"World Shaking!"
"Uranus, NO!"
"Run Saturn, go warn the princess!"
"But Michi-mama..."
"Please, Hotaru, go!"
"Yes, I will warn the princess."
______________
Back again, back again. I wonder if this chapter is going to be better then the last? Hmmm... maybe... You know, I read somewhere that you're not supposed to make fun of your stories... well, I just can't help it! ^.^; Sorry this is kinda late coming out, I've been really busy with school stuff and my website(s) are a mess! Enjoy and please R/R!
------------------------------H---E---R---O---S ----------------------------
Please Don't Tell Me Everything is Wonderful Now....
__________________________
"So the first of the priests are in our control, right?" It was a dark woman, her skin highlighted by her pure velvet robes.
Seeker nodded, "And eight of the Senshi have been destroyed." He fingered the Star Seeds in his pouch. He'd be damned before he gave those up. The Woman's crimson eyes narrowed, "You're hiding something from me!" she accused. Seeker was glad he didn't have eyes, otherwise she would have been able to read them like a book.
"I have nothing to hide."
The dark room they were in was only light by a few scattered candles. "At last, Chaos shall rule the world in darkness! Bwahahaha... BWAHAHAHAH!" Seeker took that as his cue to leave.
Evil laughter just wasn't the same as it used to be.
His boots were scuffing the black marble floor, receiving dirty glares from those who had spent the entire day cleaning it. He passed them by, the slaves in the rag clothes that were falling off of them, and continued to the stone staircase, heading down two flights into the dungeon.
He walked to the fourth door on the left, peering (with no eyes, only extra terrestrial sight) into the small window lined with metal bars. Inside the girl had curled up into a ball in the corner. Her short hair was matted, and her face and hands were dirty. She glanced in his direction, without really looking at him. Her eyes were practically empty from hunger and light, and her skin looked a dull gray in the light.
She had only been there for three days.
___w_i_t_h_o_u_t__m_y__p_r_i_d_e___
'Ikuko! It's been so long!" The perverted master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts cried. Ikuko got a disgusted look on her face as she opened the trunk to get their suitcases out. Happosai was a small old man who was older then Ikuko and Kenji put together, yet he refused to die. He started to train Genma Saotome, her brother, and Soun Tendo when she was a few years short of being a teenager. Once she had blossomed into womanhood, Happosai could often be found stealing her panties and bras from her drawer, and glomping onto her, as he normally did in Nerima.
"Not long enough." She spat.
"Oh, such a bad attitude from such a busty woman!" Happosai attempted to latch himself on to her bosom. She slammed him to the ground with her elbow, pulling out her much feared spatula from her purse and waving it dangerously towards him, "I'm warning you Happosai, you touch me our my daughter, and I will shove this spatula so far up your ass, IT WILL BE COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" She drop kicked the Anything Goes Master into the air.
"Ikuko's here." Genma said monotones, looking up from his and Soun's game.
Kenji and Shingo kept their distance from Ikuko until she put her spatula away.
"Ohayo Auntie Ikuko!" Kasumi called brightly from the wooden door. "Hello Kasumi, my! Look how much you've grown into a lovely woman!" Ikuko gave the blushing girl a hug. Kenji and Shingo managed to haul all six bags from the car without killing themselves, but not before Shingo lost his balance, sending them both crashing to the ground.
"I see that you balance hasn't improved Tsukino." Genma called.
Shingo could hear his father growl and he had no idea what was upsetting him so badly. "I see your figure hasn't either!" He snapped back. Genma looked offended. Ikuko glanced him up and down, "He's right, it hasn't."
"IMOUTO!" Genma cried.
Ikuko smiled and winked at Kasumi. Soun, meanwhile, was glancing around, "Where is our savior?" He inquired.
Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo gave him a blank stare.
"Usagi, I mean..." He corrected himself.
Shingo cracked up laughing, "He... hahahaha... must think.... hahaha... highly of Usagi...." Ikuko sprouted a demon head, "AND YOU SHOULD TOO!" Shingo shrunk back behind his father.
"Your 'savior' which by the way, I wouldn't recommend calling her to her face, was hungry so we dropped her off at a restaurant so she wouldn't be in a bad mood." Kenji explained, picking up the suitcases that Shingo had dropped.
Ranma jumped down from the top of the Dojo's steps, "Aunt Ikuko! Uncle Kenji!" He waved. And everyone watched as Ikuko teared up. "Oh... look how much he's grown!" She cried. She was hugging Ranma so tightly he thought his ribcage was going to break. "Ikuko, he won't grow to be any bigger if you suffocate him to death..." Kenji gently pried his wife from his nephew. Ranma shot him a thankful look. "Hey Shingo, what's cooking?"
Shingo grinned, "Nothing."
"Ranma, why don't you go find Usagi, it's almost time for dinner." Kasumi suggested.
"I don't know if he'll be able to find her..." Ikuko trailed off.
Ranma smiled, "All I have to do is look for the two blonde Odangos, right? Ja!" He ran by them, eager to see his cousin.
"Ranma, wait! She doesn't have her hair like that today! Awww... nevermind...."
________________
There was a great roll of thunder, and Usagi bit her lip, patting her empty stomach in distress. Glancing around her, she only saw one restaurant. Then her mother's words entered her mind:
'Don't fill up too much Usagi-chan, Kasumi promised up a nice dinner!'
So Usagi was left to wander around Nerima with an empty stomach. Her spagetti-strap pink dress flared a little around the waist, and she left her hair down to fall to her waist. She held the umbrella over herself, waiting for the incoming rain. She glanced up, and the sun shone stared down at her with equal intensity. She sighed, it hadn't been thunder, it had been her stomach.
She kept the umbrella up, shielding her from the sun. She glanced into a window, watching a boy intently from where she was sitting on a bench. The boy was thin and very strange looking, but he seemed to be trying to throw pieces of paper at the people sitting around him. Usagi laughed when someone came up and handed the strips of paper to him.
I think I might be able to help him...
_______
Usagi stepped into Ucchan's and glanced around her. The restaurant was relatively empty, but she received several greetings non the less. She sat down on the counter as a girl about her age came up from behind the counter, "Hi, welcome to Ucchan's! What would you like?" Usagi resisted the urge to shout, "FOOD!", but restrained herself by saying, "A glass of water, please." The young girl nodded, reaching for a glass as she stared at Usagi who was staring at the boy throwing the papers.
"Here ya go sugar, I don't believe I've seen you around here before..." The brown-haired girl began.
"I'm from Juuban, my name is Usagi." Usagi could have smacked herself for giving out her real name. "Usagi from Juuban, huh? My fiancee has a cousin from there and her name is Usagi!" She leaned across the counter and whispered in her ear as Usagi took a sip of water, "And she's also Sailor Moon, but don't tell anyone I told you that!" Usagi held back from spraying her water all over the girl and counter, choking on it instead.
"Usagi? Usagi? Are you all right?" The girl was patting her back as Usagi managed to cough up all the water.
"You must be Ukyou, Ranma's friend!" Usagi managed to cry between chokes. Ukyou's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, you're Sailph-!" Usagi placed a hand over Ukyou's mouth, "SHHHH! I'm trying to keep a low profile here!"
"Sorry!" Ukyou sheepishly apologized.
"That's all right!" Usagi said brightly, wondering why Ukyou was staring at her like at. "They want you to help find Akane, don't they?"
Usagi nodded. She remembered everything Ranma had written about his fiancees in his letters. She knew he loved all of them, but two were just loved as friends.
Ukyou sighed and threw up her hands helplessly, "I should just give you, you know? I mean it's obvious he doesn't feel the same way... maybe if I quit soon enough, I can just move on with my life and find someone before I turn eighty!" Usagi smiled at girl sadly and placed a hand over hers.
"I know it must be hard, but would you rather feel unloved by someone when you could have someone that will make you feel loved?" Usagi asked softly. Ukyou looked up, "You know, you're right. I've been stubborn all this time... if I can't be Ranma's wife, then I'll be his best friend!" She struck a dramatic pose before screeching:
"GOSUNKUGI! Look at the mess you've made! You're scaring the customers!"
Usagi turned around from where she was standing behind the counter. Hikari Gosunkugi was the 'paper boy' she had seen earlier. Ukyou leaned over and explained that he was one the boys that was in love with Akane, but was weak and a scaredy-cat. "So lately, he's been trying to use magic to *try* to defeat his enemies (the bullies that always picked on him), but this is just stupid! He's throwing paper, and at the worst, he's giving people paper cuts!"
"Akoo Ryo Tai Pie San!" He threw another piece of paper at the empty seat in front him. He sighed dejectedly and reached for another sheet of paper, before realizing he didn't have any left. Usagi bit her lip to keep from smiling and excused herself to walk over to him.
"Hello." She said standing in front of him. He didn't say anything. Usagi rolled her eyes, "Being silent won't scare me into thinking you're some macho jerk." Gosunkugi sighed, "It never does."
Usagi laughed. "What? How is that funny to you?" The boy was offended. Usagi held up her hands innocently, "It's not anything like that, I was just noticing on your scrolls, you were missing a stroke..." She trailed off and pointed to where he had missed it. He blushed a bright red, and quickly added it. "Akooo Ryoooooo...."
"STOP!" Gosunkugi looked over to Usagi. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you have the words wrong too." Gosunkugi looked depressed. Usagi patted his shoulder, "They're Aku Ryo Tai San, not whatever you were saying." Both he and Ukyou looked surprised.
"How did you know that, sugar?"
Usagi smiled, "One of my best friends is... was... a Shinto priestess. She's mastered the art, and she's even done it to me once or twice." Gosunkugi tried again this time, the paper seemed to snap right, but otherwise it didn't work. Usagi frowned, "You have to embrace the fire... or whatever it was Rei-chan said... well anyways, I guess it just takes practice." She shrugged. Gosunkugi nodded and began to gather the paper around him. "Thank you...?"
"Usagi."
"Thanks. See ya around Ukyou!" She waved as he exited. Both girls stared at each other.
*BAM!*
Ukyou pulled her huge spatula out from behind her back, and Usagi blinked at it's size. "Who the hell are you?" She growled. There was a familiar figure standing in front of them now, brushing himself off. Ukyou nearly cried, it was going to cost a fortune to fix the roof.
"I know his name." Ukyou was surprised at how cold Usagi's voice was.
"That's right, you would, wouldn't you?" The figure stepped out of the shadows casted by the sinking sun. Ukyou cringed at the sight of his eyeless sockets and mouth. Seeker's black jacket hung loosely around his body, and Ukyou and Usagi were both wondering how he could have smashed through the roof so easily.
Ah, must be though damn steel boots... Usagi winced at the memory of the boots slamming into her ribcage.
"Seeker... Ukyou, run!" Usagi hissed. Ukyou gave her a look and shook her head. "Sorry sugar, but if it's in my restaurant, I'm fighting it."
"So little princess, are you going to sacrifice your friend, or are you going to feel the pain?" Seeker pulled out his sword.
Usagi said nothing, but watched as a metal streak flew through the air. Ukyou's small spatula was caught by Seeker as if it was nothing.
"Oh... crap..."
"Ukyou, this is your last chance to run. I'm sorry, but I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me. If you are harmed, it has to be on your conscious and not mine." Usagi took up a weak fighting stance, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain.
"Sorry hun, I all ready told you, I'm staying!"
Seeker took this distraction and used it to throw a small ball of dark energy at the girls. Both jumped back, and Ukyou threw a spatula, barely nipping Seeker on the shoulder.
"Nice try, little girl..."
"Hey, uh, Usagi... I know this might come out the wrong way, but can't you just transform into Sailor Moon and dust the guy?" Ukyou looked at her new friend pleadingly.
Usagi shook her head, "I can't."
"NANI?!"
"It's just what I said, I can't transform at the moment, something is wrong with my brooch!" Usagi was thrown into a nearby wall, crashing through to the other side. Ukyou winced for Usagi and her restaurant.
"Usagi! Are you all right?" She called, ducking another ball of energy.
"Yeah... just a couple of scratches!" she called weakly to Ukyou, standing up. She nearly lost her footing.
"Oh... little girl...." Ukyou turned just in time to see Seeker kick her in the gut. Her breath escaped and she doubled over in pain.
"Now priestess of storms, you're coming with me..." He bent down to pick her up...
The beam of light slammed into him, sending him flying backwards. He stood up quickly, "DAMN!" he swore. The look he was receiving from all three of the teenagers in the room would have killed any normal man.
"I'm outnumbered, until next time my sweet princess!" He threw down a small stone and with a flash of smoke and a black light, Seeker was gone.
"I'm GOING TO KILL YOU! I swear to god I will!" Usagi put her hands around her mouth, screaming it as if he was still there.
"Me?!" Ranma squeaked, helping Ukyou stand. Was that Usagi? The girl screaming at the disappeared attacker had silver hair, not the sunkissed blonde he remembered from the pictures he received every year. Even at the distance he was, he could see how cold her eyes were, a deep piercing blue, instead of the lightly baby blue they should have been. Her shoulder seemed to be bleeding, and her hair was a mess. She looked to be favoring her left foot. And yet still, she was screaming.
"I'm going to get you back, I swear it on the moon!"
"Usa?" Ranma called. Usagi seemed to snap out of her mood, "Ranma?" She grinned and waved. Ranma fought a gigantic sweatdrop; one minute she's threating to kill someone, and the next she's smiling and waving, making her way through the broken wall of Ucchan's.
"Ukyou, are you all right?" She asked, limping all the way over.
"What... are... those... shoes... made of?" she gasped, clutching onto her friend.
Usagi winced, "Steel. Trust me, I know first hand."
Ranma scratched his head, "Uh... maybe we should bring you both to Dr. Tofu's... you're looking pretty beat up..." Both girls shot him a dirty look.
"Hey, I ain't done nothing wrong! I was the one who save the both of you!" He seemed to proud of himself. Usagi and Ukyou both rammed their fists into his smug face, leaving him twitching feet first into the ground. Usagi looked at Ukyou.
"Which way to Dr. Tofu's?"
(*(*(*(*(*(*)*)*)*)*)*)
"My, my, my... a twisted ankle, a minor concussion, three broken ribs, and a sprained wrist... dear lord, are you a martial artist too?" Dr. Tofu inquired after inspecting her ribs. Usagi laughed, examining her new bandages, "Nope, that's Ranma's gig in life." She pointed a thumb at Ranma who was holding a bag of ice to his head. Dr. Tofu had always been the doctor of Akane, especially when she was younger and she would get hurt fighting the guys day after day. She used to be in love with him, even though he never picked it up, but she realized that it was really Kasumi he loved, and not even she could change his mind.
"Ah, so you're in the super hero business?" He asked, turning his attention towards Ukyou to finish wrapping up her ribs.
"Unfortunately."
"So..." Ranma tried to cut the silence that followed Usagi's comment. "Pops and Mr. Tendo were so excited about seeing you, that they didn't even notice you weren't there. Then, Happosai came out and your mother drop kicked him in the sky.... Usa? Usagi are you even listening to me?"
No, of course she wasn't.
She was staring at a picture on Dr. Tofu's desk, and her mind flashed back to the picture Hotaru had drawn. She hopped off the examination bed, limping over to the desk and picking it up with a delicate hand. She studied it for a minute, it looked like it was a recent school picture.
"Ranma... who's the girl in this picture?" Her voice was strangely calm, surprising herself.
Ranma looked up, his eyes flashing with sadness, "That's Akane."
Usagi felt like she had been hit in the stomach by Seeker all over again. She was shaking, pointing a finger at the picture, but no one in the room said a word.
"Hey Hotaru-chan, whatcha drawing?"
"Oh... it's nothing..."
"No, it's really good... it some how looks familiar to me..."
"It's from a dream I had, see here. He's always saying your name in my dream, and he's crying over a body of the girl. See, there you are next to the Disu no Miko."
"The Priestess of Ice?"
Ranma was waving a hand in front of her face, "Yoo hoo, earth to Usagi!"
No tricks little girl, the Disu no Miko is with us now...
Another person you failed to save... what a shame...
Usagi's lip began to tremble, "Uso..." She whispered. Her knees nearly gave out underneath herself. Her hands was shaking , and her voice stuttering. "Ran-Ranma.... he.. she... I ... he took her! He took her!" She was shaking her head as if it was not a possibility.
*Another* person she failed to save; and she had even be Ranma's fiancee.
"It's from a dream I had, see here. He's always saying your name in my dream, and he's crying over a body of the girl. See, there you are next to the Disu no Miko."
...he's crying over a body of the girl... Somehow the words took on a new meaning. The boy was *crying* over Akane's body... did that make the boy in the white robes Ranma? No...
She let out a choked sob, crumbling to the floor.
"Usagi, are you all right? What's wrong?" Dr. Tofu was helping her to her feet.
"Ranma, he took her!" Usagi cried, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Who took who, Usa?" Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Seeker... Seeker took Akane!"
+++++++++++++
You know what I realized? I've been spelling 'HEROES' 'HEROS' ^^; oops, that is so incredibly not cool... I've gotten my inspiration back for this story, and I think I know what's going to happen... what did you think?
luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
http://minako.bored.org
blacklady.nu
"Uranus, NO!"
"Run Saturn, go warn the princess!"
"But Michi-mama..."
"Please, Hotaru, go!"
"Yes, I will warn the princess."
______________
Back again, back again. I wonder if this chapter is going to be better then the last? Hmmm... maybe... You know, I read somewhere that you're not supposed to make fun of your stories... well, I just can't help it! ^.^; Sorry this is kinda late coming out, I've been really busy with school stuff and my website(s) are a mess! Enjoy and please R/R!
------------------------------H---E---R---O---S ----------------------------
Please Don't Tell Me Everything is Wonderful Now....
__________________________
"So the first of the priests are in our control, right?" It was a dark woman, her skin highlighted by her pure velvet robes.
Seeker nodded, "And eight of the Senshi have been destroyed." He fingered the Star Seeds in his pouch. He'd be damned before he gave those up. The Woman's crimson eyes narrowed, "You're hiding something from me!" she accused. Seeker was glad he didn't have eyes, otherwise she would have been able to read them like a book.
"I have nothing to hide."
The dark room they were in was only light by a few scattered candles. "At last, Chaos shall rule the world in darkness! Bwahahaha... BWAHAHAHAH!" Seeker took that as his cue to leave.
Evil laughter just wasn't the same as it used to be.
His boots were scuffing the black marble floor, receiving dirty glares from those who had spent the entire day cleaning it. He passed them by, the slaves in the rag clothes that were falling off of them, and continued to the stone staircase, heading down two flights into the dungeon.
He walked to the fourth door on the left, peering (with no eyes, only extra terrestrial sight) into the small window lined with metal bars. Inside the girl had curled up into a ball in the corner. Her short hair was matted, and her face and hands were dirty. She glanced in his direction, without really looking at him. Her eyes were practically empty from hunger and light, and her skin looked a dull gray in the light.
She had only been there for three days.
___w_i_t_h_o_u_t__m_y__p_r_i_d_e___
'Ikuko! It's been so long!" The perverted master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts cried. Ikuko got a disgusted look on her face as she opened the trunk to get their suitcases out. Happosai was a small old man who was older then Ikuko and Kenji put together, yet he refused to die. He started to train Genma Saotome, her brother, and Soun Tendo when she was a few years short of being a teenager. Once she had blossomed into womanhood, Happosai could often be found stealing her panties and bras from her drawer, and glomping onto her, as he normally did in Nerima.
"Not long enough." She spat.
"Oh, such a bad attitude from such a busty woman!" Happosai attempted to latch himself on to her bosom. She slammed him to the ground with her elbow, pulling out her much feared spatula from her purse and waving it dangerously towards him, "I'm warning you Happosai, you touch me our my daughter, and I will shove this spatula so far up your ass, IT WILL BE COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" She drop kicked the Anything Goes Master into the air.
"Ikuko's here." Genma said monotones, looking up from his and Soun's game.
Kenji and Shingo kept their distance from Ikuko until she put her spatula away.
"Ohayo Auntie Ikuko!" Kasumi called brightly from the wooden door. "Hello Kasumi, my! Look how much you've grown into a lovely woman!" Ikuko gave the blushing girl a hug. Kenji and Shingo managed to haul all six bags from the car without killing themselves, but not before Shingo lost his balance, sending them both crashing to the ground.
"I see that you balance hasn't improved Tsukino." Genma called.
Shingo could hear his father growl and he had no idea what was upsetting him so badly. "I see your figure hasn't either!" He snapped back. Genma looked offended. Ikuko glanced him up and down, "He's right, it hasn't."
"IMOUTO!" Genma cried.
Ikuko smiled and winked at Kasumi. Soun, meanwhile, was glancing around, "Where is our savior?" He inquired.
Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo gave him a blank stare.
"Usagi, I mean..." He corrected himself.
Shingo cracked up laughing, "He... hahahaha... must think.... hahaha... highly of Usagi...." Ikuko sprouted a demon head, "AND YOU SHOULD TOO!" Shingo shrunk back behind his father.
"Your 'savior' which by the way, I wouldn't recommend calling her to her face, was hungry so we dropped her off at a restaurant so she wouldn't be in a bad mood." Kenji explained, picking up the suitcases that Shingo had dropped.
Ranma jumped down from the top of the Dojo's steps, "Aunt Ikuko! Uncle Kenji!" He waved. And everyone watched as Ikuko teared up. "Oh... look how much he's grown!" She cried. She was hugging Ranma so tightly he thought his ribcage was going to break. "Ikuko, he won't grow to be any bigger if you suffocate him to death..." Kenji gently pried his wife from his nephew. Ranma shot him a thankful look. "Hey Shingo, what's cooking?"
Shingo grinned, "Nothing."
"Ranma, why don't you go find Usagi, it's almost time for dinner." Kasumi suggested.
"I don't know if he'll be able to find her..." Ikuko trailed off.
Ranma smiled, "All I have to do is look for the two blonde Odangos, right? Ja!" He ran by them, eager to see his cousin.
"Ranma, wait! She doesn't have her hair like that today! Awww... nevermind...."
________________
There was a great roll of thunder, and Usagi bit her lip, patting her empty stomach in distress. Glancing around her, she only saw one restaurant. Then her mother's words entered her mind:
'Don't fill up too much Usagi-chan, Kasumi promised up a nice dinner!'
So Usagi was left to wander around Nerima with an empty stomach. Her spagetti-strap pink dress flared a little around the waist, and she left her hair down to fall to her waist. She held the umbrella over herself, waiting for the incoming rain. She glanced up, and the sun shone stared down at her with equal intensity. She sighed, it hadn't been thunder, it had been her stomach.
She kept the umbrella up, shielding her from the sun. She glanced into a window, watching a boy intently from where she was sitting on a bench. The boy was thin and very strange looking, but he seemed to be trying to throw pieces of paper at the people sitting around him. Usagi laughed when someone came up and handed the strips of paper to him.
I think I might be able to help him...
_______
Usagi stepped into Ucchan's and glanced around her. The restaurant was relatively empty, but she received several greetings non the less. She sat down on the counter as a girl about her age came up from behind the counter, "Hi, welcome to Ucchan's! What would you like?" Usagi resisted the urge to shout, "FOOD!", but restrained herself by saying, "A glass of water, please." The young girl nodded, reaching for a glass as she stared at Usagi who was staring at the boy throwing the papers.
"Here ya go sugar, I don't believe I've seen you around here before..." The brown-haired girl began.
"I'm from Juuban, my name is Usagi." Usagi could have smacked herself for giving out her real name. "Usagi from Juuban, huh? My fiancee has a cousin from there and her name is Usagi!" She leaned across the counter and whispered in her ear as Usagi took a sip of water, "And she's also Sailor Moon, but don't tell anyone I told you that!" Usagi held back from spraying her water all over the girl and counter, choking on it instead.
"Usagi? Usagi? Are you all right?" The girl was patting her back as Usagi managed to cough up all the water.
"You must be Ukyou, Ranma's friend!" Usagi managed to cry between chokes. Ukyou's eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, you're Sailph-!" Usagi placed a hand over Ukyou's mouth, "SHHHH! I'm trying to keep a low profile here!"
"Sorry!" Ukyou sheepishly apologized.
"That's all right!" Usagi said brightly, wondering why Ukyou was staring at her like at. "They want you to help find Akane, don't they?"
Usagi nodded. She remembered everything Ranma had written about his fiancees in his letters. She knew he loved all of them, but two were just loved as friends.
Ukyou sighed and threw up her hands helplessly, "I should just give you, you know? I mean it's obvious he doesn't feel the same way... maybe if I quit soon enough, I can just move on with my life and find someone before I turn eighty!" Usagi smiled at girl sadly and placed a hand over hers.
"I know it must be hard, but would you rather feel unloved by someone when you could have someone that will make you feel loved?" Usagi asked softly. Ukyou looked up, "You know, you're right. I've been stubborn all this time... if I can't be Ranma's wife, then I'll be his best friend!" She struck a dramatic pose before screeching:
"GOSUNKUGI! Look at the mess you've made! You're scaring the customers!"
Usagi turned around from where she was standing behind the counter. Hikari Gosunkugi was the 'paper boy' she had seen earlier. Ukyou leaned over and explained that he was one the boys that was in love with Akane, but was weak and a scaredy-cat. "So lately, he's been trying to use magic to *try* to defeat his enemies (the bullies that always picked on him), but this is just stupid! He's throwing paper, and at the worst, he's giving people paper cuts!"
"Akoo Ryo Tai Pie San!" He threw another piece of paper at the empty seat in front him. He sighed dejectedly and reached for another sheet of paper, before realizing he didn't have any left. Usagi bit her lip to keep from smiling and excused herself to walk over to him.
"Hello." She said standing in front of him. He didn't say anything. Usagi rolled her eyes, "Being silent won't scare me into thinking you're some macho jerk." Gosunkugi sighed, "It never does."
Usagi laughed. "What? How is that funny to you?" The boy was offended. Usagi held up her hands innocently, "It's not anything like that, I was just noticing on your scrolls, you were missing a stroke..." She trailed off and pointed to where he had missed it. He blushed a bright red, and quickly added it. "Akooo Ryoooooo...."
"STOP!" Gosunkugi looked over to Usagi. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you have the words wrong too." Gosunkugi looked depressed. Usagi patted his shoulder, "They're Aku Ryo Tai San, not whatever you were saying." Both he and Ukyou looked surprised.
"How did you know that, sugar?"
Usagi smiled, "One of my best friends is... was... a Shinto priestess. She's mastered the art, and she's even done it to me once or twice." Gosunkugi tried again this time, the paper seemed to snap right, but otherwise it didn't work. Usagi frowned, "You have to embrace the fire... or whatever it was Rei-chan said... well anyways, I guess it just takes practice." She shrugged. Gosunkugi nodded and began to gather the paper around him. "Thank you...?"
"Usagi."
"Thanks. See ya around Ukyou!" She waved as he exited. Both girls stared at each other.
*BAM!*
Ukyou pulled her huge spatula out from behind her back, and Usagi blinked at it's size. "Who the hell are you?" She growled. There was a familiar figure standing in front of them now, brushing himself off. Ukyou nearly cried, it was going to cost a fortune to fix the roof.
"I know his name." Ukyou was surprised at how cold Usagi's voice was.
"That's right, you would, wouldn't you?" The figure stepped out of the shadows casted by the sinking sun. Ukyou cringed at the sight of his eyeless sockets and mouth. Seeker's black jacket hung loosely around his body, and Ukyou and Usagi were both wondering how he could have smashed through the roof so easily.
Ah, must be though damn steel boots... Usagi winced at the memory of the boots slamming into her ribcage.
"Seeker... Ukyou, run!" Usagi hissed. Ukyou gave her a look and shook her head. "Sorry sugar, but if it's in my restaurant, I'm fighting it."
"So little princess, are you going to sacrifice your friend, or are you going to feel the pain?" Seeker pulled out his sword.
Usagi said nothing, but watched as a metal streak flew through the air. Ukyou's small spatula was caught by Seeker as if it was nothing.
"Oh... crap..."
"Ukyou, this is your last chance to run. I'm sorry, but I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me. If you are harmed, it has to be on your conscious and not mine." Usagi took up a weak fighting stance, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain.
"Sorry hun, I all ready told you, I'm staying!"
Seeker took this distraction and used it to throw a small ball of dark energy at the girls. Both jumped back, and Ukyou threw a spatula, barely nipping Seeker on the shoulder.
"Nice try, little girl..."
"Hey, uh, Usagi... I know this might come out the wrong way, but can't you just transform into Sailor Moon and dust the guy?" Ukyou looked at her new friend pleadingly.
Usagi shook her head, "I can't."
"NANI?!"
"It's just what I said, I can't transform at the moment, something is wrong with my brooch!" Usagi was thrown into a nearby wall, crashing through to the other side. Ukyou winced for Usagi and her restaurant.
"Usagi! Are you all right?" She called, ducking another ball of energy.
"Yeah... just a couple of scratches!" she called weakly to Ukyou, standing up. She nearly lost her footing.
"Oh... little girl...." Ukyou turned just in time to see Seeker kick her in the gut. Her breath escaped and she doubled over in pain.
"Now priestess of storms, you're coming with me..." He bent down to pick her up...
The beam of light slammed into him, sending him flying backwards. He stood up quickly, "DAMN!" he swore. The look he was receiving from all three of the teenagers in the room would have killed any normal man.
"I'm outnumbered, until next time my sweet princess!" He threw down a small stone and with a flash of smoke and a black light, Seeker was gone.
"I'm GOING TO KILL YOU! I swear to god I will!" Usagi put her hands around her mouth, screaming it as if he was still there.
"Me?!" Ranma squeaked, helping Ukyou stand. Was that Usagi? The girl screaming at the disappeared attacker had silver hair, not the sunkissed blonde he remembered from the pictures he received every year. Even at the distance he was, he could see how cold her eyes were, a deep piercing blue, instead of the lightly baby blue they should have been. Her shoulder seemed to be bleeding, and her hair was a mess. She looked to be favoring her left foot. And yet still, she was screaming.
"I'm going to get you back, I swear it on the moon!"
"Usa?" Ranma called. Usagi seemed to snap out of her mood, "Ranma?" She grinned and waved. Ranma fought a gigantic sweatdrop; one minute she's threating to kill someone, and the next she's smiling and waving, making her way through the broken wall of Ucchan's.
"Ukyou, are you all right?" She asked, limping all the way over.
"What... are... those... shoes... made of?" she gasped, clutching onto her friend.
Usagi winced, "Steel. Trust me, I know first hand."
Ranma scratched his head, "Uh... maybe we should bring you both to Dr. Tofu's... you're looking pretty beat up..." Both girls shot him a dirty look.
"Hey, I ain't done nothing wrong! I was the one who save the both of you!" He seemed to proud of himself. Usagi and Ukyou both rammed their fists into his smug face, leaving him twitching feet first into the ground. Usagi looked at Ukyou.
"Which way to Dr. Tofu's?"
(*(*(*(*(*(*)*)*)*)*)*)
"My, my, my... a twisted ankle, a minor concussion, three broken ribs, and a sprained wrist... dear lord, are you a martial artist too?" Dr. Tofu inquired after inspecting her ribs. Usagi laughed, examining her new bandages, "Nope, that's Ranma's gig in life." She pointed a thumb at Ranma who was holding a bag of ice to his head. Dr. Tofu had always been the doctor of Akane, especially when she was younger and she would get hurt fighting the guys day after day. She used to be in love with him, even though he never picked it up, but she realized that it was really Kasumi he loved, and not even she could change his mind.
"Ah, so you're in the super hero business?" He asked, turning his attention towards Ukyou to finish wrapping up her ribs.
"Unfortunately."
"So..." Ranma tried to cut the silence that followed Usagi's comment. "Pops and Mr. Tendo were so excited about seeing you, that they didn't even notice you weren't there. Then, Happosai came out and your mother drop kicked him in the sky.... Usa? Usagi are you even listening to me?"
No, of course she wasn't.
She was staring at a picture on Dr. Tofu's desk, and her mind flashed back to the picture Hotaru had drawn. She hopped off the examination bed, limping over to the desk and picking it up with a delicate hand. She studied it for a minute, it looked like it was a recent school picture.
"Ranma... who's the girl in this picture?" Her voice was strangely calm, surprising herself.
Ranma looked up, his eyes flashing with sadness, "That's Akane."
Usagi felt like she had been hit in the stomach by Seeker all over again. She was shaking, pointing a finger at the picture, but no one in the room said a word.
"Hey Hotaru-chan, whatcha drawing?"
"Oh... it's nothing..."
"No, it's really good... it some how looks familiar to me..."
"It's from a dream I had, see here. He's always saying your name in my dream, and he's crying over a body of the girl. See, there you are next to the Disu no Miko."
"The Priestess of Ice?"
Ranma was waving a hand in front of her face, "Yoo hoo, earth to Usagi!"
No tricks little girl, the Disu no Miko is with us now...
Another person you failed to save... what a shame...
Usagi's lip began to tremble, "Uso..." She whispered. Her knees nearly gave out underneath herself. Her hands was shaking , and her voice stuttering. "Ran-Ranma.... he.. she... I ... he took her! He took her!" She was shaking her head as if it was not a possibility.
*Another* person she failed to save; and she had even be Ranma's fiancee.
"It's from a dream I had, see here. He's always saying your name in my dream, and he's crying over a body of the girl. See, there you are next to the Disu no Miko."
...he's crying over a body of the girl... Somehow the words took on a new meaning. The boy was *crying* over Akane's body... did that make the boy in the white robes Ranma? No...
She let out a choked sob, crumbling to the floor.
"Usagi, are you all right? What's wrong?" Dr. Tofu was helping her to her feet.
"Ranma, he took her!" Usagi cried, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Who took who, Usa?" Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Seeker... Seeker took Akane!"
+++++++++++++
You know what I realized? I've been spelling 'HEROES' 'HEROS' ^^; oops, that is so incredibly not cool... I've gotten my inspiration back for this story, and I think I know what's going to happen... what did you think?
luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
http://minako.bored.org
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