Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and it's characters are the product and property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz video.
The Juuban Incident
Chapter Nine
By Michael Fetter
"You have your Queen to blame for this, little Hotaru." Mistress Nine walked about the chair where Hotaru Tomoe was strapped down. The basement of the Tomoe residence was dark except for the pink glow from the professor's daemon growth vats. The professor himself stood in the background watching the center vat, a dark seed forming with the help of energy taken from other daemons.
Mistress Nine lost control of her form for a second, the arm suddenly exploding into something large and green, but then fastened her will over the creature she now possessed. "You see," she continued, "if it were just the Sailor Scouts it would have been simple for my daemons to search out the pure heart crystals while keeping those twits occupied. Then I felt the emergence of your Queen Serenity, the insufferable woman who locked away my master so long ago."
Hotaru never answered, as she felt to groggy to focus on anything due to the drugs she had been given. Her weak body wouldn't have been able to put up a suitable struggle had she been more aware. The betrayal was still fresh in her mind. Her father's lab assistant, Kaolonite, had been acting different for the past week and the night before she had gone out, only to return with her clothing in shambles and an angry growl. Snapping at her father, Kaolonite, who now called herself Mistress Nine, ordered him to give Hotaru the bitter medicine. Hotaru had been worried by the vacant look in his eyes. He hadn't even heard her pleas while forcing her to swallow the foul drink.
Glancing over to the black seed, Mistress Nine smiled and then quickly scowled. "I do not yet have the power to fight that bitch, not in this weak body, but you." She picked up Hotaru's face by the chin to stare into the girl's eyes. "Once you are infested with the good professor's creation you should have the power to destroy her. You won't be as strong as you would be if I could control that body, but it should be more than enough. Your Queen is still learning the extent of her power. She is not a tenth as powerful as she once had been, but that is sure not to last."
Hotaru's father pressed a button on the console and the pink fluid began to drain out of the vat leaving only the dark seed resting harmlessly on the grate. Though it looked like nothing to worry about, even Hotaru could feel darkness concentrated within its sharp edges. The professor picked it up carefully and strolled over to where Hotaru was strapped down, a wide grin spread over his face. "You may feel some discomfort."
The straps holding down Hotaru's arms pulled taut as the pain began to flow through her body. The professor had placed the dark seed on Hotaru's forehead, directly over the spot her sigil of Saturn now burned. Black lightning rolled down her limbs, smoke rising from her tortured body. Hotaru's mouth was open to scream, but no sound came forth. Her eyes were open, but a black film shrouded her vision.
Shivering in delight with the girl's agony, Mistress Nine smiled as the sigil slowly lost its golden glow. "Soon everything shall change and my lord will be free."
Wind howled outside as the night wore on. The child's pain was muted by the coming storm.
~
The bed.
The bed was warm and the pillows soft. It was the first time she remembered ever sleeping in one.
Mamoru stayed above the comforters lying next to her. She could sense his unease as he wondered at her need.
There were lights in the bedroom; bright rays of the sun that poured in through the open window to brush the occupants with gentle paint strokes, bringing new color to every morning.
Paints are dull imaginations of the real world. Some day they will dry and crack for the wind to carry away.
"Artifact better, yes?"
Shampoo returned a day later. She needed little time to recover from her injuries and get some sleep. One of the other Amazons was there in between. Ranma hardly noticed the change, too wrapped up in a different mind to even taste the tea in her cup. "Shampoo do better next time. Understand Artifact better now."
Ranma smiled at the perky looking girl. She didn't seem like a warrior then. Her smile was not fake or put on for false cheer. Shampoo came alive in her duty to Ranma. It didn't seem right when the girl had been chasing her. Shampoo didn't smile at any time when they were fighting each other. Ranma suspected the girl could not have killed her even if she got the chance. It wasn't there, the instinct, not in Shampoo's eyes.
There was pain when Ranma looked into the mirror.
She left for the park after breakfast. Up so early, Ranma had time to make something for Mamoru as well, in case she wasn't back before he left for college. It was nice having the time off from high school. Ranma was getting behind in her training. Ever since that time at the Tendous, when her father had been so foolish, she'd slacked off. That wasn't like her, the martial arts were her life. Ranma would get Shampoo to spar with her, help her get back into condition. The little girl arms felt weak when they should be stronger.
They stopped by the lake. Ranma could see the apartment from here. It was a flat, open area with a sidewalk running along the tree line. People had picnics here on the weekends; they laughed and played games. Ranma had seen them. She had time before, secreting herself from the world inside the apartment. There was danger outside, hunters and stalkers, ordinary people that could see through her blinds.
"I'm looking for form," she declared to her opponent. Shampoo looked at her with a confused grin. "I want to be in constant motion, always fighting. Give me the wind and I will ride it."
A cheery smile, Shampoo charged into battle, not at her top speed, but something to make her poetry.
People ran from the park when Ranma's silver aura began to show.
Ranma heard so little from her father anymore. She wondered what he was doing. It didn't matter though, he told her what he expected and cast his eyes to the ground. Ranma had sat stunned, staring at her plate, as though it were murder to continue eating.
More times than she cared to remember, she and Mamoru had received phone calls from Soun Tendou. Ranma didn't answer after the first call; her stomach had felt queasy to even listen to the questions the man had asked. What she did or did not do was none of his business. If she chose to put things off for a time then that was her right. No one could be expected to simply accept something like a forced engagement. It took time; it took Ranma a great deal of time to understand how perfect the arrangement was. Mamoru was a wonderful person. He was caring, thoughtful, easy to talk to, and he had the patience to wait until Ranma was ready.
Ranma stumbled and slipped into the water. She smiled at her hands beneath the ripples, like they were waving goodbye.
"Is okay?"
Shampoo helped her back to her feet. Ranma could be like her, take the duties given to her with a smile and stay true to her goal. Martial arts kept her body and mind focused, the engagement would direct her heart if she just allowed it.
"Is this Ranma?"
Shampoo and Ranma were startled as the entered the apartment. A little girl with pale pink hair was sitting at the kitchen table with a helping of the food Ranma had left for Mamoru. She was dressed in a school uniform and a book bag was left on the floor beside her chair. She looked like one of those kids that could hold a smile for a whole day without realizing it. The girl dropped it when she gave Ranma a glance over and then fixed her eyes onto Ranma's.
There was an awkward smile Ranma was trying out for today. She looked at the girl questioningly, "Who are you?"
Mamoru answered, "This is my, uh, cousin. We call her Chibi-Usa as a nickname."
"Usagi," the girl chopped. There was a strange presence to the girl, like she was accustomed to royalty. "My name is Usagi, named after my mother."
"That . . . That's nice." Ranma's eyes trailed to Mamoru who shifted nervously on his feet as he watched Chibi-Usa. "Isn't it almost time for you to-"
"He's my daddy."
Mamoru tensed as the little girl grabbed him about the waist. He was chuckling and looking anywhere but at Ranma. She caught his gaze shift to Chibi-Usa and then away guiltily.
~
"The Avatar? The legend?" Cologne hugged her cane with both arms and studied Ranma's face.
After the incident in the park, Ranma had to find the old woman and discover what was happening once and for all. Mamoru had come along to support her. She still felt lost. Somewhere was her path, the one she should have followed to get from the beginning to the end, but none of it was making sense anymore. Ranma had lost her way. Everything was looking darker, the road was being overgrown with foliage, and the sharp twigs pulled at her hair angrily.
The night before, Ranma had chosen to give herself up to Mamoru. He held her, gently, close to his chest, and then they lay there, on the couch, staring into nothing. Ranma's body had been like ice; Mamoru's skin scolded her, her lips burning from his touch. It was better than the pain she felt at the park. There her heart had been trampled upon while still in her chest. Ami was a statue, her stone skin unforgiving to the elements, but Ranma had been weak. Flesh that felt the chill.
The pain Mamoru could bring her was agonizing in its beauty. Ranma had wanted to feel it all over her body, let him render her flesh that it may outweigh any slight she felt before him. Giving Mamoru that power over her had been too hard to resist. But he could.
When you finally expect the boys to act like perverts suddenly they are noble.
"Ranma."
She kissed him.
"Ranma, wait."
She kissed him again, holding his arms. Pressing to enter his mouth.
"Ranma, stop it." Mamoru pushed her to arms' length so that he could see her tears. He was taking in her misery, capturing the image for posterity. She tried to bring them back together, to be held against his body. "It won't make things better."
"Why not?" Ranma cried. "You care about me. I see the way you look at me, the way others look at me. You don't have to look anymore! I'm not stopping you."
"What is this pain you feel, Ranma? You can tell me."
She swallowed hard and looked at his chest. A few of the buttons were missing from his shirt and there were marks where her fingers had almost broken the skin. Looking into his eyes would have forced her to believe in a soul, but Ranma didn't want the soul and its emotions. "I just want to be with you. We've been engaged for half a year. I'm not running away. I'm not."
She wasn't. She wasn't running. Where would she have gone?
"Ranma, I do care about you." One of Mamoru's hands drifted to her cheek and brushed at her tears. "I care about you and I worry about you. I want you to trust me."
"I do," she insisted and tried to pull him closer.
Mamoru resisted. "You can trust me, Ranma. Whatever you're feeling, whatever is bothering you, you can tell me about it." When Ranma went weak he held her close again. "I won't hate you. I just want to help."
Like a doll, Ranma leaned with gravity to the smell of his skin. His voice vibrated through his chest and she didn't want to hear it. "Shut up."
A sad look in his eyes, Mamoru stroked her red hair and cooed softly, "Whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me. We can work through it together."
"Shut up."
"You are not the horrible person you make yourself out to be, Ranma. I know there is something special about you."
Ranma's arms came up to hold her fists against his arms. Tears were falling faster now. "Shut up."
"You can trust me, Ranma. You can."
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" She wanted to be violent, toss him across the room, but her anguish left her feeling weak. Mamoru held on as she cried, "You don't want to know, Mamoru! I can't tell you! I hate this! I hate it! I can't-!"
Ranma stared at the hand resting on her arm for a long moment while Cologne thought of how to begin her story. Mamoru was there with her to hear the legend. He was strangely open about such things as myths and Ranma wasn't sure whether to be comforted by this or not.
"It's an old legend passed down through many generations and thousands of years," Cologne began. Shampoo sat down with the others a few booths away to keep an eye out for danger. "A long time ago, the founder of the Amazon nation served as an elite guard to the Queen of a great kingdom."
Cologne began to weave the story in a hypnotic fashion that Ranma began to see the kingdom in her mind. The great hall of the palace on the moon was elegant and holy like an old cathedral . . .
Serenity stood over her subjects in the white marble room. Crystal windows, strong pillars, and delicate artwork surrounded the great hall she took audiences in. Every few weeks there would be a ball or a gathering of some kind to keep up relations with each of the planets in her kingdom. They were free to govern themselves, but they were made whole by her benevolent rule.
The room shuddered with the violent impacts of war just outside her palace walls. Serenity clenched her jaw and waited out the storm until the enemy stood before her. Already many of her subjects had died and her Sailor Scouts were on the front line doing their best to protect her. She longed to be out there with them, to protect them, but she was queen. She was the final goal in this war and if it came down to her then it was already too late.
"Do not fear, my queen. None shall pass us."
Serenity locked eyes with the leader of her royal guard, a woman in her thirties with equal measures of strength and charm to sway any adversary. She remembered when Jasmine was first charged with her position, the fresh look of her uniform, and the dedication in her eyes. "Thank you," she nodded to the purple-haired woman, "you have never let me down."
What Serenity didn't say was that she did not expect her guards to stand for long against this enemy. For a thousand years there was peace, but eventually this charmed era would have to end.
New explosions sounded closer to the great hall and Serenity could hear the screams of her Scouts. The links she had with them felt weak and Serenity knew that many of them had fallen already.
The doors were busted open then. Venus and Jupiter were sent crashing to the floor, blood flowing from their numerous wounds. A tide of evil was rushing through the entrance. Some of Jasmine's men had been caught by the flying Sailor Scouts and it left an opening in their wall. They were all quickly surrounded and forced to fight for their lives. Magic and skill were exchanged with lethal intent and the great hall resounded with the screams of warriors.
Jasmine fought even as her men fell. She fought as she was being pressed back towards her queen. She fought even as the last of the Sailor Scouts was overwhelmed. It was her duty as the captain of the personal honor guard to the queen to continue fighting.
A great power tore open the roof of the great hall. Serenity stared angrily up at the malignant things that faced them. With little time to think, Serenity charged the Ginzoshou and attacked.
Jasmine fell to the ground as a concussion wave was sent across the palace by the meeting of two great magics. She couldn't hear what her queen was yelling, but she respected the power and determination in her queen's stance. Walls began to crumble from the force of the attack. The Moon Kingdom's reign would come to an end, but not before Metallia's presence was wiped from the universe.
When things didn't look like they could get any worse, Queen Serenity began to glow a brilliant white that could even penetrate the walls.
And when it was over . . .
"Jasmine journeyed to the Earth. She searched for many years to find the Artifact and the Guardians the queen had sent ahead.
"It was in a valley of springs that she felt the power once again. Her queen was dead, but she remained on the Earth. Jasmine called the valley, Jusenkyou, the Springs of Sorrow, to match the pain she felt for her lost matriarch.
"Others came to find the power. Jasmine gathered them together and erected a village nearby so that they may guard the springs. It was her prophecy, from being so close to the queen, that one day the Royal House would return and the Artifact would rise. And so it became the Amazons first duty to wait for the Artifact and guard it against evil until the queen could once again bring peace to the galaxy."
Mamoru squeezed Ranma's hand as Cologne's story came to an end. They had both felt something during the tale, a truth behind Cologne's words that sparkled in their touch.
~
It was embarrassing him more than he wanted to admit to have his future daughter hanging off of him. He still hadn't completely worked out his feelings for Ranma. What if he chose to stay with her? It would be like killing the Chibi-Usa. Mamoru picked up his backpack and grabbed up his car keys. "Come on, Chibi-Usa, I'll give you a lift to school."
The girl didn't look entirely pleased and she walked straight up to Ranma. "You're a bad person. I know you are."
"Usagi," Mamoru barked. It made the girl jump and look at the boy fearfully. He pushed her along towards the front door, pausing for a moment in front of Ranma.
She wasn't sure what he wanted to say, and she wasn't sure if she'd wanted to hear it. In the end he just offered her a wane smile and closed the front door.
"Artifact man is too too silly," Shampoo opined.
Ranma glanced at her, wondering if the Amazon had forgotten about her curse and then trudged off for the bathroom, feeling dirtier than before.
~
The attack was cleaner now, both young women moved fluidly around each other as they sparred. It was the first time Akane ever received martial arts training from a master that did not get frustrated with her. Ranma-san had broken her of her worse habits and taught her to fly rather than claw along the ground. Ukyou's skill too had improved. The chef still used the large spatula that was an integral part of her family's art, but she was no longer limited to it.
It was exhilarating to feel the payoff from all of the training Ranma had given them. Akane flipped over a swipe of Ukyou's spatula and bounced off of the dojo's wall. Her Art was truly becoming the unrestricted skill she'd dreamt of. Akane's father hadn't been able to take her this far and she was angry for that, but Ranma had also been teaching her control. She still got angry at the wreck of a man her father had become, but she couldn't stay angry anymore.
Ukyou rolled to the ground as Akane's foot came in contact with her cheek. Her spatula was flung backwards to trip the young Tendou up and allow her some time to catch her breath. "That was good."
Kicking the spatula out of her way, Akane grinned the same way Ranma-san did. "'Bout time I got ya."
Ukyou shook her head at some of the bad habits Akane had picked up from Ranma in exchange for the unreasonable anger. She almost expected the girl to dress her hair up in a pigtail and stop wearing dresses. "Careful, Akane. You'll turn into as big of a tomboy as Ranma one of these days."
"If only I could be so lucky," Akane laughed and delivered a series of speed punches that Ukyou blocked with equal speed. The chef was good when it came to her spatula and she was good without, but Akane was better unarmed. "I'm going to try it again."
"It's not going to work, Akane. You've tried how many times before?" Ukyou teased. She moved to the other side of the dojo to give Akane room anyway. Ever since seeing Ranma launch ki blasts and using her silver aura to boost her speed and strength, Akane had made it her goal to become just as good with her own aura. Ukyou was a ways off from even forcing her own aura into the visible spectrum, but she had the same goals Akane did.
Staring hard at her cupped hands, Akane blinked away the sweat in her eyes and concentrated. She reached for the new confidence Ranma had given to her to fuel her aura. This time she was not going to fail.
"I can . . ." Akane's arms tensed and the veins on her forehead started to throb, "I can almost . . ."
"Remember want Ranma said, honey. Don't feel for it with your body, but your spirit."
Akane relaxed a little and the soft blue light around her body became stronger. "I can do this," she grinned broadly as the first flickers of ki entered her palms. "I can do this."
Watching from a distance, Ukyou began to grin as well. She could feel herself sharing in Akane's achievement. Every victory the two girls made in the Art they did together. It had been like that since the first day of Ranma's teaching.
"Stop."
Ukyou picked herself up from the ground to see a bruised Akane sneering at her. If she had her spatula she'd show the brat who was the best. There were plenty better in the world and Akane was far from the best. Unfortunately, so was she. Ukyou stood and wiped her bloody lip of her white gi.
The two were ready to continue the brawl, but Ranma stepped in between and frowned at both girls. Akane was preening herself with pride at her skill and Ukyou was glowering like a spanked child. "I thought you two were serious about this?"
Both girls looked at Ranma queerly, "We are."
"That's not what I see." Ranma flicked her head to one side to toss the pigtail off of her shoulder. "If you came here to beat the crap out of each other then I might as well help since you aren't even doing that very well."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Akane raged before the redhead, her fists coming up to challenge her supposed friend.
Ranma snorted and a second later Akane was sent to the wall and then to her knees, clutching her stomach. Ukyou followed only a second later, landing on her head after sliding off of the wall. "I thought you wanted to learn the Art. Do you think you can get better just by beating on someone? You two aren't competing against each other, you're supposed to be learning."
Her knees beside her head, Ukyou stared the upside-down Ranma in confusion. "What are you talking about? We're training to become better fighters."
"Not from me yer not." Ranma crossed her arms and glared at the girls on the floor. "I only teach people who want to be martial artists. You want to be a thug go pick a fight in the streets."
Akane's face was turning so red Ukyou was expecting to feel a wave of heat. "You're the one training us! It's not our fault we're not your perfect students!"
Ranma waved the excuse off, "Yes, it is. Learning the Art requires effort on the sides of the teacher and the student. I can only do so much to show you what a martial artist is, but if you ignore me then you aren't learning anything." She held out her hand and picked both girls off of the ground. "Students of the Art don't compete against each other."
"What do you call tournaments then?" Akane deadpanned.
"Experience." Akane and Ukyou frowned at Ranma so she explained, "A true student of the Art is a friend to every other student and seeks to help them improve themselves. Their problems are your problems and their achievement are your achievements."
Slightly abashed, Akane and Ukyou glanced at each other and truly took note of the miserable state the other had been put into. It was their shame that made them abuse the girl who was to be her classmate. They understood now, by working together they would make themselves better martial artists.
"I can-" Akane dropped to the floor exhausted. She had felt it. So close, her fingers still tingled with the spent ki.
Ukyou crouched beside Akane and smiled. "That was great. You'll have that down in no time."
Embarrassed, Akane laughed and scratched the back of her head. She honestly felt good about failing to make the ki blast. It wasn't really failing, but a giant step forward. There was truth in Ukyou's words and she was glad to have such a good friend helping her along. Now if only their teacher had made it to class this weekend.
Wiping at the sweat, Ukyou sat down by the dojo's doors and stared absently at the koi pond in the backyard. "Did you hear from your cousin at all?"
Akane shook her head and plopped down beside the pony-tailed girl. "No. I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about, but I wish he'd call and tell me if Ranma-san is alright."
Ukyou frowned and asked, "What about her father?"
"Genma?" Akane snorted. The fat pig hadn't mentioned his daughter since she left. He just sat around the house and played shogi with her father. A few times Akane had seen him working out in the early morning, but it hardly seemed the skill of a master. "He doesn't seems to care his daughter hasn't spoken with for months ever since the engagements were announced."
"You're right," Ukyou announced after a pause. "I'm sure Ranma is fine too. Those stupid bimbos couldn't hurt her and I doubt anything else could either."
Akane nodded in agreement and stared into the pond. After Tatewaki Kuno's death the members of the kendo club started walking around with black armbands. The principal was even planning to build a statue of his son in recognition of the Kuno honor that attempted to defend three girls from evil. Even if two of the girls were great martial artists who could lick Kuno without a thought.
"Akane, there is a phone call for you. It's Ranma."
The girls looked at the entrance to find Kasumi standing there with a pleasant smile on her face. Akane nodded and followed her sister to the house while Ukyou remained to work through a few more katas Ranma had taught them.
Ukyou didn't have long to wait as Akane returned with a thoughtful expression on her face. "So, what's going on?"
Akane stared at Ukyou for a moment then broke out into a wide grin. "How do you feel about taking a trip to Juuban tomorrow?"
Ukyou smiled back in confused surprise.
~
Usagi had showed amazing restraint during there Saturday meeting. Her eyes wandered over to the snacks Makato had brought, but she sternly steered them back to the group as they began their meeting.
"I think we may want to start keeping a surveillance on Ranma," Ami began evenly.
"Surveillance?" Raye looked dubious. "The girl can kick daemon ass better than we can."
Most of the group nodded in agreement. Surprisingly, it was Usagi who backed up Ami.
"But you're forgetting that she's our queen." She could see Raye about to protest, but cut her off quickly. "Even is she isn't, she's been attacked numerous times and we have to consider that she may be a bearer of a pure heart crystal. Couldn't that be the reason for Ranma's strange energy reading, Ami?"
Everyone was startled by the royal presence the blonde was suddenly showing. Ami stumbled over her response for a second before catching herself. "It's possibly, I suppose, but I really don't see how. Ranma would have to be actively tapping the Silver Millenium energy."
"Yes," Luna agreed from her seat in Usagi's lap. "Not to mention drawing that much energy from the crystal would create attractive forces towards you girls."
Everyone blinked.
Ami blushed furiously.
"The crystal turns her into a lesbian?!" Minako finally blurted out.
Luna looked at the girls strangely and shook her head. "What I meant is that Ranma would feel a pull towards you girls. The pure heart crystal would know who its owners are."
Artemis seemed to think about this for a moment. "That could be the root of the girl's rather odd behavior as well. If she can call up that much energy then she would feel a strange pull to you girls that she would never have felt to anyone else, especially a boy."
Ami's face was turning crimson.
Minako bopped Artemis on the top of the head. "Silly cat, we saw her yesterday and she didn't seem to have any problems with boys then."
The white cat sweat as he stared at his charge. "Idiot."
"What do you mean?" Usagi was leaning forward, giving Minako her full attention. The Sailor of Venus seemed to understand her mistake a bit too late and looked away nervously.
"Me?! Nothing!" Minako snatched up a cookie and shoved it into her mouth. "Mokh ds dk jm."
Eyes narrowed, Usagi leaned over more until she was nearly forcing Minako to lie on her back. "Spill it, Minako."
The girl swallowed and nodded her head slowly. "I, uh, saw her . . . on my way to the library."
People looked at her skeptically.
Sweating, she tried to grin unsuccessfully. "I was boy hunting when I saw her and a boy leave that new Chinese restaurant. Ranma was hanging off the boy's arm."
"Really?!" While Ami wasn't a lesbian and happy that Ranma was moving on, she was a little put off that the redhead could forget about her so quickly. Not that she wanted Ranma to think about her that way, she added with a heavy blush.
Luna frowned and jumped onto the table. "Is this really that important? We should be worried about where our enemy will attack next. Ami was right; we should keep an eye on Ranma in case she does have a pure heart cryst-"
"Who was the boy?" Usagi's voice was almost menacing. She'd been staring deeply into Minako's eyes and could tell there was something the girl was trying to hide. Something big. Ordinarily Usagi wouldn't have been so interested except that she hadn't seen Mamoru in a while and when Chibi-Usa came home yesterday she had given her such an oddly mournful look.
Minako had to blink away the sweat as she found everyone watching her. Both Luna and Artemis were forgotten in favor of angry Usagi, a state the Moon princess did not often use. "Uh, well, I, uh . . . didn't get such a great look." Usagi's hard stare intensified. "He was sort of tall, short black hair, green jacket."
Usagi's left eye began to twitch. "Sort of like . . . MY MAMO-CHAN!"
Scratching the back of her head, Minako giggled uneasily, "Yeah, that might be it."
There was silence, even from the Moon cats, as everyone watched the twitch on Usagi's face grew. A light, misty aura began to show around the normally ditzy blonde. Her fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles actually began to pop. Then it all went quiet and Usagi almost looked pleasant.
Luna crept out from behind Makato slowly, "Usagi?"
The girl smiled simply at the black Moon cat and said, "I'm going to kill that slut."
The temple lurched with noise as everyone tried to hold Usagi back from rushing out to kill Ranma. They didn't like the redhead much, but it looked like the princess had really flipped.
"Let me go! He's my boyfriend!" Usagi screamed, dragging her friends as they clung to her legs.
"Please, Usagi," Ami pleaded, "What if she's the queen?"
Usagi gritted her teeth and pulled her left leg forward another few inches. "Then she should have known to keep her hands off of my Mamo-chan. The bitch can look for her king elsewhere!"
Makato grimaced as she was dragged along the ground while keeping her arms locked around an ankle. "If you kill her then the crystal is useless!"
"I've beaten other enemies without it before. I'll do it again!" Usagi's face was turning purple. Pulling four girls was hard, but she'd reached the door.
They needed to stop their princess quick. In her state, Usagi would probably reveal their identities as she destroyed half of the city just to get Ranma. They were only lucky Usagi hadn't decided to transform for more power yet.
A voice cleared its throat behind them. When that didn't work Sailor Pluto spoke up. "You may be right about Ranma."
The girls shrieked in surprised and turned on Sailor Pluto. "Don't do that!"
Green hair floating in the breeze, Pluto arched a delicate eyebrow and watched the Inners slowly settle down to speak with her.
"What do you mean, Pluto?" Ami asked, she had been slightly skeptical of the elusive woman's motives in these matters since they first met her. She had suggested before that Ranma was more than she seemed.
"The girl you know as Ranma is not real." Pluto had carefully manipulated the Time Stream for thousands of years. She was not going to watch her plans crumble around her feet because of one little girl. "She is a very clever youma constructed by our enemy."
Usagi stared at the woman blankly. "Youma?" Her eyes widened, "Mamo-chan could be in trouble!"
Pluto raised a hand to keep the blonde in her seat. "I don't think so. I believe she is a mimic."
Raye frowned at Pluto. "How so?" She wanted to believe Ranma was a youma, thoughts of murdering the redhead had been flitting through her mind since they first met her. Still, a youma? Ranma didn't seem that bad.
"It's simple, Raye. The reason she emits an aura is because the attractive nature of the pure heart crystals would bring them to her. She would only have to wait for a while, walking through the city until she snagged the right person."
"Like that boy who died in the park!" Makato exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yes." Pluto nodded with a cruel smile. "You need to get rid of her before she can do any more harm." Actually, Pluto had no faith in the Inners actually defeating Ranma. But having them attack the redhead would leave Ranma weakened enough to allow the Outers to grab her easily. The last pure heart crystal would be there's.
"But why have the other daemons been attacking her then?" Ami asked, clearly not liking the way Pluto was manipulating her friends.
Pluto had worked out this angle as well. "I said she was a youma, not a daemon. I believe Ranma is working for a third party that may be at war with the daemons. Did you not fight a rogue youma the first time you met Ranma. Having her fight the youma as well was an excellent way to take our suspicions off of her."
The other girls were beginning to nod their heads in agreement. What was that rogue youma doing there? It was awfully convenient that Ranma had shown up then. And two of the three pure heart crystals were found because of Ranma either distracting them or attracting the bearer.
Ami's frown grew as she watched her friends begin to plot against Ranma, who Ami had come to think of as a friend. There was no way what Pluto was saying was true. She could see the doubt in the Moon cats, but they remained quiet out of respect for Sailor Pluto. If they couldn't trust another Scout then whom could they trust?
Ami grimaced. She did not trust Pluto.
~
Something strange was going on. Somehow girls always knew when their friends had just been asked out on a date. Perhaps it was a conspiracy to get all boys nervous and then steal the life energy from them to use for some nefarious- . . . he really needed to take some time off from daemon hunting.
After speaking with the elder Cologne, he and Ranma had left for the apartment. While the story had affected Ranma, once it was over she had grabbed onto his arm and acted cuter than usual. Ranma was normally cute, but she never tried to act it. The effect was a little unsettling, but he took it with a smile. Maybe Ranma was getting over whatever was troubling her?
There was a bit of steel in her voice when she asked him out. Mamoru had accepted. Too easily, he thought. There was still the nagging doubt that what he was doing was wrong. Endymion's memories were definitely opposed to the idea. But he like Ranma and wanted to see her happy.
The next morning, Saturday, there was a knock at the door just before noon. Akane and Ukyou had appeared and pulled a startled Ranma out of the apartment. "We'll bring her back in a few hours for your date, cousin Mamoru!"
That had been six hours ago.
Mamoru checked his watch again.
Six hours and one minute.
"Really," he grumbled to himself, "what takes this long to get ready for a date?" He felt a little queasy after that. Maybe he should dress up more. Could they be doing more than he planned? Usagi liked to play dress up and with her friends that could take hours, but was Ranma like that? He thought of her flinging a manhole cover at a youma and shook his head.
Six hours and four minutes.
A sudden fear overcame him. What if Ranma got attacked again?! Maybe this time it was something she couldn't handle. Should he call the Scouts?
The door to the apartment opened.
Mamoru's pacing was brought to a complete and sudden halt. He gaped at the vision that stood before him. Usagi had looked good in a dress, but Ranma . . . and all that cleavage . . .
"Close your mouth before you drool." Ranma smirked. "I clean up rather nice, don't I?"
Before him stood five foot one inch of slender, luscious redhead. The dark blue dress matching her eyes contrasted with her tan skin and red hair that she fairly radiated sensuality. A deep neckline and bare back, long red hair free from its pigtail, the small feet tucked away in the one inch heals, Mamoru had never seen such a beautiful sight. The heat was beginning to build up around his neck. Nabiki said a girl liked to be treated every now and then, but if he knew what he'd be getting in exchange . . .
"You look amazing, Ranma," Mamoru finally said.
Pulling at the corners of her mouth to make a smile, Ranma tried hard not to gag at the way the boy was looking at her. This is what she'd intended so she can't hit him. He was her fiance so it was okay. Ranma held out a hand and he took it swiftly, "Ready to go?"
"Very."
Ranma blinked at the odd response, but let it go as they passed a proudly smiling Akane and Ukyou. She was glad she had called them for help. This was her first date and had no idea what to do. They would have been back to the apartment sooner, but it had taken quite a bit of persuading to get Ranma into the blue thing. They said it was a dress. Barbie dolls wore more. Not to mention the thong underwear crawling up her ass.
Smiling happily, Akane turned to her partner in crime. "The make a nice couple, don't they, Kounji?"
"Quite, Tendou."
Akane's day couldn't have been any better when Ranma-san asked her for help to get ready for a date. It was about time as far as Akane was concerned and she knew that Ranma-san would be the best girl to turn her recently perverted cousin back into a man.
Nudging the shorter girl, Ukyou started heading for the door. "C'mon, Akane. We need to follow them to make sure things go without a hitch."
Nodding dramatically, Akane raised a fist. "Right! It's Akane's-"
"And Ukyou's-"
"Operation: Ranma's Nice Date!"
~
After following Ranma around all day at the mall, Usagi had declared a break so they could all go home and eat dinner before any of their parents complained.
Ami was very uncomfortable with the way the other Scouts were acting. It was like they wanted a fight and didn't care what the situation might be. They hardly even knew Ranma and yet they were judging her so harshly.
Ami didn't want to admit that her friends could be obtuse, but . . .
"Are we there yet, Mercury?"
The blue-haired senshi checked the readings on her visor and nodded back to Sailor Moon. "They should be across the street below us."
They all landed on the rooftop to get a look at the street and find out what Ranma was up to without her noticing. After the mall they had each thought the redhead was going back to the apartment with her friends. Instead the Scouts found themselves running over half of Juuban to a nice Italian restaurant with large windows in front and a comfortable atmosphere.
"That's strange," Jupiter frowned. "This isn't the kind of place I'd think Ranma would take her friends."
"Yeah," Venus leaned over further for a better look. "It looks more like a place people go to for romantic dates."
Everyone saw a certain boy and a red-haired girl being seated at the same time and took a few steps away from Sailor Moon and her growing battle aura.
~
Sighing deeply, Akane watched the young couple make idle conversation over dinner. It looked so nice in there. Ranma-san only seemed slightly nauseous at the things her cousin was saying. The fact that no one had gotten hit yet made Akane think the date was going extremely well.
Ranma-san had found a bottle of wine somewhere and down the contents quickly as Mamoru stood up and offered her his hand. They moved off gracefully, except for the stumble Ranma-san made, to the dance floor where several other couples had already gathered.
It was like Beauty and the Beast.
"Guess we weren't needed here after all, eh Tendou?"
Akane sighed and put down her bokken. She'd really thought something exciting would happen and then she could show off to Ranma-san. Oh well. Another time maybe.
~
On another rooftop a pair of Scouts were watching the couple progress around the dance floor. Ranma and Mamoru did look rather good together.
A building over were the Inners. Neptune and Uranus had seen them as they approached the restaurant and hidden behind the lip. Uranus frowned at their lack of discipline. Two of the girls had grabbed Moon by the ankles, one around her arms, and the last holding a hand over the blonde's mouth. What sort of superheroes played games in the middle of a stakeout. It was a good thing she and Neptune were here or the world would probably be in great danger.
"I'm not sure about this," said Neptune as she watched the redhead.
Uranus frowned at her partner. "We've been over this. It's better to lose one innocent in order to save billions. We can't trust the Inners to make these important decisions so we have to do them ourselves. What's a little blood on our hands compared to thousands of years of peace when we're done?"
"I know. I know." Neptune fidgeted and looked directly at Uranus. "The Inners are too young to know what's best for them. I just don't like the idea of taking the pure heart crystal like this. The last couple of times a daemon would pull them out and we'd snatch it. This is- . . ."
"Personal?"
Neptune nodded.
"Don't worry, love. We'll get through this."
~
Despite all of the romantic muck, Ranma had been having a pretty good time. The only time she ever went out to eat was at the Nekohaten and that much ramen got tedious no matter how good it was. A big plate of Ravioli's was the answer she was looking for.
"Did you like it?"
Ranma nodded as she walked beside Mamoru. She'd taken his arm when he held it out for her. It's easier to get along with people on a full stomach, she thought. Maybe she could get him to take her out again, but just for the food next time. Heck, he didn't even have to come along!
"What do we do now?" Ranma asked. She noticed they weren't heading for the car parked a block down. Instead they were making a slow journey towards what looked like a small park.
Mamoru was actually rather pleased with the way things were going. His date had been a little uncomfortable at first, but with a little time Ranma had started to relax. He'd had the same butterflies in his stomach Ranma did; Mamoru had seen her grimace. Her martial arts made her smooth and graceful on the dance floor. They'd stayed out there for at least two slow songs. He hadn't even danced with Usagi yet; she'd probably be stepping on his toes if not falling over her hair.
The moon was full and bright with stars glittering around it. The night seemed alive and full of energy.
Crackling energy . . .
Energy that made the smell of ozone . . .
Gulp.
"Why, Mamoru. What a coincidence seeing you here."
Ranma and Mamoru slowly turned around to see five girls in Sailor fukus staring at them. Mercury, hanging in back, looked more apologetic than anything.
Frowning in thought, Ranma stared at Sailor Moon. She didn't want to fight in this dress. It had cost quite a bit and it would probably fall to pieces with too much strain. "How do you know Mamoru?"
"Can it, slut!" Sailor Moon growled and pulled out a strange wand. "Get away from my boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Ranma scowled at Mamoru.
"BOYFRIEND?!" A pair of girls jumped out from their hiding places across the street.
Cracking her knuckles, Sailor Mars started taking steps closer to Ranma. "Oh, I've been waiting for this moment."
"You two better stay out of this or you'll get hurt," Minako warned as she prepared one of her attack spells.
Staring grimly at a brick wall, Ryouga was trying very hard to figure out where he was. After Paris he was sure he headed West and that should have brought him to Africa. Then it was just a few miles South to- "That sounded like Ranma," he muttered hopefully. Turning around he saw the redhead. Ha! He knew he'd been heading in the right direction!
Mind catching up with the images it was receiving, Ryouga quickly stuffed a bandanna up each nostril. How was that dress Ranma was wearing staying on? She looked tense at the moment and he could see she was facing off against a group of girls in short skirts. They looked rather mad. Maybe if he helped . . . "I'm coming Ranma-san!"
"Aiyah," Shampoo dropped down to Ranma's side as the confrontation was just starting. Protecting the Artifact was certainly a full time job. And these new daemon were more ridiculous than the last. "Want Artifact, must go through Shampoo!"
"That," Sailor Jupiter flexed her hands, "can be arranged."
"Anyone who stands with this evil girl must be shown the error of their ways." Sailor Moon declared as she took a pose with the rest of the girls. "I'm Sailor Moon."
"Sailor Mars."
"Sailor Venus."
"Sailor Moon, stop it!"
"Sailor J- . . . huh?" The tall girl in green looked at the others blankly. "That's not how it goes, is it?"
Sailor Mercury jumped over the other Scouts to land beside Ranma as well. "This is insane. You can't actually believe that rubbish Pluto was telling you."
"Not you too, Mercury," moaned Sailor Moon. Glaring hatefully at Ranma she pointed a finger, "For brainwashing people and attracting girls, I'll punish you!"
With the scene set, Ranma blinked and then stared hard at the Sailor Scouts. She didn't know why one of them had defected or what connection they had with Mamoru, but she had promised pain if they ever got in her way again. And this was her very first date with a boy!
She'd let them off easy.
Smirking, Ranma released her silvery aura, "Let's rumble."
~
"I've been waiting for you."
Two figures walked out of the shadows several miles from where Ranma stood facing the Scouts. Pluto wished she could be there to help the Outers, but this was more important right now. She'd have to hope that things turned out okay and meet with Neptune and Uranus later.
The street was mostly empty. Sailor Pluto stood with her staff in hand beneath the glow of a street lamp. According to the Time Gates, this was where Saturn would make her first appearance. And it would be up to her to kill the little girl.
Saturn, a tall glaive at her side, strolled slowly into the light, her eyes hidden within the shadows of her bangs. Mistress Nine wanted her to give a demonstration of her power to the Scouts and to assess the control the daemon's had over this body. Though she was half Pluto's size, the power she could tap was amazing. Nothing could stand in her way!
A nasty smile curled across the little girl's mouth as she aimed her glaive at the green-haired Scout. "Then you have been waiting for your death."
End Chapter Nine
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Ja ne.
