Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon characters are the properties of their respective owners. I'm not making any money off this fic! Thanks to everyone who has read this so far - I'm glad most of you seem to be enjoying it :)

World Shaking

Chapter 1

Homecoming

Kasumi hummed softly as she swept out the kitchen. Saturdays mornings were quiet in the Tendo house. Nabiki slept in, usually surfacing around lunchtime, while their father took morning classes in the dojo. Kasumi took this time to do the cleaning she was unable to do during the week; in the afternoons, she would go see Dr Tofu. He worked so hard he often forgot to take a lunch break, so Kasumi would take him something, as a thank you for the books he regularly leant her. Kasumi had no real interest in the study of medicine, it struck her that learning basic healing techniques could only be helpful for when she had children, not least when martial arts ran so strongly in her family. And Dr Tofu always seemed so pleased to see her…

Sweeping done, Kasumi went to check the mail. There were the usual bills and various parcels addressed to Nabiki and, at the bottom of the pile, a letter postmarked China. Kasmi's face lit up. She hadn't heard from her youngest sister for well over three months, and while she knew Auntie would take good care of her, it wasn't the same as having Akane under her own watchful eye. She returned to the house and carefully sorted out the rest of the mail before allowing herself to open the letter.

It had been written a month ago, although previous letters from Akane had taken even longer to arrive. Akane wrote that her training in China was finished, and that she, Ranma, Auntie and a new friend of theirs were heading back to Japan. Akane was sketchy on the details, but it seemed that Ranma had had some kind of accident – not life-threatening, surely, if they were returning home? Finally, Akane said that they expected to arrive – Kasumi's eyes went to the calendar on the wall, then back to the letter in her hand. But that was today!

Kasumi hurriedly collected her things and headed outside. If she hurried, there'd be time to get to the market, see Dr Tofu and get home in time to cook one or two of her baby sister's favorite dishes before she arrived back home.

"Of course. It rains the first day we are home." The redhead's voice was full of disgust. Like her companions, she was in Chinese dress, although unlike the two other girls, hers was distinctly masculine - an over-sized man's shirt and pants that were clearly too big, both pelted at the waist.

"Auntie said if you complained any more I was to give you something to complain about." The second girl's tone was sympathetic, if her words were not. Like the redhead, her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she spoke in Mandarin – a great deal more fluently than her companion, if still with a strong Japanese accent.

"I wish you two would speak Japanese, now we're here. How am I ever going to learn if you don't?" A third girl joined the conversation, and the second girl smiled at her as she replied, in slow and clear Japanese, "Sorry, Shampoo. But you've already learned heaps! Soon your Japanese will be better than Ranma's Chinese."

Shampoo concentrated as she replied. "Hope so. Shampoo not want to sound like – idiot when speak."

"Hey!" Ranma interjected indignantly as the two girls giggled. "Why do you two always have to gang up on me? Just because I'm the only guy-" which just made Shampoo giggle harder, given Ranma's current condition. She was laughing so hard she forgot to watch where she was going and staggered right into a tall girl on the footpath. Akane steadied her, while Ranma put an arm out to stop the girl from tripping.

"So sorry!" Shampoo said, worriedly, "Shampoo hope you not hurt." At home, such an obvious display of lack of awareness of her surroundings would have meant an extra night on guard duty as punishment, not to mention a well-deserved challenge from whoever she had bumped into. And this girl, judging by her stance and her build, was clearly a fighter. Instead, the girl smiled at her and warned her to be more careful next time, before continuing on her way. Shampoo frowned. Great-Grandmother had warned her things were going to be very different outside the village, but this was the first time that she'd really had to consider what the Elder had meant.

"You alright, Shampoo?" Shampoo nodded in answer to Ranma's question. "Well, I suppose we had better keep moving then," Ranma continued. "D'you think Kasumi is making lunch?"

"I hope so," Akane replied hungrily. To Shampoo, she explained, "Kasumi is by far the best cook in my family."

"Not that it's harder to be a better cook than Akane," Ranma interjected, smirking. Akane stuck her tongue out at Ranma, but otherwise ignored him.

"Come on," she said. "We're almost there. We're almost home!" Akane picked up speed and Ranma and Shampoo were forced to follow. Shampoo was not surprised – Akane had been talking about how pleased she was to be going home for weeks now. Shampoo herself was looking forward to meeting her sisters – an only child herself, Shampoo took great pleasure in the family life of others.

Ranma, on the other hand, was hanging back as much as she could. Shampoo didn't understand her reluctance. Ranma hated being a girl, but being female was so much better than being male! And it wasn't like Ranma couldn't change back as soon as they got some hot water.

Finally, they reached a large house, and Akane stopped outside. "This is it," she announced happily. Then, "Do you think I should knock?"

"Nah," replied Ranma. "Let's just go in, like always." Akane nodded, and opened the front door, Shampoo following and Ranma bringing up the rear. They hadn't taken but a few steps when an older girl stuck her head through a doorway and smiled.

"Kasumi!" Akane said happily. This must be Akane's eldest sister, then. Shampoo sniffed. Unfamiliar but delicious smells trailed after the tall, brown-haired girl as she embraced Akane.

"Oh Akane. You're all grown up, now," Kasumi said sadly. Akane laughed.

"So are you, Kasumi! And a lot more than me, too. Where are Nabiki and Daddy?"

"Nabiki is up in her room, but Daddy is still out-" Kasumi trailed off as Akane rushed past her a hammered up the stairs. Still smiling, she turned to Shampoo and said, "You must be Akane and Ranma's friend from China. You and Ranma should come through to the dining room. Lunch will be ready in a- oh, I'm so sorry! I thought you were Ranma," as she turned her gaze from Shampoo to the girl standing behind her.

"Actually," sighed Ranma, "I am."

Kasumi refused to let Ranma explain until Soun returned home, and by that stage lunch was ready and the story had to wait even longer. Soun and Nabiki had asked few questions – not surprising, really, since Kasumi had lain down the law – but Ranma was uncomfortably aware of the glances they kept sneaking at him throughout the meal. Finally, she put down her chopsticks with a sigh.

"All right," she said. "I'll tell you everything." With a nod from Kasumi, Nabiki and Soun also stopped eating and leaned forward with interest. "Akane told you we were training at Shampoo's village, right? They had to make us adopted villagers, or else we would've had all kinds of extra complications.

"Every year there's a big tournament, where everyone but the Elders competes. I won, of course, and Shampoo and Akane came second and third. There was a big feast after, and dancing – Shampoo says usually it can go on for days. But not long after it had gotten dark, Elder Cologne came to speak to us…"

Elder Cologne's eyes were bright in the firelight. "Someone, during our celebrations, snuck into the Elders' Council House and stole some very important artifacts. Whoever did it must have been highly skilled, to hide their presence from the Elders who kept watch.

"You three have proven to be the most skilled fighters of your generation. Will you now track the thief to his hideout, and retrieve the artifacts?"

"We will," Ranma replied immediately, and he spoke for all three.

The thief may have been skilled at hiding his presence, but he had forgotten to hide his footprints. Even by torchlight they were easy to follow, out of the village and up a long rise, until they reached a flat ground where Shampoo gave a gasp. "We're at Jusenkyo!" she whispered. Elder Conditioner, who had taught them how to hunt, had often emphasized the need for quiet. Akane breathed in sharply, but Ranma was curious. They had been warned away from the cursed training grounds, but that only made them more interesting in Ranma's opinion.

"We slow down," Ranma murmured. "Do not want to change into duck."

The pace slowed down accordingly, but stopped, moments later, as the trail they'd been following stopped short-

"What do you mean, you didn't want to change into a duck?" Nabiki interrupted.

"Exactly what I said," Ranma replied. "That's what Jusenkyo does, you see. If something drowns in one of the pools there, whoever next climbs into the pool turns into whatever drowned. One of the pools is the Yazunīchuan – the Spring of Drowned Duck."

"So you fell into the String of Drowned Girl?" Soun asked thoughtfully. "Can you not reverse the process? Or are you stuck as a girl forever?"

"I'm not stuck as a girl!" Ranma quickly replied. "Cold water changes me into a girl – hot water turns me normal again. And there is a permanent cure but – we can't get a hold of it at the moment." He sighed again, feeling truly depressed. It was bad enough being an honorary girl while living with the Amazons. Spending half his time as an actual girl was the kind of thing he used to have nightmares about. Someone reached over and squeezed his hand – Akane. She pulled a face at him, her normal method of trying to cheer him up. He gave her a small smile in return. Not even Acchan knew his deepest, secret fears – that they'd never find the cure, or, worse, that something would happen to force him to be stuck permanently as a girl.

"Well! Your problem is not so bad!" Soun laughed. He grabbed the kettle up off the table and pulled the top off it.

"Hot water! Not boiling!" Ranma snapped as she dodged Soun's throw. She glared at him. "And what do you mean, 'not that bad'? Do you have any idea what it's like to suddenly have – have no control over what your body is doing? To have guys looking at you?" Soun's face looked shocked, and Ranma immediately felt ashamed of himself. He usually had no problems mastering his temper – he'd certainly never lost it at Soun before, who was as well-intentioned and as generous as Akane. "I'm sorry," he muttered. He hated apologizing. "I didn't mean to yell."

Sound shook his head. "No, Ranma, I should have realized that I'd be hitting a nerve. If the water doesn't need to be boiling, why don't you use the furo?" To the others, he said, "I have to go take my afternoon class now. At dinner, you can tell us more about your adventures in China." He thanked Kasumi for the meal and left the room.

Nabiki started stacking plates. "Daddy's right, Ranma. You go up and- and change. We'll show Shampoo around a little and talk more when you're finished."

The transformation was instantaneous, but Ranma stayed in the furo a little longer, letting himself relax completely. He was glad to be back here, even without a cure – the Tendo's place felt more like home than even his mother's house. They'd stayed here a lot, over the years, between training trips. Nodoka had taken a motherly interest in all three girls, and it was always something to look forward to, when he'd been a kid and had gotten lonely out on the road – getting to come here and show Acchan what he'd learned. When he'd gotten older and Akane had started to join him and his mother on their trips, he'd treated the Tendo's as home base as a matter of course.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone banging on the door. "Ranchan, have you drowned in there?"

Ranma grinned as he replied, "I was trying to have some peace and quiet, away from certain horrible, noisy, squabbling girls. I'll be out in a sec."

"If you're just going to say mean things about me I'd rather you just drowned," Akane teased back. "I think my sisters are anxious to make sure you're really still you, though. We're waiting for you in the lounge, OK?"

"Sure," Ranma called back. He got out of the furo, quickly dried himself off and pulled on his well-worn red, Chinese-style shirt and comfortable black pants. Finally, he retied his ponytail, thankful to see that his hair was back to its more usual color, and headed for the lounge.

He noticed the relief on Nabiki and Kasumi's faces when they saw him. Kasumi smiled, but Nabiki just said, "Shampoo was telling us about the ceremony they had to make you adopted Amazon warriors. She also said that usually all their top warriors are girls. Did that mean that you were an honorary girl?"

Ranma stiffened. Why did Nabiki have to be so damn sharp? He opened his mouth to reply but Akane got there first. "The Amazons have very strict laws about dealing with men, and with outsiders," she said firmly. "Since Auntie had business with the Elders, they wanted to make things as trouble-free as possible."

"Where is Auntie?" Kasumi asked. "I expected to see her with you."

"She said she'd be here as soon as possible, but she had things to take care of in Juban first.," Ranma answered, pleased to get off the subject of gender. Then, noticing the looks that Nabiki and Kasumi were giving each other. "…What'd I say?"

"That's where the Sailor Senshi are," breathed Kasumi, voice full of awe.

"The Sailor Senshi?" Akane repeated. "Who are the Sailor Senshi?"

"Where have you been?" drawled Nabiki. Akane scowled at her.

Kasumi spoke. "They're champions of love and justice. The Earth's protectors. The only people who can stop the world being completely obliterated. Their real identities are secret, but they always turn up when someone's in trouble."

"They're a group of girls who fight monster," Nabiki supplemented.

"A group of girls who fight monsters?" Ranma replied. "Why only girls? I know I haven't been in Japan for two years, but there can't be no other decent male martial artists around!"

"Group of girl fighters sound good to Shampoo," the Amazon murmured to Akane, who ducked her head to hide her smile.

"They're not martial artists," Kasumi explained. "They use magic to fight."

"Oh, magic," Ranma scoffed. "That's cheating."

"But they do good things," Kasumi insisted. "They're supposed to protect the Earth from attack. Imagine how many martial artists it would take to do the same job."

"Only a few, if they were any good at it," Ranma replied – but he mumbled it. Kasumi clearly admired these Sailor Senshi, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Well, as long as no monsters attack while Auntie is there," Akane said peaceably, "We don't need to worry about it. If they're based in Juban, there's no reason why we would ever see them."

The others assented, and Kasumi changed the subject by asking Shampoo about Amazon cookery. Ranma relaxed again, and put any further thoughts on monster-fighting schoolgirls out of his head completely.

How long had it been dreaming, before the emptiness in its stomach woke it? Did it even matter? No, what mattered was that it was awake, now, and hungry. And there was no food within easy reach. It could feel life out there, somewhere, but so far from its grasp that the chance of finding it seemed impossible. It struggled with this problem, trying to think despite the growing hunger in its belly, until finally it realized its mistake. Of course it was impossible for its whole being to reach the far-off surface which teemed with life, but if it just sent part of itself, if it bent all its energies on getting that part to the surface and feeding it, then it could assuage its hunger as it tried to work out how to get out of here.

It set to work.