Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.
Chapter 10 – Families
Mizuno Saeko bolted out of her chair as her daughter's skin color became a pale blue.
"Mom, I'm fine," said Ami. "This my natural skin color in this form."
"That is not normal skin color…" began Saeko.
"For a human," finished Ami who then sighed. "This is what I have been trying to explain to you. In my cold water form I am not human."
"Cold water form?"
"Jusenkyo is a place in China where there are magic pools. You take on the form of whatever drowned in the pool whose water covers you when you come into contact with cold water. The process is temporarily reversed with warm water."
"How did you get into contact with a pool that is in China?"
"Sailor Pluto brought a cask of one of the pools here. We elected to use it."
Saeko frowned. "You chose this? In Kami's name why?!"
Ami looked at her mother. "Remember how concerned you were when Sailor Mars and Mercury showed up and tried to blast one of the students?"
"Not just that but they did attack that sensei called Wiseman that you have spoken so highly of." Saeko grasped her daughter's hands. "Ami, you should have told me you were this frightened of the Sailor Senshi rather than trying to handle it on your own."
Ami gave a sad smile. "Mom, I did this more than simply because Sailor Mercury terrifies me. All she did was make my decision easier."
"I don't understand."
"I always wanted to be a doctor like you but I would be limited by what drugs and other human methods were available. I realized that this form combined with the methods Wiseman developed would allow me to develop methods of curing disease that thanks to Jusenkyo the foundation of which could be given to any physician. Think about it, Mom. Cancer, malaria, or any other disease that we at best can only treat I could learn how to truly cure and then teach other doctors willing to use the Pool of Drowned Youma to do the same," said Ami her eyes shining with joy and passion.
Saeko slowly sat down in the chair next to Ami. "You said Sailor Mercury terrifies you and that she made your decision easier. Was it because you were friends with and right next to the girl they tried to attack?"
"That and one other reason more important than all the others," said Ami as she stood pulling out a henshi stick. "Mercury power make up!"
Saeko slowly stood her mouth hanging open. "How?"
"The one thing I didn't tell you about Wiseman because it would have made me sound like a total nutcase is that he is a time traveler. He is from what was one of our futures. Problem is he didn't come here alone." Ami pointed in the rough direction of her school. "That thing that showed up is from the same future as Wiseman is. She isn't just a trigger-happy vigilante but she isn't even alive. She is nothing more than a corpse animated and preserved by the magic of the Moon Kingdom," continued Ami tears now running down her face. "She is what I would have become if I never met Wiseman and what I was still at risk at becoming if I remained 100 percent human. I want to help people not be some walking corpse that helps enslaves them as she did."
Saeko hugged her now sobbing daughter. "What did Wiseman say about all this?"
"He reminded us that there is no cure for Jusenkyo but he didn't see anything wrong with the idea."
"What?" asked Saeko in a somewhat angry tone.
"I wouldn't be too hard on Wiseman," said Ami pulling herself out of her mother's now loosening hug. "He has lived in a culture where humans and youma lived together and interbred for well over eight centuries. He was raised by a father who only wanted him to be the greatest martial artist of his generation and neglected anything he felt didn't fit into that. Wiseman did make one thing clear—based on his own experience we were not to hide our Jusenkyo curses from our families. In fact, his exact words were 'I want your word of honor that if you do use Jusenkyo that you will tell your families about it before the end of the next day. Also regardless of your choice I want you to inform your families of the meeting we will have here at the Tendo dojo, Nerima ward at 6:00 PM tomorrow. I will have no more secrets regarding your families; on this point I will not budge or change my mind.' I think Wiseman is going to explain everything to everyone at that meeting."
~*~*RS*~*~
"It's clear Purple Wiseman wants to explain everything he can to everyone," said Usagi to Zirconite as they walked to Furinkan High School. "I just hope my parents are willing to listen to him this time rather than yelling at him and Mistress 9."
"Maintaining blood family ties is important but not as important as the clan, Eclipse," said Zirconite firmly.
"I know. I think this must be how Ranma must have felt: everything is forcing you to make on the spot choices and you keep wondering if you made the right one."
"Eclipse… Usagi, your choice to have that Pool of Drowned Girl water brought to us was a good one. For the first time I truly understand humans and what the achievements of Wiseman and his friends really mean. It is a little frightening."
"Using my powers to appear old enough to go to high school is a little frightening as well though Wiseman and Ranma said that it shouldn't matter."
"Aloha, the Big Kahuna sees you have way too long hair and am here to correct that situation," said a man wielding a pair of huge scissors with what looked like a palm tree growing out of his head.
"That is human?" asked Zirconite.
"Supposed to be," said Usagi as shot out a tentacle grabbing the scissor-wielding loon draining him of ki.
"Big Kahuna suddenly feel tired. Take nap." THUMP
"Certainly felt like it." Usagi then gestured to the students continuing as if nothing had happened. "The calmness these people took this has me worried."
"I'm worried too as back in your ward if something like this happen people would be screaming and running from the 'monster'. These people are acting like this is normal."
"Sweeto!" laughed Happosai carrying his huge bag as he bounced like a demented jackrabbit in front of a mob of females.
"Kill the Pervert!" "It stole my bra." "It stole my panties." "It stole my bra and panties." "Kill it before it breeds."
Usagi and Zirconite looked at the mob, then at each other and back at the little parade of angry females. "It's too late to go back to the Tendo dojo and go back to bed isn't it?" asked Zirconite.
"Not that it would do any good as that rooms at the Tendo dojo," said Usagi her right eyebrow twitching.
"Sweeto!" laughed Happosai as he groped Zirconite, frowned slightly, and then leaped away.
"What happened?" asked Zirconite as Usagi pulled her out of the way of the enraged female mob continuing to chase the martial arts pervert.
"He tried to drain part of your ki."
Zirconite frowned as she pulled on her shirt and looked down. She then rubbed her crotch. "My bra and panties are both gone."
Usagi stared at her youma friend stunned for a moment and then looked at the little man running off into the distance the mob behind him as she scowled. "I am seriously beginning to wonder if this ward would notice Gojira walking down the street in a tutu."
"I think I would get the joke if I knew who Gojira even was."
Usagi groaned. "I think you just pointed out the major snag in my 'portray the youma as foreign exchange students' idea."
"I thought it was to explain our lack of knowledge of Japanese culture."
"Problem is that there are icons that cross culture divides. Oh well, too late to really worry about it now. Let's see if the school nurse has any extras," said Usagi grabbing her youma friend and running to the nurse's office.
Elsewhere four pairs of eyes also watched the Grandmaster of Martial Art Perversion hop into the distance. "The Blue Thunder thinks he understand why you wanted us only to watch for now, Wiseman," said Kuna to what looked like Ranma.
"No need to be so formal, Kuno-san," replied the Advisor of the Black Moon Clan dressed in his younger-self's clothes. "Especially as part my being here rather than my younger self is to sow confusion among our opponents."
"His ki spiked slightly when he glomped Zirconite," said Akane, "but since she didn't react as he expected he wasn't able to get much out of it."
"Didn't stop him from stealing her underwear if the way they are heading to the nurse's office is any indication," commented Wiseman.
"The Blue Thunder thought the creature got a little faster when it grabbed Zirconite but wasn't sure. The Blue Thunder assumed that the creature took the undergarments because of latent ki."
"Very astute, Kuno," replied Wiseman. "His collection allows him a little supply of yin ki he can drain at his leisure."
"How long will my father be out from Usagi's draining of him?" asked Kuno.
"Hard to say." said Wiseman rubbing the bottom of his chin in thought.
"What is it, Wiseman…I mean Ranma?" asked Zoisite his voice higher thanks to his female form.
"Wondering if these standing orders of Beryl to lay low are ploy by her," said Wiseman.
The female Shitennou laughed. "Ploy? Hardly, but Beryl went from worried to frightened if not out right terrified when Quantize reported on your revelations. But I now know that Quantize distorted the information to make it more believable."
"Let me guess," chuckled Wiseman. "King Pendragon the last king of the Dark Kingdom became King Arthur of Camelot and she put everything I had told her in that context."
Zoisite nodded. "Exactly."
"It sure would have been more believable then the truth that I was from 1,000 years from now." Wiseman smirked. "I would have loved to have seen Beryl's face when Quantize told her about Merlin though Quantize could have gone for the possible Faerie connection."
"She went for both," grinned Zoisite.
Wiseman chuckled. "Beautiful. The more she learns about King Arthur the more she will assume what she was told is correct. That should get her paranoia going full tilt." Wiseman then frowned. "I wish I was more confident regarding my up coming meeting. I have to figure out just what I did wrong with Usagi's parents that I don't repeat it. One set of angry parents screaming at Mistress 9 and me was bad enough; I have no desire to listen to four sets of that."
"Perhaps if you told us how you explained it we might be able to pick out the problems," said Akane.
Wiseman nodded. "Well I started by explaining why it was so important to be training Usagi and what I was training her and her friends in."
"You told Usagi's parents right off the bat about Queen Beryl and the youma?!" asked Akane in a loud voice. "What were you thinking?"
"I thought since it had worked so well on Nemesis for the last 900 years and was the opposite of Pops not telling you much of anything it was a good idea," said Wiseman nervously.
Akane sighed. "Being honest with them was a good idea but I have a felling it was the way you did it that stunk."
"But it seemed to be going so well. At least until I got to the training method for the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken."
Akane sighed shaking her head. "You told them about a technique where you repeatedly try to retrieve chestnuts from a roaring fire without burning your hands."
"When they said that was nuts I replied that it wasn't like I was teaching her the original method for the Bakusai Tenketsu where you are tied up and your senshi throws rocks at you. That is where things started going down hill."
Akane chuckled. "Even after 1,000 years you still find ways to stick your foot in your mouth, baka."
"Given the reaction I got, baka is right but I don't know why," said Wiseman.
"I have a good idea as to why and I think my Ranma does as well," said Akane looking up at Wiseman. "Sun Tzu and martial arts are more than just the mortar that holds Nemesis together. I think they have become the core of your world. You and everyone one else on Nemesis thinks in terms of one or both of those concepts. You can't understand people who wouldn't know Sun Tzu from the American orange Sunkist and whose knowledge of martial arts likely is more suited to a Kung Fu movie than a dojo."
Wiseman winced. "Kuso, we definitely have a problem."
~*~*RS*~*~
"Kuso. Mercury, I asked you a simple question," yelled Neo-Queen Serenity in an abandoned warehouse in the Azabu-Juuban section of Minato. "I didn't ask about heart beats, breathing, brain activity, or anything else. I asked can if you detect life ki in anyone here aside from myself. I order you to tell me!"
Mercury stiffened slightly. "You are the only one here who is showing any active life ki," she replied as Mars took a slight step back.
"You mean that youma you said was pretending to be Pluto wasn't lying?!" asked Jupiter.
"She also said Sailors Mars and Mercury knew," said Sailor Venus scowling at the two Sailor Senshi in question.
"Did you?" asked Neo-Queen Serenity softly.
"You have to understand that…" began Mars.
"All I want from you is a simple yes or no answer," said Neo-Queen Serenity in a cold voice as she looked at Mars. After a moment of silence she screamed at the fire senshi. "DID YOU KNOW?"
Mars blanched. "Yes," she squeaked.
"Mercury?"
Mercury winced. "Yes. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry," repeated Neo-Queen Serenity. "Did you two ever even consider the idea that perhaps that some day that Venus or Jupiter might want to start a family of their own? Were you two going to wait until the day of the wedding to tell them 'I'm sorry but you can't have kids because you're nothing more than a walking corpse animated by the magic of the Ginzuishou' or were you going to wait until they had tried to have children?" ranted the Queen of Crystal Tokyo.
"Neo-Queen Serenity, you have to understand we only discovered it by accident," said Mars. "I decided some 100 years after we banished the rebels to Nemesis that perhaps I should do a fire reading just to see what they might be up to. It felt wrong for some reason so I had Mercury see what was going on and that is when we found out. Since you were having problems with Small Lady not growing up, Venus hadn't chased a boy since the Great Freeze, and Jupiter didn't seem to be interested in any male, you didn't need to know that we may have been dead since our encounter with Queen Beryl."
"If we have been well preserved zombies since that time why didn't Mars find this out sooner?" asked Venus.
"Mercury thinks that I was unknowingly tapping in the latent ki energy of my grandfather for the two years after Beryl," said Mars.
"So to keep from hurting my feelings you decided to hide it and risk hurting those of two of your other friends," said Neo-Queen Serenity through narrowed eyes. "No wonder Saotome Ranma aka Wiseman has such a dim view of us; that sounds like something his FATHER would dream up!" she yelled.
"Whoa there your majesty," snapped back Mars. "Your old 'friend' is happily replacing us with youma. He had already replaced Pluto, you, and as I found out just today me."
"Kuso," groaned Venus putting her face in her hand. "Please tell me you didn't threaten or fire attacks at her."
"Of course I threatened that thing that was pretending to be me at the temple. It interrupted my attack, kneed me in the stomach, and ran off," replied Mars.
"YOU BAKA. YOU UTTER BUMBLING MORON! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU MAY HAVE DONE WITH YOUR HOT HEADED STUPIDITY?" exploded Venus.
"WHAT DO MEAN?" yelled back Mars. "THEY'RE YOUMA PRETENDING TO BE US."
"Four words you hot headed trigger happy baka: Pool of Drowned Youma," replied Venus her face red with anger. "Let me give you Ranma's exact words on the matter: on my honor as a martial artist I do swear that the person you just gut punched, the one Sailor Mercury met at the school, and the Sailor Pluto you originally met when you arrived in this time period are one in the same."
Mars promptly paled. "What?" she squeaked.
"Venus," said Neo-Queen Serenity her eyes cold with anger. "Were those Ranma's exact words?"
"Word for word," replied Venus.
"Mars, Mercury, I have to ask one thing," asked the Queen of Crystal Tokyo calmly. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE MOON WERE YOU THINKING?!" she exploded with a verbal force rivaling Saturn's Death Born Revolution. "Mars, I can accept as she always was a little reckless but; Mercury, you were always so calm and dedicated to research. What the hell happened?"
"I told you what happened. The youma that said it was Sailor Pluto tried to drain me and the youma that claimed it was you used its own shape shifting power to do the transformation and a ki blast as Moon Healing Escalation. If it had really been you it would have used Moon Kingdom magic. Then the real Sailor Moon showed up but as I said before there was something well wrong about her."
"You are sure what you saw was Sailor Moon and not Zoicite doing his little impression?" said Venus angrily.
"Well the first Sailor Moon was a youma…" started Mercury.
"So you didn't bother to check the second one," finished Venus. "I can't believe I am hearing this from you of all people, Mercury," yelled Venus. "Don't you recall the story Neo-Queen Serenity told us about that martial artist called Taro?"
"It was just a story of some martial artist trying to get his name changed with some water from the place Ranma got his curse," said Mars as Neo-Queen Serenity paled. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I don't believe this," replied Venus. "Here you were the one who always called her Meatball Head and yet in something this important it is you and Mercury who both go stupid."
"He thought he had the Spring of Drowned Virtuous Man," said Neo-Queen Serenity still pale as a ghost. The color quickly came back into her face as she turned to Mars and Mercury. "Wiseman already had them thinking I was like Queen Beryl and you two go off and make him look even more correct."
"Kuso," said Mercury her eyes widening in realization. "There were pools that affected the mind as well as the body."
"Now, she remembers," commented Sailor Venus sarcastically.
"But Sailor Moon was there coming in behind the youma that claimed it was Sailor Moon," reasoned Mercury.
"A Sailor Moon that you like a total vacuum brain did not scan, Mercury!" exploded Neo-Queen Serenity. "Did it occur to you that the second Sailor Moon could have been the fake?"
"You mean that youma I met really could have been my younger self?" asked Mars nervously.
"This is just great. My past-self already thought we were no better than Beryl thanks to Wiseman and his Black Moon Clan, but you two had to go all stupid and make his case for them."
"It is even worse than that," said Venus. "From what Pluto said your younger-self has already deemed us all narrow minded, egotistical, power crazed maniacs who are as much invaders as Beryl is."
"Invaders?" asked Neo-Queen Serenity surprised. "How can Pluto consider us invaders?"
"Because we are from a different time and now I suspect a different history as I don't remember anything even remotely like this mess," said Venus.
"Mess is right," said Neo-Queen Serenity scowling. "Knowing Ranma my younger-self is likely not at my old middle school anymore. The Tendo Dojo seems like the most logical place to start. Hopefully there is something I can salvage out of this."
"You're not going alone!" said Mars.
"No I am not, but if you think I am taking you or Mercury along you are out of your mind. Because of your blasted secret I have a daughter who basically hates my guts!"
"What?! How the hell do you figure that Mercury and I are to blame for that?!" yelled Mars.
"Because, Sailor Mushbrain, Tuxedo Mask also died that day," said Neo-Queen Serenity a tone of cold anger in her voice. "If he is like the rest of you then he is not Small Lady's father but rather the Ginzuishou is."
"That might explain her red eyes and pink hair but it doesn't explain why she couldn't grow up," said Mercury. "Even if she was some kind of genetically altered clone created by the Ginzuishou in response to your desire for a family she should have grown up at the same rate you did."
"It was the Ginzuishou responding to my desires that brought you four back as very well preserved walking and talking corpses so it's likely it somehow messed up my desire to have a family as well. If I had known that then perhaps I would have not spent 850 years going down dead ends trying to figure out why the hell I couldn't get my daughter to get past the physical age of 10!"
"Mercury you said that Wicked Lady compared her mother to Ranma's father at the school but you weren't clear as to why," said Jupiter. "If I had to guess I would say it was about this little piece of news."
"How do you figure that?" asked Mars nervous.
"All living things have ki," said Neo-Queen Serenity her eyes widening in realization. "The day I sent him to Nemesis Ranma jokingly said it was ironic that my honor guard had better ki masking abilities then even he did; he said it was like they were not even alive. He must have figured it out after he found the Jakokusuishou and became Wiseman."
Neo-Queen Serenity then scowled at Mars and Mercury. "If you insist that I don't go alone then I am taking Jupiter with me. Right now she seems to be the only Sailor Senshi whose appearance won't put my younger-self at Defcon 1."
~*~*RS*~*~
"Makoto, Ami, this is Black Wiseman," said Ranma into his communicator trying to keep the worry out of his voice. "Report your status."
"This is Makoto, Ranma; I'm fine. But my teacher would like to know what is going on."
"This is Ami, Ranma and I am fine. I'm with my mom on route to the dojo."
"What? The meeting is tonight not now."
"My mother was keeping me home to try and understand my new status when Rei come over the communicator."
"Wonderful. Makoto, given your teacher wants to know what is going on I take it your parents took it better."
"Ranma…my parents died in an airplane accident when I was very young," replied Makoto.
"What about your family?" asked Ranma frowning.
"You and the Grey Moon Clan are my family, Ranma. For the first time since my parents died I am not alone. I finally have something I can call a family again," replied Makoto happily.
Ranma looked at his communicator crystal in shock while his father walked up behind him.
"Pops…" said Ranma in a warning tone.
Ignoring the warning Genma sat next to his son. "Makoto, are you telling me that you have lived totally on your own since your parents died?" asked the elder martial artist.
"Does that surprise you, Genma? Oh what am I saying, of course it does because in your world girls are weak whinny little things."
"That is what my father taught me," said Genma frowning. "While nowhere near my son you have demonstrated great skill. Didn't you tell you sensei at least?"
"I have no formal sensei. My martial art is all self taught."
Genma and Ranma both looked at each other and then back at the communicator in shock.
"She's first Dan level and she's self taught," said Genma a grin starting to form. "Imagine what she could do under a formal senshi."
"True but you are not training her without supervision, Pops," said Ranma firmly. "You tend to be overzealous in training any technique that comes your way without seeing what the dangers are. One of the first things I am going to require is that Elder Cologne go over any ideas that you have before you train anyone in them."
"I'm hurt that you would trust the judgment of a dried up mummy over that of your own father," said Genma.
WHAM
"When he is stupid enough to insult someone standing right behind him, I certainly am," said Ranma as he looked at Cologne as a car pulled up. "Makoto, I think Ami's mother just showed up," said Ranma as a frowning woman in a white lab coat and Ami both got out. "Get back to you later."
"Wiseman?" asked Mizuno Saeko.
"One of them," sighed Ranma.
"I am Doctor Mizuno Saeko and my daughter just told me what happened," fumed the doctor as she approached. "Her body temperature is 10 degrees lower than it should be, her heart rate and blood pressure are low, and I don't dare give her any medications because I have no idea on how her youma body will react."
"Medications?" asked Aquatici.
"The people of this time did not have our martial arts ki training and so had to largely rely on chemical compounds to treat many illnesses," explained Blue Saphir.
"Much like your elixirs," commented Veneti.
Blue Saphir nodded. "Yes but they had to be used in many situations that simple ki techniques are used for now. The most extreme was something called chemotherapy." Blue Saphir shivered. "Ghastly method they used in treating diseases like cancer."
"Cancer? What's cancer?" asked Aquatici puzzled.
"It was an ancient disease where certain cells in the body would divide uncontrollably invading other tissues of the body as well as spreading to other locations in the body through the circulation or lymphatic systems. The result was generally premature death."
"Sounds like a nasty version of what we call tumor," said Aquatici.
"As near as I can tell from the records it is what happens if you don't proper treat tumor," said Blue Saphir. "The last such case was also the first time a youma used the ki healing methods we still employ to our present day; that is why cancer hasn't been seen since."
"You see, mom," said Ami excited. "This is why I became a youma."
Saeko blinked. "You can cure cancer?"
Blue Saphir reached into his robe and pulled out a small opaque ball made out of crystal. "I can't as no one on Nemesis has even seen the disease in nearly nine centuries but the method used like all medical achievements would be in the medical archive." Blue Saphir gestured with the hand that held the globe. "I can have a duplicate archive ready in about three hours."
"Saphir, I have one practical question," said Ranma. "Will Saeko be able to use it? From what I have seen everything you guys do regarding things like this involves the transfer of ki but not all martial arts teach that."
Saphir chuckled. "Medical archives were designed to be used in the case the user was unable to generate more than base levels of ki."
"Ranma…I mean Black Wiseman," said Wicked Lady running up. "Mother is on the move again. I think…she is coming here."
"Oh joy," groaned Ranma as a rain shower triggered Ranma's curse. Ranma then looked into the sky as Saeko stood there in shock. "I can already tell it is going to be one of those days."
Several minutes later Neo-Queen Serenity and Sailor Jupiter came down in front of the Tenjo house where Neo-Queen Serenity started to fidget.
"Looks like Neo-Queen Serenity doesn't know what to do," commented Ranma looking at the image in his black stone copy of the Time Gates.
"Given her idealism she likely here to try and salvage something out of this mess," responded Wicked Lady.
"This is the leader of the people that attacked my daughter's school?" asked Saeko.
"Yes, but…" was all Ranma got out before Saeko was out of the dojo. "Oh, Kuso."
~*~*RS*~*~
Neo-Queen Serenity fidgeted trying to decide how to best approach the situation when a woman looking like an older version of Ami in a lab coat emerged from the front gates followed by Ranma in his black robe, Rei, Ami, Mistress 9, her daughter, Sailor Moon, Luna, a strange little old lady on a staff, a reptilian-looking youma, and most of the Black Moon Clan.
"I thought my presence was supposed help calm things down," said Jupiter.
"Saeko, calm down," said Ranma.
Saeko turned and looked at Ranma. "Calm down? This maniac's friends attacked my daughter's school and have her so terrified of her own future that she decided that changing races based on water temperature was the safer option."
Neo-Queen Serenity felt a chill go down her spine. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"She is talking about Spring of Drowned Youma, Meatball Head," said Rei.
Neo-Queen Serenity promptly paled and looked at Ami. "Mercury…" Neo-Queen Serenity began.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" yelled Ami. "Sailor Mercury is dead. She died 12,000 years ago in another fucking universe. I would have known enough not to senselessly engage a potential enemy in a crowded place like a school. I would have enough sense to at least see if what I was being told was plausible before letting my friend use somebody as target practice. That thing you brought along with you that you call Sailor Mercury IS NOT ME!" finished Ami yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Perhaps this would go better is you addressed us by our actual names, Meatball Head" said Rei frowning. "Unless the reason you don't is because you don't remember anymore. Just as it is clear your Sailor Senshi wouldn't remember Love or Justice if it walked up and shook their blasted hand!" she finished her skin turning bright orange.
"You're slipping," said Ranma.
Rei blinked and looked at her hand. "Great, does this mean that you start trying to blast me like my future self did at the shrine?"
"Neither Venus nor I were happy when we were able to pry additional information out of Mercury and Mars regarding what happened," said Serenity. She then sighed. "Ranma, I need to ask this. What exactly is going on with Mistress 9 and her host?"
"Ranma has been training me to generate more ki so our relationship can become a symbiotic one rather than parasitic," said Mistress 9 scowling. "It's not like she planned this." Mistress 9 then closed her eyes and after a moment reopened them. "I asked my host to let me address you directly," said Mistress 9 her voice sounding lower and more mature than moments ago. "An accident caused by my host's father attracted Pharaoh 90 to this world from his native world in the Tau Ceti system and he made an offer; in return for providing access to this world I was to reanimate his just killed daughter."
Mistress 9 scowled again. "I was supposed to be animating a soulless corpse but her soul hadn't left yet and I would up tied to it and that triggered an ability to heal others. However the people around her treated her so badly she was trying to embrace the Silence on nearly a weekly basis. During a particularly bad encounter I pushed myself forward, found myself helpless, and then somehow tapped the future Wiseman's Jakokusuishou using it in place of the power I was originally supposed to have gained from Pharaoh 90 if this body had been the soulless husk it was supposed to be. Though him I found Pharaoh 90 considered me the same way as I had my host—a tool to be used and discarded. I also found Wiseman's power to be very similar to that of myself and Pharaoh 90, and he had a method that would allow me to be in this body for decades rather than burning it out in a few years. The choice was obvious, with Wiseman I had a chance of survival but with Pharaoh 90 I had none."
"We finally got around to looking into why the energy was similar when my futureself essentially collapsed from exhaustion," said Ranma. "It was yin energy generated not from the Jakokusuishou but from the Ginzuishou and it was 12,000 years old."
Neo-Queen Serenity started shaking her head mouthing the word 'no' over and over again.
"The youma said the energy was similar to the being that has kept Beryl alive all these centuries but even with the Mercury computer I couldn't confirm that," said Ami. "I could show that Pharaoh 90's Tau Ceti claim was a lie as it would have taken 12 years for light to have reached the system and baring any form of FTL travel 12 years for him to get here."
"FTL?" asked the future Jupiter.
"Faster than Light," said Ami. "Normally nothing can go faster than the speed of light in a particular medium. That means Pharaoh 90 had to be close by when the explosion happened."
"When Ami informed me of this, I realized that while I believed I came from a Tau Ceti world I couldn't recall one thing about it. Not one blasted detail," said Mistress 9 with a calm fury.
"We don't have all the details and given the passage of time involved we may never know all the facts but one thing is certain," said Ranma. "The Metaria creature that has kept Beryl alive all these centuries and Pharaoh 90 both have ties to the last battle of the Moon Kingdom. Now as to what those ties are…I have no more clue than my future-self Purple Wiseman does."
"Are you telling me my mother, Queen Serenity, created that Pharaoh 90 thing?!" screeched Neo-Queen Serenity.
"While it may look that way we are not sure," admitted Ranma. "There are a host of things that point elsewhere."
"Like the fact my memory and Pluto's are both blanks for that period of time and the Time Gates can't see anything of that event?" asked Luna.
"That coupled with the fact that someone had to move Luna and Pluto to this universe from their own indicates that whatever survived the last war of the Moon Kingdom is responsible." said Sailor Moon in a total monotone.
Neo-Queen Serenity blinked. "Ooookaaaay, now I know what Mercury meant by 'wrong'; I never talked like that." Neo-Queen looked at Ranma scowling. "Since it is becoming painfully clear that Mercury and Mars at best only knew part of what was going on, how about you fill me on a few details. You can start with why my past-self is talking like an even more withdrawn version of Mercury."
"Your inquiry is based on the incorrect assumption that I am your past-self," said Sailor Moon her voice totally monotonic. "Taro decided the best way to test the Jusenkyo water he had was to pour it on us. This resulted in Tsukino Usagi and myself being split into two separate people."
"The problem was it didn't interact well with Moon Millennium magic," said Ranma. "This Sailor Moon is nothing more than the powers given human form and consciousness. Tsukino Usagi kept all the emotions but had none of the power."
"I think I am seeing where this is going," said Neo-Queen Serenity. "So somebody came up with the bright idea of using Pool of Drowned Youma on Usagi to fix this problem," said Neo-Queen Serenity shaking her head.
"She was supposed to choose if to use the cask not stubble into the blasted thing," said Pluto's voice right behind Neo-Queen Serenity.
Neo-Queen Serenity jumped and spun around glaring at the person behind her. "Pluto!" she hissed.
"Not anymore. I am now Chronos Aeon, the Guardian of the Time Gates. I am part of the Grey Moon Clan not some Kingdom that died 12,000 years ago in another universe," Chronos Aeon said scowling.
"Chronos Aeon?" asked Ranma.
"Pluto and his Greek counterpart Hades were gods of the underworld," explained Chronos Aeon. "I just didn't like that association and decided on the Greek personification of time Chronos for the family name and Aeon meaning 'long time' or 'Age' for the given name. I think this better fits my position; don't you agree, Black Wiseman?"
"I don't care what you call yourself, what I want to know why you thought using a pool that turned us into what we were fighting was a good idea," fumed Neo-Queen Serenity. "While we are at is what is with this Black Wiseman and Grey Moon Clan stuff?"
"It was clear that Sailor Moon would no longer be able to lead the Sailor Senshi. The only viable option for a relatively quick power up without her living Ranma's life was Spring of Drowned Youma. In testing the water I discovered that my power up worked in youma form," grinned Chronos Aeon as her skin turned deep green causing both Jupiter and Neo-Queen Serenity to take a reflexive step backwards.
"Usagi decided to create something that was half way between your idealistic Crystal Tokyo and specter Wiseman's pragmatic Black Moon Clan," said Sailor Moon in her monotonic voice. "The name changes are a logical way to separate her creation from your two specter groups."
Luna took several steps toward Ranma clearly nervous. "Ranma…I mean Black Wiseman, this Sailor Moon is creeping me out," Luna said.
"With good reason," said Ranma his expression unreadable with the hood over his head. "Not only is her voice devoid of human emotion but her movements are becoming less human and more, I guess I would have to say, mechanical."
"Wicked Lady said your Cleansing you turned ever man, woman, and child on Earth into what Sailor Moon is—an emotionless human robot," said Ami pointing to Sailor Moon. "Knowing I helped you turn very person on Earth into that and that my own future-self and Rei's were trigger happy, racist, egotistical, paranoid undead maniacs it is any wonder I used the Pool of Drowned Youma?" asked Ami as tears started running down her face. "I want to be a doctor not a dictator and if changing into a youma part of the time prevents me from being the later that is a price I am fully willing to pay."
Ranma nodded in understanding. "Makoto used the water so she could have a family again. You used it to become a better doctor. Rei, perhaps you can explain to the Queen of Crystal Tokyo why you choose to use the water."
"What?" whimpered Neo-Queen Serenity. "Are you telling me you all used the Pool of Drowned Youma and became what you are fighting?!"
"Hold it right there, Meatball Head," retorted Rei. "We used the Pool of Drowned Youma not Pool of Drowned Queen Beryl. Your past-self chewed me out for trying to attack a youma simply because it was a youma rather then on what it was doing. I realized later that I was becoming just like the totally trigger happy bigoted psycho that tried to take a pot shot at Purple Wiseman in a crowd and I wanted no part of that future."
"So what happens next?" asked Neo-Queen Serenity angrily. "Turn all of the Sailor Senshi into Youma Senshi?"
"Not at all," commented Ranma. "Sailor Saturn chose to remain as she is and we still have Sailor Venus to make her choice." Ranma shrugged. "She may choose to remain human. The Grey Moon clan doesn't really care about the race of its members, only their wiliness to embrace the code of the clan as a way of life."
"And what code is that?" asked Saeko curious.
"Protect and be willing to train those weaker than yourself while learning and following the teachings of Sun Tzu. Always be on the look out for new ideas and techniques that can be used for the good of the clan and its goals," said Ranma.
Neo-Queen Serenity frowned memories of just why Ranma had been the Sailor Senshi's most difficult foe came back. It had not simply been a matter of skill but that his goals were so similar to the Senshi's own. Fighting world conquering happy maniacs like Beryl was one thing; fighting someone whose goals were very similar to your own was something else.
"What is your role in all this?" asked Neo-Queen Serenity.
"I am the Advisor of the clan," said Ranma. "It is my duty and responsibility to inform the clan head of details they have missed, forgotten, or may be unaware of."
"Clan head? You mean king or queen," said future Jupiter.
Ranma laughed. "Hardly. Any fool can claim the tile of Queen or King. The position of clan head is based on achievement and merit not on the luck of finding some magical boost."
"Well said, Black Wiseman," said the reptilian youma moving beside Ranma. "Beryl may call herself Queen but she is nothing but food that doesn't know its place. If not for that Metaria being we would have pulled her off that throne of hers and taken turns using her as our plaything centuries ago."
"In case either of you two get any stupid ideas about trying to attack Rept, I can put up a Silence Wall up before you finish casting your attacks," said Mistress 9 her thumb rubbing the glaive she was holding.
"Mistress 9 is right to worry; my mother is to well intentioned but stupid ideas as Genma is to greedy but stupid ideas," said Wicked Lady.
"In my father's case that should be greedy and stupid ideas," commented Ranma, "but point made."
"Neo Queen Serenity, it is not just us you have issues with," said Sailor Moon her monotonic voice now sending chills down Neo-Queen Serenity's spine. "When the specter of Wiseman found out my condition was like the people you cleansed he became quite upset."
"Kuso," said Ranma. "I just realized something," he continued giving a forced laugh. "Who remembers Purple Wiseman's exact words on the Cleansing when he figured out what it actually did?"
Wicked Lady promptly paled. "He said 'if your mother doesn't undo this so help me I swear upon my honor as a martial artist I am going to show her exactly when happened to Sa Fulang in our first battle with her in the role of Sa Fulang.'"
Neo-Queen Serenity paled and her eyes widened as she looked at Ranma. "But you killed Sa Fulang in your first battle with him," she whispered.
Ranma sighed. "Not me but the Ranma of your world your time did. Neo-Queen Serenity, you have got to realize just how far you have pushed this with Purple Wiseman and the Black Moon Clan." Ranma removed his hood his face devoid of his trademark smirk. "This isn't Ryoga going 'Ranma, prepare to die'; this is a future version of me saying that if you don't undo your stupidity he will kill you."
Ranma folded his arms. "That is not an egotistical boast. By Purple Wiseman's account it took your Pluto doing something underhanded to end the war you had with him and he has continued to improve his skills since then. Given your utopia world I would hazard what skill you did acquire has shrunk to near nothing from non-use. If you could at best fight him to a standstill 1,000 years ago what will the outcome be this time around be, especially if he gets in a 'screw this, let's just kill the airheaded nitwit and be done with it' mode?"
Neo-Queen Serenity's bottom lip quivered as she looked at her daughter. Wicked Lady shook her head as she pulled out the Ginzuishou. "I know what you are thinking and like it or not the Black Moon Clan is my family now. Even if Purple Wiseman is right and the Ginzuishou is messing up my perceptions thanks to all the yin ki now in it, I know what you have done to the people of Earth in our time is wrong on too many levels."
"Damn it, if Mars and Mercury had only told me when they found out instead of setting on this for 800 years…" Neo-Queen Serenity began ranting.
"Why would they, mother?" asked Wicked Lady gesturing to the Ginzuishou. "May I remind you that you actually considered using this to Cleanse me of my 'evil' thoughts many centuries later. Perhaps they knew if they told you that you would try to 'fix' things and make them worse."
"She tried to do what?!" bellowed the voice of Genma causing everyone to look at him.
"Oh, look who is back in the world of the conscious, more or less; though in his case how can you tell?" quipped Wicked Lady.
Genma looked at Wicked Lady his scowl changing to a frown. "I guess my eagerness to train the boy and seeking the easy path to do so does warrant that comment." Genma then scowled as his gaze returned to Neo-Queen Serenity. "But neither excuse what you did."
"What I did?" retorted Neo-Queen Serenity. "Saotome Genma, considering your son's description of your idea on training you are the one person who has no right to criticize me."
"On the contrary, I am the one person who has every right to criticize you because when you get right down to it you and I are the same," said Genma.
"THE SAME?!" exploded Neo-Queen Serenity. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"How dare I?" retorted Genma as he advanced on Neo-Queen Serenity. "Damn right I dare. Wasn't turning me into a pathetic salary man enough? You tried to use a magical rock that you clearly had no idea how to properly control on your own flesh and blood and the consequences be damned. Tell me Neo-Queen Hypocrite, how that is anyway different than my teaching the boy the Neo-ken?"
Neo-Queen Serenity opened and closed her month in shock like a goldfish.
"If anything you are worse because you knew what the Cleansing did. It turned everyone you used the damn thing on into that," finished Genma pointing to Sailor Moon.
Ranma walked up beside his father his hand coming to rest on Genma's shoulder. "I never thought I would say this but on this Pops is totally right. Though decking her is not a good idea, Pops."
"That obvious?" asked Genma.
"That obvious," replied Ranma, "besides Queen Airhead doesn't know martial arts."
Genma's gaze shifted to Sailor Jupiter. "Is she like the others?"
"If you mean like her Venus, yes," said Ranma wincing. "No active ki what so ever. The only ki in her body is what is flowing into it from the surrounding area."
Genma nodded as he frowned in thought. "That means unlike Makoto, she can't improve in terms of martial arts."
Ranma blinked and looked at Genma an expression of shocked realization on his face as the voice of Tsukino Ikuko cried out.
"Usagi, please come home," pleased Tsukino Ikuko as she ran up to Neo-Queen Serenity. "We're sorry we didn't try to listen to what Wiseman and Mistress 9 were trying to tell us and caused you to run away," continued the woman grasping Neo-Queen Serenity's hands.
"Ikuko, that is no more Tsukino Usagi then Wiseman is me," said Ranma sadly.
Ikuko turned a puzzled expression on her face. "What?"
"What my ancestor is trying to awkwardly say is that is Neo-Queen Serenity who you are currently talking to," said Prince Demando.
"You know, the one your husband called an egotistical psychotic vigilante," said Sailor Moon in her calm monotone.
"Oh yeh, and he called Queen Beryl a power crazy world conquer happy nut job," commented Ranma.
"Actually he called Queen Beryl a power crazy megalomaniac," said Sailor Moon.
"There's a difference?" asked Ranma.
"Technically no but…" started Sailor Moon.
"Are you saying the woman who had our daughter terrified out of her wits enough to run away from home is her own future?!" asked Ikuko stunned.
"My older self tried to explain this before," replied Ranma scowling. "You and your husband were too busy screaming like a pair of total maniacs about him and the Black Moon Clan endangering your daughter to really listen. Now as I see it..." was all Ranma got about before Ikuko turned around and grabbed Neo-Queen Serenity by the ear and twisted it.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," said Ikuko as Neo-Queen Serenity started to plead with her mother about the pain she was getting from her ear as she was dragged back to the Tendo back yard.
"Ok, if Neo-Queen Serenity's mom is this pissed off with her antics why didn't she step in sooner and stop this nonsense?" asked a somewhat stunned Ranma.
"Because she died with all the remaining families of the Sailor Senshi thanks to Snow Princess Kaguya and Pharaoh 90," said Sailor Jupiter scowling at Mistress 9.
"Did we raise you so poorly that once we were gone you turned into some form of will draining conquer the world maniac?" asked Ikuko tears now running down her face still holding Neo-Queen Serenity's ear.
"Grandma, I don't think this is what the term 'having the ear of the Queen' means," said Wicked Lady nervously.
Ikuko looked at Wicked Lady a puzzled expression again on her face. "Grandma?"
"Remember the part about Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter coming back in time to fix a problem she had?" asked Ranma. "Well, this is the daughter," he said gesturing with his thumb.
Ikuko frowned looking Wicked Lady over and then back at Neo-Queen Serenity. "You treated your own daughter do badly that she thought you didn't love her causing her to run away through time?!" Ikuko bellowed.
"What do you know she did actually listen to what little my older-self got out even if she did mess up on the details," remarked Ranma sarcastically.
Ikuko turned and shot Ranma a dirty look. "What do you mean I got the details wrong?"
"Why don't we go through this again and this time you listen." Ranma then glanced to the side. "Rept, go Furinkan High School and tell Purple Wiseman and Usagi what is going on. With the way things are going I think we may have to move up the meeting."
"Furinkan High School?!" bellowed Ikuko. "What is my daughter doing in that madhouse?!"
Ranma winced. "I think you better hurry."
~*~*Furinkan High School*~*~
Usagi blinked as a girl looking about the same age as Mistress 9's host sat a stack of books on the desk and wrote the name Ninomiya Hinako on the board.
"Hello class, I'm Ninomiya Hinako. The principle hired me to teach you and deal with the delinquents that have been causing problems."
"Isn't that the name of the person who changed age by draining ki?" Usagi asked Wiseman.
"Yep," said Wiseman as the door slammed open revealing a youma in human form.
"Queen Eclipse, Purple Wiseman, you are needed at the Tendo Dojo," said the youma.
Hinako scowled pulling out a coin. "Who are you and what are you doing interrupting my class?"
The youma turned and cocked its head. "I'm Rept prospective member of the Grey Moon Clan. I didn't mean to intrude on your feeding grounds but this is important to the welfare of my clan."
"Feeding grounds?" asked Usagi standing.
"It's a part of youma etiquette to avoid needless conflicts and battles," said Wiseman standing. "This particular one in altered form survives into my time."
Hinako turned to Wiseman now frowning. "Your time?"
"I am Saotome Ranma as he would be in one future some 1,000 years from now," said Wiseman. "It appears that we have family issues back home that require our attention."
Hinako nodded clearly not happy. "You two may go."
As the threesome left the school grounds Usagi glanced over to Wiseman. "I thought you said Ninomiya-senshi was human."
"She was powering up her ki draining technique; the amount of ki she was generating in that coin made reading her personal ki difficult if not impossible."
Rept stopped in shock. "That was a human?!"
Wiseman and Usagi looked at each other and chuckled. "Welcome to Nerima ward." They then grabbed the still stunned Rept and continued on to the dojo.
~*~*Nerima Ward*~*~
Chiba Mamoru roof hopped the buildings of Nerima in his identity as Tuxedo Mask concerned that his ability to sense the Sailor Senshi being in danger seemed scrambled. Glancing down he nearly slammed into a wall at what he was seeing—a human and youma walking down the street and not one person reacting to the situation. Carefully moving down he tried to see if he could overheard anything.
"Did you like it, Orana?" asked the human.
"Yes, Taro," replied the youma in a voice that sounded nearly like a purr as it ran her hand down the human's chest. "The Grey Moon Clan will be so impressed with you."
"Kunzite didn't seem impressed," said Taro.
Orana snorted. "He still supports the boosted bitch Beryl who did nothing to earn her station. I much prefer Queen Eclipse's attitude who even as clan head feels she needs to prove herself. That is what my old Doom and Gloom Girl Clan needed, not some human who felt she could sit around for nearly 12,000 years giving orders just because some energy being boosted her powers."
"Still the 'build an empire this world has never seen' claim is a tall order," said Taro. "I would feel a litter more comfortable about the sweeping away Beryl and the remnants of Moon Kingdom statements if I knew a little more about them."
"Ah yes, the concept of knowing your enemy as well as you know yourself," replied Orana. "There are times I feel like a fool," her voice less jovial as the couple turned down a street. "Here I was treating all humans as food when there were such wondrous potential mates such as you," Orana finished as she stopped in front of one house. "Well here we are, my mate."
"This…this is the Tendo Dojo," said Taro
"Hello Taro, I see Orana has chosen you a mate," said a male voice.
Taro spun around. "Femboy?"
"And friends," said Usagi her face a blank mask.
"You're…you're."
"The girl who you dumped the Spring of Drowned Twins on," said Usagi stoically who then hugged Taro laughing. "Thank you."
"Thank you?" repeated Taro.
Usagi giggled as she opened the gate. "If not for you Pluto would have never gone for the Spring of Drowned Youma. Right, Wiseman, Rept?"
"Of course," said the second girl smiling.
"Definitely," said Wiseman.
Usagi took two steps through the gates then her eyes widened. Her eyes narrowing she broke into a run.
"Kuso, I am getting sloppy, how the hell did I miss her?" said Wiseman.
"Miss who?" asked Rept.
"Neo-Queen Serenity I presume," said Usagi her skin turning a whitish grey.
"Usagi?" asked the voice of Ikuko.
"Mom?" asked Usagi surprised as she turned.
"Usagi, what in the world did you did to yourself?"
"You really did it," said Neo-Queen Serenity taking a step back. "I didn't want to believe it but you really did turn yourself into a youma. Are you that frightened of me?"
"All she needs is to look at her Sailor Moon and see the bright new future you have planned, mother," said Wicked Lady. "Regardless of how messed up my perceptions are you thanks to all the yin energy I have picked up I know one thing is true: no matter how well intentioned it was, what you did was wrong."
"But I thought I created a perfect world," cried Neo-Queen Serenity.
"Perfect worlds only exist in dreams," said Wiseman shaking his head. "That was always the difference between us—you were the idealist while I was the pragmatist." Wiseman chuckled. "The ironic thing is we were both forced into positions neither of us desired. Forces beyond our control made us into what we are."
"That is true of all living things," said Sailor Moon in a cold monotone. "What you do with the results is what is important."
"Sailor Moon, are you alright?" asked Tuxedo Mask jumping down.
"Tuxedo Mask, the stranger whose idea of help is to throw roses and make speeches," said Sailor Moon in her cold monotone. "Combat prowess: unknown."
"Uhhh, you sure that was Spring of Drowned Twins I had and not Spring of Creepy Robotic Double?" asked Taro nervously.
Ranma and Wiseman both face palmed.
"Taro, this really wasn't the time to bring that up," said Ranma.
"Hoof and mouth disease in freaking sequence," groaned Wiseman.
Ikuko slowly turned to face Taro anger burning in her eyes. "So you are the Taro person who is responsible for using my daughter as if she a test subject."
Orana cocked her head. "Your daughter seemed happy about the situation."
Ikuko blinked and slowly turned to her daughter. "What?"
"I was seriously wondering if I should even continue being Sailor Moon after meeting this," Usagi said scowling at Neo-Queen Serenity, "But I continued because I didn't see any other options. Taro may have done what he did out of selfishness but it did cause Pluto to go and get the cask of water. It wasn't her fault that I stumbled into the thing."
Rei shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it seems so strange to hear that kind of calm reasoned response out of you."
Usagi smiled sadly. "Seeing Neo-Queen Serenity, losing the ability to become Sailor Moon, becoming a part time youma that resulted in future versions of my best friends trying to blow my head off forced me to grow up. I have to treat this seriously because Neo-Queen Serenity and her messed up future is the result if I don't."
Neo-Queen Serenity took another step back as if slapped resulting in Jupiter comforting Usagi. "And your idea of treating this seriously is to turn into and ally with the very forces we are supposed to be fighting?!" asked Jupiter.
"What the blazes is wrong with you?!" exploded Usagi. "The way you are talking you make it sound like we are going to give this world to Queen Beryl on a silver platter. Get it through your thick skulls—youma are living thinking beings with as much right to life as humans!" Usagi screamed. "They are only our enemies because they for so long thought Beryl was their only hope of survival." Usagi then gestured to the Black Moon Clan. "Purple Wiseman and his future show that with the right mindset humans and youma can coexist. If you don't get out of this 'the only good youma is a dead youma' mindset fast you won't have to worry about Purple Wiseman killing you because when I am done with you there won't be anything for him to worry about!" finished Usagi the nails on her right hand growing three inches long.
Ranma frowned and grabbed Usagi's hand by the wrist. "'He who is quick tempered can be insulted,' so says Sun Tzu," he said.
Usagi blinked and nodded as she looked at Ranma's hand holding her wrist. "Thank you, Advisor Black Wiseman." Usagi lowered her head in thought. "In your time you consider the Sailor Senshi your family, don't you?"
"Of course," said Neo-Queen Serenity.
"Purple Wiseman, what are the most important aspects of a family?" asked Usagi.
"Love, respect, honesty,…and trust," he said meaningfully not realizing both Genma and Nodoka had winced on the final word.
Usagi looked up straight into Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes. "I would hazard you never trusted your original families to tell them what was really going on. With that foundation how could you trust each other when you became a family?"
Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes widened as she took a step back.
"That is why we are having a meeting with our families present tonight," said Usagi scowling. "No more needless secrets, no more half truths, no more lies, in short, no more behaving like we are better versions of Genma."
Neo-Queen Serenity's mouth hung open for a moment. She then covered her face with her hands and ran from the Tendo compound crying. Jupiter looked at Usagi frowning. "How could you do that to her? She is your own future."
"Not any more," said Usagi.
Still frowning the future Jupiter turned and ran after her Queen.
"Mom, that could have gone better," said Wicked Lady.
Usagi sighed her shoulders slumping as she shook her head. "With the preconceptions she had going into this I wonder if there was any other way it could have gone. It just hurts knowing that she could have been my future."
Rept came over and dropping her human disguise put her arm around Usagi causing Ikuko to reflectively step back and Tuxedo Mask to tense. "But your future is still yours, Eclipse."
Usagi looked at Rept while putting her hand over the youma's. "You're right, Rept." Usagi turned toward her mother and smiled. "It's all right, mom. This is Rept a potential candidate to the Grey Moon Clan. She wouldn't knowingly hurt me."
"No, I wouldn't willing hurt the head of the clan I intend to be part of," said Rept, "especially one that wants to prove herself rather than simply claiming a title."
"Prove or improve?" asked Ranma grinning.
Usagi giggled. "Good pun."
Ikuko let out a sigh. "I think you better bring us all up to date as to what is going on."
Ranma sighed. "That was what the meeting tonight was supposed to address. We wanted to avoid some of the many mistakes that happened in my life by bringing this whole thing good, bad, and problematic out into the open to all the families involved as much as possible."
"To paraphrase an old adage, 'no plan survives contact with Nerima,'" said Wiseman chuckling.
"I take it everyone else decided to stay at the school," stated Ranma.
"Actually Rept only specifically asked for Purple Wiseman and me," said Usagi.
"Ahh, that explains it," said Ranma nodding. Ranma then gestured to Ami's mother. "Rept, this is Saeko, Honor Guard Ami's mother; she is a human healer."
Rept nodded her head smiling. "Excellent. Healers are rare and therefore highly desired clan members. Given Purple Wiseman's Black Moon Clan I don't see that it will be difficult to teach her how to heal youma which in turn will facilitate Honor Guard Ami's desire to become a healer herself."
"This is Ikuko, your potential clan head's mother," continued Ranma.
Rept's smile didn't waver. "You have the same attitude toward Neo-Queen Serenity as Eclipse does. I approve."
"Eclipse?"
"The name I chose as clan head to help confuse Beryl," explained Usagi.
"Before this goes any further shouldn't we have Honor Guard Rei's family here?" asked Rept.
Rei looked down sadly. "My mother died when I was young and the only time I see my father is on my birthday. My grandfather is the only real family I have and given his Shinto training he may have a hard time accepting this."
"We have two of the three girls with families here might as well have the third," said Ranma.
"I'll go get him," said Sa Fulang. "The Sailor Senshi likely don't remember me and they certainly won't know my female form."
"Ok, I'll help Kasumi make snacks," said Ranma.
~*~*Author's comments*~*~
This was more of a resolve some plot danglers and set up new threads chapter than anything else.