The Delightful Hulkusagi! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Ranma ½ and other genres belong their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 10: "The Gray Moon!" (V)
Meanwhile…
CHUNK!
Hummmmm…
From another "Crystal Point" location, this time it was at the "Juuban Supermarket", Mamoru Chiba activates his Heisenberg Compensator. It hums, sweetly, as Mamoru steps back.
"The device is working, Serenity," Mamoru said, over his communicator. "But I am worried that it could be tampered with later on."
Over at the last Crystal Point location, the "Lucky Charm House", Serenity was putting the final touches of the last Heisenberg Compensator.
"Excellent," Serenity said, as she spoke through her wireless, mobile communications earpiece. "I'm about to activate my compensator as well."
"Serenity, I understand what the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is, but how will these devices help us?" Mamoru asked.
"Essentially, I have dominion of the Moon, and everything relating to it, which includes magic, shape-shifting and the like. Unfortunately, I do not have the power to have absolute dominion over these things, which is why I can't maintain control over this body…"
Pause.
"However, these compensators will allow us to manipulate probability in such a way, that I WILL have full control over the Moon's power, rather than simply tap it either as Sailor Moon or as the Moon Princess. What MIGHT be possible WILL become probable. In other words, by controlling random chaos, even briefly, I will control the power of the Moon. Once I have that control, I can re-write the paradigm of this world. And once THAT happens…well, not only will Crystal Tokyo be a reality, but I can get rid of Usagi Tsukino, once and for ALL."
"I…see," Mamoru said, somewhat sorrowfully.
"Mamoru, I can tell by the sound of your voice that you disagree with my idea of getting rid of her?" Serenity asked.
"Well, I never thought she was a bad person…just misguided."
"Misguided or not, either she exists, or I do. And if I do, we can be together, even if Ranma Saotome tries to stop us."
"But what if he does?"
"Well, then I have a special 'gift' in store for 'him'. If he fancies himself to be my protector and guardian, right? Then he will continue to fulfill that role, but not in the manner that he thinks. HOHOHOHOHOHOHO-!"
Mamoru gulps. The more he participates in this plan of Princess Serenity, the more he was beginning to wonder if he was right in helping her.
Meanwhile, in a nearby 'mindscape'…
"Oh, no!" Usagi said, as she realizes what Princess Serenity had in store for Ranma. "I got to get OUT of here and do something-!"
"It was always within your power to change your Fate, my former student," said a deep, booming voice. "But your fear of being seen less-than-feminine tends to cloud your true potential…"
Usagi whirls around until she sees one of her former master…
"Master Raoh!" Usagi said, as she bows before the Hokuto Shinken (i.e. "Devine Big Dipper Fist", or simply "The God Fist").
"You remember," Raoh said. "I'm surprised."
Usagi's mind is drawn to the day that she had first met the martial arts master…
FLASHBACK!
"Where are we NOW?" Usagi screamed, as she laments being stuck in a post-nuclear wasteland.
Ranma sighs. Ever since finding themselves on an Earth, where most of the world's population died in a nuclear, he and his companions found themselves fending off marauders on one hand, and mutants, demons and monsters on the other. Before their arrival, their space ship, upon entering their present dimension, had crashed somewhere in the Gobi Desert, in western China. Since then, Usagi, Ranma and their companions Hoshi Sato (a Japanese national from the 22nd century) and the elf-like alien (called a "Vulcan") named "T'Pol" were roaming the lands, in an effort to find a way off that post-Apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, along the way, a band of marauders had kidnapped a number of women in the surrounding area, including Hoshi and T'Pol. Now, their friends Ranma and Usagi are on a new quest: to get back their friends back from the wilderness that is "Rifts Earth"…
Usagi turns towards her companion.
"That was a bit much, wasn't it?" Usagi said with a broad grin.
"Always-" Ranma replied, before he felt something.
Usagi notices how distracted her companion was.
"Ranma…?"
"There," Ranma said, as he turns towards the direction of a great chasm. He rushes forward towards it.
"Ranma, wait up!" Usagi said, as she runs after Ranma. She then stops right before the chasm itself.
"Ranma, why did you-?"
"You feel that?" Ranma said.
Humoring her companion, Usagi closes her eyes…
"I feel…a pure spirit," Usagi said. "Injured…hurt-!"
"Then, we need to help who or what that 'spirit'," Ranma said, as he pulls off his pack, and begins to strap on climbing gear and rope.
"Ranma, it could be dangerous down there," Usagi said with concern.
"Then, I want you to stay here, just in case," Ranma said, as he turns towards Usagi. "Just in case…"
Ranma takes Usagi's face in her hands, and kisses her lips.
"Be back shortly," Ranma said, after breaking the kiss, but before he leaps into the chasm.
"Ranma…"
A few months later, Ranma, Usagi and their new companion Kenshiro (or simply Ken), the man with the seven chest wounds that formed the Big Dipper, are sparring near some caves that Ranma and Usagi had found, after Ranma had retrieved Ken's near lifeless body from the chasm. Ken was making a remarkable recovery, after his new friends managed to patch him up.
WHAM!
Ken manages to take the blow, as he slid backwards. However, he still maintained his ground.
"Ken!" Usagi said, as she stopped her actions. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, if a little stiff," Ken replied. He liked the fact that there were others who appreciated martial arts for its aesthetics besides their ability to inflict deadly force.
"Well, we can stop for now," Ranma said. "Besides, I'm hungry."
"Fine," Ken replied. "I could use the break, too."
As the trio sat down to eat, taking advantage of the coolness of their cave, Usagi brought up cooked lizard meat.
"I hope you guys like reptile, because that's all Ranma could catch and kill," Usagi said.
"Well, as long as you made it edible, we should be fine," Ranma said with a smirk.
"Biiiii!" Usagi replied, as she stuck out her tongue.
"I'm sure it'll taste okay, considering that it's all we have to eat," Ken replied.
"Well, dig in," Usagi said.
As the trio ate, Ken's mind was in a whirl. This did not go unnoticed.
"Ken, what's up?" Ranma asked.
"I was thinking about my own mortality, Ranma," Ken replied.
"What about it?"
"Had you two not been around, I might have died."
"I'm sure someone else would have done something," Usagi said. "Besides, you know enough pressure points to stop the excessive bleeding."
"Perhaps, but I was thinking: what would have happened if I did die? My Art, the Hokuto Shinken would have been lost."
Pause.
"And another thing: Shin was right when he said that I couldn't protect Julia. My…Art was not strong enough."
"That's bull-crap, Ken," Ranma said. "From what you said, Shin was your best friend. You weren't prepared to take him series."
"Maybe, but, in the end, I lost Julia, and I nearly lost my life. I'm suppose to be the 64th successor to my martial arts style, and failed to live up my potential as its heir…"
"Well, you don't have to worry about not having a chance to redeem yourself, Ken-kun," Usagi said gently. "You have us to help you."
"Yeah," Ranma replied. "We'll get you back in shape. Well, I will but-"
WHAP!
"Ow!" Ranma said, as he rubbed his shoulder.
"I help, too, you know!" Usagi fumed.
"Actually, you can help me in a more important way," Ken said. "By tradition, I am not suppose to teach anyone my Art without choosing a successor. However, given that our world has gone to hell, and that my brothers are out there raising hell, and that I still need to find Julia, I will break with tradition, and give you permission to learn my Art."
"Um, as much as I would love learning your style, as a part of my need to enhance the Musabetsu Kakuto-ryu, I don't want you to break your word," Ranma said.
"I appreciate that. But until this world has come back from the brink, I cannot afford to allow the Hotoku Shinken to die out or be abuse. If I die, I want to die that my Art, in some way, will continue. Will you do this?"
"Okay, but only on two conditions," Ranma said.
"Name it."
"One, I want to teach you my own style, from the beginning, including the Forbidden Arts: the Yama-Senken and the Umi-Senken."
"Ranma, are you sure?" Usagi asked.
"Positive. Yes, I know I made a promise to seal away those forbidden styles, but if Ken is willing to break his word to teach others for the betterment of others, then I will as well. And besides, that way, Ken can will know my weaknesses as much as I will know his."
"I agree to that. Anything else?"
"Usagi will learn as well."
"What?" Usagi yells in surprise.
"Usagi, I don't what happened to Hoshi and T'Pol to happen to you. It's dangerous out there. And I want to be able to function knowing that you can defend yourself."
"But…but…"
"And I believe in you."
"You do?"
"Yes."
Usagi sighed. She didn't care for training to inhuman levels, but she owed it to Ranma to at least try.
"Okay, I'll do it."
"And I agree to all your conditions," Ken said. "Rest easy tonight, for it will be…difficult morning tomorrow."
"Great, just great," Usagi complained.
Ultimately, although Usagi didn't train at the same levels as Ranma and Ken, her training did have interesting result…
A year later...
"Come here, baby!" said a giant mutant, as he and his gang had surrounded her, as she was passing through a deserted city.
Usagi looks at the men from her cloak. She was on her way to rendezvous with Ranma and Ken, after learning of a tip to the location of her missing friend.
"I want that 'pot of honey' of yours!" sneered one of his riding companions.
Usagi scans the gang…
"No," Usagi said, as she smacked the side of a building with her fist.
THOOM!
The ten-story building collapsed unto the gang.
"Arrrrhgh!"
"Pitiful," Usagi said, as she continued on her way. "Can't a girl go about her business without being molested? Geez…"
Unfortunately, there were a number of opponents that proved to be a challenged for her, especially when one of them ended up capturing her…
CHING-CLANG!
Usagi was in a dungeon, situated underneath the city of Cassandra, chained up to a wall.
"Ranma," Usagi had said, thinking that she be used by men for their amusement…and other things.
"Are you comfortable?" said a booming voice.
Usagi turns to see a huge man, wearing a warrior's garb. She could practically feel the power from his dark aura.
"So, I'm yours, then," Usagi laments. "Just…don't hurt me."
"Yes, you are MINE," said the man. "However, what I have in store for you will prove beneficial to both of us."
"What?" Usagi exclaimed. "Who are you?"
"My name is 'Raoh', master of the Hokuto Shinken, and conquer of this world," Raoh said. "And I have chosen you to be my student, my servant…and my WEAPON. YOU will become the personification of my will."
"But…I'm just a girl," Usagi said demurely.
"No, you are NOT just any girl. Normally, your gender would mean nothing to me, other than a means for pleasure. But I sense a great power in you. It's unrefined and soft. I mean to change that. And in the end, you will always have me at your side, in this life or in the next, as a testament to my legacy…IF you survive your training and conditioning."
"Oh, not again…"
Tbc.