Disclaimer: "Ranma ½ ", "Sailor Moon" and other sources (unless stated otherwise) belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre crossover/fusion story.
Special note: This story takes place a year after the events of "Sailor Moon ST".
Part 54: "An Interlude".
While Ranma Saotome is dealing with all things "Atlantis", other activities involving the legendary marital artist is occurring, as the time stream, thanks to the collapse of the Bajoran Wormhole in the late 24th century, is in a state of flux…
Location: "Masaki Compound" (Okayama, Japan).
"Are we THERE yet?" Akane Tendo complained, as she was the last to climb the stairs of the Masaki Compound, which serves as both a residence and a place of worship (the actual shrine is above the residence and the lake that the residence is next to). Normally, as the athlete of the Tendo sisters, a climb up the long, stone steps would not be a problem. The problem was that she was carrying her and her sisters' bags. It was a feat to behold, nevertheless, though Akane was tempted to boast her strength by assuming her "Sailor Artemis" guise.
Nabki Tendo, the elder sister, looked up from her travel guide, and looked at the sign.
"Yep," Nabiki said, as she stuffed her guide into her backpack, next to her "Minerva Computer". "This is the place that 'Ranma-baby' told me about."
"Do you think Ranma is here?" asked Kasumi Tendo, the eldest of the Tendo sisters. She was walking with a smaller backpack and a parasol. "I do not want to disturb these people if he is not around. Maybe we should come back later-"
"Well, I for one am thirsty," Akane said. "The very least these people can do is give us some water or something."
"I agree," Nabiki says. "If nothing else, we can learn more about Ranma's activities."
"Oh, my," Kasumi says. "It's not very nice to be dishonest with our would-be hosts."
"Don't worry, big sister," Nabiki says with assurance. "I'll be…congenial."
"That's nice of you, Nabiki," Akane says sarcastically.
A few minutes later, Nabiki knocks on the front door of the house.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
A few minutes later, a girl with light-blue colored, ox-horn hairstyle (with pink eyes) opens the door. She was dressed in some rather interesting robes, not at all dissimilar to a shrine-maiden's outfit.
"Hello?" the girl asked.
Nabiki blinks her eyes. Dealing with people her own age, and older, was a lot easier than dealing with people who were children.
"Um…is Ranma…home?" Nabiki asked, having a loss of words.
The little girl blinked her eyes, before turning her head back towards inside the house.
"Tenchi!" the girl yelled. "There's someone looking for 'Big Brother'!"
Big Brother? The Tendo sisters thought in unison.
A few minutes later, a young man, who almost looks like a more scholarly Ranma, appears.
"Hi!" the boy says, as he bows his head slightly. "I'm Tenchi Masaki."
The girls bow slightly in reply.
"My name is Nabiki Tendo," Nabiki begins. "This is my younger sister Akane, and my older sister Kasumi."
"Nice to meet you. And this is…Sasami Masaki, my…aunt."
"Nice to meet you!" the girl says.
Tenchi's response added more questions to Nabiki's list.
"So, what can I do for you?" Tenchi asks.
"We were looking for Ranma, actually," Nabiki replies. "Normally, he stays with us, but he's been gone for a while now."
"We were concern about him, so we decided to come here to see if he is okay," Kasumi interjects.
"That doesn't mean I miss him or anything," Akane says. "But…he's suppose to be MY fiancée, and all."
"Oh," Tenchi says. "So YOU are Akane Tendo."
"I take it that Ranma has told you about us?" Nabiki asks.
"Well…sure! Though I do wonder how everything is going to work out between him and-"
"Tenchi, what's going on?" says an older man with glasses and a mustache, as he comes up behind Tenchi and Sasami.
"Oh, Dad, these are the Tendo Sisters that cousin Ranma has been talking about," Tenchi says.
"I see. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Nobuyuki, Ranma's uncle," the man said with a slight bow.
The Tendo sisters replied likewise.
"We did not know that Ranma had family outside of his parents," Kasumi says.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it, my dear. Though Ranma won't be back for a few days, you are welcome to stay for a while."
"But, Dad, what about-"
"Nonsense! The more pretty girls…the merrier!"
"Great," Akane mutters under her breath. "Another pervert…"
"We would like that," Kasumi says. "Thank you."
As the Tendo sisters enters the home, Nabiki wonders what Ranma was doing…
Location: Konohagakure, Hokkaido.Within a nearby park, next to Rantsu lands, a certain "Hermit Sage" was continuing his "research"…by observing young women frolicking beneath a waterfall.
"Oh, yes," says Jiriya, as he observes these activities. "I am, indeed, a witness to all things beautiful…"
"Oh, Ji-chan!" says a sweet voice.
"Hmm?" Jiriya says, as he turns his head towards the source of the sound.
Standing on a clamshell, mimicking the famed painting, "Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus'", was Ranko Tendo.
"Oh…sweet…HEAVEN!" Jiriya yells in delight, as he attempts to tackle the red-haired beauty.
BLAM!
With a solid fist to the head, Jiriya was down into the ground.
"Serves you right, ya perv," Ranko says, as she was suddenly clothed. She was getting better at applying illusionary jutsus without much effort. "You're supposed to be teaching my son what he needs to know to pass the Chunin Exam, Jiriya."
"Hey, that's not fair," Jiriya says, as he gets up, no worse for wear. "You can't play on a man's weakness like that!"
"So says 'The Hermit SAGE'. So, how's Naruto doing?"
"Eh, the boy has potential, 'Ranko'. And with access to the Nine-Tail Demon's 'chakra', he'll be a potent warrior for sure. I've been TRYING to teach him a Summoning Jutsus, but..."
"Yeah, Naruto is not exactly a complex thinker."
"So says the father of one Naruto Uzumaki."
"Was that suppose to be a 'like father, like son', joke or something?"
"Maybe…"
"Maybe you ought to stick to your novels."
"Hey, YOU asked me to teach your son."
"Indeed, since I didn't want any of Orochimaru's flunkies keeping tabs on him."
"That reminds me of something."
"And that is…?"
"Why are YOU with Orochimaru, if you have a beef against him?"
Ranko looks at her former martial arts student.
"Orochimaru is many things, but he is nothing next to the Akatsuki."
"Oh…you're after the big fish then."
"Indeed. Specifically, I'm after the leader…who, let's say, is an old friend of mine that should have been dealt with a long time ago."
"Your time or ours?"
"MINE. And Orochimaru knows this, which is why he's 'training' me. Should he fail in his attempt to take down this village, he will be too vulnerable to stop Aktusuki from spreading their influence into HIS territory."
"I get it now. An enemy of MY enemy is a friend."
"Something like that, I suppose."
"I see. And do you mind me asking you another question?"
"Sure."
"Why do you look…different, from when I last saw you?"
Ranko Tendo did indeed look different. She looked like she aged five years, she was leaner (more lithe), all of her baby fat was gone, and her hair, no longer in a pig-tail, seemed to cascade down to the small of her back, and the pupils of her gray-blue eyes were slits…like a cat's. Her clothes were typical 'kunoichi' (red with black trim), with a netted body suit.
"This? My appearance is the result of Orochimaru's training. Man, that guy's a freak about bonding to 'one's nature'. As if I want to be a part of some bad 'Cat Woman' movie or something."
Ranko turns to leave.
"And Jiriya?"
"Yes, Lord Ranshin?"
"Be careful out there. They already took down Hayate Gekko for spying."
"Sand or Sound?"
"Sand."
"Understood."
Ranko nods her head, and disappears…just as Naruto enters the clearing.
"Hey, pervert sensei," Naruto says. "Whom were you talking to?"
Jiriya beams a bright smile.
"Oh, just one of my many admirers, my student! Come, let us continue with our studies…"
Fin.
Author's note: The point of this entry is to give a "status report" of what's been going on elsewhere in "real time". The Tendo sisters have already made it to the Masaki shrine, while one of Ranma's doppelgangers is dealing with the situation in the Hidden Leaf Village. Unfortunately, in both cases, things will get a lot stickier. In the case of the Tendo sisters, one of the usual residents within the Masaki household holds a grudge against Akane (unknown to Akane herself), while Ranma begins to accept his role as a "kunoichi" (a role that he hates, but accepts in order to be close to his son Naruto). Like always, C&C are welcomed. Until next time…
