Standard Disclaimer: Hey People, I DO NOT OWN THESE GUYS! Ranma ½ belongs to Takahashi Rumiko-sama (Yes, I DO think she disserves the title!). Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko-san and Oh! My Goddess! belongs to Kosuke Fujishima. All the others occasionally used her belongs to their respective owners. What doesn't belong to them it's mine so I DO have permission to use them. I'm broke, so, it's no use to sue me. There, it's said!
One thing: Please bear with me guys, I'm just trying to put out some ideas I have about the Nerima gang and add a little 'spice' to stir things up, since I'm not that good at making humor. Hope you people like it.
Once again, from the top: beyond my characters, I claim ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHTS to any of the characters used here, beyond their use in this story. C&C very appreciated. Flames will, of course, be laughed upon and deleted.
"Remember; it is the journey which enlighten us; not the destination."
Khuai Chang Kane; Kung Fu, The Legend Continues.
Half Of Heaven, Half Of Hell
A Ranma Xover, with doses of OMG, SM and a helping of HP Lovecraft to season
by Tatsu No Kami
Chater 01 – Before Any Storm, There's Always Wind Blowing
AN: Two months have passed since the events of the prologue.
Hikawa Shrine, Juuban Ward of Tokyo, the last Sunday afternoon just before the school year starts…
As they had been doing, ever since the end of that dreadful Galaxia business, the Senshi gathered at Rei's. Through all the sorrow, hardship, laughter and the occasional shopping trip they went together, the group had forged a friendship tougher than steel. They were family, regardless of their names, and came to relish the chance to enjoy each other's company.
Of course, lots of changes, of both profound and mundane nature, had also came to all of them as well. There were no more Outers and Inners for starters. Or endings. Not after their Princess, backed by the full power of the Ginzuishou told them (Setsuna included) that such inside fighting, snobbishness and separation would NOT be tolerated anymore. Never, EVER again. The sight of Usagi, floating in the air with her eyes glowing brightly as she speared them with her look, bedecked in her full Moon Princess regalia were enough to convince even the Time Guardian that she well and truly meant business.
After that, things eventually came together, give it or take a few 'mock' fights between Usagi and Rei (which still happened once or so, to the delight of everyone, who knew it was more pro-forma than actual anything). She even had a talk with Mamoru. A REAL one, not her usual whining fits. Which came to show all of them that their Princess had finally grow up. Neo-queen Serenity had begun to show at last. Woe betide them… And after that, their relationship FINALLY seemed to be going the right way.
They were talking between themselves, enjoying the days' gossip and each other's company when the appearance of Sailor Pluto, fully suited, told them this was not a usual social call.
"Don't tell me…" Usagi said annoyed. "Another threat to Crystal Tokyo has appeared." She groused from her boyfriend's arms. Mamoru looked worried at Setsuna. The Time Guardian weren't one to drop by like that for nothing.
"I… sincerely wish it was that simple…" was Setsuna's tired answer.
THAT caught their attention. As well as that Setsuna seemed to not have had any sleep in some time, if her somewhat disheveled hair, dark bags under her eyes and general air of exhaustion where. The Time Guardian hardly ever allowed herself to show ANYTHING but perfection. Whatever worried her must be dire indeed.
"What's up?" asked Haruka. After all that she and Michiru did, she was eager to redeem herself before her teammates (Specially their 'daughter' Hotaru. She still had nightmares of the look of betrayal in her face when they killed her…) and Princess. The recent occasional demons had been too minor to really be of use to show that they'd truly meant it when they said them wanted to be a part of the team now.
"A… young woman is coming to hide in Nerima. On her tail (Quite LITERALLY, so it seems… she thought briefly to herself, grinning internally.), Chaos and Darkness, of the likes we had never saw before are following. She is innocent of it, but her blood made her a target of too many. Her life, so far, have been a long wandering all over the globe, from one hideout to another. Events started by her coming may help us build Crystal Tokyo, not only faster, but even better than we expected. Or start a chain of events that may well destroy this planet and much more…" she somberly said.
"But is she an ally or an enemy?" asked Makoto, Haruka seconding the notion. The two more belligerent of the whole Senshi were already in battle analysis mode, evaluating all and any piece of info that might provide a possible threat for their Sovereign. Ami just looked a bit annoyed at her chestnut haired friend's belligerence, even if she had gotten used to the fighting attitude of one of her best friends within the senshi. Just to be on the safe side, she had her computer already in record mode and searching for any scrap of info that could be useful.
"If we can befriend her, a very important ally. I've seen some of her story. She's actually a nice, amenable person, but because of what she'd been through, if pushed too far she can be very, very ruthless. Even a bit cruel, specially in battle." Replied Setsuna. "Whatever you do, DO NOT provoke her into a fight. She's not above killing in fight, and THAT would doom us all." She warned very seriously.
"Well, I think we should approach her carefully then." Spoke Usagi. "From what you said it seems that she's quite lonely. Maybe a friendly, open approach may keep things peaceful…" she wondered. "And girls," she spoke seriously to the other senshi. "ABSOLUTELY NO spying on her until we can make a friendly contact." She finished looking at them, the Neo-queen Serenity attitude coming forth. "Setsuna, can you tell us anything else that can help?" she asked.
"Truly, I don't know much…" was the answer. "I could not see a lot of her life. Something… blocked my sight from the Gates. Many of her life, both past and future, is closed to me." The time guardian spoke, clearly upset. The worry in her face was clear to all.
"But… what could block the Time Gates!" asked surprised and worried Rei. The others nodded and murmured their agreement to the question. What could be powerful enough to stop Setsuna and the seemingly all powerful Time Gates?
"You guys have to remember, I'm NOT the Gates creator, but it's guardian. To my knowledge, only two kind of beings, including the creators of the Time Gate, are powerful enough to block it like what I have seen…" she replied. "and it worries me a lot which may have had an hand in that." Specially since it actually seems BOTH kinds are involved… she thought, although keeping it to herself. She'd rather not worry their teammates unnecessarily, though if her worries proved true they would have to be warned.
"And those are?" asked Ami.
"Some of the greater Gods and Hell Lords."
Another temple, Near Nekomi, the same day, practically at the same time…
"Are you really sure of it, Ama-chan?" asked Urd in front of the screen. To anyone looking, she would seen to be slightly hunched over a pair of translucent panels of smoky gray light; a smaller rectangular one inclined in her direction, where she seemed to be taping something, bright squares of light appearing where her fingers touched it, and a bigger one, about the size and form of a 21" monitor right in front her face. On it, the face of a beautiful woman, dressed in the traditional manner of the Japanese nobility showed a lot of distress. Of truly note would be her eyes. Instead of normal looking ones, her eyes where rings of fire and light.
Amaterasu Omikami sighted saddened. "Yes Urd-chan, I'm sure. The couple died. As a matter of fact, I have both under my direct protection right now, being processed. Athena is providing some extra security and Demeter, even if still is somewhat fence sitting, promised to run some interference. She said she wanted 'the poor dear to have a chance for a fair hearing' or something to that effect. Bast is talking with her just as we speak. It seems 'cat-chan' has got a really soft spot for them after they helped some youkai clan…" she spoke smiling ruefully to the Norn. "Also Aphrodite seems to sound like a broken record with her incessant 'I told you so'…" She replied, mildly annoyed. "As for the girl, we're sure she survived, and is somewhere in the Tokyo area. Her mother managed to erect a truly good misplacement spell around her escapade. It seems that she combined it with some Ki techs and Tendoko helped in both regards, magical and martial."
"Thank the All Father for small favors..." Urd spoke. "At least, it will give her some time until we can make our move. Have you got any luck with the petition?"
The downcast face of the sun goddess was all the answer she needed. "No, Michael and a few others are making their damnest to slow it as much as they can. When it finally reaches Kami-sama I'm afraid it'll be too late…"
"Well… Skuld had done some digging in the database of Yggdrasil, and found some VERY strange things." Urd said, a bit embarrassed. "It seems," she continued. "that everything related to Hiko, including her personal files are locked into a really big file denominated 'ChaosBringer'. What really spook me AND Skuld was that simply the name and links to it were under level FOUR security locks! It took Skuld HOURS of work just to find their existence, not to mention to be able to look at it! And the file itself, is under level FIVE!" she said, clearly impressed.
That made Amaterasu's eyebrow shot up. Only the MOST sensitive files EVER got this level of security! Kami-sama's personal files where one of them. She doubted Skuld could break even a level four, least of all a level five security lock, as both were created by Kami-sama himself. The young goddess must have been awfully lucky... Or maybe the All-Father was trying to help them in some roundabout way. "Have she been able to get anything else?" she prodded, intrigued.
"Only two less watched links to other files, but she was almost got and the files were encrypted WAY down under and the links terminated." The Norn of the Past replied.
"Which files?" asked the sun goddess.
"That is what got us worried." Replied Urd, very sober. "One was MICHEAL'S file! I think he may have more interest in that situation than he's letting on. A personal interest. But the other…" she trailed off, shaking her head.
"What about the other, Urd dear?" replied Amaterasu.
"That's the problem. It was a personnel file, but of someone I don't remember knowing. And I know ALL personnel files from the system! I wrote them myself!" she spat, worried and angry.
A very strange sensation ran trough the sun goddess spine. A chill unlike any she had ever felt in millennia. One of the last times she had felt something like it was just before that whole deal with Susano-oh and the cave. Whatever it was, it did NOT bode well. "What was the name on the file Urd-chan? Maybe I can ask around…" she asked, still trying to come to grips with the worry.
Urd sighted. As she was at the moment banned from Heaven's thanks to her latest stunt, she had to rely on others for things like that. "Ok. The name on the file was 'Betzheren'. It seemed to belong to an archangel…" she trailed off when she saw Amaterasu suddenly get ramrod stiff.
Pale as a sheet, the sun goddess suddenly stood. "I'm terminating this con-link now Urd." She spoke in clipped tones. "I just remembered I have some very important things to do at the office, I'm afraid. Maybe we can talk later." She spoke stiffly.
Urd was completely baffled by her friends curt attitude. "Ama-chan? What-"
"Oh, and tell Bell that I, Athena and Bast have decided to accept her invitation for dinner. We should appear about 7 pm, your time, this afternoon. Bye now."
Urd just stood there looking at the suddenly blank screen, the words ' link terminated ' blinking ominously at her. Something told her that whatever they had uncovered, was too danm hot to talk about in an open link. Who was this Betzheren and what was his connection with Michael and all this? She had the distinct impression that this dinner would be very interesting…
Furinkan High, early morning of the next day, Vice-Principal office…
"So I assume that's everything is ok, Tanaka-dono?" asked the young woman.
"Indeed, Akasei-san. All documentation have been properly filed." The man replied. "Since you came to us, I suppose you're aware of Principal Kuno's… idiosyncrasies?" he asked.
"I do. And I'm more than capable of… protecting my personal space from anyone if need be." Was the cool reply. "I just hope the local police doesn't mind managing mangled offenders…" was the soft whisper that brought shivers to the Vice-principal's spine.
That young lady was very beautiful, brightly sociable, and a genius level student, but there was an icy ruthlessness hidden within the sugar and spice that told him that should she chose to, she could be one really cool customer. The kind that pulls the trigger without a second thought or remorse while staring them in the eye. Privately, as he rose to guide her to homeroom, he wondered what she had been through to become that way. Only the passing of her parents seemed too mild.
Watching the pair pass through her office on their way to class, the new school counselor absently toyed with the files on her hand. I really hope we can get to her… Setsuna thought to herself. She seems a good kid after all…even if I could feel the menace from those last words all the way down to the gates... She grimaced to herself. It seems my observations where right on the money. I must remember to warn the senshi NEVER to antagonize her out of the blue; it could be VERY bad for us all… Sighing softly to herself, the oldest senshi thought ruefully: Now, HOW will be able to div my time between here and Juuban?
Moments later, at Ranma's class homeroom…
Ranma was looking at the window as the teacher started to speak about this year's row of subjects. Even if he didn't show, he already knew some about them. One of the things he had taken to heart some time ago was when one of the teacher's spoke about how 'Knowledge Is Power'. After thinking a lot about it he had to admit to himself that his knowledge was not only smaller than it should be, but wrong. He had been purposefully deceived (mostly by Oyaji). It was slow paying but he WAS correcting this. But now he had more important things to think about. Namely, the fallout of their return from Mt. Phoenix and the failed wedding…
The Amazons, thank Kami-sama, after knowing about his battle and winning against Saffron, nullified both the 'Kiss of Death' and the 'Kiss of Marriage'. They would rather have him as a friend and ally than angering him into their enmity. Shampoo's honor was preserved, somewhat, so she could return home without problems. Unfortunately, they decided to stay. Cologne now was trying to entice him into alliance with the Nyu-Che-Zuu by offering to train him into other secret techniques, with the proviso that, should the need arise, he would help them. He was a bit uncertain still, but she looked on the level this time. Shampoo, on the other hand, may not have to try and get him by any means necessary, but she was free to try to win him like any other girl, which she was doing. Trying, anyway. Amazons did NOT know the word 'subtlety'. Thankfully, Mousse knew he didn't want anything to do with her, but oftentimes his temper would get the best of him and he would try and attack him. Unless he got some steam to blow off, he usually fought duck-boy on his level, just for the hell of it.
Ukyo was still enduring something of a 'cold shower' after her actions. It seemed slow going, but he had hope of finally entering her thick head he ONLY thought of her as a friend, nothing more. Besides, he believed Konatsu would be much better for her, provided the male kunoichi got a bit more of backbone. He was trying to help him in that, though.
Ryoga was much better; that with his blooming relationship with Akari. But the fact that he still hadn't told Akane about 'P-chan' remained a sore point between the two of them. They still fought each other every chance they got, but nowadays were more of two martial artists honing each other's skills than the petty rivalry it used to be. Not that they got too sappy or anything but was better nevertheless. Unless, of course, that pig boy got depressed and/or misinterpreted something (which was STILL fairly often), in which case an all out brawl would go, until things got straightened up.
The resident loons, a.k.a. the Kunos, remained exactly the same. Bashing Tatewaki or dogging Kodachi's traps and poisons was becoming almost automatic by now. Boring.
Nabiki, surprisingly, had stopped a lot of her 'operations' regarding him (Him only. Others were still something of a fair game, although she seemed to have toned it down some too.). When she had some opportunity, she had started to actually come to him and ask! Would wonders cease? When asked, she replied that after all that chaos, she would rather have him on her side freely. Besides, she was still paying the damages both to the dojo and his mother's house her meddling caused. Especially after Nodoka pointed out (with her katana at her neck. Momma was truly upset that day…) that either she redeemed her honor before her and her sister's families by making proper amendments or she would be very honored to be her kaishaku. A bone white Nabiki hastily agreed to her terms. He found out, to his surprise, that the middle Tendo could be an interesting, and amazingly, a trustworthy partner. Their modeling works where raking in a good money for both. Even if he (and sometimes she) got a bit embarrassed by the get-ups he got to wear.
Kasumi was pretty much the same… no. Even she had changed a bit. She was not into her oblivious act so much anymore, helping him out a bit more and being generally more assertive of herself before her family.
Oyaji and Tendo… still two single-minded obsessive bakas. It seemed impossible for them to actually learn anything from all that happened. Occasional Panda beatings seemed to keep Oyaji more or less subdued, and Nabiki and Kasumi kept running interference with Tendo. Nevertheless he just KNEW something, anything were due one of this days. They had been TOO quiet to his comfort.
Momma on the other hand, seemed to have toned down some her 'manly' mania, becoming more accepting of his dual nature. It gave him a badly needed space to help sort things out, and he couldn't love her more for it. Now the problem seemed to be how to keep her from trying to make 'her' a 'woman among women', whatever the hell that supposed to mean on her head…
As for Akane… oh, boy...
They still danced around each other, even if now it was more something of defining how to admit to the other how they felt and how to go from there. He could REALLY live without the mallet, though. Also, the fact that she KNEW about the Nyanniichuan and didn't tell still left some bitterness on his mouth. Of all the 'fiancées' he really though her better than that…
His musings were cut short, though, when a soft knock on the door was heard, followed by the Vice-Principal, Mr. Tanaka, entering. A chill, worse than what he got before that whole danm Saffron business happened traveled down his spine. Something… MAJOR was about to happen. He turned his attention back to the speaking teacher… "Children, I'd like to introduce to you an new student. She'll be joining Furinkan this year." Turning to the open door he asked: "You can come in now, young lady."
And a vision entered in, silencing the room with its mere presence. She was about an inch taller than Ranma's male form (making her about 5' 11"), and was decked in a sea-blue silk cheongsam type dress that hugged her slim form, accentuating the gentle round swell of a pair of full, firm pert breasts that seemed to belong to an ancient Greek master's sculpture, from the scooped neck to about knee high. Slits ran to mid tight, giving an enticing, tough neither exaggerated nor inappropriate, view. Two coiling dragons rose from below, one shimmering white, the other glistening black, coiling around her figure to end each looking over her shoulders. A golden sash cinched her thin waist, accentuating her ballerina figure. Attached to the sash, a thin black leather holder seemingly held a foot long metallic silvery cylinder, which visible part seemed riddled with an intricate enamel work and a few jewels. Porcelain white skin graced an oval face, in which a pair of big almond shaped crystal amethyst eyes looked laughingly at them. Red pouty lips curved in a gentle smile. But the real cincher was her hair. Slight curly waves of deep red, meshed with golden yellow, coppery red and light blonde cascaded down to a bit below her fine toned behind, shrouding her in what seemed to be a cloak of fire. It was as if someone took a bonfire's flames and turned it into hair. Two lengthy silvery sideburns added to the exoticness of her figure. Shinny gray leather flat-soled boots hugged her feet to almost her knees molding to her calves and an elaborated pair of silver and gold armbands graced her slim forearms. Even the girls could feel their temperatures rising before that utterly gorgeous lady, while a couple of boys toppled out of their chairs thanks to explosive nosebleeds. And absolutely no notion of how to deal with their hormones…
Only four people in the class made through that first impact to notice something extra. Some worrisome extra. Ranma, Akane and Ukyo all shivered as they beheld her walk in and stand before the blackboard. The walk, not only of a martial artist practitioner, but that of a master of her craft. Ranma, in particular, could sense a tightly focused Ki control, with a LOT of hidden reserves. He did not relish the prospect of having to face her. It would be without doubt a very though fight. One he had no idea of the winner, for a change.
Curiously, the fourth person was one usually ignored by everyone. Hikaru Gosunkugi. He may pose as a dabbler in the Dark Arts, but he actually DID have some small abilities. And right now, those small abilities were screaming bloody murder. Make that a Nuke strike warning klaxon blare. Whatever that newcomer was, or did, it was MAJOR with capital M. He would have to pay attention to that.
The Vice Principal spoke, breaking the spell. "People, this is your new classmate. Her name is Akasei Hiko (daughter from the red star fire)."
At some of the snickers, she smiled broader, lightly displaying a pair of Ryoga-like fangs that seemed to make her smile both much cuter and a hell of a lot scarier at the same time. "Yeah, I know. My parents REALLY got me with that one." She spoke in soft musical tones, giggling a bit while lightly spinning a fiery lock around her fingers. "Pleased to meet you all. I hope we can get along well." She said, while lightly bowing to them.
Tanaka-san arhumped to call their attention back. "Indeed, do I hope you all get along well. Hiko-san has aced her transfer test and is rated as one of best students currently at Furinkan." He said smiling. Maybe, just maybe, a student as good as her could help rise somewhat the image of Furinkan! Kami-sama's willing; maybe even stimulate some of the OTHER students to better performances!
"WOW!" piped louder one of the girls. "Your parents must be very proud of you, Hiko-chan!" she burbled happily.
The smile disappeared, taken away by a look of sadness that seemed to be like seeing the sun hiding behind the clouds. "Were they here, I'm pretty sure they would agree with you…" was the soft response.
Yuka's eyes grew bigger as she and many others realized the clear meaning behind her words. "Oh my! I'm so-"
Suddenly, a light finger on her lips prevented her from finishing her apology. "No need to be ashamed. You didn't know…" were the response, the same sad smile looking closer at her.
Almost imperceptible by both of them, the fingertip lightly traced Yuka's lips.
Yuka's face became beet red. The girl's soft digit on her lips was making REALLY strange things to her blood pressure. Not her best make-out with Hiroshi EVER made her feel like that!
Ranma, Akane and Ukyo, on the other hand, were surprised with the girl's speed. It seemed at least a match for Ranma-chan's!
Then, one of the Hentai Squad made 'its' presence knew. "Humm, Hiko-san… what are your three sizes? Are you dating anyone? If not can we have a date?" he asked, with all the class of street flasher.
The silence answering was deafening. With a strange smile, Hiko seemed to, not walk, but glide towards the idiot. "Tell you what:" she started with a soft, cool voice. Somehow, the previous warmth in it seemed gone. "I'll make a deal with you: For every number I give, I'll break one bone of yours to my choosing, in the most painful, permanently maiming way I can devise." She spoke in a matter of factly way. Her expression made no doubt to anyone there she was not only capable, but actually eager to do so.
The boy all but wet himself when those once laughing orbs now speared him like chips of cold dark crystal. "Hum,nevermind!ForgetIaskedanything!" he babbled, hopping for his skin to remain intact.
"Wise choice..." Was the reply as she walked silently back to the teacher's desk, looking for all the matter like a tiger on the prowl. Turning back again to look at the class, her expression now was serious. "Lets make a few things clear upfront: One, I'm the last grandmistress of my family's style, and thus more than capable of defending myself if need be. Second, while I'm not averse to dating, I demand respect. Third, I have been in life and death battles before, so I'm have absolutely NO qualms about breaking bones and shedding blood." She raised her left hand, and in an slow, almost lazy motion, struck her fingers all the way into the wall, them pushing back, ripping the chunk of plaster and cement between then from the wall without any visible effort. Looking back at the astonished class, she spoke again, while slowly crunching the piece in her hand into fine powder, again without any visible effort of her part. "The next stupid fool to treat me like some street hooker will live just long enough to regret it." At then her cold eyes seemed to glow red for an instant. "Am I making myself clear?"
The "Yes M'an!" that all the boys (and a few of the girls) responded her would have warmed the heart of any SEAL drill instructor.
"Hummm, Hiko-san, what art do you practice anyway?" another asked.
"My Art it's virtually unknown outside family. For over more than 2,000 years it had been passed from parent to child in an unbroken line since the beginning of our clan. Its name is Kage-do (the way of shadow)." She spoke. "In spite of its… dark insinuations, Kage is actually an art of balance." She explained, assuming a sensei look. "We learn from the opposite forces of the Tao: Yin &Yang, Light & Dark, Good & Evil, Male & Female… All those forces that compose the balance are explored, within and without, bringing the student to a 'middle ground', where it can draw from both, but are tied to neither. Hence the Kage denomination. A place where Light and Dark mix in balance."
"Wow…" was the sole reaction of the class. The martial artists presents nodded. The reasoning seemed sound and the basis for a powerful art indeed, if they DID managed to make it work.
"On an occasion we have dealt with other arts, both in and out of battle. To my knowledge, nowadays there are only one ryuu of the more restricted arts that would be good enough to even think about trying to face us, although, from the stories I've heard about its founder he's a thief, a cheat and a liar without any shred of honor. And his disciples seem to be just as bad. It most certainly not endeared them to me. It seems to be an honorless art, based on lies and deceit. BUT," she turned, raising a finger in attention. "since I'VE never actually faced any of them, I don't know how much is true and how much is other masters' envy speaking. Maybe even some of its students may actually not be that bad."
"Which school is that?" asked Ukyo, beating Ranma's curiosity.
"Its called 'Musabetsu Kakuto'." Was the chilling answer.
