. For Ranma it was almost like going back in time. The last time he had taught classes like this was when he was in the Amazon village, or before that... before that was when he taught classes with Akane. Today's class was similar to the Amazon's since almost everyone in the class was female, but he was male, and that was how he remembered the idyllic days of teaching when he was young. Physically he was only a little younger than he was at the moment so that made little difference. What brought it all back was the little things. The sound of feet on wood, the way the dojo blocked the cooling breezes he was used to outside, the subtle echoes of voices inside a building. It was so easy to loose himself in the luxury of the past. Sometimes he would be helping someone, and he would turn slightly, and catch a glimpse of black hair. Even as his eyes brushed across the face, he could see the scowl, that slight lowering of the eyebrows as she frowned her impatience. Later it would be the way someone moved, some mistake he had seen before, and he would hear a voice call him 'idiot' as he fooled around trying to illustrate his point. Time passed in a daze, Ranma calling for a second round of sparring and to change partners. He could almost hear Akane laugh as she bowed to her partner and walked up to him from the side. "Care to spar with me, Ranma?" He deliberately turned his back on the girl with the black hair, knowing the sort of malletting the comment would get him; it had become almost a ritual with them, a friendly reminder of what it was like when the first met. "Sorry, I don't fight girls... Even a tomboy like you, Akane." Ranma tensed his shoulders slightly, waiting for the blow, but none came. Silence reigned, finally prompting him to turn around. Rei was there, eyes starting to brim slightly. "Rei-san? What's wrong? Are you OK?" "But... But you sparred with Mako-chan before. And you just fought that girl with the blue hair... Aren't I good enough? Is that it Ranma?" Ranma squeezed his eyes shut and scratched the back of his hear under his pony tail. "Heh, heh. Sorry, Rei-san. I was thinking of someone else for a while. Sure. I'd love to spar with you." The fire in Rei's eyes returned, and she looked up into his eyes and poked him in the chest (hmm, nice firm chest this!). "Don't think you can go easy on me either, Ranma!" Ranma called for everyone to start fighting and walked into the middle of the room followed by Rei. "Course I'll go easy on you, Rei- san. I'm the best there is!" Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Rei sent two punches and a kick past him. Although her form was uneducated, she had the fighting experience of battling the evil that infested Tokyo to teach her the hardest lessons. Pleasantly surprised that his temple maiden was not a total stranger to fighting, Ranma tried to see how deliberately bored he could look while Rei attacked. It was a shame he did not have a book to read. Striking all of the time and never hitting can be very tiring. After sparring with Ranma, Rei decided to rest herself against the wall and chat to one of the other girls there. Mako-chan was out on the floor trying her hand against a brown belt. Near the entrance stood a tall girl who had as much purple hair as Rei did black. She looked like she had just come in, and was now standing next to one of those ugly little statues. Probably supposed to scare away evil spirits. "Hi, I'm Rei. Are you new here too?" "I Shampoo. Here to get husband." "Humph! I think half the girls here are trying to get a husband. Honestly, I don't know what that see in that insensitive jerk." The girl called Shampoo snarled and brought her bonbori up to a ready position. "You no insult Shampoo husband or Shampoo teach Rude-Girl lesson!" Rei went white and she slowly looked between Shampoo, Ranma and back again. "He's... He's your husband?" The words caught in her mouth and barely made it out. 'He had a wife? All this time he's had a wife?' Not once had he mentioned having a wife. All those talks that have had, but yet he never mentioned his wife? How could he? How could he? The purple haired bimbo, the harridan that had surely entrapped him into marriage, the hussy in the short skirt, that stain upon humanity that made Rei see red was saying something else. Something about Amazon laws or some guff like that. Rei ignored it and tried to sort out who she would kill first; Ranma for deceiving her and leading her on, or this bimbo for stealing her Ranma. She had just turned back to Shampoo with death in her eyes when she felt strong hands holding her from behind. In front of he she could make out Ranma being belted over the head by one of the brightly coloured bonbori. As Makoto's soothing words captured her attention in a way that her arms never could, Rei realised something. She realised that Ranma was there holding Shampoo away from her, and he had most definitely taken a blow that was meant for her. He was also shouting. "I've told you before Shampoo, I'm not your husband. I don't mind if you come here and watch, but you are not allowed to attack my students. Especially Rei-san!" Rei could hardly believe it when he turned his back on the still angry Shampoo and looked her in the face. All her anger seemed to drain out of her like the emptying of hot bath water. He reached out a hand for her cheek. Closer. Closer. He eventually stopped when his hand was only millimetres away. Rei could feel his body heat at that distance. Warm and inviting. Rei's big eyes shimmered as she looked up into his concerned face. "Are.. are you all right, Rei-san?" A nod. Just a small one. It moved her head and maybe - just maybe - she felt her cheek touch his palm. Before she could be sure of what she had felt, Ranma's hand was back behind his head, scratching under his pony tail. "Ha, s-sure you are! M-macho tomboy like you'd probably be able to take on the Amazon's all at once. Gee, talk about uncute!" This time Makoto fairly pushed her forward to attack rather than holding her back. Rei had thumped him on the head a good four or five times before he even began to retreat. Again it was not a retreat, more just a circling, placing his own body in the way of an angry Shampoo. "Shampoo think you Pervert Girl, like hitting Shampoo husband!" Everyone started yelling at once then. Makoto was trying to get Rei and Shampoo to calm down. She knew that she might be able to fight Shampoo... might. Rei would be turned into hamburger the instant Ranma stepped aside at this rate. Shampoo, Ranma and Rei had a three way yelling competition going. They were ignoring what each other was saying, but somehow they expected that sheer volume would make themselves understood. Cologne watched as the class finished with only one of the Sensei. The other, her son-in-law, was busy discussing the finer points of etiquette with Shampoo and some friends. Bouncing forward she keenly observed the way they behaved. Shaking her head, Cologne sighed: kids these days. Ranma spotted her movement and stopped shouting at the others, instead he locked gazes with Cologne and pointed a finger at her. "You! You can call off Shampoo, can't you? The Matriarch has the authority to arbitrate in situations like this." Noticing the new arrival, everyone else shut up. Whether it was fear, respect, or something else did not matter. Now the quintet was surrounded by silence, broken only by the sound of Ranma or Cologne speaking. "Of course I could. I am the Matriarch. I can make any decisions I like, and I have decided that you should follow our laws and marry Shampoo." "Feh! Is that all you can say? Do this, do that, marry Shampoo... You know, you sound like a little kid when you talk like that. Always telling people what to do, never listening to my side of the story. Perhaps I should treat you like a kid, ne, Cologne-chan?" "If you were an Amazon, you would know to respect me. You would know better to try such a form of address with me... Although I can understand why you could confuse me for someone as young and beautiful as Shampoo." While everyone else collapsed in shock at that thought, Ranma forged on, swooning with the sugary sweet words. "Oh, Cologne-chan! Were you not a married woman, I might challenge you for marriage, since you are so close to my own age." Cologne chuckled. Son-In-Law had a sense of humour. Good. He would need it if he was to become a proper husband to Shampoo. "If I was three hundred years younger, I might take you up on that, but for now: Shampoo is your wife." "I'm sure you would try, Cologne-chan. I'm sure you would." Ranma pulled himself up to his full height and pointed an arm at Cologne. "I, Tendo Ranma, challenge you! I shall prove that I am a member of the Amazon tribe, and you shall no longer force Shampoo to marry me because of the fight that she lost!" Shampoo bounced up and down, clapping her hands. All that bouncing showed what a really, um, _healthy_ and _unrestrained_ girl she was. Cologne merely narrowed her eyes and stared at Ranma. Something nibbled at the back of her brain, saying that this was a bad idea. She crushed the thought as it started; there is no way that an upstart young male like this could pose any real threat to her. "Let me check: if you win, I no longer force Shampoo to marry you under the normal marriage laws. If I win, you marry Shampoo. To win, you'll fight me and prove that you really are an Amazon." Ranma nodded. "Any conditions on the fight?" Ranma nodded. "None of the following attacks: Breaking Point Technique, Perfect Shi Shi Hokodon or Perfect Moko Takabisha or Rising Dragon Defeat. I'll also give up the Saotome Forbidden Techniques." Cologne's mouth wanted to fall open and hit the floor. For a male to know those techniques was bad enough. For someone outside the village was a crime beyond measurement. No matter what happened with this lad, heads would roll when she returned to the village. She did not care whether he actually knew them or not, he should not even know the name. Not even Shampoo knew of the existence of some of those attacks, so secret were they. Nodding Cologne also understood the significance of all of the selected attacks - aside from the so called 'Saotome Forbidden Techniques' - all of them were fairly indiscriminate attacks of mass destruction. A careless attack could destroy homes or injure bystanders. As his head started to dip indicating his acceptance and readiness, Cologne struck. A quick swipe with her staff to his kneecaps and the challenge would be over in moments. She was close, very close. If he had been just a few moments longer in reacting, she would have stunned his leg and made him a cripple for the rest of the fight. A month or two of rest would have healed it, but by then he would be Shampoo's. As it was, he executed a back flip out of the way but Cologne still caught his leg in a solid hit. Ranma wobbled on his feet for a few moments, and it was long enough for Cologne to come in for another strike. Favouring his left leg, Ranma retreated. Both fighters swapped blows at an unbelievable rate. To the amazement of everyone present, Ranma and Cologne gave a demonstration of the best possible from Martial Arts and their most gruelling attacks. Makoto, Shampoo, Rei and the dojo's owner had rapidly retreated to the corner of the room for fear of becoming "collateral damage". Everyone involved was surprised at the combatants' abilities. Cologne looked like a harmless little old lady, dangerous only by the fact that her face was so hideous. Yet they could see her standing toe to toe with Ranma, doing a full speed Amakurigen attack for almost three minutes. Ranma was an equal surprise. Shampoo and Cologne both knew that he could do the Chestnut Fist, but to be able to perform at this level was another matter. A man this good may even be considered a challenge to the Matriarch... and that was something that had not been contemplated in living memory. Even though the leader of the Musk was held in awe, he was a known variable and able to be brought back because they knew his weaknesses. Besides, familiarity breeds contempt. Finishing their high speed attacks, Ranma and Cologne leapt out of the dojo, wordlessly giving each other sufficient time to recover from the immense drain upon their energy. Once outside, they again took up the battle, this time in a whirlwind of kicks and punches. Such an attack could last of only so long before one of them began to tire. To all appearances it was Ranma that was loosing this battle. Although he was good, Shampoo could see that her great grandmother's moves were just slightly more efficient. So it was that Ranma began his retreat, loosing three small Ki balls at Cologne's feet to make her give ground. In an instant she was after him, and the pair bounded out of sight of the dojo. From one roof to another they moved, each time they met they would throw a number of kicks, punches and small Ki attacks. Roofs across the suburb suffered considerable damage as the pair wandered. TV aerials became makeshift swords, while tiles would become shuriken. Anything that protruded or caught their attention would become a temporary weapon. By the time they descended to the ground again, each of them had a number of small cuts and they were sweating profusely. Looking around the small park that they had come to a halt in, Cologne admired the puffing Ranma. "Well done, Son-In-Law. I never expected that someone so young as you would be able to give me such a challenge. But now you shall witness some of the ultimate magical power of the Chinese Amazons! Behold, the Splitting Cat-Hairs!" Cologne was glad to see the way that he flinched when she named that technique. Now she began to move, circling him. Knowing that he was safe from the Hiryuu Shoten Ha, Ranma made no move. Shortly he was surrounded by afterimages of Cologne. All around him she moved, each image slightly blurred from her speed and the magic she used to create the after images. Then she attacked. Seemingly from every side punches would come out, knocking him from all sides. Before she could finally fell him, Ranma leapt straight up into the air. "You should have left it to normal attacks or Ki, Cologne-chan. There's no way that you can beat me using magic. ELEMENKIA LANCE!" A beam of bright yellow light flew from his palm, crashing straight down into the middle of her illusionary circle. The Elemenkia Lance was a lethal attack spell, but he had aimed it at the ground, rather than Cologne. With an explosion; dust, dirt and grass were thrown into the air, knocking Cologne out of her expected path. If he had hit her with such a spell, they would have been picking bits of her out of the trees. When he landed, Ranma allowed Cologne enough time to reclaim her staff and get back onto her feet. The blast had not really hurt her but it's unexpectedness had surprised her greatly. If she had felt him powering up for a Ki attack, she would have braced or dodged. Instead he had thrown a magic attack that was completely beyond her experience. Knowing that she was now at a disadvantage, Cologne backed towards the stream that ornamentally split the park. Releasing her own battle aura, Cologne threw a pair of powerful Ki attacks at him, forcing him to dodge and leap. What she had not expected was for him to then land and prepare his own Ki attack. With the amount of energy he had already expended, he should be near to exhaustion. Even as she could feel him focusing his Ki, Cologne saw her chance. Now he was stationary, a small blue ball beginning to form in his hands. If she struck now he could dodge and yield his attack, or stay and be hit. Firing off a small attack, she waited for him to dodge. Only, he did not dodge. He stayed where he was. As she fired her own attack, she saw the real result of his preparation. Ranma dumped all of the Ki he had been preparing internally into the ball in his hands. The glowing sphere went from tennis ball to larger than a beach ball in less time than it took Cologne's attack to cross the range. When her attack hit, it was simply absorbed and negated. Ranma locked eyes with Cologne and gave a brief chuckle as he saw fear flash across her face. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" With a roar the sphere shot over her head and she dropped to the ground. Even though it missed, she could feel the heat of it's passage. Distracted for a moment, she was unable to react as she suddenly felt Ranma's hands on her. As one arm crossed her throat like a bar of iron, another began to stress her elbow, preparing to break the joint in the most painful manner possible. Just as she realised that he was only just applying the strangle and arm bar, she heard his words whisper in her ear. "You’re a hundred years too soon to beat me, Cologne-chan." A shock went through her system and all of the pieces fell into place: The fight in a small clearing surrounded by trees, with a small stream to one side. The name Cologne-chan. That cocky attitude, but always careful and caring. The strangle and pain hold. Finally those words. Words spoken to her three hundred years ago by a cocky young man as he defeated her challenge for marriage. Blinking back tears, Cologne rolled onto her back and looked up into the concerned face that hovered only inches from hers. Fear, excitement and amazement barely let her get the word past her lips. A word that was a name. A name she had never expected to say again. "Soap..." Ranma held her to him so tightly she feared her ribs might crack. "Cologne-chan... Oh, God I've missed you!" Makoto looked at her watch again. She could hardly believe that two people could fight each other that long. It had been almost an hour since the three girls lost track of them and returned to the dojo. From her position seated on the steps into the dojo, Makoto could see Rei nervously pacing as she waited for Ranma's return. Shampoo just stood there. Although she projected an aura of confidence, she knew the other girls could tell she was troubled. Shampoo knew that no-one should have given her great-grandmother so much difficulty. Any boy that she attacked should have fallen in moments. No-one should have been able to keep her occupied for this long, no matter what they did. Rei made no secret of hiding her worry. She could not believe it. That insensitive jerk had reached a new all time low. Picking on old women! How bad can you get. Rei spun on her heel and flicked a glance at Shampoo. 'Grrr, it was all her fault. I hope Ranma's all right.' The sound of voices and laughter brought their attention back to the present quickly. Stepping past the corner of a building came the most amazing sight. Ranma was running along with both hands outstretched making aeroplane noises. Sitting on his head, staff across her lap, was Cologne. What was strangest of all was that Ranma held an ice cream cone in each hand. Skidding to a stop in front of the shocked women they both smiled. While licking his own ice cream, he held the other up for Cologne to take a lick. The silence was perfect. Shampoo put a hand to her mouth and gasped. "Oh no! Great Grandmother already use Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique to make husband into her slave!" After savouring the silence for a moment, Ranma finally moved their ice creams away. "I think you have something to say... Don't you, Cologne-chan?" Cologne cleared her throat and looked down at Shampoo. Hmm, good view from up here. Maybe I should get someone to do this for me more often. "Yes... Yes I do. Shampoo, I am afraid to say that this boy has proven his claim to be an Amazon to my satisfaction. I am afraid that you current claim against him for marriage is therefore invalid. At his request, I hereby nullify your claim on this man." Rei and Makoto looked like they were in heaven, while Shampoo's heart shattered. She had only known him for a while, but he was perfect. If there was ever a better man, she did not know how to find him. Twin tracks appeared on her face as silent tears began to drop. "Since I am the Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, and this man has been without a wife for so long... Shampoo, I hear by appoint you to be his new bride. Under my authority, you must do everything possible to bring this man back to our village as your husband." The moment of stunned silence was all she needed. Leaping off his head, she knocked the remainder of the ice creams into Ranma face. Taking Shampoo's hand they sprinted off between the buildings. "Ha, Ha! I shall see you wed yet, Soap Onna Rope!" --------- End Of Chapter The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current author. Thanks to my pre-readers: Ben aevan Ifurita@mechapilot.com ukie This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow my head in shame: please forgive. Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to its story timeline... This story is dedicated to the letter K and the numbers 4 and 5. Visit my website at http://www.users.fl.net.au/~fire _________________ / \ | Destiny's Child | \_________________/ What has gone before: While on a training trip with his father during the early 1600s, Ranma fell into the spring of the drowned young girl. Unfortunately, his curse can only be changed back with _very_ hot water, which means he has spent most of his time in his cursed form. Not only that, but because the spring was drowned young girl, he turns into a 12 year old girl who never ages. In the present... Ranma has received a partial cure for his curse by the spirit entity called Mistress 9. She will eventually take his girl's body, freeing him entirely, so now he poses as Tomoe Hotaru. Unfortunately, he now seems to have a few problems with the ladies, since he is inadvertently engaged to Hino Rei (he's taking lessons in Shinto), his old buddy Ucchan, and the friendly Amazon Shampoo. That doesn't even start to include Mako-chan, or the fact that two of his best friends are only three foot tall: Cologne and Chibi-Usa. Ranma has just finished teaching a Martial Arts class with Makoto and Rei in it... ----------------------------------- A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed ----------------------------------- Having safely taken Makoto home, Ranma and Rei were working their way to Rei's house. Following the afternoon's Martial Arts class, Ranma had been delayed by a hour or two battling with Cologne. When you added into that the time it took for them to talk afterwards and then walk Makoto home, evening was beginning to make itself felt. It was rather a nice night to be walking out romantically, perfect for lovers wearing jackets to hold hands, or for the bolder ones to share their body heat. The air was crisp and clean; the chill evening breeze had managed to clear out most of the pollution, leaving a golden sunset and an almost cloudless evening. Needless to say, on such a perfect night for lovers' close comfort, Rei found herself walking at a distance from Ranma, wondering how he could look so warm and comfortable in weather like this. Sighing to herself, she rubbed her hands up and down her biceps, trying to warm herself. 'Idiot, he didn't even look my way.' Rei sighed again (a little louder to see if that would work), and wished she was walking with Saturn Knight instead of Ranma. At least Saturn Knight was a gentleman. He also had a nice, big, warm cloak, just perfect for two. "Are you cold, Ranma?" "Nope. Try meditating naked on a mountain to in winter in Tibet... _That's_ cold." Silence. Just the sound of some tacky TV program in the background as they passed someone's house. 'What's wrong with the idiot this time? He hasn't even looked at me or said a thing since we left Mako- chan's?' A car passed them in the near darkness. Surely that chill breeze would be enough to awaken even Ranma's sense of gallantry. Two minute's later, Rei looked over and made a pronouncement. All due credit must be given here to Ranma as both a human being and a male in the presence of a pretty girl. His oh-so-powerful talents of observation and sensitivity did not need anything more than 'Ranma, I've been freezing here for the last ten minutes! I don't suppose you have a spare jacket?' and he instantly responded. Does Ranma win the award for Sensitive-New-Age-Guy-Of-The-Year? 'Damn. Here I've been keeping myself warm with Ki, and poor little Rei-san's been shivering. There's got to be some way that I can get her to warm up, 'cause I think the pack's pretty empty.' With a look of chagrin on his face, Ranma shrugged and held up a small bundle of clothes. "Sorry, Rei-san. All I have is these clothes for Hotaru. I don't think any of them would fit you... What with her petite and girlie figure, and you having thighs that are too thick, and strength of a gorilla. I mean, even the shirt would be too loose on a flat chested girl like you." While he waited for her inevitable anger, Ranma counted his (few) blessings. At least he was walking on such a pretty night with Rei- san and not Sailor Mars. Poor Sailor Mars would have frozen ages ago in such a short skirt. There would have been him with a nice warm cloak around him, staring at a Sailor Mars Popsicle: he would have felt so dumb. Her first impulse was to reel back and slap him across the face, then she remembered who she was being compared to. Hotaru-chan. Ranma's little sister. The little girl who - according to Chibi-Usa and Ukyo - had some sort of growth problem. Unless her treatment work, Hotaru may never fully bloom into the statuesque lady she no doubt wanted to be. Poor Ranma must be used to making comments like that to help bolster her ego. Reining in her anger, Rei resolved not to hit him for that comment. Of course, there were other, much more fulfulling ways to get even without resorting to physical violence. Like asking about that Amazon 'wife' of his, for example. After a moment of silence Ranma turned worriedly and looked at Rei. For a while there he was concerned that someone may have kidnapped Rei-san, 'Why wasn’t she reacting to his insult the way she used to? Surely nothing could have kept her from retorting back for this long.' However, she was still there. Good thing too, after all, who'd want to kidnap a tomboy like her? The he noticed her smile and his blood ran cold. No-one should smile like that. Sharks smile like that. Vipers smile like that. Primary school teaches smile like that when they are about to give a failing report card to the rowdiest student in the class. Ranma shuddered. Rei-san should never smile like that. "So, Ranma, tell me about this wife of yours." Ranma's eyes unfocused and he moved forward on autopilot. In front of him was a vision of beauty. She had short hair and the biggest, deepest brown eyes you could ever see. A slightly dazed smile crossed his face as he lost himself in her image. "Hmm, let me see. About your height and a great martial artist... Real tomboy type; you'd like her." Bonk! "I suppose you could say it was an arranged marriage. The parents wanted it, neither of us wanted it initially, but well. I guess she grew on me." That surprised her. The way he treated Shampoo made Rei think he was more interested in getting out of the marriage than thinking about her as a real wife. "Actually, I mean as a person. It's not as though I got to know her, I've never really had a chance to talk to her." Ranma shrugged. "Um... Let see... She's smart, really smart. Smarter than I'll ever be, we both studied together when we were young, and she was always better than me, not as good as her sister, but still smart. "She's good looking too. Much nicer than you in fact. And a better dresser too. I suppose it didn't hurt that her family was rich." By this stage, Rei was really fuming, and searching around for something nice and heavy to hit him over the head with. Something useful like a bokken or a large mallet. Ranma stopped in his tracks and nervously scratched under his ponytail. "Oops. Sorry about that. Got confused there for a moment. That was how pop told me about him choosing my mum. Heh, heh. You know, I think he once told me that the girl he was with hit him over the head with a bokken for that." Spinning on his toes Ranma looked closely at Rei. "You'd never do that sort of thing would you, Rei-san?" "N-no. No, of course not!" He turned away and started walking again. Somehow Rei thought he sounded disappointed, but that would have to be her imagination acting up. "No... I don't suppose you would." "Actually, beautiful is hardly the right word for her. You just can’t describe what she looked like. I thought she was a goddess really... How would I describe her? I'd have to say... perfect. She was simply perfect in every way." Rei could feel her heart crumble into dust with every word. Chibi-Usa was right, Ranma did love someone else. Gods, he loved Shampoo so much, that even though they had been apart for only a couple of hours he was already speaking about her in the past tense. "So, when is the wedding?" "Huh? What wedding?" "To Shampoo. You were just saying how perfect she was." "What? What's Shampoo got to do with this? I was talking about my wife." It amazing what a little hope can do. As soon as the word 'What?' came out of his mouth, Rei could tell he was sincerely confused. Shampoo was definitely not the girl he was referring to. But as with all situations, the further you rise, the further you fall. Her broken heart had started to mend when she realised that he was not talking about Shampoo... then he flat out admitted that he did have a wife. He took the tiny shards of her shattered heart and ground them under his heel. You cannot trust men. "Akane." Akane? Akane who? She'd never heard of anyone called Akane. Who was this Akane? Some bimbo he had picked up in his travels no doubt. Slowly she forced out the words. It was like trying to recite bad poetry; you knew how much it would hurt to say it, but you needed to do it anyway. "How... How long have you been married?" Silence. More silence. Silence broken only by the sound of their feet on the concrete. "I think Akane died about three hundred and fifty years ago. I've suffered every day since." She's dead? Akane's dead? Let's see...350 days, that’s almost a year. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I didn't realise." He gave a wry chuckle. "How could you? The only people who know are Cologne-chan and Shampoo. Oh, and you too." Reaching slowly she placed a hand on his arm. "Did Hotaru know her?" "She loved Akane every bit as much as I did. Akane loved Hotaru the same as she loved me, too. I... It's been hard since she died." They walked in silence for a while. Each wrapped in their own thoughts. For Ranma, it was Akane. Oddly enough, it was the same for Rei. '350 days? But that was more recently than he got engaged to Ukyo. So he did actually say years... Which means... Which means that he doesn't want to tell me when she died... Which means... What does that mean??' Seeking a safer topic, Rei thought back to his battle with the desiccated old mummy. Not only had she never seen anyone fight as well as the two of them did, she could not believe the incredible speed that some of their attacks had used. Especially that time they started screaming about Roasted Chestnuts... that was simply amazing. Rei did not know if she had the Martial Arts ability for the job, but she could not help thinking about how well Makoto could do if she learned it. The mighty Sailor Jupiter using the Chestnut Fist: the ultimate combination of magic and martial prowess. No threat to the Princess would ever get through! "Hey Ranma... What were those strange attacks you were doing against the old ghoul? You were both punching so fast I couldn't even see your arms move." "Ahhh... That was the dreaded 'Roasting Chestnuts Over An Open Fire'. It is a secret technique of the Joketsuzoku Amazons, passed down through 2700, no, 3000 years of their heritage. The legendary speed of this technique has held Chinese Emperors in awe since its creation!" Ranma turned and gave her a cheeky smile. "See, I remembered the sales pitch on the technique just like Deodorant taught me!" Rei had to laugh. Here was Ranma, the one person she knew who did not seem to be able to take anything seriously, and he was quoting word- for-word the standard brag line for a Martial Arts technique. "So, do you think you can teach Mako-chan and I how to do it?" "Maybe... Then again, maybe not. Mako-chan might be able to learn it; she's pretty good. If she just showed a little more dedication to fighting, then she could have a lot of promise. You on the other hand... The Chestnut Fist is all about speed and a slow-poke tomboy like you just doesn't have the speed for it. Besides, you’re a temple maiden Rei-san. What would you need to know a technique like that for?" She was stunned. Once again he had managed to insult he in the same breath that he praised some other girl. The man must have a death wish. Not only that, but he thought Makoto was not dedicated to fighting? This girl was not only a Sailor Senshi (which he did not know, but that was beside the point), she also had been thrown out of almost every school she had been to for being too violent and fighting all of the time. "So, you could teach Mako-chan?" "Nope." "But you said..." "But I said she _might_ be able to learn it. I didn't say I could teach it. Let's face it Rei-san, you and Mako-chan aren't exactly the best friends of Shampoo and Cologne-chan. I once promised Deodorant - the woman who taught me. I promised her that I would never teach these attacks to people who might attack or hurt the Amazons." The silence held for a while, each holding their own counsel. Ranma was thinking that if he could find the Pretty Soldier Sailor Mars, he could teach her the attack. She did not even know Shampoo, and she certainly had both the speed and the fighting spirit needed. On the other hand, Rei was wondering how she could 'accidentally' get Sailor Mars to bump into Ranma and learn the attack that way. Surely the Sailor Senshi were everybody's friends. "You know, Ranma, I hate to be the one to point it out, but those Amazons have got really stupid names. What sort of person calls their kids Cologne, Deodorant, or Shampoo? It's just silly. Not only that, but the way you call the old ghoul 'Cologne-chan'... it makes me sick. Ewww, how can you flirt with someone as old and mean and ugly as that?" Ranma smirked. "Hey, you try telling a village full of elite Amazon warriors that their names are silly and see how far you get. Besides, I think there's actually some sort of significance to them... um, somehow. "As for Cologne-chan... you see a withered old woman. I look at her and see a beautiful young girl about your age. Someone bright, talented, caring and friendly." "Blargh! You're making me sick. Why don’t you just marry her?" "Well, she did ask me when I was in their village last, but I was still grieving for Akane." "Hmm, were all of those special attacks you mentioned from the Amazons?" "Just about." "Well, what about the 'Saotome Forbidden Techniques'? That doesn't sound like an Amazon name. Could you teach us them?" "I could teach them if you were good enough - which you're not. Actually, I'd like to be able to teach them to you someday, but I can't now." "Why not? Does someone else hold your oath on these too?" "Yeah. My father actually. The mighty Saotome Genma. He invented a set of techniques so powerful and so deadly that he ordered them to be sealed away from the world, never to be used other than in my darkest hour." Ranma remembered the day well. Genma panda was there, sitting in a small stream, holding a sign: 'Only teach these techniques to your wife, Boy. They are too dangerous for others to know.' Ranma sighed. He had not though about his father in a long time. Stupid old man, always stealing my food. "You father was a PANDA?!" "Um... only half the time..." "What?!" "Do you believe in magic Rei-san? Well, when I was young, my father got cursed. It was this place in China called Jusenkyo. Up until the day he died he turned into a panda when he got doused with cold water." "You're kidding... right?" "No. Ask Cologne-chan about the Jusenkyo springs sometime. I... I don't like to talk about them. They caused Akane a lot of suffering until the day she died." They were at the steps to enter the Hikawa Shrine when Ranma spoke again. "Her name was Tendo Akane, that's why I'm called Tendo Ranma, not Saotome Ranma. It was always hoped that the two of use would be able to take over the Tendo School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts. The Tendo Dojo was known throughout Japan at one time, but, now... no- one's even heard of Anything Goes." "I remember... I remember once a delegate from the Shogun actually came to the dojo, officially asking that one Tendo Soun ensured that his daughter was properly married so that the School could continue." Rei paused from taking off her shoes and looked up at him. Ranma had already kicked off the soft soled slippers that he favoured, and was looking wistfully into the distance. "Shogun? When did that happen?" "Hmm, let's see. That would have been the late 1500's... Somewhere around there I think." "Wow you really know your family history!" "I know it so well, it feels like it actually happened to me personally." "Pretty impressive, especially considering that it was your wife's family, not your own." "Not really. You see, the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts has been in existence for centuries too. Seriously, both the Schools have been really close since they began. The first marriage happened around the middle of the 1500's. Pretty impressive, ne?" "Ohhhh! So you're the product of 400 years of inbreeding!" "Yep, that's me, 400 years of... Hey! Come back here!" Ranma chased Rei through the shrine for several minutes until Rei literally ran into her grandfather. The wizened old man's face broke into a smile as he took hold of his charge's shoulders. "It is a sight to gladden these old eyes to see you so happy with your fiancee, Rei-chan." "WHAT?! Who could be happy with this insensitive idiot around?" "WHAT?! Who could be happy with this macho tomboy around?" "What did you call me?" Rei advanced a step in his direction. "Ahh, so the tomboy rears her ugly head after all." "Ohhh, you... _Boy_!" Grabbing her broom, an irate Rei chased after Ranma. Around and around they ran, her constantly swiping at him, and him alternately taunting her or covering his head and shouting 'Ouch!'. Of course, not everyone's relationship was that unsteady... or that violent. Mind you, they were not they only ones to be having a disagreement that evening. Of all the couples that were having arguments that evening, one stands above the rest. Their argument was not one of hatred or opposition. Instead, it was an argument that stemmed from the greatness of their love. The couple - who shall remain nameless to preserve the dignity, and also to add a little suspense into this story - were sitting in a pile of cushions in the corner of a large room. Why cushions, you ask? The room itself was beautifully fitted out, certainly there was no shortage of comfortable chairs in the room, or even the house, so that obviously had no bearing on why they were sitting on a pile of cushions. It could have had something to with the injuries both of them had suffered recently. Without doubt, one of them had been thoroughly knocked around with a large stone block. For most people that would be enough to hospitalise them. Perhaps that was why they were there... medicinal reasons, so to speak. However, a close examination would show that neither of these people was significantly injured. Certainly there were none of the broken ribs or other bones that could have been expected. Equally, neither of them seemed to be suffering for the sucking chest wounds that may have been expected from someone that had either been struck multiple times by arrows, or shot in the chest by a large gun. In each of their cases, both had been struck by several arrows, but neither of them showed a single scar. Ah, but as it turns out, it is this unique phenomena of love that is responsible for their position. How so? You ask. To explain that, I shall pick two names - completely at random - and assign them to the two people. Call the tall, handsome one Haruka. Call the shorter but strikingly beautiful one Michiru. Remember, these names are chosen completely at random, so there's no chance that they match their real names... right? Haruka placed her hand on Michiru's shoulder and traced the line down, mentally connecting the places where arrows had struck her. Even though Michiru was wearing a blouse, she could feel the smoothness of her skin, feel it's gentle warmth. The skin under her hand was perfect, unmarred by any scarring. Eventually Haruka's hand drifted over her friend's heart and stayed there. In the silence of the room, she could feel and hear Michiru's heart beat. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Even and regular. A sound reassuring in it's monotony. A sound that said: 'I am Michiru's heart, and I shall beat like this forever.' But it would not beat forever. Haruka knew that only too well. Looking into her blue eyes, Haruka savoured the reassuring movement under her fingers. Sensing her partner's quite distress, Michiru placed her own hands over Haruka's and held her palm to her chest. "See, it's still there. Now that we have the Talismans, I will never let it stop. My heart shall keep beating here, next to you, as long as we shall live." Haruka blinked her eyes, trying to hold back tears. She knew her reputation, she was supposed to be the tough one, the one that was always flirting with other girls. She was not supposed to be vulnerable like this. But she felt vulnerable... very vulnerable. She edged closer to Michiru and placed her other arm around her shoulders. "I know you're here now, but I thought I had lost you. I watched you walking towards me, with all of those arrows in you, and I know you were going to die. I... It was the worst experience of my life. I don't want to think what it would be like if you had died and I had lived." Michiru leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the other girl's forehead. "But I am here. And I'm going to stay here, by your side, for as long as you need me." "I'll always need you." Silence hung in the air for a moment. Michiru spoke again. "I remember lying there. Eudial had taken the Talisman from me, and all I could do was lie there, watching you. Watching your face as you realised what had happened. Then she told you that you had a Talisman too. "Your face lit up, do you realise that? Even as you knew that it would kill you, I could tell you were happy. That hurt me more than the arrows or Witch Eudial's Heart Buster Gun. I knew that you were going to die too and there was nothing I could do to stop it. That hurt." "Living without you would hardly be living at all. I never wanted to hurt you. I just wanted to be together. Afterwards. After we died... I didn't know what would happen, but I hoped that it would happen to us... together." Michiru blushed slightly and looked at their intertwined hands for a few moments. Forcing some levity into her voice she asked: "So the magnificent Sailor Uranus is a romantic after all." "Only for you." "Oh, that poor little Usagi-chan that you keep flirting with, she'll be heartbroken." "Poor little Usagi-chan can be whatever she likes. It's you that matters. Without you, there is no point in being Sailor Uranus. Why fight to protect something if everything that needs protecting is gone? The only thing that felt better than knowing I would join you when you died was when we were brought back. Then I could feel you beside me, and nothing feels better than that." Big blue eyes locked with green. "And what of the Talisman? What about finding the Holy Grail? We were willing to sacrifice someone else's life, how can we be any different?" Haruka thought back to all of the times that they had fought both Daimons, Witches and the Inner Senshi for the sake of a Heart Crystal. They could hardly say that their hands were clean. How could she justify taking someone else's life, when she felt this way about Michiru? "We aren't different. We are just the same as all of the other people out there. I would risk my life any day to get the Talisman, or whatever else was needed. I would give my life and any other life that was needed to keep you alive. But I would never offer your life. Everything has a price, and that price is too high. "Some things I cannot do." She did not say anything, but a faint smile crossed Michiru's face as she moved closer to Haruka. Leaning against the taller girl, they both drew strength from each other. Time, as it is wont to do, moved forward. After they had sat like that for a time, Haruka looked down at her friend and broached the subject that neither wanted to discuss. The future. "Do you think we've stopped them now that we have the Grail?" Michiru shook her head. With her leaning into the crook of Haruka's elbow, that felt quite nice. "No. We still don't even know what they were really after. There's no way that they will stop with one failure to get the Grail. Just look at how many times they tried and failed to get the Talismans." "Do you think Usagi-chan is in danger?" Granted, their enemies probably knew that Sailor Moon had the Grail. They might not know that Usagi was really Sailor Moon, but then again they may. "Yes." "We could protect her, couldn't we. We could stop them from ever getting to her." "True." "And if we did that, we would never know who was really behind their attacks. We would never see the person that was pulling the strings. We would never be able to go after our true enemy." "Also true." "They're stronger than the Inner Senshi. They way that they have been fighting, the Inners will be lucky if they can keep winning the battles without our help." "Very true." "I'd say it's pretty likely that the Witches 5 also know this. That means that Usagi-chan and her friends will be in danger." Nod. Haruka liked it when Michiru nodded. It sent shivers down her spine... and some other places. "If we let them get attacked, they would probably get hurt, but eventually, it will lead us back to whoever is controlling them. As much as I hate to say something bad about Chibi-Usa's little friend, I would be willing to lay money that Hotaru is involved some how." Another nod. Haruka looked down at the smiling face of her friend. A friend that obviously knew the effect she was having on the woman holding her. Haruka placed a finger on the tip of Michiru's nose. "You know, I really hate it how you're always disagreeing with me." Michiru nodded several times. Yesterday they had confronted Witch Eudial and had discovered that they were the holders of two of the Talismans. Yesterday they had given their lives for the Earth, died to do what needed doing. Today, there was just the two of them. The world could save itself for one night. * * * In a dimly lit room of the Tomoe household, plans were being made. Plans that would inevitably draw the magnificent Sailor Uranus and the elegant Sailor Neptune back into the conflict. A tall, elegant, and refined looking woman sat on a large square throne in the middle of the room. Like the rest of the room, she was cast in darkness, the shadows clinging to her like a second skin. Even though the edges of the room faded into darkness, there was still a feeling of closeness to the room. Possibly it was just the strength of her presence that filled the room, making her the centre of attention for everyone else. The woman who sat on the throne was Mistress 9 and from the darkness, she looked down onto her servant, Tomoe Souichi. Despite the way the shadows covered her head and hid her features, you could see the occasional reflection of light from her eyes. Eyes that most people would prefer focused anywhere other than them. Raising a hand, she patted a doll that she held in her lap. The floor was covered with them, stacked against the feet of the throne like supplicants begging for some mercy. Souichi could only watch in silence and feel glad that it was the doll that had her attention, and not him. After the debacle of loosing the Grail to those sailor suited brats, anything that incurred her attention was a bad thing. Without preamble, the figure in the shadows spoke. Her voice was rich and not unpleasant. It was the voice of a refined lady. "So... Sailor Moon has the Holy Grail." "Y...Yes, she does." "Then all is not lost. When the time is right, we shall reclaim the Grail. Retrieving it from that good hearted bubble head should present no great difficulty." "Yes Mistress 9. Until then..." "Until then you shall continue to find me pure Heart Crystals. I have need of the energy that they represent to complete this transformation." As the light in the room fades, the soft voice of Souichi can be heard in gathering darkness. "Yes, My Lady. Our minions have already selected the perfect candidate..." Ranma awoke next morning completely unaware of her benefactor's conversation. Long ago she had learned not to tempt fate and to sleep as a girl. In consideration to her "father's" currently non-leaking roof, Ranma always ensured she went to bed as a girl. It was generally safer for everybody concerned. It also saved a fortune in building maintenance. As she ate the nice breakfast that was made by Kaori, she once again grumbled at the fact that the girl she was impersonating had always been a goody-two-shoes. Having to wear a school uniform was bad enough. Having to wear a girl's school uniform was just horrible. It grated on Ranma even more since she had a perfectly acceptable set of black pants and Chinese red shirts that fit her, but no, the old Hotaru had always dressed in black, grey and white. Then again, she had been pretending to be Hotaru for several years now. Since she figured that Mistress 9 would want to establish her own fashion sense when she got control of Ranma's girl half, it seemed like a good time to start making a few fashion changes of her own. Hmm, she was meeting Chibi-Usa this afternoon for a drink, so it would be the perfect opportunity to try out the new clothes. Setting out to school, Hotaru walked alone. A girl that was as much a social outcast as her got used to walking alone. 'Perhaps that the wrong way to describe it...' Hotaru thought to herself. 'You never get used to being alone, you just learn to live with it.' Hotaru almost jumped out of her shoes when she heard the soft whispering in her mind from Mistress 9. "You shall have to get used to being alone soon, Ranma. I foretell that the last elements will be in place in only a few months. Then, then you shall truly be alone." A silly grin split her face from ear to ear. Mistress 9 hardly ever spoke to her... it was quite easy to forget that she was always in there, working tirelessly to separate the curse so that they both could have a body that they desired. Lately, whenever she had spoken, it was good news. The countdown was getting shorter every day. "Soon," she said. "Soon I shall have the last ingredient I need to be able to take that cursed body from you Ranma. I shall get what I have worked so hard for, and you shall get precisely what you deserve for helping me." Hotaru chuckled depreciably, waving a hand. "Aww, I'm only doing what I can." "Oh, believe me, my Master has special plans just for you. When he is here, he will make sure that you will never suffer again." While Hotaru blushed and made sounds about how removing the curse would be enough reward, Mistress 9 chuckled silently to herself from within the confines of Hotaru's head. It was just like playing a game of chess. If you knew how to move the pieces, they would do your bidding, never realising the higher plan that they followed. Normally someone in Ranma's position would be described as a pawn, someone to be used and discarded. But Ranma was both too powerful and too useful to be a mere pawn. He was a knight, someone strong, and able to be played to a telling effect just where he was needed. But even knights can be sacrificed. To the other students gathering at the entrance of the school, Hotaru's behaviour was not entirely unexpected. Anyone that can heal people and stayed by herself all the time obviously had something wrong with her. Now she was even talking to herself, or perhaps to an imaginary friend. The one thought seemed to go through the minds of every other young student that saw her. "Eww, she's strange. I'd better stay away from her, or everyone will think I'm strange too." The school day ended none too soon and Hotaru awoke feeling bright and refreshed. Hundred years of meditation and study had enabled her to sleep while sitting, and with her eyes open. Consequently she seemed to be one of the most attentive students in the class. The teachers were inclined to think that she was a little shy since they usually had to ask her the question several times before she answered (or woke up). Now that she had slept through the same class three times - posing as different students at different schools - she had actually absorbed so much information that she could pass as an ordinarily bright student. After going home and getting changed (just clothes, not gender), Hotaru waited for her friend to come over. Even as she began to settle down and do a few light kata in her room, she heard the front door open. As quickly as she could she sprinted down the hall, skidding to a halt just out of view of the front door. Even as she slowed to a stop, she could hear Kaori telling someone that 'Hotaru- chan was not home' and 'she probably would not want to see you when she arrives'. Stepping around the tall woman, Hotaru was pleasantly surprised to see not only Chibi-Usa, but also Usagi and Ami. Standing on her toes, she looked around, but could not see Rei or any of the girl's other friends. 'Feh! Who'd want to see an uncute tomboy like that anyway?' Giving her friends a wave and a quick smile, she turned back to Kaori and looked up at the woman. 'Damn, she was tall. I remember wishing I could get this body to grow up to be a woman like that for so long. But soon, I'm not going to be a girl any more!' "I am home Kaori-san, and I do want to see my friends." Hotaru never managed to decide exactly how Kaori felt about her. There was certainly a measure of respect, possibly even fear. A certain resentment because her 'father' paid more attention to her than Kaori. There was also an undefined attitude, something along the lines of: 'Don't go outside. Don't see anyone. Don't do anything until Tomoe-sensei finishes his work on you. Just stay here and be neither seen nor heard.' Kaori seemed on the verge of saying something when a hand landed on her shoulder. Looking around, her stern visage melted, and she made way for Dr Tomoe. Kneeling down in front of the girl that had replaced his daughter, he looked her in the eyes. Actually, his one eye looked into her two, since he had a strange looking glass eye for one of them. But, hey, not everyone is perfect. Placing a hand on each shoulder, he spoke solemnly. "I shall see you tonight. All shall be in readiness for the next stage." Somehow, Ranma was pretty sure that she was not the one that he was talking to. After that, the serious expression left his face, and he chased Hotaru out the door so that she could have fun with her friends. He sincerely believed that the girl he watched walk away was his own daughter. With all his heart, he believed that Mistress 9 had worked a miracle and restored his daughter to full health after the horrific blast in his laboratory. How much of this belief was Mistress 9's mental manipulation, and how much was honest but misguided hope... no-one could guess. All that mattered was that he cared for her like his real daughter, because he thought she was his daughter. In all the ways that mattered normally for a family she was his daughter, this girl just happened to be someone more than just his daughter. The fact that his real daughter had been replaced with a doppelganger - and that the grievously injured girl had been cast out by the Witches 5 in preparation of Mistress 9 'acquiring' Ranma's body - this sort of fact did not impact on his consciousness at all. Mistress 9 was also quite careful to ensure that nothing Ranma did in his presence was too likely to shake his faith. Fortunately Ranma had been pretending to be his daughter for so long now that any differences that were appearing could easily be attributed to the normal changes that children went through. Mistress 9 was also careful to make sure that Ranma never spent too much time thinking about the girl that he had replaced, or the circumstances involved in the laboratory accident that almost killed her. On the street, Chibi-Usa had just given her best friend in the whole wide world a small card. Opening up the card, Hotaru looked inside and saw a neatly hand written invitation to a party. Recognising her friend's writing, Hotaru was momentarily nonplussed to see that it was at Makoto's place. If Chibi-Usa was having a birthday or something, why not hold it at her place? Usagi was the one that answered that question. "It's not actually just for Chibi-Usa, it a party because... because... umm..." "Because things have been going very well at school recently." Ami supplied, briefly covering her mouth with her hand as she gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, that's it! Some good things have happened recently, so we wanted to have a party." Chibi-Usa looked at her friend, her big, emotional, red eyes imploring her. She knew that Hotaru was a quiet girl and she did not get out much but she was also one of Chibi-Usa's only real friends that was not one of the Sailor Senshi. "Please say you'll go, Hotaru-chan. Please! It just won't be the same without you. Mako-chan will be doing the cooking, and everyone else will be helping to provide snacks and juice and things. It's even going to be fancy dress. Please say you'll go!" Hotaru looked at the invitation again. Indeed it was fancy dress, and this Saturday night too. That did not leave much time to get a costume ready, but she already had a few ideas that were coming together. Hotaru turned to Chibi-Usa and gave an entirely sincere smile. "I'd love to go." Chibi-Usa gave her a quick hug, and immediately began to tell her about the costume that she had planned. Mrs Tsukino was already helping her make the costume, and it would be so beautiful, and... and... Chibi-Usa began to run on and on about how beautiful her costume would be. After ten minutes of listening carefully to what she was saying, Hotaru realised that she now had almost no idea of where she was. Looking around, the streets were unfamiliar, and the houses bore no resemblance to the ones she knew in her area. Giving a pull on the jacket of the taller girl, Hotaru looked up. "Ami-chan, where are we going?" "Oh, I'm sorry, Hotaru-chan. I didn't realise that you had never visited Chibi-Usa or Usagi before. We're going to their place. Actually, we're almost there now. See, that building just down the street." Leaving the bunny girls to talk to each other for a while, Hotaru latched onto Ami as a source of interesting conversation. Anyone that is carrying a book to read every time you see them must have something interesting to talk about. "What book are you reading?" Probably one of those mushy romance novels all the girls in her class were starting to get into. "It's an analysis of Hisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and its effect on quantum level computational gating arrays. It also deals with the macro level analysis of statistical massed electron decision logic versus individual energy level logic states. It's really interesting." Ami recognised that blank look. She had seen it on the other girls too often. "It compares VLSI technology with single atom logic..." "It's about computers." Ahh! The light shines at the end of the tunnel. "Wow! Do you really understand it? I couldn't even understand what the topic was." Making noises to the effect that it was something anyone could learn, Ami kicked off her shoes and added them to the pile at the entrance of the house. Hotaru also took off hers. She also left her staff at the door, she did not think that Usagi's mother would really appreciate having a spirit creature set loose in her house. Finally she took off her small backpack. It just contained a change of clothes for her male form: you could never be too careful. Usagi dashed across the room heading for the kitchen, so Hotaru turned back to Ami. "Say, do you have any interest in medicine? I've always wanted to learn more about that." 400 years of searching for a cure had made Ranma aware that you take every chance you get when it comes to finding new sources of information. "Actually, I want to be a doctor when I finish school. I'm just reading this for fun." "Just for fun?! You must be so clever." Then came a sound. A sound so horrifying, so terrifying that it should have sent shivers down her spine, and might - at any moment - send her running and screaming from the house. "Miyaaa." Slowly, ever so slowly, Hotaru turned and faced the centre of the house. There, not ten feet away from her, was her most dreaded enemy. A creature so horrible and evil that the very presence should send her screaming from the room. It was black, it had four legs, razor sharp claws, a mouth filled with needle sharp fangs all designed to rip you to bloody pieces. A creature conjured from the bowels of hell. Everything from it's terrifying ebony coat to it's soul searing battle cry should have sent Hotaru and every sane person running from the room in sheer, abject terror. It spoke again: "Miyaaa." This time it even tilted its head; all the better to size up it's prey and rip them into tasty morsels. With a grip of steel, Hotaru latched onto Chibi-Usa's arm and pulled the girl in close. "Over there. Don't be obvious. What do you see?" Chibi-Usa looked around. Everything seemed to be in place. She had not even seen Usagi come out of the kitchen stuffing her face yet, and Shingo was already in his room, doing whatever it is that boys do. "Umm, a cat?" Aside from a brief tightening of her grip when Chibi-Usa said it, Hotaru hardly responded. Turning to her right, she looked up to see a concerned Ami staring at her. "Is that what you see too, Ami-chan?" Ami looked. The only thing that really was interesting on that side of the room was Luna. She was sitting on the top of the couch doing her best imitation of a normal cat. Fundamentally, it meant that she was not speaking out loud, since that was the only way people could tell her from a normal cat. In a voice almost a whisper, Hotaru leaned over and spoke to Ami. "Just a c-c-c--. Just an ordinary, everyday, perfectly normal c-c-c-. A normal housec-c-c-" Ami smiled. Hotaru looked so funny stumbling over the word cat. I can't tell her that Luna is one of the Queen's advisors and a talking cat kept in stasis for the millennium since the Moon Kingdom fell. That would be letting the cat out of the bag, to use a really bad metaphor. "Sure. That's Luna. She's Usagi's pet cat. Perfectly normal cat." Hotaru shuddered. She did not know if it was someone using the 'C' word so often in one breath that did it, or what she was seeing in front of her. Here was a perfectly normal family: Mum and Dad and three kids. They take an animal in from the kindness of their hearts, and this is what happens. There were monsters all over Tokyo these days, but Hotaru had not expected to find one living so close to her friends. She did not know exactly what magic it was using, or what subliminal signals it was missing, but that thing in front of her was no 'C' thing. If it was, she would have been out that door and screaming before she even turned around and looked at it. Yet here she was. Not ten feet away from the most fearsome creature on man's earth... or an almost perfect replica of one. It had already uttered its war cry not just once, but twice, and Hotaru was still here. Obviously this was no real 'C' thing, and that only left one option: some sort of monster or demon had wormed it's way into the home of one of her dear friends. No doubt the vile fiend would consume them in their sleep, or destroy their souls one by one. Hotaru shuddered. It was a fate worse than even a c-c-c--- a 'C' thing lover deserved. Hotaru would be damned before she would let that happen to a kid as nice as Chibi-Usa. Even Usagi was too nice to let that happen to. Sighing, Hotaru hoped that revealing some of her strengths would not disrupt Mistress 9's plans too much, but there was no option. Keeping a hold on Chibi-Usa and Ami, they waited only a few moments until Usagi came out to investigate the sudden silence. As Usagi exited the kitchen, Hotaru reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her demon wards (Remember kids, be prepared. You never know when a demon is likely to attack you.) "Usagi-chan. Could you come here please. Quietly, please. Yes that's it. No, no please, don't pat Luna. That's it. OK, now when I distract it with a ward, everyone run out of the house." In her concerned and stressed state, Hotaru failed to notice just how confused everyone else was. Hotaru had been acting perfectly normal until she came into the house and saw Luna. Now she seemed to have gone nuts. Faster than any of them could react, Hotaru pulled out a demon ward, holding it between her first and second fingers. As the strip fluttered slightly, she called out charging words of power and sent the strip flying towards the unsuspecting Luna. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou taisan!" The glowing ward streaked out and caught Luna above the eyes, sticking directly over the crescent moon symbol on her forehead. Even as the ward was in the air, Hotaru was bring her hands together in front of her, preparing a Moko Takabisha that would destroy this demon for the rest of all time. Never again would it pass itself off as someone's pet. No matter how horrid a creature it chose to impersonate. The Ki sphere was half formed between her palms when the ward struck, and the effect was instantaneous. The very moment that the glowing ward struck and obscured the crescent moon symbol, Hotaru's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her blood ran cold. Before she could focus the Ki and attack, she lost control. Ki freed itself from confinement in a bright blue flash that pushed them all back slightly. Before the girls had even finished staggering, Hotaru was screaming. Turning on her heel and running like an Olympic sprinter, she literally ran through the closed door and out onto the street. "YAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! CAAAAAAAAAT!!! CAAAAAAAAT!!!" Her voice abruptly cut off. Less that four seconds after pulling out the ward, the three Senshi turned to each other and tried to understand what had happened. Turning to look out of the shattered remains of the door, Ami saw the crumpled form of Hotaru lying at the base of a knocked over telegraph pole. The only possible explanation was that Hotaru had tripped over the fallen pole and knocked herself out. Ami refused to even _think_ about any other possible answer. Even if she did think that pole had been standing earlier... 'No! I refuse to even consider that possibility!' Chibi-Usa ran for her friend who was lying on the ground, closely followed by Ami. Ami knew that she was needed there because she was probably the only person in the area that had even the slightest medical knowledge. Usagi ran to look after Luna. Reaching the confused kitty, she noticed that Luna seemed completely unharmed, with the obvious exception that it was acting like a normal cat. Reaching down, Usagi pulled off the ward and revealed the crescent moon marking. Instantly Luna's faculties were restored to her and she was quizzing Usagi on what had happened. Unfortunately Usagi was as much at a loss as anyone else. The only person who stood a chance of being able to answer their questions was currently being tended for concussion. Hearing footsteps approaching the front door, Usagi grabbed Luna around the waist and threw her out of the room. Bounce, bounce, skid. "Hide in there for a minute, Luna-chan. Listen in and we might be able to find out what happened." Ami and Chibi-Usa were escorting a shaken looking and rather nervous Hotaru back into the room. "See, Hotaru-chan. There's nothing to be afraid of here." "No, no you don’t understand. It's not just the c-c-c--- Luna. Actually, it is Luna. She's not really what you think. She's some sort of demon, just pretending to be your pet!" Ami sat down and lifted Hotaru onto her lap. Placing her arms around the still shaking girl she tried to comfort her by talking through her fears. "But why do you think that Luna's a demon?" "Because I'm afraid of c-c-c--- You know, them." "If the way you ran through the front door is any indication, that has to be the strongest fear I have ever heard of. But why do you think Luna is a demon?" "Because I wasn't afraid of her." Ami went 'Ahh!' and smiled in understanding. The other two girls just looked blank. Ami took up the explanation, she might be able to clear things up for the girls since she understood both sides of the story. "What I think Hotaru-chan means is that she has a really serious case of ailurophobia---" "Hey! How can you say that? I've never even met an ailuro, so how can I be afraid of one?" "Ailurophobia is the fear of cats, Hotaru-chan." "Oh." "So when you saw..." "Why don't they call it nekophobia then?" "Because 'neko' is Japanese for cat, and 'ailuro' is Greek." "The Greek were afraid of cats?" "No, no, no. Greek is a language, not a just people. Lots of words are in Greek, especially medial ones. For the moment, will you just accept that's the word? It will make things much easier to sort out." Hotaru nodded. Craning her neck, she then looked over Ami's shoulder to see if the monster had come back. It had certainly seemed like a real... 'C' thing just a little while ago. Four hundred years of having the Neko-ken had given her a supernatural appreciation for the presence of cats. She rarely slipped into her 'Cat Mode' these days because she would run in fear so soon at the slightest presence of a cat. Not only that, but there were very few obstacles that could force her to stay close to a cat long enough to be affected. Ami waited patiently for Hotaru to stop squirming on her lap. She hated to tell little lies like this, but for the safety of everyone concerned, she knew that she would have to. Besides, if Hotaru could get used to Luna, she might be able to break down her fear of cats. When she finally had Hotaru's attention again, Ami brushed a couple of hairs back from the girl's pretty face and tried to make contact with the nervously shifting eyes. "I can understand that you're afraid of cats, but Luna is a very special cat. Next time you see her, look at her head. There's this little crescent moon marking there. That means she's very special. Luna has been specially blessed so that she won't make people afraid. Everyone likes her, there's nothing to worry about. "Just think of Luna as a perfectly normal cat that you don't need to be afraid of." Watching the way that suggestion made Hotaru go grey and shudder, Ami tried again. "All right, try thinking of Luna as a person, or a dog or some other pet, that just happens to look like a cat. How's that?" "I don't know if I can... but I'll try." Chibi-Usa nudged her friend. "Mina-chan has a pet too. He's called Artemis. Artemis is such a lazy kitty that he makes Mina-chan do all the work for him. Even though he and Luna argue all the time, he's special too. Maybe you should meet him?" Hotaru shuddered. Two of them. They were everywhere. Hotaru latched onto Ami and shook as her fear held her. Even just thinking about them too much was bad. Not bad enough to send her into the Neko-ken, but bad enough to be thoroughly unpleasant. After a while, Hotaru released the bigger girl and gave a wan smile to Chibi-Usa. "Maybe... some other day.. perhaps." For her part, Usagi was struck dumb (a rare event to be treasured). As soon as Ami had begun her explanation, she had a sudden flashback. She was sitting on the floor of the royal hall, playing with the sandals of Sailor Venus. If she was lucky, Venus would be distracted by the spectacle long enough for the Princess to tie her feet together. Today's spectacle was Sailor Saturn making one of her rare appearances at the palace. Her husband had come of course, and that was where the trouble started. The instant he had seen the Queen's advisor, he had gone berserk and tried to kill her. Currently Sailors Mars and Jupiter were holding him back, and Sailor Mercury was trying to calm down the two other Outer Senshi that also happened to be there. When Luna was safely hidden out of the room, Saturn Knight finally calmed down and explanations were given. For some reason (Moon was too busy to pay attention to this bit) the poor man went psychotic every time he saw a cute, furry animal (which could lead to real problems if ever he met a grizzly bear). Normally he would just kill the animal and feel better, but that could have serious repercussions if he happened to get one of the Queen's advisor's alone for a while. Fortunately, Serenity had found this part of his psyche when she had cast her Healing. At the time she found she could not do anything about it because it was so deeply ingrained. She had also forgotten Luna and Artemis, since she never expected Saturn Knight to encounter any small animals. Now that she knew there really was a problem, there was only one solution. After finding the cats, Queen Serenity had cast a powerful spell on them. From now on, no-one would see them as threatening unless directly provoked. To anyone that saw them, they would be innocuous, and completely innocent. Later that day they tested the spell and it worked. Saturn Knight was perfectly capable of being in the room with them, and never having any problems. Usagi was stunned by the sudden revelation. Ami was completely right in what she said, she just did not know it. Usagi sighed. She was so lucky to have a cat like Luna. Even girls like Hotaru who were afraid of cats could be friends with her. They spent the rest of the evening at Usagi's place, playing games, reading manga and having fun. Luna was generally careful to stay away from the group. Even if she did not scare Hotaru, there was no need to push her luck. Despite the precautions that Luna took, Hotaru managed to find her in the corridor as Hotaru was walking to the bathroom. With a quick look around for witnesses, Hotaru got down on her hands and knees and brought her face close to the cat. "I... I can't believe I'm this close to you, and I'm not freaking out. This is scary just by itself." Luna curled up on the floor and tried to make herself as small and as innocent as possible. Who could resist the charm of her big eyes? "Luna, I know you're just a cat, and you can't understand me, so this promise is more to me than to you. If you ever try and claw my eyes out... If you ever try and eat me alive... If you ever scream into my ears as you rip them to shreds... If you ever sit on my back, slowly raking the skin from my body... I'll kill you. I don't know how. I don't even know how I'll be able to get close enough to hurt you, but I will. "Please be good, Luna. I don't want to hurt Usagi-chan and Chibi-Usa, 'cause they really like you. I don't want to have to run away from you every time I see you. So please... be nice." Luna was stunned. What in the name of the Moon had happened to this girl? Judging by the sorry and sad tone that she was using, and the way that the tears fell down her face, Luna knew she was trying to bolster her own confidence, not threaten her. What had happened to the girl that could cause this sort of reaction? Who could make cats do that sort of thing? Luna sat there deep in thought and completely missed the fact that Hotaru had gotten up and returned to Usagi's bedroom with the other girls. It was only when she heard Hotaru's voice did she realise that the girl was not longer crouched in front of her. "By the way, Ranma has neko-phobia too." Ami: "That's ailurophobia." "Neko-phobia." "Ailurophobia." "Neko-phobia." "Ailurophobia." "Neko-neko-neko-neko.... Blargh! I said it! Ahh!" "Ailurophobia." "Ailurophobia work for me too: I'm not afraid of ailuro's, so it's easy to say." * * * Hotaru was not the only one to receive an invitation to the party. In an attempt to stay in contact with some of their non-Senshi friends, the girls were inviting other people that they knew. People from school, some friends from the arcade, that sort of thing. Since Usagi was organising the invitations, she even asked the Outer Senshi. In a rare moment of friendship between the Inners and the Outers, Michiru and Haruka agreed to come; the even offered to invite all of their friends. So Michiru invited Haruka, and Haruka invited Michiru. The other motivating advantage was the opportunity to study that strange Tomoe girl again. No-one specifically invited Setsuna: she would come if she wanted to whether she was invited or not, and Usagi was not really sure how to get in contact with her anyway. Since she assumed that the Guardian Of Time was probably watching over her most of the time, Usagi spent two days with an open invitation to Setsuna sitting on her desk... who knows, it might work. Finally, Rei was given the task of inviting Ukyo and Ranma, since she had the easiest contact with them. Ukyo was all alone in Tokyo, she was Hotaru's only friend aside from Chibi-Usa, and she was also Ranma's best friend. Since Ranma and Hotaru were being invited, Usagi's generous heart had demanded that Ukyo be invited also. Holding the invitation in her hand, Rei advanced on the Okonomiyaki shop. She was not thrilled in the least about inviting Ukyo. Sure, they got on OK, but that was about all. Since the first time Ranma had come here with her, the pair had visited for dinner or a snack a few times since. While Ukyo's welcome was entirely correct, there was less of the warmth that she would usually give the other customers. As she stepped across the threshold, Rei also remembered why she did not like Ukyo. It was the way that Ranma went out of his way to be nice to her. Noting was too hard to do for his Ucchan, his 'cute fiancee'. Ohhh, how that gritted on her nerves, even though she did not care what he did. Seeing her customer, Ukyo's face broke into a smile. "Hiya Rei-chan. Is Ranchan with you?" "Sorry, Ukyo-san, not today." Watching the way the chef's face fell, Rei felt a pang of understanding. Ranma was the whole reason for the shop. If he was not coming here, then the rest of the evening would just be marking time for Ukyo. From their previous talks, Rei knew that Ranma's habit of being impossible to find was something that had lasted his whole life. No-one knew where he lived, and if he was not around, it seemed impossible to find him. No matter how Ukyo strove to gain Ranma's attention, Rei could not hold a grudge against the girl, she was just too nice. (Besides, it is notoriously difficult to be angry and hold a straight face when your enemy is all smiles and wearing a massive spatula tied to her back. But then, Rei had never witnessed the devastating power of the Kuonji family style of Okonomiyaki Martial Arts.) Taking Rei's order, she waved the Priestess to a seat at the counter and set about making one of her super tasty works of art. Rei gave a smile and waved an envelope in front of her. When Ukyo finished the food, she swapped it for the invitation and had a read. "So Ranchan will be going to this too?" "I seeing him tonight for training, so I'm pretty sure that he will be. Hotaru will be there too... Come on, it'll be good for you to get out once in a while." Ukyo grimaced as she thought about the amount of time that she was spending taking care of her restaurant. Time that would be much better spent with her fiancee, taking long, romantic walks through the neon lit streets of the evening city. Or time spent cuddled up to him in some cosy corner at a party somewhere. "Suuuure. I think a party would be great. Hmm. Fancy dress too. I'm going to have to think about that one." "Great, I'll see you then." Rei waved and walked out of the shop, having given Ukyo the money for the food. As Ukyo watched the figure retreat out the door, she smiled and whispered into the muffed sounds of the other customers. "Oh, I think you see me sooner Rei-chan. Since I know where Ranma is tonight, I think it is the perfect chance to give him a little home delivered Okonomiyaki. Just to remind him what he is missing out on." Back in Rei's room at the shrine, a small black pig was wandering around. It had taken him almost an hour to get out of her closet, but since then he had found his way to the sacred fire's room three times, and still had not found the bathroom so that he could change back. As he leapt onto her desk, Ryoga thought about how nice the little temple girl was that lived here. She was so sweet and innocent. When she had picked him up her hands were warm and soft. Even just going through her cupboard had been nice; it reminded him of how she smelled. Walking over Rei's homework, Ryoga fantasised about how he could torture Ranma. Someday, somehow he would make Ranma's girl fall in love with him, and together they would go off, leaving Ranma heart- broken and crying. It is remarkably difficult for a foot long black piglet to master the art of the sinister belly laugh, but Ryoga tried. Rather than the awe inspiring "BWAH HA HA HA!" that shook the whole room, be got the almost-as-good "Bweee Bwe Bwe Bwe!" Ryoga broke off suddenly and looked down. Who was he kidding. A mighty raging boar could do an intimidating laugh. A cute piggy could not. With his head drooping, he happened to read the characters under his snout: "Ra. N. Ma... Ranma?!?" A quick peruse showed the truth. It was an invitation to a party. A party this Saturday. A party he could find Ranma at and kill him once and for all. After memorising the address, Ryoga jumped to the floor and ran looking for the hot water so he could prepare to terminate Ranma's miserable excuse for a life. As he chanted his favourite war cry, he bumped into a hard metal wall. Looking around, he noticed the fantastic view he could get once he moved past the metal beam. Since when was Rei's shrine at the top of Tokyo Tower? * * * Shampoo held her hand's in front of her and worked up the courage to do the unthinkable and question her Great-Grandmother. Finally, she built up the courage and looked across at the old woman who was putting the finishing touches on the counter she was standing behind. "Great-Grandmother..." Cologne's large eyes twinkled and she hopped to the one of the tables in the restaurant. "Come sit child. I shall be very happy to answer your questions about Ranma." Startled by the fact that her thinking was that obviously transparent, Shampoo took a seat and collected her scattered thoughts. Finally the big one came out. The one that frightened her more than anything else. "Great-Grandmother, did Husband beat you in fight?" It was almost unthinkable. The Matriarch of the Amazons, beaten by a mere man that was only around her age. "No. He may have, but we did not fight to the end. We fought until he proved that he really was an Amazon." "How Husband do that?" Cologne gave a happy and nostalgic smile. Fortunately there were no customers around yet: it might have scared them away. "He reminded me of something that only he could have known about. Ranma _is_ an honorary Amazon. Exactly how and why... that is something that you will have to get from him. His name in the village is Soap, it was given to him because... Ah, well, I can't give away all of the surprises." A small frown crossed her brow. "If Ranma Amazon, why you want Shampoo marry him so much." "Oh, my dear, dear child. There are more reasons for that than you could possibly imagine. First, and foremost, I love Ranma as much as I love you. I can honestly say that I cannot think of a single woman in the entire world that would make a better wife for Ranma than you would. Can you imagine my joy if two people I loved so much were to be married? "Also, Ranma used to be married to a girl called Akane. I don't know what she was like, he hardly ever spoke of her, but even when I knew him, he was still pining away for the girl. Surely someone like you could bring happiness back to him, and revitalise his spirit." Cologne reached across the table and took Shampoo's hands. "You also must understand what a good husband he would be for you. If he can carry his love for Akane so long, imagine how strong his love for you will be. He is smart, talented beyond compare, and the strongest male the tribe is likely to ever see. "You could do much worse for yourself than Tendo Ranma." "Aiyaa... Shampoo no realise you know Husband so well." "Hmm, well it was a while ago." "But... Husband Shampoo's age. How you know him but I no know?" "That is another story you must get from your husband yourself. All I can say is that he is actually a little older than you - he hides his age even better than I do! Also, there is a minor magical complication, but he has assured me that it is shortly to be of no concern." "Ohhh, Great Grandmother so smart. She also know where Shampoo find Husband so he can take Shampoo on date?" Cologne flourished a piece of paper from within her sleeve. "It just so happens that I copied down this address for a party he should be attending this Saturday. Most people would find that a perfect opportunity..." She was talking to an empty seat. Shampoo had taken the piece of paper and was hugging it to her breast and dancing around the room as though it was actually Ranma she was holding. Cologne smiled. It felt so good to see Soap again after all this time. Not only that, but she would soon be marrying her two favourite people in the world. Could things get much better? ----- End Of Chapter. The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current author. Thanks to my pre-readers: Ben aevan Ifurita@mechapilot.com ukie This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow my head in shame: please forgive. Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to its story timeline... This story is dedicated to the letter K and the numbers 4 and 5. Visit my website at http://www.users.fl.net.au/~fire _________________ / \ | Destiny's Child | \_________________/ What has gone before: While on a training trip with his father during the early 1600s, Ranma fell into the spring of the drowned young girl. Unfortunately, his curse can only be changed back with _very_ hot water, which means he has spent most of his time in his cursed form. Not only that, but because the spring was drowned young girl, he turns into a 12 year old girl who never ages. In the present... Ranma has received a partial cure for his curse by the spirit entity called Mistress 9. She will eventually take his girl's body, freeing him entirely, so now he poses as Tomoe Hotaru. Unfortunately, he now seems to have a few problems with the ladies, since he is inadvertently engaged to Hino Rei (he's taking lessons in Shinto), his old buddy Ucchan, and the friendly Amazon Shampoo. That doesn't even start to include Mako-chan, or the fact that two of his best friends are only three foot tall: Cologne and Chibi-Usa. At the end of the last chapter, Ranma and Hotaru were both invited to a fancy dress party by Rei, Chibi-Usa and their friends. Oddly enough, a few of Ranma's fiancees also seemed to get invitations by one means or another. ----------------------- Bringing The House Down ----------------------- Ranma smiled as she pulled the last bow into place on her costume. It was too long since she had been to a decent party. Ever since she had started posing as Tomoe Hotaru, she did not have any real friends. Well, not until recently. Now she had Chibi-Usa, Sailor Mars, Ucchan, Shampoo, Cologne, Mako-chan, oh and Hino Rei too. Not to mention all of Chibi-Usa's and Rei's other friends. Admiring herself in the mirror, Ranma gave another smirk. No-one would have a better costume than she would tonight. Not for the first time, he was glad that his female half was as cute as his male half. It would hardly do to ware a costume like this if he was a tomboy or something. Ranma forced down a giggle thinking of Rei dressed the way she was at the moment. On the subject of Rei, the last part of her present had arrived today too. The little lead figurine was sitting on his dresser, looking completely innocent. Old buddy Wydicslaw, had come through perfectly once again. He might be getting old now, but he clearly remembered his comrade-in-arms, Ranma The Rebel. Over the last month he had been sending parts to Ranma in Japan, and finally she had the perfect gift for Rei-san. Placing her hands together in front of her, Ranma formed a 'pistol' with he two index fingers. 'Fireball', she whispered, and a small, low powered, sphere of flame ripped across the room smashing into the cast lead statue on her dresser. With a spring in her step, Ranma crossed to the dresser and picked up the piece of hard metal that now stood revealed. "Ah! Hot! Hot!" Juggling it for a few moment, Ranma let the metalwork cool, the attached it to the other bits she had. Just perfect, someone as vulnerable as a temple maiden needs a little help in staying safe. Especially when their city of residence is filled with demons, Daimons and evil witches. It was unlikely this little toy could save her, but it might keep any attackers distracted long enough for help to arrive. Secreting the gift in her costume, Ranma headed off. It was time to really make some jaws drop. Just wait till they saw her! Makoto looked around her apartment and wondered when Ranma would be getting there. So far all of the invited guest aside from him and his sister were here. They even had one uninvited guest: the Amazon succubus that was after her boyfriend. Not that she was being insulting by saying that, Shampoo had actually come dressed as a little, red skinned, seductive demoness, complete with a red tail and arrow head end. Despite all the nasty thoughts had about how Shampoo was trying such an obvious tactic to seduce Ranma, Makoto had to admit she did a good job on the costume. Currently Shampoo was working in her kitchen. Initially Makoto had been reluctant to let a barbarian girl into her precious kitchen, but a short period of observation had easily dispelled that idea. Her Japanese might be broken, but her cooking skills were in fine condition, and Makoto was sure that Shampoo was probably just as skilled as she was with a frying pan or wok. If only Shampoo could be taught how to ask for the right ingredients, the two of them could have such fun cooking together. This also assumed that Shampoo could be made to give up on her boyfriend. Wiggling her way past where Usagi and Mamoru were sitting, Makoto decided to make another trip to the kitchen. Earlier, she had been gently removed from her favourite spot when it was peacefully invaded by Ukyo and Shampoo. Ukyo was yet another girl that was trying for Ranma. How could one man get so many girls chasing him? Especially since none of the girls had ever gotten particularly far with him. As far as she knew, no-one had even received an innocent kiss goodnight, let alone anything more serious. Taking a deep breath, Makoto inhaled the lovely aromas of cooking Okonomiyaki. Despite the fact that she was dressed as an eagle - a skin tight, feather patterned bodysuit with funny yellow feet and a pair of feathered wings stretching under her arms - Ukyo had immediately managed to produce a portable griddle from somewhere the instant that she learned no-one was serving Okonomiyaki at the party. In all honesty, none of the organisers had even considered fresh Okonomiyaki as a pre-requisite to a successful party, but Ukyo assured them that no truly great party was without it. Watching the two girls working franticly and furiously in the kitchen, she finally understood what Ukyo had meant when she referred to the Okonomiyaki school of cooking martial arts. Shampoo had simply nodded at that point and challenged her to see who could cook the most and the best for the party. Currently the Ukyo was tossing out a wide array of her speciality to anyone who wanted it. Not to be outdone, Shampoo was generating tray after tray of intricate Chinese delicacies and finger food. There was a definite competitive edge to the girls, but to an outside observer it looked a friendly competition. Shampoo had yet to draw her sword or bonbori, and Ukyo still had her battle spatula slung. (How does an eagle fly wearing a battle spatula?) Moving forward to a brief clear spot, Makoto cleared some space on the bench. "Care to take on another challenger?" The two girls did not even stop moving to answer her; they just turned around and gave a smile. It was a threatening, challenging smile. A smile that asked: 'Do you really think you are in our league?' Makoto had never tried a martial arts cooking competition like this before, so she was glad that they had decided to leave the fighting aspect to another time. On the other hand, it was her kitchen, her food, she was an excellent cook, and she knew all of the favourite dishes of every person there. There was no way that they were going to beat her in her own kitchen. The already massive flow of snack foods from the kitchen increased by another fifty percent, and even Usagi was hard pressed to keep up with the flow of available food. Through the din of conversations and background music, above the hiss and bubble of the cooking, and past the clatter and bang of the cooking, a knock could be heard at the front door. By mutual consent, all three girls called a temporary truce and ran out into the main room. If Ranma was here, then they all wanted to be at their best appearance. Shampoo cleaned off her hands and twirled her tail slightly. Ukyo spread her wings and preened in preparation. Makoto, who was dressed as a cowboy, straightened her belt and looked over at Rei. Rei was reclining in a chair talking to Ami. Rei was obviously not worried if it was Ranma, and that suited her fine. Rei had decided to come as a traditional samurai, and Ami was dressed in a very slinky mermaid outfit. Ami's mermaid outfit had probably been the biggest surprise of night so far. It was not that anyone did not recognise her affinity with water, it was just that she was normally such a conservative girl. When Ami had appeared wearing the green and blue swimsuit with the fish scale pattern, they had been stunned. She had even dyed her hair with a temporary blue that suited her quite well, and her makeup, tail and aqua coloured scale leggings made her look stunning. All the girls immediately felt jealous, but the modest way she moved, and the compliments she showered on their own costumes made them all feel much better. Ami was even enjoying the party more than anyone expected. Currently she was cornering Michiru and talking to the older girl in friendly terms, discussing things that most of her friends would not be as capable of understanding. Looking across the room to where Chibi-Usa had gone to answer the door, Makoto was delighted to hear her girlish scream of delight. Ranma must be wearing something pretty special to get a rise like that out of Chibi-Usa. Perhaps he was dressed as Hercules, or maybe he was appearing as one of those muscled, shirtless pirates, or perhaps he was dressed as a slave to be sold at the markets, or... Hang on. Chibi-Usa's twelve. She has not even begun to think about those sorts of things yet. Which would mean that she would not even care what Ranma was wearing. To Chibi-Usa, Ranma was simply Hotaru's brother, and no more important than that. Just give her a few years and she would begin to realise what a great catch Makoto had made. Makoto watched as Chibi-Usa walked around from the front door again, desperately trying to stop from breaking out into a massive smile. She looked incredibly cute in her little angel's outfit. She had a pair of small wings, and was all done in white with gold trim. The look of unbridled happiness that she wore only made her look even more like the part. Clearing her throat, Chibi-Usa coughed and got everyone's attention. "Now may I present, my very best friend: Tomoe Hotaru!" Hotaru literally leapt into the room. With a quick spin, she pointed an arm and struck a pose. "Ai ya seitou no dairi toshite, atashi wa SEERAA chibi MAAZU yo." "For love and justice, I am Little Sailor Mars!" And she was. Right down to the finest details, this was definitely a miniature version of the fiery Sailor Mars. From a ruby-like gem in her tiara to the soles of her small red high heels, she was Sailor Mars. True, Rei's hair was longer, but you can't have everything. Silence reigned supreme in the room for long seconds, before several of the guests started clapping and cheering. Oddly enough, when the cheers started, it was the Senshi that were the last to join in. Every one of them was looking at the costume and trying to decide what about it seemed so strange. Never before had they seemed someone who looked so right in a Senshi costume, yet somehow she seemed... wrong... out of place... Maybe it was just the wrong colour for her, they were used to seeing her wear black or dark colours. Perhaps if she wore a costume that was darker, perhaps a blue skirt with a black bow would be more her colour... But then, no Senshi actually wore colours like that. The costume was simple, but it was perfect. Makoto did not know how much time she must have spent studying Sailor Mars to make sure she had everything right, she just wished she had better taste and chose the tall and beautiful Sailor Jupiter. Rei was the first to react, naturally enough. As the clapping and cheering finally began to abate, she made her way over and looked down at little Hotaru. She was standing next to Chibi-Usa, blushing at the attention she was getting, Rei kneeled down in front of her so that their eyes were almost level and looked her over again. Amazing, the girl seemed to have every little detail down perfectly. "Wow, you really did a great job on the costume there, Hotaru-chan. Did Kaori help you make it?" Hotaru looked at her feet, and rotated the point of one red shoe into the ground. See seemed embarrassed to be complimented like this. "Sewing's something I sort of picked up along the way... It helps if you can make your own clothes and stuff." "So did you find a pattern or something?" "No... I did it all from memory." Rei was impressed. Sure, there was not much to a Senshi's uniform, but Hotaru obviously had all of the little details right. She had the angle right for the curve in the tiara; she even had the little five pointed stars for ear-rings. "Do you like Sailor Mars?" "Yeah, she's the best. Sailor Mars is the strongest and best of them all. If I was bigger, I would want to be like Sailor Mars. She's cute too." Rei blushed a fiery red. "I think she's the best too." Minako rushed up, landing right next to Rei so that she could face Hotaru. "No, no, no. Sailor Venus is the cutest. She looks so pretty in that orange skirt, and she has the best attacks too." "WHAT? No way does Venus have the best attack. Supreme Thunder is much better than Venus-Love-Me Chain! Not only that, but Jupiter's stronger than Mars any day." Minako got back to her feet and looked up at Makoto, staring the taller girl in the eye. "She might be stronger than Mars, but there's no way someone as tall as Sailor Jupiter can be as cute as Sailor Venus." Switch targets. "Isn't that right, Hotaru-chan? Sailor V's always been the best." "Well, the papers say she was pretty good in England, but now Sailor Mars is here, and no-one is smarter, stronger or cuter than she is." Another voice chimed in behind Hotaru, and she looked back to see Ami in an earnest stance; hands clenched below her chin. "You don't mean that, do you Hotaru-chan? Sailor Mercury is the smartest of all the girls." Hotaru nodded. "She might be smart, but I bet Sailor Mars is just as smart. Sailor Mars has the rest of them beat hands down." Rei nodded vigorously. "See, Hotaru-chan knows what she's talking about." Makoto looked over at her friend who had one hand possessively on her fan's shoulder. "Come on Rei, you and I know that Sailor Jupiter is stronger than Sailor Mars..." "Sailor Mercury is definitely smarter..." "And Venus is the cutest..." Somehow Hotaru knew she should have consulted some of the others before choosing her costume. She never realised that these girls were such dedicated fans. Looking up at them, she considered for a moment. You know, if they all got together, they could have done a good theme at the party. Minako would make a great Sailor V, or whatever she was calling herself now... the mask would hide some of the differences in facial features. Mako-chan would make a good substitute for the girl in the green skirt. Ami would do a creditable job as Sailor Blue Skirt; again, she could keep the visor down so that people would have a hard time seeing her face. Naturally, there was only one choice for Sailor Mars... That left Rei to dress up as Queen Serenity's husband, the guy in the tuxedo. A tomboy like her should have no problem with that. Smiling quietly to herself, Hotaru knew she would have to suggest this for the next party they had. These girls would make a knockout group of vigilantes. All was going well for a while: each of the girls was arguing with increasing vigour who was the best Senshi and Hotaru was just standing there watching. It was nice to see that Rei could get all flustered and aggressive even without Ranma. Suddenly Usagi broke through their little circle. Tears were forming at the edge of her eyes and her lower lip was quaking dangerously as she teetered on the edge of tears. "But... But... What about the pretty soldier Sailor Moon? Isn't she the best at something?" Hotaru looked up at her with confusion. "Who?" "S-Sailor Moon." "Who's Sailor Moon?" "WHAT? No! You have to know Sailor Moon, she the leader. She's the beautiful Moon Princess. Come on Hotaru, you've got to know her, you know the rest. Waaah! "Fighting evil in the moonlight. Finding love in the daylight. Never running from a real fight. She is the one named Sailor Moon... "She's got red boots and she's got a pretty blue skirt and she's got the Moon Sceptre and she's got..." "Oh! I know who you mean now: Queen Serenity." "No, Sailor Moon." "Hey, I'm the one with the Spirit Staff from the Moon Kingdom. I'm the one who studied them in Tibet. I know what I'm talking about, even Takuhi agrees, and he saw her once. That's Queen Serenity. She's the Queen of the whole Moon Kingdom, and the best ruler in the whole world..." Usagi almost collapsed in relief. All right, Hotaru-chan had the name wrong, but she had the right idea. Sailor Moon was the best ruler ever. And she was cute, and strong and powerful, and everyone loved her... Usagi started to drift away into a dream world where everyone loved her and she was always in her Moon Princess form. So caught up in her dreams, she barely managed to catch Hotaru's next words. "Mind you, now that I think about it... the Moon Kingdom's been dust for thousands of years now. So these can't be the real sailor suited defenders." All the girls jumped on that one: "YES, THEY ARE!" Rei gave the shocked girl a quick squeeze. "Sorry, Hotaru-chan. We just all big fans just like you. _I_ think that they're the reincarnation of the originals." Hotaru paused for a moment and sucked on her lip. "Could be... but I don't believe in reincarnation. If it could happen, then I'd still have Akane." Rei remembered what Ranma had said only a few days ago. 'Akane loved Hotaru as much as she loved me.' The poor little girl must have thought of her as another mother or maybe a big sister. The way Ranma talks about her, she must have been the most caring and sensitive person in the whole of existence. Anyone that could get Ranma's praise must be a saint and a paragon of womanly virtue. He even told me once that her cooking was something that you would remember for the rest of your life, even if you've only had one bite; you would never want to anything ever again. This is from a guy that has had the best Makoto, Shampoo and Ukyo can offer; Akane must have been an amazing cook. Rei was not the only one to notice their little guest getting sad. Usagi saw it quickly too, and leapt back into the fray, trying to score points for her favourite Senshi: herself. "Hey, Sailor Moon's still the best because she has Tuxedo Kamen. None of the other's have a handsome and mysterious man like him." In the background, Hotaru could see Mamoru cringe slightly. Poor guy, his girlfriend is hung up on some superhero that she'll never get to meet. "I don't know about that Usagi-san. I think Sailor Mars is still better off. She has Saturn Knight, and he's much better than Tuxedo Kamen." A bubble of silence descended on the small cluster of people near the front door. It was only a week ago that any of them had even heard the name Saturn Knight, and here was a non-Senshi that seemed to know the name, and his personal predilection to Sailor Mars. Rei kneeled down in front of Hotaru and looked her in the eyes again. "Hotaru-chan. Where did you hear the name Saturn Knight?" Hotaru wondered that herself. It was only moments ago that the name popped into her head. "Oh... Um... Sure... Everyone knows about Saturn Knight, right? The handsome tuxedo suited defender of Saturn, and um... actually... I kinda think that was all he defended. But yeah, everyone knows about him... Don't you?" Not to be outshone by some little kid when it came to knowledge about the Sailor Senshi, Usagi piped up. "Sure. _I_ do. Maybe _Rei-chan_ doesn't, but I do." "Come on, Usagi-chan, that's not nice, and you know it." Usagi stuck out her tongue. "Piiiiida!" Seeing Rei's famous temper coming to bear on someone other than her male half, Hotaru smiled, and then side stepped through the two glaring teenagers. "I'm just going to go say hello to Ucchan and Shampoo." Distracted for a moment, Rei looked down at Hotaru. Wow, this girl gets around. "You know Shampoo?" "Didn't we just do this? Sure, everyone knows Shampoo. She's the... um... Chinese suited defender of ... um... defender of ramen! See ya!" It took the girls a while to recover from a joke that bad, and by then little Hotaru had slid through their group, then past Naru - Usagi's one time best friend at school - and her boyfriend, who was also from Usagi's school. Naturally enough, Ukyo and Shampoo had departed during the other girls' 'discussion' about the Sailor Senshi. Neither Ukyo nor Shampoo knew much about the Sailor Senshi, and neither of them cared too much about them. As far as Ukyo was concerned, their reputation was overblown considering the fact that they could not save her friend Kikyo. Since they were not Amazons, Shampoo knew that they obviously would not be as good as her or her great-grandmother. Most importantly, none of the Sailor Senshi were after Ranma, so they did not even enter the final equation. Shampoo and Ukyo were both strangers in the city so it was nice to be invited to a party, a good chance to make new friends. Most of the people there were a bit younger than they were, but basically they were fun to be with. Ukyo had spotted a sweet looking couple about her age in one of the corners of the room when she had come in. She only had a little time to observe them before Shampoo had arrived and they had set up their little contest, but Ukyo would have sworn that the boy was the well-known racer Tenou Haruka. At the start of the night Ukyo had vowed to herself that she would spare some time from being with Ranma to talk to Haruka. Perhaps he or his girlfriend could offer Ukyo a few tips on how to land a catch like Ranma. It had been over an hour since she first arrived - with Shampoo arriving only minutes later. Every minute that ticked by, she wanted to leave the kitchen and spend some time with the racer and his girlfriend. It was not that she disliked cooking (far from it), it was the fact that she was rapidly beginning to dislike Shampoo. From the very beginning, Shampoo had talked about her 'husband'. It was as though the girl assumed that they were already married, and she was just waiting for Ranma to work up the courage to sweep her off her feet. 'As if that would ever happen': Ukyo knew that she was Ranchan's one and only girl. Poor Shampoo obviously did not realise this, and got just a little bit upset when Ukyo had casually mentioned the fact that she was actually Ranma's fiancee. That had been about forty minutes ago, and since then, things had gotten progressively more 'enthusiastic' between the two girls. It had started out fairly innocently, Ukyo called Shampoo a 'Purple Haired Bimbo' and Shampoo called Ukyo the 'Stupid Spatula Girl'. Then there had been that time when Shampoo accidentally threw four sharp knives that just missed Ukyo's head. Ukyo gritted her teeth and smiled, she took it in the same way that Shampoo took it when Ukyo 'accidentally' retaliated with eight skewers and a couple of throwing spatulas. Shampoo was preparing for some serious toe-to-toe combat against Ukyo when Makoto arrived. Instantly both girls were smiles and happiness again. They were both guests here, and it would hardly do for their hostess to see them duelling in her kitchen, even if it was in good fun. With someone in the kitchen acting as an overseer, the two competitors managed to stay on good behaviour, this was even more true when Makoto joined in the cooking challenge. All the girls had to dedicate their every thought to food just to stay in the competition. Hotaru's arrival and their break from cooking seemed to diffuse the situation for a while. With Makoto out talking and a generous supply of cooked delicacies ready, Shampoo and Ukyou seemed to have some spare time. "Spatula Girl... Who new girl?" "Hmm... Oh, that's Hotaru. She's Ranchan's little sister. Used to be my best friend a few years ago." "Why you no meet then?" "What? You think I could fight my way through that crowd of girls to see her without doing some serious violence? Honey, you have another thing coming, besides, I know she'll be here as soon as she can get past them, and I don't like beating up on people who are younger than me." "Shampoo understand. Why Great Grandmother no mention Husband's sister?" "Why would she? I mean she's probably never even met Hotaru before." Shampoo delicately placed a finger to her lower lip as she thought. "Spatula Girl could be right. Great Grandmother know all about Husband, but she no mention little sister." "Yeah, well, they're a bit of an odd family that one. Honestly, I've never met any brother and sister that are closer than them, they seem to tell each other everything, even the little things that you never even bother mentioning." "Why that strange?" Ukyo leaned against one of the kitchen counters and gestured vaguely with one hand. "Nothing's strange about that. What is weird, is the way that they seem to be almost embarrassed of each other. I've known Hotaru since we were both little girls, she was living with a foster family and called Ai then. In all that time, and ever since I've been in Tokyo with them, not once have I seen the two of them together." "That strange... Hmm, Great Grandmother mention Husband have curse. Maybe little sister ashamed of curse." "Ranchan's cursed? I've never heard that one before. Humph. Don't think you can scare me away from my Ranchan just by telling me he's cursed. We've been friends for years, and he is about the most uncursed person I've ever met. Private: yes. Cursed: no." "Do you still want him now that you know he's cursed?" Both of the girls turned guiltily to see a sombre looking Hotaru in the doorway. Ukyo was not the first to recover, but Shampoo showed no signs of apologising for what they had been saying. "I'm sorry Hotaru-chan. We weren't really talking about you behind your back. I just never knew that Ranchan was cursed." "You didn't answer my question." "Well, I guess it depends on what his curse is." "Shampoo want know too." Hotaru put a smirk on her face and sang her next words. "But I'm not gunna tell youuuuuu." A wicked gleam came to Ukyo's eyes as she raised her hands and advanced on the little Senshi. "Oh, I think we could tickle it out of you... Don't you Shampoo?" Shampoo gave a predatory smile to match Ukyo's. "Shampoo agree with Spatula Girl. Little Girl never resist ancient Chinese Amazon... TICKLE ATTACK!" From here things got confusing. First it was Shampoo and Ukyo against Hotaru, but when Chibi-Usa saw Hotaru succumb to the bigger girls, she leapt into the fray. Seeing her biggest (or smallest) fan so set upon, Rei also joined in, which worked well until someone hit one of Ukyo's flour bags, covering the kitchen in white dust. By the time Makoto was involved it had degenerated into a tickling free-for-all that quickly left everyone on the floor gasping for breath and shuddering as the compulsive laughter finally faded. All of the girls sat on the kitchen floor and grinned at each other. Chibi-Usa sat in Makoto's lap, and Hotaru in Rei's. Hotaru had struggled at this for a few moments, after all she was a guy, and this was hardly the sort of thing you would want to be doing with a tomboy anyway. After a while she relented and settled down. 'I mean, Rei-san thinks I'm a girl, so it not as though anything could happen. Besides, Rei-san like Sailor Mars too, so I suppose it shows she has good taste in something.' Makoto looked around her white covered kitchen and sighed. This is one room that could wait until the morning to clean. "Anyone want to tell me what this was all about?" "We were trying to get Hotaru-chan to tell us what Ranma's curse was." "RANMA IS CURSED?" Ukyo shrugged her shoulders and looked at the other girls. "Comes as a surprise, doesn’t it. Shampoo only told me tonight too." Rei gave Shampoo her famous glare. "Come on, Shampoo. You can't seriously expect us to believe that Ranma's cursed, can you?" "It true. Great Grandmother tell Shampoo: Ranma cursed. Great Grandmother never wrong." Rei looked down at the passenger on her lap. "Come on, Hotaru-chan. Defend your brother. Don't just sit there and let Shampoo start rumours about him." Hotaru twisted her index fingers together and looked rather nervous. "Well... That is to say..." Rei bounced Hotaru on her lap slightly. "You man she wasn't lying? Hmm, well. you'll tell us what his curse is, won't you, Hotaru-chan?" Hotaru squeezed her lips shut and shook her head back and forwards. "Why not?" "Because... Because Ranma's embarrassed, and I'm embarrassed. It's a stain on our family honour, and has been for the longest time. But... but most importantly, I'm not going to tell you, because you might never find out. In just a couple of months, Ranma's going to be cured. No more curse. All gone. Forever." Rei gave Hotaru a brief hug, trying to cheer her up since this talk was obviously distressing her. Unfortunately for the boy trapped inside Hotaru's body, the gentle hug did anything but calm her down. "It's OK. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Rei shared a look with the other girls. Hotaru did not have to tell them, but there was no way that they would go easy on Ranma the next time they saw him. They talked for a while, and people drifted in and out. After a time, Rei stood Hotaru up, and struggled to stand up, her legs filled with pins and needles. Hotaru covered her mouth in shock. "Rei-san! I've just realised, I've got a present for you, and I completely forgot to give it to you." Rei gave a wry chuckle. "And my being paralysed by you sitting on my legs makes you remember?" Nod, nod. Hotaru turned away and fumbled down her top for a few moments, eventually turning back with her present. Rei's jaw dropped. Nothing less than completely stunned would describe the situation. Hotaru had presented her with a silver staff, over three foot in length, with a billiard ball sized ruby mounted on the head of the staff. Rei was not sure what surprised her the most: the fact that Hotaru was offering her a present that was worth a fortune, or the fact that she had managed to produce a three foot staff from within her Senshi costume. "H.. H... How did you do that?" "Do what?" "How did you hide it? I didn't even see it... For that matter, I didn't even feel it when we were tickling each other in the kitchen." "That? Oh, that's nothing. It's a hidden weapons technique I learned in China. See." It was like watching a magician at work. Even moving slowly, Hotaru slid the staff into one glove, then she demonstrated pulling it out from under the neck-scarf style collar of the Senshi's uniform. Then she did it again, right in front of Rei's eyes. "See, it's all sleight of hand." Rei shook her head, staring numbly until Hotaru forced the staff between her fingers. "Hotaru-chan. I can't accept this. It's too expensive. It's just too much. You hardly know me, and this must have cost you a fortune." Hotaru looked hurt for a moment, then her face grew earnest. She had to get Rei to accept this staff. "Rei-san, it's not just from me, it's from Ranma too. You don't know what sort of effort we had to go through to get it here for you. First I had to send a letter to an old, old friend in Tibet, and he used the old Catholic underground to ship it to another friend in Poland. "In Poland, someone that owes me a favour, Mr Wydicslaw - he's a first class smuggler - broke it down. He sent it bit by bit to Japan, and then I reassembled it here." Hotaru remembered Wydicslaw's reaction to the ruby... Lina always had go a bit overboard when it came to making magic jewels. "But... why? Why so much? It's a beautiful staff, but why send it like that, surely your friends in Tibet could have sent it here just as easily." "No, no, no. The Japanese government is way too cautious about spiritually and magically active items entering the country to allow that sort of thing." "Are you trying to tell me this is a magic staff?" The story just got wilder and stranger at every turn. "No, silly. No-one makes them any more. This is a spirit staff, like Takuhi's. But this one's got access to the Tochou." "What's the Tochou?" Hotaru grinned. "Spiritual chainsaws... sort of. This staff is for your protection, Rei-san. The city's just too dangerous these days. All you have to do is hit the staff onto the ground and say 'In the name of Tendo Ranma, I summon...' Then you say their name. Pretty easy really." "What? Like this? In the name of Te---" Covered in a cold sweat, Hotaru yanked the stick from Rei's hands and clamped another hand on her mouth. "No! Careful, this is dangerous. It'll also only work ten times. Look, point it this way. See, this bit is towards your target. The Tochou will appear and then just rip things up until it stops or runs out of distance." Hotaru sighted down the staff and thought about 'accidentally' releasing a Tochou at the unsuspecting Michiru in her sights. Sighing, she decided against it and handed the staff back to Rei. "Look Rei-san. I know you're worried about the cost of the staff, but it's all right, really. If you're really worried, you can just borrow it until you've used all of the summons on it." 'Yeah, right,' Hotaru though. 'Then I'll just spend a couple of weeks recharging it.' "Oh, and don't try and summon one inside your shrine. It could get... messy." Before Rei could protest, Hotaru left the stunned girl and moved through the party. She had two more people to see before she left. Someday she would have to have a chat with Usagi about her taste in party guests. "Hello, Michiru. Killed anyone else recently?" Michiru went white. How could anyone say that? It was not her fault that the girl had died. If anyone, this strange little girl should be accusing the Witches 5 and thanking Michiru for saving so many others. Hiding her pain, and stilling the overly protective Haruka, Michiru leaned down to give Hotaru a few harsh words about respect for her elders. Before Michiru opened her mouth to speak, Ranma eased his iron control over his Ki. With her eyes glowing a brilliant, flickering blue, she too leaned in. "Don't even think of hurting any of these girls here. That would really put you on my bad side." Taking advantage of the stunning effect of those burning eyes, Hotaru doused their fire and grabbed Haruka, pulling her ear in close. "And you! You make me sick! Killers I can understand, but you and your sick little mind games! I don't care if she is one of the bad guys, I can't stand what you're doing. Pretending to be a guy, and all the while you're a girl? That's really low. Even a fool can see she loves you. She might be a killer, and so might you, but when she finds out that her 'boyfriend' is really a girl, it's going to hurt her more than I ever could. "Have at least some heart. Admit you're a girl and break it off now before it becomes any worse." Before either of the stunned girls could respond, Hotaru moved away to say her goodbyes to the others at the party. As she disappeared into the crowd, Haruka stuck her arm around Michiru and nibbled on her ear. "You know I'm a girl, don't you?" Michiru blushed as red as Sailor Mars' skirt. By this stage it would be difficult for her not to know. Five minutes later, Ranma appeared through a window. Moving for all world like he had been circulating for a while, he contrived to bump into Mamoru and (of course) Usagi. "Hey, Mamoru-san. This is the first time I've seen you since the school, isn't it?" Mamoru fidgeted nervously. He and Hotaru had talked, surely she had explained things to her brother... If not... it was too crowded to fight in here, but Mamoru was determined that he would do a better job of defending himself than last time. In the last few weeks he had done some serious training. There would be no way Ranma would catch him by surprise like he did last time. Adopting a slightly defensive posture, Mamoru prepared himself. "Yeah. Bit of a misunderstanding that." Ranma chuckled and scratched under his short pony tail. "Um... Yeah... Ha, ha... Um, I just wanted to say that I'm really... um... I mean, I’d do it again in an instant if I thought it was true... But it wasn't and Usagi and Chibi-Usa and everyone explained it to me, so... Well, I wanted to say that you're not a bad guy and all... So, if... like..." Mamoru smiled. "It's OK, Ranma. You don't actually have to say you're sorry." He sagged visibly in relief. "Thanks... Not that I'd have a hard time saying I was sorry or nothing. I just.. you know what I mean. Um... Hey, Usagi, that's a real pretty dress, suits you real good, it does." Usagi smiled and clung to her Mamo-chan's arm. Everyone had said that going as a Princess and her Prince was just a little too obvious. Besides, she wore that sort of thing every chance she got. But Ranma liked her costume. He thought she looked nice. Usagi looked up at the face of the man whose arm she was holding. Not that Ranma mattered: Mamoru - Prince Endymion of the Moon Kingdom - thought she looked nice as a Princess, and that was what mattered. Of course, it didn't hurt if the other boys realised how cute she was. Ranma was walking through the guests, saying hello to people that his male half had never met. The biggest problem pretending to be two people was trying to remember who he should greet, how he should greet them and what he was supposed to know about them. Now that he had bumped into most of the people that Hotaru had been introduced to, he should be fairly safe from any sort of slip up. As he moved through the people, he could start to feel something. Someone was watching him. Several people. Ranma looked around. No- one... just all the party guests. Catching a smile from Ukyo, Ranma retreated slightly; if she caught him now, he knew she'd ask him about the curse. Dodging between a young couple and grabbing a glass of something fizzy, Ranma resurfaced and came almost nose to nose with Shampoo. "Beloved Husband!" Shampoo cooed as she tried to latch onto his neck. Back-peddling furiously, Ranma managed to trip over a low table as she got her arms around him. "Sh-Shampoo. What are you doing here?" "Shampoo come party, be with Husband. Yes?" As he felt her snuggle up against his chest, Ranma retreated. Backing into the kitchen he waved his hands and tried to keep her off him, without actually touching anything that he shouldn't. Or at least anything he thought he shouldn't, Ranma was pretty confident that Shampoo's ideas of what he should and should not touch were different to his own. Safely in the kitchen and hidden from view from most of the party, Ranma sighed in relief. Gods, this would have looked bad if the tomboy had seen him, especially with her temper. Then again, Ucchan never made much of a secret of her possessive streak either. Ranma swallowed in fear: the last thing he needed was to find out if Mako- chan had the same penchant for hitting him for every imagined infraction. Suddenly Ranma's danger sense pinged and the kitchen no longer felt like a quiet haven. In fact, it was more the quiet before the storm. Taking his eyes from the mass of purple hair that was firmly attached to his chest, he slowly looked around. "Get off him now you Chinese Bimbo!" "Shampoo, you were supposed to lure him her so we could ask about his curse." "Ranma! How could try and seduce someone in the middle of Mako-chan's kitchen?" Makoto flicked an eye at Rei, but chose not to comment. 'I don't mind him seducing someone in my kitchen, it's more a matter of who he seduces.' Shampoo turned her face up to him and blinked her big brown eyes at him. In her most seductive voice she asked. "Ranma tell Shampoo about curse? Then Ranma take Shampoo on date?" Ranma place his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her away. "No way! I ain't telling nobody about my curse till it's cured, and then I'm definitely not." Ukyo slid up to him and put an arm around his shoulder, none to subtly trying to dislodge Shampoo at the same time. "It's OK, Ranchan. We don't really mind what it is, we're just curious." Makoto began to see red. These girls were making moves on _her_ boyfriend, in _her_ kitchen, at _her_ party. She had not felt this way about a guy since her old boyfriend, so there was no way she would give up without a fight. "Hey, Hey! What do you think your doing?" That pervert! Here he was, playing with her feelings again! Rei had invited him to this party, went to all the effort of being nice to him recently, and now he's got two of his own fiancees draped over him, and he's trying to seduce Mako-chan. Look at him: waving his arms, trying to reach for every girl in the room. "Ranma you pervert! How could you do this to me?" Silence held for a moment as the frying pan bounced off Ranma's head and landed on the floor. Rei dashed from the room, silver tears drifting behind her. A moment later, Ranma awoke and opened his eyes. Perhaps that was not the best idea. From where he lay, he looked up at Shampoo clad in tight red, Ukyo's pert, feathered body, and straight up the short skirt of Makoto's cowboy costume. Now was definitely not the right time to be lying on the kitchen floor with his eyes open. Almost levitating to his feet, Ranma sprang from the room. It seemed like everything was happening too fast. Ranma knew what a jealous woman was like, Akane got that way every time a girl came anywhere near the dojo. Surely none of these girls could be that possessive but he did not want to take the chance. Why did things like this happen to him? He was engaged to his best friend. Another one of his best friends was doing her level best to see him marry her great granddaughter. One of the sweetest girls he had ever met had apparently fallen for him head over heels (which for her is a long trip). Not only that, but there was some strange arrangement with his tomboy teacher. All that, and he had found a girl who he could really like, but they were both afraid to lower the masks that they wore. Ranma needed some time to think, time to get away. Time to find out more about the lovely Sailor Mars and how she felt about him. Watching their prey escape, the girls set aside their rivalries and sprinted after him. After two laps of the living room, Rei joined in, saying something about 'can't trust him with that many girls without supervision'. After that, the entire assembly ran out of the room, to dash screaming and yelling into the night. Watching them leave, Michiru wished that Makoto had a piano in her apartment: she had a sudden urge to start playing the Benny Hill Show ending theme. Then again, maybe she would just go home and read Don Juan De Marco again. The departure of Ranma and his entourage seemed to indicate that the party was coming to an end. In pairs and singles, people departed. Usagi offered to stay around and help eat the remaining food until Makoto returned, which let Michiru and Haruka leave for a short trip back to Michiru's place. Descending the stairs from Makoto's apartment, they passed a heavily built boy wearing dusty clothes, he was well muscled and had a broad, honest face. He was probably quite attractive... if you were into that sort of thing. "Excuse me Miss. Is this the way to Kino Makoto's place?" "Yes, just up those stairs." "Heh, heh, heh. Tendo Ranma, now you shall pay for what you have done to me." Looking up that the retreating figure, Haruka looked at her shorter companion. "You don't suppose that was Mako-chan's old boyfriend?" "It could be, she was always saying how great he was. Maybe he's upset with Ranma for stealing his girlfriend..." The shrugged their shoulders and walked out of the building, not hearing the muted cry of frustration. Once again, Ranma had run like a coward and had avoided meeting Hibiki's wrath. Hotaru's comments earlier to Haruka had stirred something in both of them. Firstly there was the anger that someone would talk that way to them and about them. Then confusion; you would need to have lived in the remotest mountains for the last hundred years not to realise that they were lesbians. Not only that, but it was a perfectly acceptable situation. Apparently that was something that little Hotaru had not realised yet. The most powerful feeling that Hotaru's impassioned speech had generated was that of love. Hotaru was closer to an enemy than an ally. They were suspicious of her motives for nearly everything she did, and they knew that there was something indefinably not right about her and her father. For all of that - and her limited association with them - she had seen how strongly they were in love. Holding each other's hands, Michiru and Haruka walked to the car, each basking in the warmth of the love that they shared. Somehow it should not have come as a surprise to them to see the Guardian of Time waiting at their car. Setsuna was nonchalantly leaning against it, for all the world looking like she had just arrived, and had been expecting them to arrive just then. "I am concerned about Saturn Knight." As the women entered the car, Michiru mentioned how she overheard Hotaru talking to the Inner Senshi this evening. Apparently she knew about Saturn Knight also. "Yes, that is true." Setsuna gave a small wave, implying that she already knew this. "Do you know how she knew, Setsuna-san?" "This morning, during the demon attack, that's the second time any of us have been threatened by Saturn Knight." It was more of a statement than a question, but the younger women nodded confirmation anyway. If Setsuna wanted to avoid answering a question, there was no point in asking it again. This morning had been an ordinary demon, not one of the Witches 5 out searching for Heart Crystals. Every now and again some monster or creature from the nether hells would break through into this world. At times like these, the Sailor Senshi still responded. Although the Mamono Hunters and other assorted groups did what they could, this area of Tokyo was generally taken care of by the Senshi, even for small events like a single minor demon appearing. "He was rather adamant when we spoke. He told me that if we hurt the Inner Senshi, he would hunt us down. He also said that if I tried to interfere in his personal life again, then he would kill me." Setsuna gave a small chuckle. "That part was almost exactly what he said to me all of those millennium ago. Something to do with when I tried to arrange a marriage for Sailor Saturn to a Venusian prince." "Do you expect any sort of problem from Saturn Knight?" "No. Saturn Knight is a nothing. He's no-one that matters really. If he were a threat to us, I would have dealt with him long ago. For that matter, if he is going to be a threat in the future, I would also know that." To herself, Setsuna reflected on the fact that when she had asked her future self whether Saturn Knight would be a bad influence on Sailor Saturn, the Crystal Tokyo Senshi had laughed. Setsuna knew that she rarely laughed, especially at serious questions. Unless she changed radically, she surmised that there was nothing to worry about Saturn Knight. Haruka took up the thread of conversation. "All right, so we just ignore Saturn Knight. But I have to ask, if he was such a pest, if you hated him, and the Queen barely tolerated him... Why would she send him into the future with the Senshi and Endymion?" After a moment silence, Haruka spared her eyes from the road and caught Setsuna's expression. She was deep in thought, probably trying to decide why her Queen would make such a decision. A decision that Setsuna no doubt regarded as a bad one. "I'm not certain. I can find out, but it's not really important.... What I think happened is that Sailor Saturn sent him forward." "Sailor Saturn!?" "Indeed. You must realise, while the Queen was powerful beyond anyone else, she was not the only one with great power. If she could manage to send her daughter, four Inner Senshi, three Outer, and her daughter's husband-to-be, someone would only need one ninth of her power to send one man. "Sailor Saturn had very little of the power that Queen Serenity had when it came to anything other than a direct battle. However, in a direct battle, there was no-one that could compare. She could cast a powerful healing spell, and she had some potent battle magic, but her real power lay in her devastating final attack. A final attack that could destroy a planet. "Someone with that power, properly motivated, may be able to send someone's soul forward in time." "So what are we going to do? If Saturn Knight is here, now, then doesn’t that mean that Sailor Saturn is going to be awakening soon?" "She may indeed. She is not awake yet, but I know she will awaken soon. Less than a week ago I felt someone discharge a substantial portion of Sailor Saturn's magic. Few others in the world would recognise it as I would, but I have seeking it for thousands of years. The opportunity for Sailor Saturn to be raised without Saturn Knight was too valuable to pass up. When she awakens, I, and the two of you, will be instrumental in continuing to raise and educate her." "But you don't expect Saturn Knight to have something to say about that?" "True, Michiru-san, it did have me worried for a long time once I knew that he was active. Since then, I have taken steps. I am now completely confident that Saturn Knight will not have an adverse affect on Sailor Saturn. I also know that the pair of you shall be her guardian in the future." That suitably impressed them. It was rare for Setsuna to give any sort of definite answer with regards to the future, so this was obviously an issue she felt strongly on. It was also an issue that their foreknowledge would have little or no effect. Even without reassurances, the Senshi would ignore Saturn Knight, now they would just have added faith in their decisions. Similarly, it would give them time to adjust to the idea of looking after another girl and mentoring her. Setsuna wished that she had a few more details on Sailor Saturn. She had been tempted to stop and observe the future, but the Sailor Pluto of Crystal Tokyo had advised against it in the strongest possible terms. For her to know the details of this future would risk a paradox of horrific proportions. Setsuna's future self had even gone so far as to say that she was caught by surprise by several events in the coming months when they had occurred to her. Such an admission threatened a paradox itself: if Setsuna abused her powers and examined time, she would be changing the facts that she had just told herself. Setsuna hated it when she forced herself into these situations. Michiru hopped out of the front seat and let Setsuna climb out of the little two door that Haruka had driven tonight. While the tall woman tidied her already neat clothes, Michiru pressed the final issue. "If he is no threat to Sailor Saturn, should we do anything about him at all?" "Personally, I have no interest in letting a psychopath being an advisor to our Princess' best friend. At this point there is no need for direst action against him, but I will continue to... make suggestions to Luna and Artemis. I suspect that they will be more amicable to reason than Rei-san. I know that those two cats hold quite a sway over the Inner Senshi and the Princess." * * * Two days later, at the Hikawa shrine, Ranma sat opposite Rei with a frown on his face. "You know, Rei-san, I really think this idea stinks." "I know Ranma, you've already told me that seventeen times." "Eighteen, Rei-chan." Ami chipped in helpfully. "Remember, there was that time yesterday too, when you were---" "I think he understands, Ami-chan." Ami opened her book again and buried her head in it. "Sorry." Casting his eyes around their audience, Ranma looked for a supportive smile, or something that would indicate that he did not need to go through with this. Nothing. All of Rei's friends were there, sitting and watching. Watching him make a fool of himself. "Go on, admit it, you just chose a fire reading because you know I've never mastered it." 'Damn right.' Thought Rei. Out loud she vigorously denied it. "No, of course not, Ranma. It's just that you have as much Ki as two ordinary people, you may even have more than I do. What I need is for you to help me with power for this fire reading. I really want to be able to show Usagi-chan some of her future. With your help, hopefully we'll be able to." 'I don't believe it! I'm suppressing that much Ki, and she still thinks I have more than two normal people?! How can this be?' Ranma let no trace of his real concern colour his voice. "But, Rei-san! I won't even be able to see what's going on if I'm meditating." 'Right again'. Rei tried to force some semblance of concern into her voice as she finished arranging her robes and sat before the sacred fire. "I know, and I'm sorry about that, Ranma. But this could be really important for Usagi-chan. You... you wouldn’t want her to miss out on some big opportunity, would you?" "No! No, of course not. I... I just wish I could see what was happening too." Placing he palms outwards by the fire, Rei focused herself. "Just meditate, Ranma. Please. I really appreciate what you're doing. Now... Concentrate... Focus... Find your centre and we shall begin." As Ranma closed his eyes, the other Inner Senshi gathered closer. Rei had warned them that even if she could make the images in the sacred fire strong enough for them to see, they would still be faint. In all likelihood, it would only be Rei that could see them. But she would be able to get a better understanding of what she was looking at. The Vision Of Silence. She had first seen a faint image of impending doom months ago. There was a threat that was coming that would endanger the entire world, and they were the ones to be facing it. For the longest time, she had despaired of ever seeing more detail on the event. Now that her grandfather had taught Rei some power sharing techniques she could use with Ranma, she could use his power to see in greater detail. She hoped. Entering her own meditative state, Rei looked at the fire. Deep into the fire. Deep into the sacred fire where the images of the past and the future reside. "Oh, sacred fire---" Whoosh! With a roar, the flames leapt to roof height. In the flames, for all to see, was the image of a woman. A woman of surpassing beauty. She had short-cropped black hair, and a smile that was so cute, so open and honest that it made her face light up. The smiling face stared out of the fire at them, and her eyes seemed to twinkle at some unseen joke. "Ranma! Ranma! Snap out of it Ranma!" A few gentle taps to his cheeks managed to bring Ranma back from his meditations. "What, we done already? But you hardly used any Ki." "Ranma, there was something wrong. I... I don’t think the technique worked correctly. We had enough power... but the focus and control wasn't there." Ami leaned forwards. She might not be a Shinto trainee like Rei, but she had a sneaking suspicion what had just happened. "Ranma, if I describe a girl, could you tell me if you recognise her? Let's see... She was smiling, and she had big eyes, I think they might have been brown. She had short black hair, and seemed so happy." "Hmm, could be Hotaru. Why?" "No, not Hotaru, besides Hotaru-chan's eyes are purple. Shorter hair, and she was definitely older. She almost looked... mischievous... I don't know, something like that. It's because we saw her in the fire." "Ahh, that's probably Akane. My Akane... I always use her as my centre for meditation. She always looked like that just after she poured boiling water on me." Ami gulped. If pouring boiling water on her husband was Akane's idea of fun, she was glad that Ranma was Rei's and Makoto's boyfriend, not hers. Those sorts of party games were not to her taste. "She poured boiling water on you?" "Err, just forget I said that... OK? It sort of became a... a... joke, yeah, a joke. After my father introduced us that way. Um, he was the one that poured the boiling water on me first." Ranma smiled in an unconvincing manner. Rei scowled at him, and the rest of the girls gave a smile that was just as convincing as his. Rei asserted herself again. "All right, Ranma. Let's try that in a different way then. This time, close your eyes and meditate. Rather than you direct the energy into the fire, just let me have it. Leave all of the control up to me. Just relax." Under her voice she also whispered: "That way we won't have to see everything you want us to." Once again, they both meditated. This time when Rei had called to the sacred fire, she reached out her hands and placed her palms on Ranma's. "Relax and begin to let me take control." Ranma began to ease off. It was not easy, giving up control of his inner energies. The only thing that made it possible was the fact that he trusted Rei. She might be a tomboy, she might be angry a lot of the time, but he trusted her implicitly. If she thought she was ready to control Ki of his level, he would give her the opportunity. Surely if she could not do a proper fire reading with her skills and his power, then no-one could. All was quiet for a moment, then there was a massive blue flash, knocking everyone over. When they managed to recover their feet, it was to see Ranma sitting there serenely, while Rei shuddered slightly, focusing more power than she ever expected. The sacred flame had changed so that it looked less like a wood fire, and more like a blue butane flame. Ranma checked his Ki levels and frowned mentally. He had used more Ki when he was fighting Cologne and he could have kept that up all day, but he could feel Rei struggling to maintain control. Suddenly it dawned on him: Rei did not realise his true reserves. Akane would have called it an ego bigger than the whole world. He called it Ki refined and nurtured for four centuries, three of those included the use of Ki as a martial arts attack. You got no precision - none of the finesse needed for fire readings as a completely random example - but you got buckets and buckets of power. Power that a Shinto Priestess would never be expecting. Shinto dealt in subtlety, precision and accuracy. Combat usage dealt in great gouts of raw ego; enough ego to break down a wall or force a hurricane. Easing back in some of his control, Ranma felt Rei calm down. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked worriedly at the blue flame. Blue with the power of confidence. Dimly, as though seen underwater, Rei could still see the image of Akane's face. Now it was just a background, something that she could call the flames to hide. As the worried Senshi gathered around the pair, Rei took control and steered the power. Focusing this much spiritual energy was a challenge, but it was one that she knew she was up to. Mastering a vision like this would give the Senshi an unbeatable advantage in their upcoming fight. When she had first seen the Vision Of Silence, it was like a bad dream: all you could remember when you awoke was the horror and none of the important details. All that would change now, They had six people in the room, and of them all, Ranma was the only one that was not able to see the Vision. Displayed before them like a three dimensional, burning television, the sacred flame showed them their future. The Senshi were fighting. It was flashes of short skirts in bright colours as they moved through a dark building. One fell, then another. The Outer Senshi were there too, apparently struggling against a common enemy. Everyone was in a large room, but it was a room filled with darkness, indistinct and indecisive. All that could be seen in the room was a woman: tall and regal, with very long, jet back hair. She was laughing and holding up the Holy Grail. Even through the vision they could see the power that came from the Grail, an obviously forbidden power as they saw Sailor Moon cry out against its use. Behind the woman a darkness arose. A darkness reaching out, sending its tentacles of power into our world. A world incapacitated, as one- by-one the Senshi were shown lying motionless, possibly dead; certainly wounded. The vision shifted once more, and it was a woman, a girl really, wearing the short sailor style of the Senshi, but it was a Senshi that none of them recognised. A Senshi in dark and forbidding colours. The Vision held still for a moment, focused on the single image of Sailor Moon and this new Senshi. Both held the Grail, and neither looked happy; it was impossible to tell if Moon was receiving the Grail or fighting for it. The new Senshi's eyes glittered with the dedication of someone willing to kill... and willing to die. Now they are in the darkness. It is all around, just a single source of red light is the evil that sits at its heart. The scene is a frightening tableaux: the dark Senshi holding Saturn Knight's weapon prepared to strike, a weapon even more outsized on her than on Saturn Knight. At her feet Sailor Moon can be seen. She is beaten and battered, her clothes torn from a loosing fight. As the large weapon drops, the vision fades. All that remains is Sailor Moon's voice, and another voice in the background... The first sound of the entire vision, it starts strongly, then fades, vanishing into a world consuming Silence. "Sailor Saturn! No! There must be another way! Don't do it! We want to help you..." "DEATH... REBORN...." Rei collapses sideways as the vision ends, the sacred flame returning to a normal fire. In an instant she was surrounded by the other girls, and Ami began to pat her hand, as she groggily began to sit up. Usagi threw her arms around Rei's neck and began to sob onto her shoulder. "Oh, Rei-chan. That was so scary! And you fell over! And I was so worried about you! And what are we going to do?" Rei held her aching head and wondered how someone Usagi's size could have big enough lungs to say all that in the one breath. Forcing the pounding in her skull to subside for a moment, Rei looked across the fire. "Ranma..." He was still in a lotus position, and only just beginning to return to consciousness. "Wow. Rei-san, I'm really impressed. A bit rough at the start, but you did a great job on the control. You get anything useful?" Actually Ranma was more than just impressed. In what felt like only minutes, Rei had managed to drain over half his Ki. Sure, he had let her, but she was the one that had created the channel for the power. He wondered if she realised just how much spiritual energy she had channelled? He'd have to drop by Cologne's tonight; a discharge like that should have been able to be felt for a mile around, if you knew what to look for. A little bit weakly, Rei nodded her head. "Thanks, Ranma. I couldn’t have done it without you." "Hey, well, you asked for the best and you got him. So, I mean, of course even a tomboy like you could do it with someone like me to help." Minako looked up at Ranma. Sure he was cute, but that did not mean he could talk to Rei like that. "Ranma! Can't you say something nice for once?" "Sure I can: Rei-san, those temple clothes really suit you. I mean, with a skirt that big, it can even hide the size of your big thighs. And the shirt too, no-one can tell how flat---" The sound of one of her sandals bouncing off his head cut short his 'compliment'. "What? What did I say?" Ami shook her head. "If you don't know now, you'll never know. Not even if you live to be a hundred years old." "You got that right. So, you gunna tell me what you saw?" Getting to her feet, Rei retrieved her sandal and started to lead everyone back into the courtyard. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell him what they had seen. When she had seen only fleeting glimpses of the Vision it had been bad enough. Now that she had seen what may come to pass, it was worse than ever. Sailor Pluto had warned them that Sailor Saturn could be dangerous. Now they saw what could happen if this did not improve, if they could not contact Sailor Saturn and gain her trust. "I'm sorry, Ranma. It was something personal for Usagi-chan. You... you don't mind if we keep it private... do you?" Ranma affectionately gave Usagi's hair a quick ruffling. "Nah, I can live without the sordid details of Usagi-chan's love life. Just so long as it wasn't the end of the world or something." "N-No... Not at all, nothing like that... Really!" 'At least,' Rei thought. 'It won't be the end of the world if we do things right.' They were all on the front steps to the shrine talking, and Ranma knew that he should be going home, letting Usagi and her friends talk about what they had seen in the fire. 'Probably the boy she's going to marry, or something else that girls gossip about.' Ranma thought. He could see in Rei's face the fact that she wanted him to leave: she desperately wanted to talk to Usagi and her friends but after receiving his help, it would be unforgivably impolite to rush him away. He happened to be looking at Rei's eyes when he first felt it and he could tell instantly that she could feel the presence of evil in the air. Her brows lowered slightly, and he could see her lips thin as she concentrated. As one they turned to look down the street, searching for whatever person was powerful enough to attract their attention, moment later he could feel Minako do the same, followed by the other girls. It did not take much watching until they were able to see the cause of their premonition: Witch Mimete. She was running down a street, laughing in a most irritating manner as she dodged in and out between people. Ranma cursed. 'Here I am with a group of defenceless school girls, and there goes another one of those evil Witches! Damn it! I need to be down there, maybe I can stop her before she or those impostors try and take someone else's Heart Crystal. Not only that, but Sailor Mars is sure to show up any moment, and there no way I can change with Rei-san or her friends about.' Looking at the nervous way the girls were fidgeting and looking at him, Ranma reached the only possibly conclusion. "Don't worry, I'll keep her busy until the Sailor girls arrive. Takuhi! Come forth and guard these girls!" With a flourish, Ranma picked off the top of his staff, releasing Takuhi in a brilliant flare of light. The massive bird spirit - the size of a house when his wings were spread - soared free of its home and circled. With a deafening cry, Takuhi swooped down and over flew the girls, counting them and watching them like a mother hen protects her chicks. "Ranma, wait!" "I can't wait, Rei-san. Don't worry Takuhi will keep you safe." Running down the street, Ranma hated that lie. Against ordinary people, sure Takuhi could keep them safe. People with guns could hurt him, and people like the Witches 5 or those fake Sailor girls would have him for breakfast. Ranma's only hope was to get to the Witch first and keep her busy until the Senshi arrived. He was under no illusions about his ability to beat her in a fight. He had watched the Sailors go toe-to-toe against her in the past, and knew that they were outclassed, winning only because of their dedication, determination and teamwork. Ranma knew he was the best martial artist there was, but sometimes being the best just isn't good enough. As he raced down the street and out of his friend's sight, he prepared an attack. Ki was too draining to use at this great a range, and he would need all of that just to stay alive. Most of his magic attacks were too broad and indiscriminate. Actually, the only attack he knew that he could be confident of using with any chance of success would also kill thousands of innocent people. A city is no place for using the Dragon Slave, no matter what Lina had tried to teach him. Finally he spotted her as she moved through a mall. To all appearances, she was ogling the boys there, and seemed to be selecting Heart Crystals purely on the basis of how nice they looked. 'Damn, she's definitely gunna want mine!' Firing his Elemenkia Lance, Ranma caught her attention. It might not be as potent as a Mars Fire Soul or the Jupiter Thunder Crash, but it would guarantee her full attention. Back at the temple, Usagi had reached for her locket as soon as Ranma was out of sight. Instantly Rei slapped her hand away, and pointed at Takuhi who was sitting on the ground, watching both them and the deserted streets intently. "No! You can't. If you transform now, Takuhi will know, and he'll tell Ranma and Hotaru everything." "W-well what are we going to do?" "I don't know, perhaps we can go into the temple, he probably can't follow us there..." "Everyone! Look!" Ami pointed to the base of the stairs where Takuhi sat. In the shadows, some tall forms moved. Suddenly brilliant green water streamed from one of them, blasting into the spirit bird. Takuhi took flight instantly, circling around to dive bomb Sailor Pluto who was now standing openly in the middle of the street. It was a perfectly understandable reaction really. The Outers were chasing Mimete, and they come across the Inner Senshi, all standing under the watchful eyes of some sort of giant bird monster. What were they supposed to think? As one, the Inner Senshi ran down, screaming for them to stop. Before they could get to the other group, Takuhi finished his loop and dive bombed Sailor Pluto. His one clawed foot extended and ready to gouge her to death for her ally's unprovoked attack. Despite the distance between them, they could all hear Sailor Pluto's whispered words. Every other Senshi screamed their attack names but for some reason Sailor Pluto's attack was only ever given at a whisper... "Dead Scream." A fraction of a second before she became bird food, a glowing purple sphere formed between her and the spirit creature. Takuhi collided with the attack full force, smashing into it so hard that it forced Sailor Pluto back a step, even as the Dead Scream did it's work. When the girls arrived it was all over. Sailor Uranus gave the corpse a nudge with her boot, snorting at an fearsome appearing adversary that seemed all show and no substance. All that remained of Takuhi was a crushed looking bird form, no larger than an eagle or large goose. "No..." Rei whispered. Usagi turned on Sailor Pluto. "Why did you attack it? Takuhi was supposed to be protecting us. He wasn't doing you any harm." Sailor Pluto did not even turn back, but Uranus gave her a scolding glance before she headed off to join her friends and they followed Mimete. "You're supposed to be defending others, not sitting her under the wing of some demon bird. We rescued you so that you can rescue others, now get moving." "But Takuhi was Hotaru's pet; you didn't have to kill him. We could have left by another way." "If she associates with monsters like this, she deserves what she gets. People are being attacked out there, so sacrifices must be made... I don't have time to stand around and talk, and neither do you." As Sailor Uranus ran off, a horror struck Ami kneeled down by the large, and very dead bird. Gently she brushed the feathers back from his almost human face then turned to the others. "Go and help Ranma. I'll take Takuhi up to the Shrine, then I'll meet you. Make sure that you stop her. Don’t let this be in vain." The Senshi did arrive in time. They also saved a number of innocent people, including a badly beaten Ranma. If not for their timely arrival, Witch Mimete may have had time to steal his Heart Crystal too. It was tribute enough that he survived that long against her, providing the time they needed to arrive. All of their efforts still felt insufficient when Ranma returned to the shrine. The Senshi had beaten him back and were there to help with the bad news. He took one look at the caved in chest of his long time companion and collapsed to his knees, crying and holding the bird. Rei tentatively reached out put a hand on his shoulder. "Ranma... I... I'm sorry..." Ranma looked up at her, his face full of pain. Even as she watched, his features smoothed and he locked it all away behind his iron control. "It hurts Rei-san. It hurts." Silently, Ranma stood and took the bird into his arms. He left the staff on the floor. It was useless now, just another lump of wood as far as he was concerned. In the silence, a single drop of blood came out of Takuhi's mouth, flowed down its cheek, and landed with an audible splash on the floor. Ranma looked down at Rei. He put a hand on her shoulder. "At least you're safe... I'm going to find out who did this, and then there will be hell to pay. ----- End Of Chapter. The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current author. Thanks to my pre-readers: Ben aevan ukie Kevin D. Hammel http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/ This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow my head in shame: please forgive. Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to its story timeline... This story is dedicated to the letters M and M the numbers i and e. Visit my website at http://www.users.fl.net.au/~fire _________________ / \ | Destiny's Child | \_________________/ What has gone before: While on a training trip with his father during the early 1600s, Ranma fell into the spring of the drowned young girl. Unfortunately, his curse can only be changed back with _very_ hot water, which means he has spent most of his time in his cursed form. Not only that, but because the spring was drowned young girl, he turns into a 12 year old girl who never ages. In the present... Ranma has received a partial cure for his curse by the spirit entity called Mistress 9. She will eventually take his girl's body, freeing him entirely, so now he poses as Tomoe Hotaru. Unfortunately, he now seems to have a few problems with the ladies, since he is inadvertently engaged to Hino Rei (he's taking lessons in Shinto), his old buddy Ucchan, and the friendly Amazon Shampoo. That doesn't even start to include Mako-chan, or the fact that two of his best friends are only three foot tall: Cologne and Chibi-Usa. Ranma's problems are increasing daily. He now remembers being Saturn Knight, a borderline psychotic noble from the Moon Kingdom... too bad that Saturn Knight and Sailor Mars are falling for each other. Not only that, but Saturn Knight, Ranma, and Hotaru (as different persona) have all been having problems with the Outer Senshi. -------- Memories -------- His fiery Sailor Mars had just delivered another lovely attack against the forces of darkness and evil. Leaning contentedly against a wall, obscured by darkness, Saturn Knight sighed. She looked so lovely, a moving tribute to the ultimate sculpture. Just watching her was a pleasure in itself. Poetry in motion, the very definition of a pretty soldier. He had held her hand earlier. It was not the first time that he had touched her, but it was the longest. Even though they had both arrived on the scene of a Daimon attack, he stole a few moments of her time to be with her. He gave her an evening dress today, she might never wear it in public since they still hid their real identities from the world and each other, but he knew she liked it. He cast an eye over where it sat, out of danger from her battle. No- one would be able to steal it while it was under his observation. Her compatriots were doing better today. She was a warrior, and he respected her fight and her ability to defend herself, but it hurt his heart every time she was attacked. At least today things seemed to be going well. Things were going so well in fact that the heroines could spare someone to come and visit him; aware of his environment, Ranma could feel someone climbing the side of the building. Sparing the man a quick glance he returned to his vigil of Sailor Mars. It was only Tuxedo Mask. He watched over Queen Serenity in the same way that he watched over Sailor Mars. Saturn Knight gave a chuckle. It amused him no end that the mighty Queen of the Moon Kingdom needed constant help, while his warrior maiden was able to defend herself against the best that her enemies could do. "Can you wait for a time? We would like to speak to you." Saturn Knight did not even turn his head. There was no point: he could sense where Tuxedo Kamen was, and since they both wore masks, there was no need to see his face. "No." "Please. Saturn Knight, we need to discuss what is happening with you. You could be of great assistance to us." "No. I have no interest in helping you." "Please, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars have both asked." "It is not Sailor Mars that wishes to speak to me. She would have asked me when we were together." "Does that mean you will be here?" "I will talk with the Queen alone. Because she and Sailor Mars wish it." Tuxedo Kamen took that as consent. He had no choice really, Sailor Moon was in trouble and needed his help. Again. The battle ended in another partial victory. They had managed to defend the innocent people who had been attacked, and they had stopped the Daimon, but the evil Witch that was the cause of all of their difficulties had escaped. There would be a time when all the forces of evil would be defeated, and he would be there on that day watching their victory. On the other hand, it seemed as though Tuxedo Kamen had hearing difficulty. It was not just the Queen that was approaching, but all of the warriors. With a soft sigh, Saturn Knight dropped from the building and deliberately began to walk away from the assembly. He kept pace with the group as they approached. When they stopped, so did he. Listening to the distant mummers of their whispering, Saturn Knight waited. After a time the Queen stepped forwards, leaving the rest of the group. She looked nervous, as did the other Sailor girls and her guardian. The only one that did not look nervous was Sailor Mars. She just looked irritated with her Queen. Standing still, Saturn Knight waited until the small figure of Queen Serenity stood beside him. Sketching a brief bow, he indicated that they should move on. Not everything he said to her did he want his Sailor Mars to hear. "Saturn Knight... How much do you remember of the Moon Kingdom? Most of us have had memory problems since our reincarnation." "I remember most things. My memories are clearer when I summon my costume and the Silence Glaive... Over time the memories are filtering back into my normal self." The Queen nodded. "Tuxedo Kamen had the same problem. When we first met him, he didn't even remember being Tuxedo Kamen when he returned to being Ma... When he changed back to normal." A short laugh. "Things are not that bad. They are just... clearer for me now. What did you wish to ask me, my Queen?" "Why do you call me Queen? My name is Sailor Moon." "There is no Sailor Moon." The Queen seemed very upset at that idea. "There is! There is! I'm Sailor Moon!" Saturn Knight would have given her a questioning glance at that, but there was no use with the mask on. "Do you remember your mother?" "Yes... She was Queen Serenity. She died to stop Beryl from conquering the Moon Kingdom. I remember that it was her that sent us all into the future." "So the Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. There is no Sailor Moon." "But... But I'm the pretty soldier Sailor Moon! I'm not ready to be Queen yet! I don't even have a Kingdom. Besides, what about Sailor Chibi Moon? If I'm Queen, doesn't that make her Sailor Moon?" "It does not matter if you are ready yet. You must grow into your role, because the world needs you. As for Chibi Moon, she is just that. When she is ready to assume the full mantle of her powers, then we shall again have a Sailor Moon." She pondered on that for a moment. Perhaps sensing how long they had been talking, she gave a small wave to her friends. When she turned back to him, he was still standing there, his sea blue eyes staring at her as though he had all the time in the world. "What I really needed to know is if there is anything you can do to help us. Do you know anything? Can you help us fight?" Saturn Knight looked away. "I remember your mother helping me in the days of the Moon Kingdom. I gave her my loyalty for that, I did not give my support. I will always be here watching. If things are bad enough, if Sailor Mars is truly threatened. I will help. You may not like the form of my help, but I will be there." "That's it? There's nothing else? B-But what about Sailor Saturn?" "What about Sailor Saturn?" "Can you tell us about her? When will she awaken? Who is she? What was she like when you knew her?" Saturn Knight placed a hand against his head as though in some pain. "I... I do not know any Sailor Saturn. I remember you, and your compatriots, but beyond that... there is a gap. I remember a girl with black hair, with care in her eyes... But I do not remember any Sailor Saturn." The Queen stopped dead in her tracks. "You don't remember Sailor Saturn? But... But Luna told us all about you and her. It was so tragic." "The cat lies. They all do. They were all out to get me... To get us... I... I can't remember... It hurts..." His Queen placed her hand on his arm. "It's OK. Don't try and remember if it hurts. It will all come back in time. I still keep remembering things all the time." He gave the small girl a tentative smile. It worried him how he could not remember these details. All he could remember were broken dreams that he had when he reverted to his normal self. When he slept they were detailed, but when he awoke, all he could remember was the love and the loss that he felt. Something was missing in his life, as though it was still asleep. Looking down at his Queen, he decided to take her into his confidence on a most grave matter. "Long ago, I was trained in the arts of magic by a sorceress named Lina Inverse. You will never find her, she has been dead a long time, and most people never even knew she existed. "Lina-sama taught me many wonderful things, but of the things too dangerous to teach me was the location of a powerful magical device that her people created a hundred thousand years in the past. "A device so powerful, and so dangerous that it was used once to save the entire galaxy, and then sealed away... never to be used again. "Lina-sama did teach me to detect its usage. And I have felt it. Queen Serenity, I tell you now, someone has their hands upon a device so powerful and so dangerous that even its creators feared to destroy it, so they hid it away. Safe from human use." Saturn Knight looked down at his Queen. "Someone has access to the Gates Of Time. I shall find them, and I shall stop them. There is no- one that should have access to that power. Not even me." With that he leapt to the top of a house and began to sprint into the distance, quickly becoming invisible to the ground based Senshi. The Sailor Senshi arrived moments after his departure and stood around their leader. Sailor Moon was delicately nibbling on one gloved finger as she tried to think about what she should do. "Umm... Sailor Mars... You know how you said that Saturn Knight was perfectly stable? Well, I think we had better give Sailor Pluto a call... He seems to have a little problem with her time travelling." Then her eyes travelled down, ending up on the small figure of Sailor Chibi Moon who had joined them that day. A girl sent there from the future. She did not care how good his motives may be, if he ends up threatening her daughter, she would show him just how powerful Sailor Moon could be in defence of the ones she loved. * * * Ranma pushed open the door and walked inside. Ukyo could tell that it was bad right from the start. He had walked in. Ranma never walked anywhere. He ran, he jumped, he sauntered, he strutted, he was even known to dance along if he was in a particularly good mood. Ranma never just walked. Ukyo took a quick look at her three customers and decided that she had some time to spare. Grabbing the batter container, she poured a generous helping onto the griddle. "Hey, Ranchan. The usual?" From the grin he gave her Ukyo knew things were not as bad as they had first seemed. Anyone that can give a grin so full of mischief like that cannot be too troubled. Even before he nodded, Ukyo was grabbing the ingredients for her 'Ranchan Special'. No-one else got an Okonomiyaki like he did. Sure, everyone got food better that anywhere else in the world, Ranma got the best of the best... by the best. She watched her fiancee slide onto one of the bar-stools, he seemed rather down in the dumps, but not the way he usually got after a fight with Rei. Watching as he fiddled with a menu on the counter, she tried to figure out what was the matter. Let's see... he was not actually reading the menu; she did not think he had ever read the menu. She just made him what she knew he wanted. Now she knew he was a bit tense, he only ever played with things when he was tense. He wasn't angry though, Ukyo thought as she tossed a few prawns onto the culinary masterpiece. She'd seen him angry a few times, and she could swear that he almost glowed with radiated anger. If he'd had a real fight with Rei, she knew he would be in here pacing around and cursing all of the tomboys in the world. Something was bothering him, but she couldn't figure out what. Smiling her cutest smile, Ukyo tossed the food onto a plate and held it in front of him. "One Ranchan Special ready to eat." The smile on his face spread. Nothing could make him smile like her food could. "Uh-uh. If you want this, you've got to tell me what's bothering you." The challenging smile on her face faded somewhat when the Okonomiyaki vanished off the plate, faster than her eyes could even see. Instantly she looked right at him, and her mouth fell open. In the time it took her to blink once, Ranma had taken the food off the plate and managed to shove half of the extra large size Okonomiyaki down his throat. Currently, his mouth was open amazingly wide as he tentatively tried to force the last morsel inside. It was an effort however, and too much for him to achieve with the same lightning fast speed he had just shown. Ukyo waved her spatula at him and silently congratulated herself on making it just that bit bigger this time. If it had been a normal size, she would never have seen it go. "Now, now, Ranma. That's no way to treat fine food like that. You should savour it. Appreciate it." "Mah mamm ma mememafunfunf." Wiping the bench she just raised an eyebrow and waited. "Gulp! I am appreciating it!" "All right, Ranchan. You've had my Okonomiyaki, now spill the beans. You can tell your cute fiancee what's the matter." Ranma leaned against the counter, cradling his chin in his hands. "Ahh, it's just been a rough couple of days, Ucchan. I'd rather not talk about it, OK?" "Come on, Ranchan. You've got to learn to talk to people and not hold it all in. Hey, how long have we been friends and you never even told me you were married?" Ukyo hoped he would get the hint and spill the beans about Akane. It had hit her pretty hard the other day when she had found out that Ranma not only had been married, but the fact that everyone seemed to know about it other than her. "Aww, Ucchan..." "Don't 'aww, Ucchan' me! Come on, you've always been able to talk to me before. How many times have you been in here complaining that your tomboy fiancee doesn't understand you? You can talk to me. You don't need to keep secrets, you can trust me." The mere mention that Ranma might have secrets perked him up slightly. The thought of telling old buddy Ucchan some of the secrets he knew brought a smile to his face. His smile faded again when he remembered some of the not so secret things that were weighing on him. "All right, all right. Yesterday was about the worst day I can remember for ages. First off, two days ago was Akane and my anniversary. I always light a candle for her. It's... it's a day I always spend alone. "Yesterday, my oldest friend died. You never met Takuhi, but he was the sweetest little spirit you ever met. Rei and her friends were attacked by someone. I don't know who yet, but Takuhi was there to protect them. They killed him, Ucchan. His poor little chest was caved in, and his feathers were all burnt." Watching her fiancee stifle a sniffle, Ukyo wondered at who this Takuhi was. She was beginning to get the feeling that the more she knew about Ranma, the more she needed to know. Before she could ask him to elaborate further, he continued. "The today, just five minutes ago. I'm there yelling at Rei-san, she's yelling back. You know, we're getting a real good rhythm going. Suddenly she goes all quiet and then she's chasing me away. Snap, just like that. One minute were walking down the street insulting each other, and the next thing she says she's got to go, that she can’t be with me now. What's wrong with her?" Ukyo sighed and sat back on her stool. "Only you could think that was weird. Think about it, Ranchan. You probably managed to say something that really offended her. Haven’t you heard of a brush-off? She probably got so angry with you, she didn't even want to speak to you, let alone keep arguing." "Really?" Ukyo saw her chance. Maybe she could make him realise just how badly he and Rei actually were for each other. "Sure. Look at it this way, whenever she insults you, you seem to come here and moan about it. She's probably just had enough. Heck, at the moment, she probably doesn't even want to know you." "What? That uncute tomboy? Why should she be upset? All I said was that she looked good in the samurai outfit she wore at the start of the party. The Hakama skirt pants hid her thick legs, and the bamboo armour meant that you couldn't see how of a tomboy the rest of her was. Why would she be upset at the truth?" Ukyo rubbed her face in her hands. How thick could the boy be? "It's pretty obvious, Ranma. First, no girl likes those sorts of insults. Second, she'd stopped wearing her costume by the time you got to the party. She must have thought that you meant she looked better when you couldn’t see her at all." "You really think that would upset her?" Ukyo had reached the limit of her endurance. Even if the insults weren't levelled at her, girls needed to stick together. She had just grabbed her battle spatula to knock some sense into his thick skull when someone smashed through the front wall of her shop. It was a smallish woman. She had yellow frizzy hair, and a puffy red skirt; a skirt that only covered as much as the Sailor Senshi's skirts did. Having someone go through the glass window in your restaurant is not a totally unknown occurrence. Usually it's someone drunk going the other way as part of a brawl. It was even more surprising since she seemed to have been driven through the window by some sort of magical attack and to Ranma's experienced senses, she fairly reeked of magic. This magic did not surprise him too much when he got a decent look at her: Witch Mimete. Revenge had to wait, Ranma needed to get Ucchan to safety. Pulling Ukyo to the ground behind the counter, Ranma counted his blessings: they were the only people in the restaurant at the time. All of Ukyo's other customers had finished eating and left while they were talking. The second blessing was his biggest: outside the shattered window, he could hear the sounds of Queen Serenity and her pretty soldiers. The cavalry had arrived. Sticking his head over the top of the counter, Ranma was just in time to see Witch Mimete fire her Charm Buster staff at someone out of his sight. From close personal experience, Ranma knew how painful that was. Even at his best he could not defeat someone as magically powerful as Mimete. Even the Sailor Girls had a hard time fighting her, and as a group they were considerably stronger than he was. "Come on, Ucchan. We've got to get you out of here!" Picking Ucchan up, he bodily thrust her towards the back door. Just as he released her, one of the impostor Sailor girl's water attack blasted through the front of the Okonomiyaki shop. Tearing another large chunk from the front wall, Ranma watched in stunned horror as the Witch dodged it. Bracing his arms in the moments he had, Ranma raised his aura shield and cringed as he was struck. Blasted across the room by the Deep Submerge, Hotaru slowly struggled to her feet, every bone in her body aching. It was bad enough to take that sort of abuse when you were prepared. If he had received a moment's less warning, they would have been needing a new Saturn Knight. Trying to clear the fog from her eyes, she realised that it was the Mercury Bubble Burst that prevented her from seeing anything. Stumbling through the fog, Hotaru listened for a voice telling her that Ukyo was all right. Eventually she heard Ukyo calling for her. By the muffled sounds, Ranma thought - and hoped - she was outside. If Witch Mimete was in the building, and the impostors were outside, there was no way to tell who would get attacked. Ranma knew that if an errant attack struck Ukyo, she would almost certainly be hospitalised. She might be a high calibre martial artist, but her level just could not protect against the fearsome magical energies people were wielding here. Ranma had just demolished a chair - it leapt out and attacked her, honestly - when she heard ominous sounds from outside. Michiru: "She's still in there!" Haruka: "Why did you stick the fog up, Mercury? Well never find her now!" Sailor Mercury: "But I---" Michiru: "We've got to catch her! We can't let her escape!" Haruka: "Right! WORLD SHAKING!" And it did shake. Everything shook. The walls shook, the floor shook, and the ceiling began to make very ominous creaking noises. Sprinting as well as she could in the quaking, fog covered restaurant, Hotaru tried to force her small body past chairs and tables trying to get outside. Somewhere nearby she heard Mimete scream, and then the roof fell in. Bricks, mortar, wooden beams and all manner of materials collapsed down as the small building Ukyo owned was abruptly levelled. Her life endangered. Ukyo almost killed by their reckless actions. Ucchan's destroyed. Her - pretty little Hotaru - buried in building rubble. Her curse almost revealed to everyone. After the last couple of days, her fuse was gone. They had finally pushed her too far. Maybe the next time she saw them, she would be calmer, but now... now she wanted blood. Releasing her Ki, Hotaru started to glow like the firefly she was named. With a blast, she knocked the debris off her self. Not even bothering to brush the dust from her too-large clothes, she called 'RAY WING' and took to the air. Like a blue burning ball, Hotaru brought her hands together and prepared a Ki strike. Any of four targets. She didn't care. Any of them. Michiru, Setsuna, Haruka or Mimete. Let her lay eyes on them and they would really begin to appreciate just how powerful the human spirit was compared to mere magic. There they were! Down the street, three or four blocks, the Witch was engaging in a running battle against the three impostors and the Sailor girls. 'How did they get so far? Damn, those collapsing beams must have hit me harder than I thought. No matter. The Witch looks like she'll escape this time, but I'm going to slow one of those impostors and take her down permanently!' "MOKO TAKABISHA!" The Ki blast flew straight and true, burning deep into Michiru's calf, sending the girl tumbling to the ground. With a cry of success, Hotaru began to fly closer. Even Haruka had stopped running after Mimete to try and help her friend after the unexpected attack. Hotaru did not know if she could beat the two of them alone, but hopefully the real Sailors would help her, and finally rid themselves of the menace they presented. What Hotaru really wanted was to cut loose. It was possible that they could survive a Dragon Slave (Lina had been able to), but it was unlikely. In any event, they would have been too weak to defend themselves. The only drawback: lots and lots of other people would die if she cast it here. Her most potent attack, and it was useless. The girls were looking around now, trying to find who attacked them, and that gave Hotaru precious time to prepare. She was almost ready to launch an oversized fireball and singe them both when she heard cries from beneath her. Looking down from three stories high at the crushed remains of Ucchan's, she could see the distressed owner. Coated in dust and limping, Ukyo was walking across the rubble calling Ranma's name. Every now and again, she tried to move one of the heavy pieces of wreckage, but to no avail. Casting a glance between the fake Sailors - who where now recovering - and her friend, Hotaru decided where her priorities lay. She could get revenge some other time. Now Ukyo looked like she had just lost another friend. If she thought Ranma had died, as well as Kikyo, she may never recover. Quenching her Ki, Ranma dropped three stories to land softly on the ground. Killing the flight spell, she saw a competitor's snack shop and stole a jug of fresh tea. Dousing herself, Hotaru grew to Ranma. It was only when she heard startled gasps did she realise that people had seen her change. 'Damn, right in the open! How could I be so stupid?' Pulling a small smoke bomb from his shirt, Ranma dropped it to the ground. As soon as the smoke was thick enough, he used the old vanishing-ninja trick and slipped away. A few moments of running later he was on the other side of the rubble that was once Ucchan's. Lying down on the ground, Ranma grabbed a couple of handfuls of dust and threw them over himself. Just before Ukyo arrived, he sat up. If she knew just how powerful he was, he would probably scare her away forever. He'd seen it before with some of his best friends in Poland. They wanted a superhero fighter, but when they got one, it too much for them to handle. Ranma valued his Ucchan too much for that to happen. Maybe, over time, he could let her get used to him, but all at once would be too much. "Ohhh, Ucchan, I have the worst headache!" Tears streamed from her eyes and left streaked trails down her dusty face. "Oh, Ranchan. I thought you were in there." Ranma looked at the rubble in question. "Don't worry, Ucchan. It takes more than a broken building to keep me down." As she held onto her fiancee, Ukyo wondered how long it would be before she could open again. Insurance covered it all, but the time it took to rebuild would be as damaging to Ucchan's reputation as the loss of sales was. Then again, it was only a building. She was all right, and so was Ranma. Everything else could take care of itself. * * * Ranma arrived at Rei's place on Wednesday afternoon expecting her to be angry. It was the first time he had seen her - as either himself or Hotaru - since her abrupt departure the previous day. Yesterday afternoon, Ucchan's had been destroyed, so he could not bring himself to desert Ucchan and go and check on Rei. Now school was over, he had changed, and now he could see the tomboy and let her get all that anger out of her system. Ranma was pleasantly surprised to see Makoto escorting Rei up the temple stairs as he approached. He liked Makoto, she was always nice, sort of like Ucchan. He thought it was a bit of a shame that the poor girl seemed quite keen on him. Recently he had been starting to feel differently about Sailor Mars. Perhaps, maybe, someday he might even tell her who he was. Catching up with the girls as the walked up the stairs, Ranma returned Makoto's smile. Bracing himself for a blast of Rei's famous temper, Ranma watched in amazement as Rei's eyes simply passed straight across him without even acknowledging his existence. Makoto seemed equally surprised. Last night as they were on the way to intercept Mimete, Rei had told her what Ranma had said. Now, instead of abusing him, Rei just ignored him. Perhaps Rei really was mad this time. After the cold shoulder treatment continued all of the way into the temple, Ranma laid a hand on Makoto's arm and took her aside. Rei continued on into the kitchen fairly steadily and started on making some snacks. "Mako-chan, what's wrong with Rei-san?" "She must be even madder than I thought. I've never seen her this mad before. She wasn't even this mad when Usagi-chan stole her letter from Sat... Um, from this guy she likes. She even accepted Shampoo's challenge today when she turned up after school." Rei's been getting letters from someone? Hang on, Shampoo is an Amazon. If she challenged Rei, there should be nothing left of her. "She fought Shampoo?" "I tried to talk her out of it, but she was still so mad at you. She just said that her grandfather taught her some Karate, and couldn't be talked out of it." Fidgeting, Ranma looked into Makoto's eyes, trying to see if she was making some sort of joke. "Mako-chan, Shampoo is an Amazon. There's no way Rei could beat her. Heck, without some special training for a while, I don't think you could. Amazon's play for keeps. I saw her as she walked up the stairs: there's no way she fought Shampoo and got off that lightly." Makoto shrugged. "I'm telling you, she did. We'd all met up, and we were heading home. Shampoo came along and walked right up to her. As clear as daylight, she challenged her and Rei accepted. "When they started fighting, we lost sight of them for a little while, but soon enough we found Rei again. She was trying to get up off the ground, so I guessed Shampoo must have beaten her and called it quits then." Hands went into the air in exasperation. "That's not how it works, Mako-chan! Amazons fight for real. They don't stop the first time someone falls down, especially in matters of marriage. If Shampoo challenged her to a fight, I can guarantee you, she wouldn't stop until Rei-san is out of the running! Permanently!" A soft voice intruded from the side. "I realise you are new here, but would you mind not yelling in the shrine. We try to preserve a peaceful atmosphere." Ranma turned to see Rei in her traditional Shrine maiden's garb. She had snacks laid out on her tray for two people. She _seemed_ uninjured. "I'm sorry, I didn't bring any snacks for you, I did not realise you were here. Here you go Mako-chan, would you like some?" Turning to her tall friend, Rei offered some of the snacks she had prepared. After a moment's hesitation, Makoto took one and watched as Rei sat down, completely ignoring Ranma. When time passed and Rei failed to offer any to Ranma, Makoto passed up a plate with some nuts on it. "Here you go, Ranma. Have some of these." "Um... Thanks." "I didn’t notice you there. Are you Mako-chan's boyfriend?" Makoto's eyes started to shimmer when she heard Rei say that. 'Oh, how long I have wanted Rei to realise that Ranma was my boyfriend and not hers.' "Rei-san, I'm Ranma. You know me." "Hmm. Ranma... Ranma... I know! A popular noodle dish!" "That's Ramen." "Oh... A major Hindu god." "That's Rama!" Makoto leaned across and whispered in his ear. "Face it Ranma. She's ignoring you. I think the other day was just too much, now she's refusing to even talk to you." "It can't be. I insult her like that all the time. She knows better than to be upset by it. Shampoo must have done something to her." "I'm telling you Ranma, Shampoo didn’t do anything. Look at her: not even a hair on her head was touched." Ranma leaned close, then closer as Rei scooted away from him. "You know, Mako-chan. I think you're right. Rei-san's hair's cleaner than ever. Shampoo must have done something, then cleaned it out!" Makoto sighed and placed her face in her hands. "Ranma, you're impossible." Rei looked at her in confusion. "Who?" After a few more minutes of continually introducing himself to Rei, Ranma got fed up. Makoto might not believe it, but he knew. Shampoo had done something. Something horrible. Something that made Rei-san forget him. Who was he going to argue with if she ignored him? A few minutes of roof hopping brought him to the Nekohaten. It was a small Ramen shop that Shampoo and Cologne had set up to help fund their stay in Tokyo. Actually, Ranma suspected that Cologne wanted a holiday from the duties of being the Matriarch, but who was he to complain? After all, the longer she lived here, the longer he got to spend time with his oldest and best friend. Dropping to the ground out the front of the shop, Ranma walked through the doors and saw Shampoo cleaning tables while Cologne was cooking in the back. As soon as he stepped inside, Shampoo launched herself at him, draping herself around all over him. As Shampoo rubbed her obvious assets against him, she tried for a kiss. Leaning backwards, Ranma struggled to keep his distance. With his friend in trouble, the last thing he wanted to do was be kissing Shampoo. "Shampoo! Will you just hold up for a minute? This is serious." Hearing the distress in his voice, Shampoo, released him from her loving embrace and led him to a table. Sitting down with him, she held his hands and asked her great grandmother to bring them some Ramen. "Shampoo be very serious for her husband." "Shampoo, I'm not your husband." "Soon you marry Shampoo, then you husband. Why you wait?" "Because I've got friends here... and... and I like it in Japan... and..." Tearing up, Shampoo released his hands and turned away. "Shampoo understand. Shampoo too too ugly. Husband never want Shampoo. Shampoo go back to China in disgrace. Shampoo heart broken..." "Ah.. N-no! That's not what I said. I mean you're real pretty an' all Shampoo, it's just---" Launching herself across the table, her tears magically evaporated and she began nuzzling against his chest giving small sounds of contentment. Ranma's distress quickly faded as he realised just how she had made him say those things. He was also rather glad that Cologne's reflexes were still as good as they used to be. She had been just about to place the bowls of steaming noodles on the table when a cuddly bundle in a short skirt suddenly decided to occupy the same space. Cologne rescued the food without loosing a single drop. "Hey, Cologne-chan, maybe you can help me. I think Shampoo must have done something to Rei-san. Shampoo challenged her this afternoon, and now she doesn’t even recognise me." "If she accepted Shampoo's challenge, I see nothing wrong with whatever the outcome would be." Accepting a bowl from Cologne, Ranma began to eat. Shampoo seemed a little busy at the moment, so the wizened old figure bounced onto a neighbouring table and began to eat it for her. "Hey, I care what the outcome was. Shampoo should have challenged me if she wanted a fight." "There is noting wrong with one girl challenging another for the affections of a man they are competing over. Or for any other reason." "Well... I mean... Yeah.. But Rei-san didn't stand a chance. She's just not in the same league as Shampoo." "All the more reason why you should choose Shampoo and move back to China with us. Please, Ranma. This mourning for you wife has lasted long enough. We, the Amazons, are you family. Please come back to us." "Aww, Cologne-chan, you know I never really left. I'll always be an Amazon... in my heart, where it counts. Come on, you know she did something. What was it?" Shampoo looked up at Ranma. "Shampoo use ancient Amazon technique on Violent Girl. Xia Fang Gao Shiatsu technique, block all memory of Husband. Now Husband no worry about Violent Girl, come back to China with Shampoo, yes?" Ranma pushed Shampoo off him and looked at her. "Come on, Shampoo. A tomboy like that would never stop me from going to China with you if I wanted to." "Husband agree marry Shampoo?" "What? No! I didn't say that!" "Then Shampoo no cure Violent Girl. Soon Husband realise that Shampoo everything Husband need." Clutching his head in frustration - as well as he could with Shampoo still clinging onto him - Ranma turned his attention back to Cologne. "I've never hear of this Xia Fang Gao Shiatsu technique. How come there's some technique I don't know?" "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you were not taught everything while you were there?" "Err... Actually, no, it hadn't... I thought I was taught everything." Shampoo spoke from where she rested on her comfortable pillow. A nice, warm, chest-shaped pillow that just happened to be attached to Ranma. "Is very ancient technique. Almost 250 year old!" Shampoo's grip loosened when Cologne's staff struck her on the head, causing Ranma to smirk. "I agree, Cologne-chan. 250 years isn't old. It’s barely getting into the prime of life." "Too true. Too true." Watching as Cologne gathered up the empty Ramen bowls, Ranma tried his final option. "I don't suppose you would be interested in teaching me?" Cologne smiled. "Why would I do that, my friend? Shampoo acted in accordance with the rules of challenges, and she was quite compassionate. Besides, I happen to think that there would not be a better wife for you in the entire world than Shampoo. "She is smart, she is beautiful, and she is the best fighter of her generation. Look at her, she loves you dearly and would be easily able to accommodate your curse when you choose to reveal it. Most importantly: she is an Amazon." A note of pleading entered her voice. "Come back to China with us. Marry Shampoo. Be among your friends and family. You used to be so happy there. Please..." Untangling himself from Shampoo, Ranma walked to the door. "I can't say I like what you did to her, Shampoo. But... Thank you for not hurting her. It shows you are a true warrior when you can deal with those who are not as capable as you are. "I... I want you to know, this hasn't really changed anything. If I can't cure her by Friday, I'm gunna head back to the village. I'll find someone there to teach me, then I'll come back and cure Rei- san." Watching as Ranma walked away, the women were quiet for a moment, then Cologne turned to Shampoo with a huge grin spread across her wrinkled old face. "Well done, Shampoo. Your plan worked even better than I expected. When he is back in the village, studying and amongst friends, he will never wish to return to Japan. "Congratulations, Great Granddaughter. Soon you shall have your husband." * * * Night. Darkness. Silence. A time for people to sleep, and evil to plot. Again Mistress 9 sat on her throne looking down on her subject, Tomoe Souichi. Darkness cloaked the room into obscurity and gave an ominous taint to the decorations. Around the throne, dolls were placed, scattered at random on the floor. The shadows and darkness gave their porcelain and plastic features a sinister aspect. Smiles turned into leers, eyes became sunken pits of evil, and delicate hands seemed to clench and hide dangerous secrets. Mistress 9 resided in the shadows, almost drinking them up. Seated on her throne, she occasionally stroked one of the dolls. She petted it as though she was a third rate villain in a cheesy spy movie pampering their cat. Of course, no-one would dare to pamper a cat here, so close to her. Her host's influence was still too strong... Such an act would be foolhardy at best; dangerous at worst. Moving her head, Mistress 9's eyes seemed to shine in the reflected light. "How goes the gathering of Heart Crystals?" Souichi cleared his throat. "Things are progressing. Some have been gathered... but the Sailor Senshi continually interfere." Such an admission was dangerous. Not only for Mimete, who was currently in charge of collecting them, but also for him. If Mistress 9's displeasure should fall upon the messenger - her appointed leader of the Witches - he could expect his death to follow quickly. "Something has occurred that has changed our priorities. In this task you cannot fail me. There is to be no excuses this time." "Y-yes, Mistress." "Good. There is a girl... Her name is Hino Rei. Recently she was subjected to the Xia Fang Gao Shiatsu technique. You have until the end of Thursday to cure her. Do you understand?" "N-no, Mistress. I... I do not understand. Who is this girl? Why should we care what happens to her? When Master Pharaoh 90 appears, what would it matter the state of one girl?" Her regal voice was like ice. "Do not question me. Do not ask me how I know this. Suffice it to know that I have commanded and you obey... Wait... Let me say that if you fail in this, our entire mission is endangered. Failure at this crucial point means we may fail to summon our Master. Spare no effort. "A group of Amazons operate a restaurant called the Nekohaten. They will know of the cure." Realising that he was dismissed, Tomoe withdrew from the room. He did not know who the girl was, or why she was important. All that mattered was that they needed to cure her. If they failed... it would not only mean his end, it would be the end of all they had worked and strived for. In the darkness, Mistress 9 continued to pat her doll, wondering how best she might convince Ranma to stay in Japan. She had seen all he had that day, from her vantage point lurking within his mind. For him to go to China would be an unmitigated disaster. * * * Dawn was but a few short hours away as Mimete arrived out the front of the Nekohaten. As soon as the elder Tomoe had left his mistress, he had awoken the Witch, commanding her into action. Dragging someone as flighty as Witch Mimete out of bed and depriving her of her beauty sleep was a sure means of bringing out the worst in her personality... And you don't get to be one of the head minions of the forces of evil by being a goody-two-shoes. She was only armed with the knowledge that a girl in here knew how to fulfil their mission. Well... that, her substantial magic and the presence of two Daimons. Even now a third one was being prepared back at his home: Souichi had pulled out all the stops and had armed her better than ever before. Both their lives and the future of their entire mission waited upon her success tonight. Stepping forward, Mimete placed a hand on the door. Even as she touched it, a flicker from one of the streetlights caught her attention. Whipping her head to the side, for a moment she could have sworn she saw one of the Sailor Senshi... but there was no-one there. Besides, none of the Senshi would hesitate to attack her. She must be feeling tense from lack of sleep and the fear of her burden. Giving the handle a light shove, she smashed the door off its hinges. With a rattle and clatter it landed in the middle of the darkened restaurant. Mimete smiled as she walked in and sat at one of the chairs. That much noise would be sure to rouse any people still sleeping in here, which meant they would come to her. Since her two Daimons were hidden in the shadows at the moment, she knew that they would be surprised. She had barely had time to admire her nails before the fun started. A tall, glamorous looking girl in a shirt dress and her ancient housemate came down the stairs and entered the dining area of the Nekohaten. Mimete gave them her nicest smile, looking as cute and innocent as could be. "Pretty please Miss... Please tell me how to cure the Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique." Shampoo frowned prettily. Actually, everything she did, she did prettily. "Who you?" Cologne simply stayed quiet. Her eyes and senses were better than Shampoo's. She was more observant, and could see the two forms hulking in the shadows of their restaurant. Palming a pair of shuriken she routinely kept hidden on her, Cologne prepared herself mentally. She could tell by their shapes that the lurkers would not be identified by 'who' but by 'what'. Gesturing slightly with her hand, Cologne passed a message to Shampoo: 'enemies'. No doubt the girl realised this already since their uninvited guest had just told them that she wanted to cure Hino Rei. Why this person expected Shampoo to cure her was a mystery: it took so much effort to afflict her in the first place. A shadow moved outside, and Cologne struck. Against this sort of force, there was no need to be delicate. Against this sort of force, she wished Ranma, the Sailor Senshi, and anyone else they could find was also here. But they were Amazons, and they would die like Amazons. Both shuriken struck Mimete, one each in the front of her shoulders, causing her to scream in agony. "Ha! Your overconfidence is a weakness!" Mimete stumbled backwards, a small trickle of blood trickling down each arm. "Catch them!" She yelled. "Do not damage the young one, but with the old one you need not be as careful." With a yell and a scream, Shampoo drew her bonbori and charged. Her great grandmother had started this, and she would finish it. Concentrating on the retreating form ahead of her, Shampoo was caught by surprise when a massive grey arm struck from the darkness, belting her across the room. Pulling herself from the hole she had made in the wall, Shampoo collected herself and charged in. This time she was more careful, and joined her great grandmother in the fight against the two Daimons. She did not know what they were, but now that they were out of hiding, she could see them for their evil selves. Against two monsters, the most Cologne could manage was a retreating defence of her and Shampoo. When Shampoo leapt in, the young warrior was able to get a devastating hit against the grey skinned one that had hit her earlier. With a sharp 1-2-3 action, her bonbori hammered into its undefended side, knocking the two... things... together. As she landed and moved into a ready stance, Shampoo was horrified to see how much effect her hardest blows had. None. Both creatures were struggling back to their feet, and now they seemed even angrier. Returning to the fray, Shampoo and Cologne continued to beat at the Daimons. All in all, they gave better than they got, but they were being worn down. When a blow sneaked through Shampoo's defences and sent her across the room stunned, Cologne struck. It was a modified version of the Amakurigen technique, one she had specifically tailored to defeat their enemies. Working her way down one massive arm, Cologne hammered at it with her staff. Before the Daimon could dodge or block, she had strafed the limb, pock marking it with innumerable holes, and assuring it of agony. Although the Daimon withdrew, Cologne could see that it was not from her attack. Both of them had backed away, leaving space for their controller to see Cologne. Cologne smiled and deftly reached for another pair of shuriken. "Back again little miss? You shall fare no better this time." This time when the spinning blades went out, the Witch moved with an unnatural speed. It almost seemed as though the rest of the world had slowed down compared to her. Simply placing her palm upwards in the path of the shuriken was enough to deflect them and send them clattering to the floor. Even with her limited experience in the field, Cologne could tell that woman reeked of magical power. Somehow she was using it to accelerate all of her actions. To someone magically enhanced like her, speeches and a battle could seem to take ten or twenty minutes. To the rest of the world, mere seconds or minutes would pass. It was why Sailor Moon and her ilk could have the time to shout challenges and defeat demons - not to mention their long attack sequences - all because of their magical enhancements. Added to Mimete's magical shielding against Cologne's projectiles, and the fact that she had managed to heal the small wounds in her shoulders, it was all enough to make Cologne's blood run cold. Cold enough for the Hiryuu Shoten Ha, if only she could live long enough to use it. She did not know if such an attack would defeat their enemies, but a successful attack would certainly by them the time they needed to escape. Even as she moved in for the attack, Cologne knew she was too slow. Watching as the Witch brought up her wand, Cologne prayed for the timely arrival of rescuers, but she knew it would not happen. The words seemed to shake the walls as Witch Mimete cried them. "CHARM BUSTER!" When the star on the end finally pointed at Cologne, wave after wave of crushing power came pouring out. Struck full in the chest, Cologne was knocked from her staff and smashed through the wall of the Nekohaten. Any physical blow that only knocked her that far she would have been laughed off. Magic was different, and as she grasped futilely at consciousness, her last view was of black boots and skirt, and long, green hair. When Shampoo recovered from the blow that had knocked her into the wall, she was being held by her long purple hair. Her feet were dangling off the ground by almost a foot, and her arms hung by her side. Glancing around the room cautiously, she could see all of their enemies intact, one of the big monsters still held her great grandmother. Although the old woman did not look injured, she was definitely unconscious or dead. Shampoo released a breath she did not realise she was holding when she could see Cologne's chest rise and fall slightly. Mimete smiled at her and fluffed her hair. "Hello again. Do you want to talk to me now?" Shampoo clamped her lips together and resolved not to tell her anything. Still smiling, Mimete turned to the Daimon nearest her, the one that held Cologne. "Tear an arm off the old woman." "NO!... Sh-Shampoo talk. Shampoo tell Evil Witch how to cure. Just no hurt Great Grandmother." Mimete waved lazily, and the Daimon ceased its actions. Releasing a shuddering breath, Shampoo began to speak. It was a betrayal of the Amazon tribe, but Cologne's death was too high a price to keep the secret. Besides, come morning, she would find her Husband. Together they would hunt down this woman and dance on her grave. You can take things from Amazons, but you never get to keep them. Eventually, the Witch and her minions left. As Shampoo crawled to her Great Grandmother and held her in her hands, she could have sworn she heard the sound of another pair of booted feet. As quickly as the sound started, it faded into the darkness and silence of the night. * * * Thursday morning was quite a normal breakfast for the Outer Senshi. The three of them had met at a fashionable little French style café, and were enjoying the beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping in the trees. Haruka took a big bite from a croissant, and smiled at Michiru's comment. "It was so funny. I was over at Rei-chan's last night, and they were so silly. You know how Mako-chan and Rei-chan have been competing over the same boy for a while? Well the competition's over." The tall blonde placed her hand on Michiru's. "Silly girls, fighting over a boy." "Well, I'd fight for you if you started after someone. Anyway, it seems that everything has been resolved now. It sounds like our favourite soap opera has probably ended." Setsuna raised an eyebrow as she delicately spread some jam. "Who won?" "What? The omniscient Meiou Setsuna doesn’t know?" "Please, Haruka-san. The Gates of Time are a great responsibility. I do not use them to find out all of the gossip before it happens." Michiru continued, covering up before Haruka got to say anything. "Mako-chan as a matter of fact. Apparently Ranma and Rei-chan had a really big fight on Tuesday. Now they even refuse to speak to each other." That gave Setsuna pause. "I thought... I thought that Rei-chan would end up with Ranma. They seemed... almost compatible. Michiru, Haruka, you know Rei well. Can I ask you to speak to her? Perhaps she can be convinced to restart her suit for Ranma." "But... But I thought you didn't like Ranma because he was Hotaru- chan's brother." "True. It is true that there is something strange about Ranma. It is also true that his sister seems to be connected to the forces of evil. On the other hand, consider who Rei-chan's other suitor is." "Umm... Of course! Saturn Knight! Boy, you really do have it in for him if you would prefer Rei-chan to associate with Ranma than with Saturn Knight." "I do. I have no trust for Saturn Knight. While I have little trust for Ranma, there is always the hope that while she is pursuing two men, she might meet a third, acceptable, man." Setsuna punctuated each point with a small piece of sweet bread she held between her long, elegant fingers. Haruka gestured with her own jam coated bun. "If it's this important, why not look into the future? We could always use that information to try and make things better, but only if we know what is going to go wrong." Grimacing, she hid her expression behind a sip of juice. "I cannot. No, more precisely: I may not. I have expressly forbade myself from investigating the future at this juncture. For that matter, I have also been forbidden from examining the recent past of the Senshi and their associates." "Really? Who forbade you? Neo-Queen Serenity in Crystal Tokyo?" "Worse. I did. The one person who I cannot disobey. If Neo-Queen Serenity or Sailor Moon - as she is known now - forbade me, I may consider some events too important to risk obeying her. Since my future self forbade me by saying she did not know, I assure a paradox if I look." Michiru frowned in concentration. "What if you were lying?" Setsuna did not even deign to answer that one. "Oh... Right... Silly question. OK, then, we'll do it. Haruka? What do you think of a quick ride to Rei's place?" The place in question was the Hikawa shrine. A beautiful little shrine set back from the road, with trees and flowers and those little dangling paper ornaments. It was a lovely scene, with a light breeze stirring the healthy green branches, and gently tinkling a wind chime somewhere. Even just the beauty of it all was enough to make the Daimon want to puke. When you counted in the fact that the Shrine was surrounded by wards, and the Daimon was here on a mission of mercy to heal someone... it all added up to a distinctly nauseous feeling monster. Not that this monster was going to let a little tummy ache scare it away. It had a job to do, and no-one would stop it from succeeding. No matter how much it disliked the idea of helping someone. Leaving its mistress and fellow Daimon concealed in the shadows, the Daimon strode forward in the morning light. Now was the time to strike, the recipient of their reluctant good deed would just be waking up, and should be vulnerable. With only the slightest of resistance, the Daimon smashed through the wards around the shrine. Although it could not hear them, the Daimon knew those broken wards would be attached to some form of alarm system, warning the priest of it's intrusion. Time was short. Suspecting that the girl it was after was in the house adjacent to the shrine, the Daimon charged there at a run. Just as it rounded the corner, it bounced into something small and soft. Small, soft and attached to a massive quantity of black hair. The girl! The Daimon was so ecstatic it chuckled slightly. This was going to be so easy! Heck, judging by the way she dressed she was some meek and mild temple maiden. The Daimon stepped forward and reached out for her. "You have nothing to fear... this won't hurt a bit." Rei looked up at the monstrous form that towered over her. It's breath was fetid and long, ropy strands of yellow saliva fell out of its maw as it spoke. 'There's no chance I'm waiting around for that thing to catch me!' Kicking its arm to one side, Rei rolled over and dodged away from the hulking form. Getting to her feet, she could feel the massive hands reaching for her again. As fast as she could move, Rei was not fast enough. A large, clawed hand snagged the back of her shirt and she felt herself being jerked backwards. Even as she struggled, she could see the Daimon bringing a bottle of something toward her head. 'No! They must have discovered I was a Senshi! If I stay here, I'm going to end up brainwashed like Beryl did to Tuxedo Kamen!' Bracing her feet against the Daimon's shins, Rei angled her arms backwards then kicked off. With a mighty effort, she burst the top few buttons one her shirt, and rolled out of the bulky garment. Coming up from her roll on the ground, Rei reached for her wards. If she could tag the Daimon, it would give her enough time to transform and then she could really get cooking. Her reaching hand met bare flesh. Looking down, Rei cursed her stupidity. In her hurry to escape the Daimon, she had forgotten that all her wards were in one of the shirt's inner pockets. Scrambling to her feet, Rei let out a short scream and began to run away from the monster that was chasing her. They had done two laps of the shrine, and Rei could feel her lungs searing with every breath. The tireless Daimon was still right on her heels, and unless she got help or managed to distract it, she knew she was done for. Who knew what horrible fate awaited her when the Daimon caught her? She was passing the front of the shrine when she heard three voices cry out amid the screeching of brakes. Sparing a glance down the shrine stairs, she saw some innocent bystander, and two of the Outer Senshi. She sincerely hoped Haruka and Michiru would risk changing; she was not sure if she could keep running long enough to let them hide first. Luck was on her side, and in what seemed like a blink of an eye, three forms were charging up the stairs. The pretty soldiers Neptune and Uranus were sprinting up, and beside them was the angriest looking man she had ever seen. Somehow, she almost worried that he was in league with the Daimon, because surely no normal man could move that fast. Nor did they glow bright blue and leave smoking marks on the stairs. Rei passed the stairs and was gone in a moment. Behind her came the Daimon and it met a welcome that few would ever see, and none would survive. In a flair of green, gold and black, two magical and one Ki strike hit home. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" "KIJIN RAISHUU-DAN!" The preoccupied Daimon did not stand a chance. Even if it had been fully prepared, the orchestrated strike may well have defeated whatever resistance it presented. As it was, it was simply pummelled into pieces; little bits that sprayed over the cobble stones, then shortly vanished. Heaving and gasping Rei staggered to a stop and collapsed to her knees. As she drank in grateful breaths of life giving air, she gave mentally gave thanks to her two friends that had rescued her. Behind the partially dressed Rei, Neptune and Uranus dropped from their Senshi forms back into their normal attire. While they were preoccupied with this, Ranma brought his Ki under control and fought to control his anger. Seeing Rei in danger had made him loose control. Despite his desire to hide himself from these women until his time for revenge, Ranma had shown some of his true power. Not only that, but he had even use one of the sealed techniques. His father's invention, the Kijin Raishuu-Dan, or Fierce God Attack Shot was one of the deadly Yama Sen Ken, first of the Saotome forbidden techniques. He only hoped that his temporary allies had been too busy to observe and learn the attack. The thought of his enemies having access to Ki powered vacuum strikes sent shivers up his spine. The Saotome Forbidden Techniques were sealed for a reason. Looking at the two tall girls, Ranma forced a tight grin. "Thank you. I could have handled it, but... but you helped Rei-san, and I won't forget that." Michiru smiled and tried to bring the conversation to friendlier grounds. "Rei-chan is a friend of ours. We couldn't let her get hurt. Please, Ranma, there's no need for us to be enemies. We all want the same thing." Ranma slapped away her hand as she offered it to him. "The day I accept a partnership with you and your kind is the day I will rot in hell." Turning to speak to his temple maiden, he turned bright red. The poor girl was still in the middle of pulling her shirt on with the assistance of Haruka. If Ranma was not already aware of the fact that she was really a girl, he would have taken her apart there and then for such a transgression. Turning his back, Ranma waited until he heard them approach. "Michiru, Haruka, thank you for saving me. I... I don’t think I could have kept running much longer." Glancing across at the still stern looking man beside her lover, Haruka cleared her throat. "Rei-chan, I realise you and Ranma have had a fight, but he was trying to save you. The least you could do is say thank you." "Who?... Oh, hello. I didn't notice you there. Have you come to visit the shrine?" "Ahh, Rei-chan, you saw him running up the stairs with us. He was going to attack the Daimon." "I did? Oh, nice to meet you, Sir. I'm Hino Rei." Michiru and Haruka tried to get her to admit to knowing Ranma for a while. The whole time, Ranma stood there with the slightest of smiles on his face. He had to admire Shampoo. The Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique worked perfectly. It really was a work of art. Not only had she forgotten him, she seemed incapable of remembering him. He would have to get that cure. There was no way that he would live without someone to yell at him. Without a word he turned and headed down the stairs leaving the temple. He would take a look at some of his information at home, and then he would try and cure Rei-san later today. Mulling over his plans, he hardly noticed it when Michiru walked beside him down the stairs, and out to where Haruka's car was parked. "There's something wrong with Rei-chan, isn't there?" "Yep." "She'd never behave like that. Even if she's been in a fight with you, she would never be this rude. You know, don’t you? You know what's wrong with Rei-chan." Ranma nodded his head. The way she sounded, he could almost believe that a cold hearted killer like her had a soft side. But then again, even killers can have friends they care for. "There are a pair of Amazons living at a place called the Nekohaten. They've used a memory technique on her called the Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique." Ranma shrugged. "They won't teach me the cure, but I can find it out in China. If I haven't managed to figure out a cure for her today, I'll head back to China and ask the Joketsuzoku myself." Michiru played with a strand of green hair and looked nervous. "Would... would they be willing to teach Haruka or I? We're Sailor Senshi, after all." Ranma laughed out loud. "Don't be absurd, and don't be insulting: you're no more one of the Sailors than I am. Besides, the Amazons prize their secrecy above all else. They'd laugh in your face." Ignoring her protests, Ranma turned his back on her and ran off. The sooner he was back at his home, the sooner he could look for a solution to Rei-chan's problem. Behind him, a flustered Michiru returned to help Haruka with Rei. The strong willed girl was quickly recovering from the attack. She had fought monsters countless times before, and this one was no different really. The Outer Senshi might not agree with the Inners on how things were done, but they were all on the same side really, and that meant protecting each other. Outside the Shine, Mimete and her Daimon cursed. They would retrieve their reinforcements, and then try again. They had completed half their mission flawlessly, there was no way a simple temple maiden would be able to resist them. Leaving the fully recovered Rei at her temple, Michiru and Haruka cornered Setsuna back at their home. Haruka was pacing in front of her, and Michiru looked concerned even though she was seated next to the older lady. "I'm telling you, it was really weird. Rei honestly didn't know who he was. Even if we introduced him, she would forget in just a few moments." Michiru nodded in agreement. "It was quite disturbing." Setsuna placed a finger to her cheek as she though about what the girls had told her. Some sort of exotic mind manipulation technique? It sounded implausible, but they were quite sure of the results. The two Outer Senshi might not have her breadth of experience, but they were smart and good observers. If they said that was how Rei behaved, she would believe them. The question was, what could they do to help Rei? Not only because she wanted Ranma and Rei to get back together to offset any chance that Saturn Knight might have, she also cared about the girl. Setsuna tried hard to maintain her cold and indifferent exterior, but inside her heart had leapt with joy when she had been reunited with the Inner Senshi and her Princess. They girls would need time to grow into their roles, and become the beacons of nobility they once were, but Setsuna was prepared to wait. Her only problem now was time. This problem needed a resolution, and it needed one now. Time seemed to be the key problem wherever Setsuna was concerned. There was either too much - like waiting thousands of years for her Kingdom to be reborn - or too little - like now. What was worse was her own prohibition against using the Gates Of Time to observe the Senshi or their friends. The Senshi or their friends... That was the key. If her future self wanted to bar her from all time travel, she would simply have said so. Instead she had said not to watch the Senshi and their friends. Shampoo attacked Rei, and was Rei's rival for Ranma. She crashed Makoto's party and had no other association with the Senshi other than Ranma. Ranma was not one of the Senshi, but he was one of their friends. That meant she could not watch Ranma's activities, but there was nothing against watching Shampoo's. If the Amazon had indeed used some form of magic or acupressure against Rei, she would be able to see exactly what happened. Even better, she could watch the girl's entire life if necessary and find the cure that way. Barely a moment had passed while Setsuna had considered her options. Her brain working furiously - and trying to fit in some of the annoying pieces left in the puzzle - she smile confidently. Gesturing with the hand that had been scratching her cheek, Setsuna moved herself from puzzled co-conspirator to wise benefactor. "Well done. Your work has confirmed what we needed to be sure of. Now that we have checked on this, there is nothing else that you need to worry about. I shall meet you again this afternoon with the cure to the Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique." "But... But... You mean that's it? What about the Daimon? What about the Witches?" Setsuna gave a smile, and tried to hide the fact that she had momentarily forgotten the Witch's involvement. 'Well, I'm only human,' she thought. "Naturally we must be concerned about the Witches. I am also suspicious about that attack on Rei this morning. Something does not feel right. I will leave dealing with them to the pair of you." With the minimum fanfare possible, Setsuna transformed into Sailor Pluto. With a wave of her staff she opened a portal to the Gates Of Time. Giving a nod of her head, she walked though into that other realms. The Gates Of Time were a mystery even to her; the person who guarded them. They were a source of unlimited danger and unlimited benefit. In the wrong hands, they could destroy the world. Wielded properly, they could do untold good. Twisting with her mind, she forced one of the Gates to open to the Nekohaten. If she wanted watch Shampoo, this would be the easiest place to find her. Hmm. The place was deserted. Deserted and heavily damaged. Sailor Pluto tapped her lip in perplexity. This should not be possible from what she had heard. None of the Senshi had done anything to them in the last few days, and from what she had heard of their fighting prowess, few other people would be capable of doing this. With a mental wrench, the Gates shifted further back, easily sliding in reverse until an ambulance arrived. Cologne was unloaded and returned to the restaurant on a stretcher. From there, ambulance men lifted her gently to the ground, checked her pulse, consulted with a frantic Shampoo, then got into their ambulance and charged away backwards. Not only could the Gates be useful, they could also be entertaining. She remembered a time long ago when she had watched a volcano erupting... all in reverse. Lava pulled trees from the ground, birds flew backwards and... The wool-gathering soldier Sailor Pluto shook her head. Reminiscing was fun, but it did not get the job done. Looking through the Gate, Pluto watched the ambulance arrive again. Shampoo was very worried about her great grandmother that had not awoken yet. She was also babbling about monsters, if she was interpreting those gestures correctly. Sailor Pluto smiled. This was what she had really come to see. The view twitched again, and Pluto could see it was early morning, and a trio of shadowy figures were approaching the Nekohaten in the darkness. 'This was when I want to be', she thought as she stepped through. 'There was something too coincidental about Rei's attacker today.' In the darkness of the night, Sailor Pluto's arrival was marked by a brief flash. Quickly she stepped back and placed her back to the wall of the restaurant. She did not have to wait too long before the sound of breaking wood announced the entry of Mimete. After giving them a moment to enter, she slid around to the front and peaked into the entrance. Watching Witch Mimete sitting calmly inside made her blood boil. All she really wanted to do was jump in and destroy the woman before she could hurt these innocents but she held herself back. She needed to know what the Witch was after and, more importantly, she could not risk damaging the timeline like that. Viewing the past was more dangerous than viewing the future. The risk of doing something irreparable was much, much greater. From her position in the doorway, Sailor Pluto watched the fight, cringing every time Shampoo or Cologne was struck, and silently cheering their every victory. Watching the two of them fight, she could believe quite easily in some mystical mind erasing technique. Anyone that could do those sorts of attacks at that age must be a living library. An old woman that could hold off two Daimons and a Witch for as long as she did was someone irreplaceable in the world. When she saw Mimete powering up for her Charm Buster attack, Sailor Pluto knew she needed to act. She could not confront the Witch directly, nor could she whisk Cologne from danger entirely. What she could do was ensure that the old woman survived the encounter with the Witch's deadly magic. Sprinting around to the side of the building, Pluto extended her powers through the wall, and around the old woman. Sweating with effort, Pluto laid in a protective shield for Cologne. It would not block all of the damage, but it would block some. When the attack came, Pluto grunted in shared agony. Just as Cologne sailed through the concrete wall of the restaurant, Pluto was there, catching the stunned woman and easing her to the ground. The poor old lady already seemed unconscious, but at least she was still breathing. Nobody but her would ever know what she had done, but deep inside, Pluto smiled. It was nice not having to do what was necessary - but sometimes unpleasant - all the time. It felt so refreshing just to do something good and helpful purely because she could, without concern of raising the Moon Kingdom again. When the Daimon came to retrieve Cologne, Sailor Pluto was already in the Nekohaten. She was hiding in the shadows that had originally hidden the Daimons from Shampoo. From her vantage point, she heard and saw everything. Eventually Mimete departed, and Shampoo was distracted by Cologne. Taking advantage of the situation, Pluto made good her escape also. Outside the Nekohaten, Sailor Pluto summoned a portal to the Gates Of Time and left the here and now of her subjective past for the where and when of the nebulous Gates. Sitting in her sanctuary, Sailor Pluto pondered on what she had seen. True, The Witches 5 now had the knowledge of a cure for the Xai Fang Gao Shiatsu technique. But they did not have the technique itself. More importantly, there was only one person afflicted by it, and her blind spot only extended to Ranma. Why would the Witches 5 be interested in curing Hino Rei? It could be Ranma, but she doubted it. From her limited exposure to him - and mainly based on reports by Michiru and other Senshi - he seemed a reasonably nice but slightly naive person. No, she doubted that he would have the inclination or the influence to organise something like this. Nor was he likely to have his own fiancee assaulted. On the other hand, his sister might. They Outers were already quite sure that she was in league with the Witches in some fashion: Means. She might prefer Rei to Shampoo, the Inner Senshi thought so: Motive. She was living with Tomoe Souichi, and may have spoken to Ranma about Rei's problem last night: Opportunity. Means, motive and opportunity, the three keys to any crime. Everything pointed at Tomoe Hotaru, but even then it was all circumstantial evidence. It was all they ever seemed to have on the girl... but some day she would slip up, and then they would know for sure. In the mean time, Sailor Pluto had all they needed to be able to cure Hino Rei, and stave off Saturn Knight's further affections to the Senshi. * * * Hotaru slammed the book shut then threw it across the room in a fit of pique. 'Damn! All this study, and she still didn't have anything!' The best lead she had been able to find so far was in a old German text book she had found in the library. She did not speak German, but her Polish was good enough to be able to read most of it. According to this guy Freud, Rei was probably suffering a severe case of penis envy, and all her troubles could be traced back to an incomplete relationship developed with her mother. Personally, Ranma thought Freud was a bit strange in the head, but he was supposed to be the expert. Unfortunately, his book did not really indicate any practical cures for amnesia or secret Amazon memory techniques. The best it offered was the suggestion that Rei should be kept in familiar surroundings, and everyone should treat her normally. Nodding her head, Hotaru realised that this was where she had gone wrong. She had tried to be nice to Rei and look what happened: Rei can't remember her. There was an easy solution to that. He knew that Rei's and her friends liked to hang out at one of the malls not to far away. If Ranma should happen to bump into her there... well, what sort of things could he say to make an uncute tomboy feel normal? Outside the house, Ranma poured some hot water on himself and filled out his clothes. It had to be outside because the first time he had done so inside, Souichi had seen it. Immediately the father-figure had panicked and started raving about evil alien entities possessing his daughter. Ranma had changed back then and managed to calm him down with the aid of Mistress 9's advice. Since then he had known to transform out of the man's sight. Once he was in the mall, it was a matter of searching for the girls. He had already taken a quick look in the Crown Arcade, but none of the crowd was there. That meant they must be out, either looking at boys or searching for ice-cream. It all depended who was leading today; Makoto or Usagi. He was just getting ready to set out when he felt a familiar voice in his mind. "Ranma... do you feel something? I don't know what it is... almost like someone is watching us..." Ranma concentrated and swept the room with his extraordinarily keen senses. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. He was just about to reply when he felt it. It was a sensation he had felt before, but not for a while. Groaning in resignation, Ranma walked on. "There's nothing we can do. It's just the Kami. Every now and again they get playful and like to cause trouble. You wouldn't believe how bad it was when I first got my curse." "What does you're curse have to do with it? And what do you mean '_just_ the Kami'?" "Well, my curse seems to have put some sort of cosmic 'Kick Me' sign on my back. Whenever the Kami get bored, the like to annoy me." To punctuate his words, a cup of water fell from the level above him, covering him in water. As he shrunk into his clothes, Ranma shrugged and looked around. No-one seemed to have noticed. This time. "See? You can bet it was a real bitch when I was first cursed. I didn't mind changing from a girl to a guy, I just didn’t like the boiling water that kept hitting me. Sometimes they stretched coincidence a little too far. "You know, I always figured that since the Kami were fairly quiet when you started your work, it meant they approved or something. I always saw that as a big cosmic tick mark for what you were trying. Can you imagine how easy it must be for them to change me around now? Warm water's good enough!" Looking around for something to help him change, Ranma spotted a cafe. As she nonchalantly walked past, Ranma snagged a cup of tea and splashed herself. Rising and filling out his clothes, Ranma retreated as quickly as possible. The little kid in there seemed just a little too happy playing with his lemonade. A few more minutes of searching turned up Makoto and Minako. Ahh, where he finds two, he can find more. Walking up behind them, Ranma asked. "Hi, everybody. Have you seen Rei-san around?" Spinning around, the startled girls looked for Ranma. Even as she turned, Makoto was babbling. "No, no, I wasn't looking at guys with Mina-chan. We were just... Oh, Hotaru, it's you! You sounded so like your brother then." Wiping her face, Hotaru grimaced. Damn kid from the cafe still managed to get him somehow. In a voice drier than her hair, Hotaru deadpanned: "Remarkable, isn't it? Have you seen Rei-san?" "No... Hotaru-chan, I want you to know I'm really sorry about Rei- chan's fight with Ranma. We're all trying to get her to make up with him, but she still refuses to even admit he exists." "It's OK. They're not fighting, Shampoo used a secret memory manipulation Shiatsu technique on her. Don't worry, I'll cure it soon." Minako smiled down at her. It was so sweet how she believed the story Ranma had given her to cover up his fight with Rei. "Sure you are. Sure you are. Well, Rei-chan should be over there. See? Third shop along." Waving goodbye to the two girls, Hotaru found the shop they had indicated. Honestly, she could not have chosen a worse shop to pick. Hotaru was willing to admit she wore women's clothes sometimes - getting men's clothes to fit her young female form was too annoying after four hundred years - but did she really have to meet Rei in a lingerie shop? Once inside the shop, Hotaru checked it for threats. Rei-san holding some underwear: safe, well, safe so long as she doesn't look too closely. Shop assistant holding some wrapping paper: safe. Kids outside with milkshakes: safe, she was already female, and she wasn't sure that milkshakes would work anyway. All in all it looked like she would be worry free for a while. Now she just needed to hope that Rei remembered her while she was a girl. "Rei-san?" The taller girl looked down and smiled, holding forth something small and lacy. "Hello, Hotaru-chan. What do you think about this one?" Hotaru turned bright red and looked away. "Ahh... Good... err that is, I'm sure it would look very nice... umm." Hearing Rei's musical laugh, Hotaru risked a quick look. It was still a bad time to be looking. Now Rei was holding it up front of her. "You're so silly! I didn't mean for you, I meant for me. But don't worry, soon you'll be old enough to get some pretty things like these for yourself." Turning even more red, Hotaru almost choked herself trying to hold back the rushing feelings of disdain, merriment, confusion and perplexity. All she managed to do was start coughing as she tried to laugh and start sprouting denials at the same time. Half doubled over with the image of her full sized male form wearing a little lace teddy designed for a twelve year old, Hotaru did not even notice Rei approach. Only when Rei's arm went around her shoulders in concern was Hotaru able to get a decent grip on herself. Assuring the other girl that she was fine, and it was just something she had swallowed the wrong way, Hotaru brought herself under control. Or as much under control as she could get with Rei's warm arm around her shoulder, and some piece of women's underwear draped across her back. "Rei-san, I have to talk to you about something really important. Can... Can I meet you outside when you're finished?" Rei smiled down at the little angel. Hotaru was always so sweet, and besides, how could she deny anything for such a dedicated fan? "No problem. I'll be right there." Things started well enough. Rei came out with a wrapped package in her hand. "Just one question before you start, Hotaru-chan... Why are you wearing clothes that are so big?" Hotaru looked down. True, she was virtually swimming in her normal Ranma clothes. "Would you believe me if I said that everything else was in the wash?" Rei shook her head, plainly amused, but she did not press the point. They talked and walked for a little bit. Hotaru had managed to convince Rei to return to her shrine early, saying that there was something important she needed to show her that she could not do in the shopping centre. All was going well until disaster struck. Twice. They were walking along, minding their own business, when three horrible figures leapt through the roof of the mall and landed not to far away. The sight of a pair of Daimons and one of the Witches 5 was enough to make anyone's blood run cold. At the thought of the Daimon's being in Rei's presence, Hotaru's blood ran even colder. Not cold enough to prevent the second disaster, however. When they broke through the roof, the Daimons must have severed a water pipe. A hot water pipe. With all the inevitable power of a force of nature, the water cascaded down, drenching the small girl. Since she was right between Rei and the Daimons at the time, it also ensured that Rei received a perfect view of what happened. Even as screams and cries begin all around them, Rei and Ranma faced each other with dumbfounded expressions. After a moment, Ranma's changed to shame and depression. In the same instant, Rei's turned to concern and even more confusion. "But... But... Hotaru-chan?... What happened? How did you?... Where did you?... What?..." "I... I'm sorry, Rei-san I can explain." "What? Who are you? Where did Hotaru-chan go? She was here just a moment ago." "I'm Ranma, it... it's my curse, Rei... I change into Hotaru when I get wet." Rei stood there stunned for a few more moments until she was distracted by the sounds of combat. A veritable legion of Senshi had appeared. Arrayed around the minions of evil were an almost full assortment of the true Senshi, reinforced on one side by a trio of fakes. Moving at enhanced speeds, the Senshi began to fight it out with their adversaries, and sections of the mall began to suffer incidental damage. Rei looked around for somewhere to change. She also needed to find little Hotaru. The girl was her responsibility, and she would hate to see her hurt. After looking for a few seconds, the only person she could see nearby was a cute looking stranger in a red silk shirt. "Excuse me... Have you seen a little girl?" "Err... I think she went that way..." "Thanks!" Taking advantage of his advice, Rei dashed down a supply corridor and pulled out her henshin stick. She did not know if the man had really seen the mysteriously vanishing girl, but it was the perfect opportunity for her to transform and join the fight. Even with a full compliment of eight Senshi attacking the Witch and the two Daimons, it was a slow and dangerous battle. The Witch was almost immune to all of their attacks, and they could ill afford to be struck by the Witch's attacks. Within a minute, all of them had been injured to some extent. Even the mighty Outer Senshi had managed to take a beating, but they were winning. Although Jupiter and Venus had been taken out of the fight, one of the Daimons was dead, and the other was heavily wounded. By the end of the battle, Sailor Mercury had used her Bubble Blast six times to allow them to recover and regroup. Sailor Uranus was holding her left arm as though it hurt, but she was still up and fighting. When Mimete had lost both of her Daimons - and saw herself facing six Senshi with their two gentlemen supporters still fresh and in the wings - she decided it was time to retreat. Although she was only lightly wounded, there was no real chance she would win. Worse, her quarry had vanished, saved by the delay the Senshi had caused. With a flourish, Mimete jumped back through the hole in the roof she had arrived in. Gratefully the Senshi gathered their friends and began to retreat. They had won this round, but without Sailor Moon transforming into her Super Sailor form, they had little real chance of destroying Mimete. Her time would come, and they would be there to make sure of it. Changed back into their normal forms, the Inner Senshi met up outside the mall. Rei was in need of a rest. Two attacks in one day had exhausted her, and she needed to recover. Bidding the other girls goodnight, Rei separated and left for her shrine. In the afternoon light, she was followed by a tall figure in a short skirt. She in turn was followed by a young man in a red shirt. Once off the less public thoroughfares Rei was stopped by Sailor Pluto. Seeing his friend in danger yet again, Ranma began to power up a Ki blast. They were almost motionless and if he could get a good hit on Setsuna, he may be able to kill her while she was unprepared. Too far away to be able to make out their whispered words, Ranma was almost ready to fire when he saw something that made him stop. The evil impostor had pulled a bottle of shampoo from a pocket, and was about to give a willing Rei another dose of Xai Fang Gao. Or perhaps not. If Shampoo had been fooled by her disguise, it was almost possible the Amazon had taught one of the Sailors the cure. When you added in his conversation with Michiru this morning... Swallowing his Ki again, Ranma descended to the street and approached the pair. By the time he arrived, Setsuna was finished and turned to face him. "We are not your enemies, Ranma. Do not try and make us enemies, and do not make the mistake of thinking you can follow me without my knowledge." Rei turned around and looked at him. He felt like crying when he saw the look of recognition in her eyes. Suddenly the look turned to horror, and he knew she must have remembered what happened to him in the mall. "Oh no! Ranma, your little sister was with me in the mall when it was attacked. But she just vanished. I'm so sorry! I couldn't find her. Come on, let's go back, maybe we can find her if we keep looking." Inside, Ranma cheered at the effectiveness of Shampoo's technique. It had really saved his skin this time, despite all the problems it had caused. "It's OK, Rei-san. I found her before I followed this woman." With a nod of her head, the Senshi in question turned and ran into the distance. It had shaken her badly when Ranma had seemingly appeared from nowhere. She resolved to spend more time working on her more mundane skills. There should be no way that a young pup of twenty could sneak up on a woman as old and skilled as her. Watching Setsuna vanish into the distance, Ranma was filled with conflicting emotions. Love, happiness, confusion, hatred and amazement. All that he really knew was that he had Rei-san back, and it was the pernicious Setsuna that had done it. As much as it stuck in his throat, he owed her. He knew their paths would cross again; on that day he knew she would use up whatever good will she had generated today. * * * It was dark again. Dark and ominous. With trepidation, Mimete and Souichi entered the throne room. Once more the shadowed figure of Mistress 9 dominated everything, and the two servants cringed. They had failed. Failed completely. Because of them, there was no way that Master Pharaoh 90 would enter this world. All was lost. Neither of them spoke, hoping to generate whatever last seconds of life that they could. They knew they would die. For a failure this great there could be no other punishment. The only question was whether they would die quickly, or slowly and painfully. In the small area of light that shone on the bottom half of her face, Mistress 9 smiled. That was all it took to start Mimete's knees shaking. She was smiling. It was worse than they ever suspected. Their deaths would set new records for pain and suffering. Mimete gave a small whimper. "Well done, my servants. Although you did not manage to cure Hino Rei, it is thanks to your actions that the disaster has been averted." "I... I don't understand." "It is well that you do not. Suffice it to say that while you wasted three of our precious Daimons, victory shall be ours. Spare no effort: get me the Heart Crystals I need to complete my domination of this body!" --- End Of Chapter. --- End of this block of chapters