Hey all! Welcome to chapter one of my Ranma 1/2/Sailor Moon crossover!
Please, please, please don't feel shy to review and comment on any errors
you see, I need all the help I can get! Also, the more reviews, the faster
I work! So keep them coming!
I don't own Ranma 1/2 OR Sailor Moon.
*NOTE- I feel so lame... last time, I spelled my own e-mail address wrong. It's papaya41@aol.com... not papya. Heh. Right. Sorry about that.
Partial Eclipse
By Rio Grande
Chapter One: Where Have all the Sailor Scouts Gone?!
"I don't like the sound of this. A normal nightmare wouldn't leave you so drained." Cologne repeated for the umpteenth time that evening. "Or frightened... I smell a rat ..." the old woman grumbled quietly, turning away from her purple haired descendent, and hopping on her cane over to a table where a distressed white goose wearing a pair of glasses was stuffed precariously into a small cage...
"Aiyah.. don't worry Grandmother, I ... I shouldn't have brought it up anyway. It's no big thing. I'm probably just tired from working here at the restaurant." Shampoo replied in her native tongue, sighing. She lay back farther into her seat, gazing around the Neko Hattan thoughtfully as she spoke. "drained anyway, just sleepy,"
"Have you lived in Nermia for nearly two years now only to learn nothing?" Cologne snapped, irritably. " Cologne concluded, whacking the duck over the head in an effort to shut up its inane quacks. Shampoo winced as the duck collapsed comically on its side. Mouse...
"" Shampoo asked, cocking her head. "But from whom? Should I be worried?"
"Not just yet... As you said the dream wasn't entirely bad... just ominous. Who knows, maybe it's a good omen."
"Maybe it's a good omen about Ranma and I!" Shampoo giggled hopefully, much to the duck's distress.
"Perhaps," Cologne conceded, bowing her head in thought. "On the other hand, it could be warning you about dangers to come, perhaps a terrible battle... I don't like it, either way, but as of yet there is nothing I can do." Cologne sighed after a second, scratching her head thoughtfully. Maybe you're right, anyway, maybe you ARE just tired from working at the Neko Hattan... I'll remember to give you more breaks," Shampoo clapped her hands together, happily. "Still, Granddaughter, keep an eye out for any suspicious happenings, and be extra careful. I don't want anything happening to you,." the withered woman added, rather affectionately. Shampoo beamed.
"Of course, Grandmother," Shampoo agreed, watching the small Amazon hop out of the room without turning back. Shampoo watched her leave with soft purple eyes, until a worry quack reached her ears, and her attention was drawn back to Mouse, still stuck in his cage. The pretty girls expression took on a scowl.
"You," she sighed, shaking her head scornfully. "If you hadn't gone crazy when I told grandmother I wasn't feeling well, she wouldn't have had to put you in that cage! You bring this upon yourself, you stupid male!" she scoffed, folding her arms. The duck gave off a more pitiful quack this time, hanging his head with shame. Shampoo bit her lip as she watched the small animal sigh. After a moment her conscience won an internal battle, and the attractive Amazon teen slowly stood up, walking over to the confined mallard with a considerably kinder expression on her face.
"Here you silly boy, let's get you some clothes and a pot of hot water," she murmured as she unlocked the cage.
*
"Wow... look at that babe!"
"Hott stuff!"
"She's freaking gorgeous!"
"And so flexible..."
As a group of bumbling teenagers continued to drool over her, Ristuko finished her round off on the mats, and turned to glare at them with piercing, cold eyes.
'What are a bunch of idiots like them doing in a gymnasium, anyway?' she thought to herself, adjusting her leotard and marching over to them, her movements graceful and sharp.
Ritsuko was the star of Juban's Gymnastics' team, her trophy case filled to the brim with awards for her various performances and wins throughout the years, starting back when she was a freshman. The blonde had always had an amazing knack for gymnastics, and had been winning competition after competition since she entered high school... but never seemed to care much about boys, no matter how much they seemed to care about her.
"Oh my God... she's coming this way!"
"Shit!... Do I look ok?"
In addition, she was infamous around the school for being the beautiful Ice Queen. She had very little friends, and kept to herself, shrouded in mystery, making her only more appealing to the horny teen. She didn't attend school dances, seemed to be permanently in a bitchy mood, and cared very little about her grades. On the OTHER hand, she had a body to DIE for.
"What are you fools gawking at?" she asked in a low hiss, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. Her glare seemed to penetrate the young men, boring into their souls and forcing shivers down their spines. She knew just how to deal with their kind... she had encountered them one to many times.
"Yo! Babe! No need to get pissed man!... we were just... admiring the view!" one boy cackled, snorting at his own joke, and elbowing his friends helpfully as they began to chuckle as well. Ritsuko rolled her eyes and let off a little sneer.
"How pathetic. You idiots must have brains the size of a grape! Do you have nothing better to do with your lives then stand around and bother people with important training to do?" she questioned, jabbing one boy in the chest with her finger for emphasis.
"Hells no!" another boy joked, smiling wickedly, then quickly wrapping his arm around Ristuko, and pulling the thin girl close to him, head craning down, and going in for the kill...
He was the first to go.
The tricky boy's friends backed away in morbid fascination and horror as the prodigy high school girl quickly returned the kiss with a passion... and then began to suck the life directly out of his body.
"Fuck! What the freak is she doing to 'Yoshi, man!? I don't think he likes her style!" one boy cried in terror, watching as his companion's eyes bulged unpleasantly, and his flailing arms began to shrivel up and rot away right in front of his eyes. His skin purpled and bubbled as the process went on, and Ristuko didn't pull away for a moment, eyes closed in concentration.
Finally, one of the four observing boys had the sense (or lack there of) to step forward and try to pull the homicidal girl away from his quickly dying friend, surprised on just how strong a grip the blonde had on the boy.
"Shit, bitch! What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" he cried, yanking her away and throwing her to the ground. The other boys watched in terror as their friend collapsed to the wood floor, and immediately began spasaming and coughing up blood, his skin so damaged he looked like an old mummy.
Ristuko hissed in rage and quickly pulled herself up, blood streaming from her mouth, which had suddenly acquired a nasty looking pair of fangs, and bit into the other boy's stomach with her killer jaws, sinking into his skin as though it were butter, and inwardly smirking as he cried out in pain.
"FUCK!"
The other boys seemed extremely distressed as they watched their next friend start to get sucked dry, before coming to their senses and deciding to all gang up on her at once, giving the whacked up wench a quick death.
None of them came out of the encounter alive.
There was more blood and screams, dismembered body parts and evil laughs, and at the end of it all, Ritsuko stood victorious, breathing heavily, and blood dripping from her hands and mouth, while her pupils continued to dilate erratically. Finally, after surveying the damage she had dealt, and the boys rotting, dried up corpses, a small smile graced her lips.
"I... wasn't even that angry..." she admitted, looking up at the ceiling, as if expecting something. "And... no one is here to stop me..." she added as an after thought, her voiced awed and clearly amazed. "I could go do this to anyone I want... and no one would stop me...YES!" she finally cried, jumping into the air happily, much like an enthusiastic cheer- leader, and doing a little happy dance around the dead teens, flecks of blood whipping around her.
"THERE ARE NO STUPID, ANNOYING LITTLE SAILOR SCOUTS HERE TO STOP ME! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!" she continued to shout, throwing her arms up with joy. It had been SO LONG since she had violently and thoughtlessly maimed a human without fear of being caught and destroyed by the pesky sailor soldiers!
Quickly stopping her joyful rant, Ristuko's eyes suddenly fell on the door out of the gymnasium, and soon her smile had grown even more sinister.
"And I think I will."
*
"C'mon Ranma, PLLEEEAASSEE spar with me!" Akane whined, dashing eagerly after her annoyed fiancée.
"NO way! You KNOW I don't hit girls, and, as you've all too often pointed out to me before, what's the point of sparring with someone if they don't attack back?" Ranma huffed, leaping up a tree in the Tendo's yard and staying there, frowning down at the smaller girl beneath him now.
"Oh come on Ranma! Even just a little?... It's just SPARRING, I used to do it all the time with Dad and it doesn't really hurt at all!" Akane cooed, somehow knowing that it was very important to Ranma to hear that she probably wouldn't be getting TOO injured if the couple just did a short sparring session in the dojo, that whole protective factor coming back into play. And with the sheer mass and variety of weirdos that now dwelled in Nermia, it was sometimes something that Akane really needed from him, too... Not that she would ever admit to THAT, either!
"Well, then, go spar with your father, if it's so safe! Look! He's right over there!" Ranma encouraged, pointing to the middle aged man in question, carefully playing shoji on the deck with a panda, while smoking a cigarette and scheming up to ways to get Ranma and Akane together, forever. Akane gave a flat stare at the young martial artist at this suggestion, and Ranma had to admit it was a silly notion. Soun hadn't sparred with anyone, voluntarily, in years!
"Oh, yeah, capital idea," Akane dead panned, folding her arms, and beginning to get annoyed. What was the BIG deal anyway? He so HAD hit girls before!... just never her.
"Listen, Akane," Ranma sighed, rubbing his head, and still not emerging from his perch in the tree. " I really just DON'T want to spar with you. It makes me... uncomfortable." he decided to say.
"'Uncomfortable?'" Akane repeated, skeptically. "Honestly Ranma, how do you ever expect me to get better and protect myself from all of the freaks who come around here, if you don't help me train!"
"You don't have to protect yourself, I will!" Ranma stated firmly, loudly, before he fully realized just what he had said. Akane's eyes widened, and a small blush spread over her cheeks, as Ranma watched in horror. Had he really just SAID that?
"Whooo, you tell her Ranma!" Nabiki cheered, along with her father's, from the porch. And even as Ranma was quickly forced to back pedal out of the tree, and escape the Tendo's home before his idiot father and Mr. Tendo could arrange yet ANOTHER marriage attempt, a little voice in the back of his head reminded him softly... 'But it's true. I will NEVER let anyone hurt Akane... not anymore.' However, the second thought to cross the boys mind was, 'Shit! I'm going freaking insane!'
*
"Ahhh... young love!" Nabiki crooned in a mocking tone of voice, as Akane quickly dashed up the stairs, not entirely sure why Ranma wanting to protect her affected her this much. It wasn't like she didn't KNOW. He had been protecting her since he first came to Nermia!... he had just never talked about it like that.
"Nabiki! Don't tease Akane like that," Kasumi reprimanded lightly, even though there was a small smile on her face, too.
"All I'm saying is, those two better get their acts together quick, or else something drastic is going to happen in the fiancée department, if you know what I mean. The natives are getting restless out there, and I wouldn't put it past Cologne to get nasty if need be." Nabiki stated in all seriousness, drawing a frown from Kasumi.
"I suppose you are right... but they're just so young! I feel bad for them, it's so much responsibility." she said, putting a hand to her face. Nabiki shrugged.
"Life sucks, so what. In any case, It's not like they wouldn't be happy together, you know they would... but... Kasumi, I wanted to talk to you about something else... I mentioned it yesterday,"
"Oh, yes! You looked so odd yesterday Nabiki-chan, was something wrong?" Kasumi asked, thinking back on not just Nabiki, but everyone's odd state, yesterday.
"Well, first off, did you have a bad dream last night?" Nabiki asked, not beating around the bush.
"Well, actually, yes, I did! Why, did you?"
".Yeah, I did. And so did everyone else and their mother! You, me, Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo all looked like we got punched in the face this morning, and we ALL had ominous dreams. I think Ranma might have had one too... but it's hard to tell with that boy."
"Well, he's always so energetic!"
"Tell me about it. Anyway, seeing as how things like this usually lead to OTHER things like, oh, the apocalypse, I figured I should give it some thought. But so far, I'm just worrying myself. I can hardly remember anything from this dream, and I don't know if all five of us having a bad dream is an odd coincidence or something I should really worry about. Do YOU remember anything from the nightmare?"
"I'm afraid I'm in the same position as you, Nabiki-chan." Kasumi sighed regretfully, seating herself, and Nabiki quickly following suit. "I remember a woman, I think, talking to me. She seemed pretty adamant about what she was saying, and I remember understanding it in the DREAM, but now it's all fuzzy and unclear. What was your dream like?" Nabiki's features had darkened considerably.
"Exactly like that."
"Oh, my."
"Well, you know, honestly. What was I expecting? For this to turn out NORMAL? For this all to just be some fluke ACCIDENT?"
"Yes, we certainly do seem to get our fair share of odd things around here," Kasumi agreed solemnly.
"No shit,"
"Nabiki!"
"Sorry... sorry.. anyway, any ideas on how to approach this? Should we spaz out and go around warning everyone, or keep it to ourselves?" Kasumi bit her lip, and pondered this one for a minute. Nabiki hardly ever came to her with problems, unlike Akane, so she wanted to get this right.
"Well... there's already so much going on, I don't want to frighten people, so I think we should keep this under wraps for just a little while longer. Then, if anything pops up, we can tell Akane or Ranma... maybe even better we should consult Dr. Tofu. He would most likely know about things such as odd sequences of dreams." Kasumi suggested. Nabiki nodded her head approvingly.
"Sounds like a plan. How about you see him tomorrow morning, and I'll keep an eye on things at school. See if I find anything out of the ordinary... or more out of the ordinary than usual..."
"All right. And. I'm glad you came to me, Nabiki. It's good we're taking the initiative on this problem. I really detest feeling helpless when things just pop up as catch us all by surprise. Now. now I feel as though I'm really getting a head start here!" Nabiki watched her elder sister with warm, sad eyes. Kasumi really took pride in being the mother hen of the bunch, but it must be hard to be protective when your children are always getting themselves into situations that the Nermia crew was?
'Maybe I should have done this a while ago.' Nabiki pondered as she wandered back up to her own room, ready for some serious shut-eye.
*
"Luna, this is bad. We have to take action, now." Artemas said, his voice serious, his eyes steely. Luna winced, but nodded her head firmly. He was completely right. for once.
"Yes. I'm afraid this does not bode well at all. I had no idea she would go to these lengths. What is she doing, anyway? Forming an army? Gathering followers?" the black cat questioned.
"It would appear so. Now I suggest we get some followers of our own, before she gets a chance to collect any more monsters for her posse. Fortunately, this was done recently, so she can't have been active for much more than a day now. We were lucky to find this when we did." Artemas said.
"Yes," Luna agreed. The two cats sat in front of a cave. a scorched cave with various large and mean looking scratch marks around its edges. The trees around the cave were ripped literally out of the ground, roots attached, and either torn to paper-thin shreds, or tossed some kilometers away, where they lay innocently among the carnage. Feet tracks the side of car tires made there way out of the wood, following an unsteady and angry path. The two cats followed it with their eyes, delicately sitting around the pieces of rock left over from the explosion within the cave.
"Well. it's time to round 'em up. They have to know what they're getting into," Artemas commented, heading off, Luna quickly following. They had work to do.
*
Akane stretched and yawned, greeting the mornings rays with a small grin, happy that she had gotten a full nights sleep after last nights disaster. Ranma had snuck home around eight that evening, and she had heard him moving around her roof as she was doing her homework. Eventually, as she had known he would, he swung down to her window, and tapped on the glass, requesting entrance. Of course she had let him in, and, after a few harsh words on both parts, the problem had been resolved, Akane actually still a little bit flustered about what Ranma had said earlier. After saying something like that. 'You don't have to, I'll protect you!" -it had been considerably harder to stay angry with him for running away than usual. And, luckily, after that confrontation, Akane had been free to go to bed, and there had been no pesky dreams to bother her slumber. In fact, there had been some rather GOOD dreams, actually involving a certain pig tailed martial artist and.
"Akane, Ranma, Nabiki, breakfast is ready!" Akane heard Kasumi called from the lower levels of the house.
"I'll be right there!" Akane called back, sliding out of bed, and walking over to her dresser, spotting her hairbrush there. Deftly picking it up, and beginning to comb out her blue locks as she did every morning, her movements perfected by habit, it occurred to her that something was. not right. with her reflection. in the mirror.
Frowning, the sixteen year old peeled the sticky note off her forehead, wondering why she hadn't noticed it was attached to her head before.
"What the-?" she asked, reading the note with a wrinkled nose. The message read:
Come to the gym of Furikan High School at 4:00, ALONE. and be prepared. -Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium
"Who the heck are 'Luna and Artemas?'" Akane asked no one in particular, shaking her head. "Honestly, can't I go ONE day without some weirdo harassing me?" Crumpling up the message, Akane carelessly threw it in her waste-bin, and quickly finished brushing her hair, all while trying quite hard to forget what she just found. The last thing she needed was more trouble, after all.
"Akane? Hey Akkkaannnee.Hello! Akane!"
"Hu!? " Akane asked, head snapping up, eyes wide and alert. "What? What!"
"Jeez it's nothing!" Sayuri said, putting her hands up in a defense motion. "You just look really zoned out and I thought you might want to know that class was over,"
".It is?" Akane asked, generally surprised. "But it just started!" she protested.
"Yeah, forty-five minutes ago! You were completely in another world all class, and I highly doubt you took any notes," her friend stated plainly. Akane sighed because she knew it was true. Honestly, she had been thinking about that NOTE all class. Should she go to the gym, should she not go to the gym? Should she go alone, should she bring someone? Should she even tell anyone about the note at all? Or keep it to herself? And just WHO wanted to meet her at the gym? Probably not any of the fiancées. they rarely signed their names 'Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium', after all. Kuno? Probably note. He liked to see his name on paper too much. Not Nabiki, not Kasumi. definitely not Ranma. The list of weirdos she knew was dwindling, and Akane could only come up with the assumption that some KNEW freak in town had given her the letter. This also meant that, out of pure morbid curiosity, Akane would probably end up at the gym that afternoon.
"Hey, you want to go to lunch or what?" Sayuri asked, raising an eyebrow. "You look kinda sick, actually, maybe you should check in with the nurse first?"
"I look sick? Really? Shoot." Akane sighed, standing up and following her friend out the door. "Why can't I just have a normal day?" she asked the heavens, heaving a sigh. Well, at least things with her and Ranma were relatively calm so far, and no fiancée troubles as of yet. That was ALWAYS a plus.
"Eeek!" Sayuri cried as the duo stepped outside the classroom.
"I jinxed it, I definitely jinxed it." Akane dead panned as she was quickly covered in a blanket of black roses, accompanied by the sound of an ear piercing chortle that sounded suspiciously like it belonged to Kodachi.
*
"I want to thank you again for agreeing to this," Ritsuko said, leaning back in her chair, and drumming her long, poisonous red nails on the side as she spoke.
"Gh." The Disformunous yoma commented. "You free me, I help you." Ritsuko nodded happily, looking up at the large monster. The Disformunous Yoma was a far cry from being an attractive monster, or even a presentable one. It's arms were large and bulky, it stood at about 7'5, it's chest was about as white as a three 'W' magazines lined up horizontally, and it's large jaws had a terrible over-bite. The skin was tinted purple, and its beady green eyes had the rumored nasty tendency to shoot out deadly lazar beams. Just your generic, brainless monster.
"True, true," Ritsuko agreed." And I'm glad you are in a reasonable mood today."
The Disformunous made another "Gh" sound, and Ritsuko decided it was high time she got right to heart of the matter. "Now. the reason I need your help is. well.there is a certain artifact I need, from the Tokyo Museum of Ancient Jewelry. it's called the 'Glowing Stone Necklace.'" she said, her eyes glittering dangerously. "And simply. I want you to get it for me." The Disformunous cocked its ugly head at Ritsuko, thinking this one over. Finally, it uttered:
"You strong. Why no you get it?" Ritsuko grinned in such a cat like manner that one could almost see the ears sprout out of her pretty head.
"Now that, my lovely Disformunous, is for me to know, and you to find out. Remember, I freed you from your prison, where those wretched Sailor Scouts had you. and now you owe me. I don't think I need an explanation for a task as simply as this. I'm not even asking you to kill anyone." She purred convincingly. The Disformunous didn't really need any encouraging after that convincing pep talk though, and it nodded dutifully, its small brain totally won over.
"'Kay" It mumbled, slowly turning, and lurching out of the dark room, leaving Ritsuko alone, chuckling quietly to herself. *
Not so surprisingly, Akane found herself, around 3:45 that afternoon, fully Ranma ridden, (she had convinced him she was staying after school for a study hall. an all girls study hall. an all girls study all that didn't allow red heads.!) walking down the hall towards the gym. However, QUITE surprisingly, she found a certain Amazon making the trek with her.
"What you doing here?" Shampoo asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Well, I could ask you the same thing!" Akane replied curtly, already pointing fingers in her mind. Had Shampoo really been the one to give her the letter? She wouldn't put it past her. but.
"Shampoo invited here!" the girl informed Akane, as they both stood outside the doors to the gym. "What Violent Kitchen Destroyer doing here?" she questioned sharply.
".Wait, you were invited here?" Akane asked, putting her hand to her chest, and biting her lip. "Umm. this might sound a little weird, but, was there a sticky note attached to your head this morning?"
"Aiyah! So it was you! Why you make Shampoo come here? She have work to do!" Shampoo huffed, folding her arms.
"No! No I DIDN'T invite you here! Someone put a sticky note on MY head this morning as well! I was invited here too!" Akane quickly assured the buxom girl.
"You sure?" Shampoo asked, just for good measure.
"Yes I'm sure!" Akane sighed, rubbing her head. She had finished off her aspirin supply during science, and was now sourly wishing she hadn't.
"But. if you no do it. then who?.." Simultaneously, both girls turned to look at the gym doors, frowns on their pretty faces. The answer was obviously inside.
"You guys goin' in or what?" a voice from behind them asked, and both Akane and Shampoo jumped, turning to look at who had posed the question.
"Uyko?" both girls squeaked.
"Nabiki and Kasumi too?" Akane asked, shaking her head as she watched both of her sisters wave to her from behind the okanamiyaki chef's back. "Let me guess. you guys got invited here also?" Akane deadpanned.
"How did you know?" asked Nabiki. It just got weirder and weirder.
"Because Shampoo and I did, too!" Akane replied, throwing her hands up in a show of utter bafflement.
"Do we know who asked us to come here?" Ukyo asked, fingering her spatula.
"Nope, we're totally clueless."
"Oh, my. How disturbing," Kasumi commented, trading worried glances with Nabiki, both thinking the same thing. Did this have something to do with the dream? All of the same people were here. so.
"Well, you know, the only way to find out who asked us here, is to go in." Ukyo said, throwing her comment towards Shampoo and Akane, who were still standing firmly in front of the doors.
"I don't want to rush blindly in," Akane admitted. She had been through enough in her lifetime already to be cautious about running into large, open spaces because a couple named 'Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium' asked you to.
"Well, neither do I, but it doesn't look as though we have much of a choice here. unless you want to enter through the windows." Ukyo said blatantly. Not liking THAT idea, Nabiki quickly darted forward.
"Oh come on little sis', there's five of us! It shouldn't be a problem! I mean, what. are you scared?" she asked, knowing JUST what buttons to press, after years of hard practice. Sure enough, Akane got all huffy and moved to the side.
"Well. well no! I just want us to be careful," she insisted, as Shampoo opened the doors cautiously, not all to sure about this idea herself.
"Hello?" she called to the large, empty gym. And as everyone poured in, quietly inspecting their surroundings, and finding nothing out of the normal, in occurred to them all that the whole thing might be just a hoax.
"It doesn't look like anyone's here, maybe we should just leave-" Nabiki started.
"Excuse me, but there is most certainly someone here! Two someone's in fact!" a proper little voice called out, and immediately all five heads shot to the side. "Down here," the voice added as they all floundered around, looking for a source.
"Oh, my!" Kasumi repeated, looking at the small black cat, and her white partner, sitting a few feet away from the girls. They had hardly noticed them! "But. your just a little kitty," Kasumi said, going down to scratch the white one under the chin. Unable to resist Kasumi's overwhelming motherly vibes, Artemas found himself purring into the nineteen year olds hand like a common house cat.
"Artemas, now is not the time,"
"Sorry! Sorry!"
"Excuse me. but are you talking?" Nabiki asked, just wanting to get that all cleared up.
"Well. yes
"Oh. All right, just wanted to make sure," the brunette said, folding her arms and shrugging.
"So, what did you want to see us for?" Akane asked, curiously.
"You girls seem to be taking this extremely well," Artemas said, impressed. "Usually people run screaming when they hear us talk for the first time.
"We've seen odder things," Nabiki admitted nonchalantly, shrugging. "But, time is money kitties, and we want to know why you stuck sticky notes to our heads this morning," At this the cats demeanor seemed to get a lot more serious, and Kasumi backed away a little.
"Actually, we have something of a grave nature to discuss with you girls, and you must listen carefully!" Artemas informed them all. The girls stared at the two small house animals for a second, biting their lips, and shifting from foot to foot. before Shampoo let a little bit of a giggle slip out, and Ukyo and Akane quickly followed suit, chuckling into their hands. Nabiki snorted delicately, turning her head to the side, and Kasumi just smiled.
"What? What's so funny?" Artemas asked as Ukyo suddenly doubled over in laughter.
"S-sorry." Ukyo breathed, getting a hold of herself. "But you just looked so FUNNY! I mean. I mean. you're a cat! And-and-" she dissolved into laughter again, Akane nodding along with her, saying 'Something of a grave nature! S-something. grave.Bwahaha!"
"This. is so degrading." Luna said flatly, as the girls laughed in their faces, unable to contain themselves at the oddity of the situation. They had seen a lot, true, but this was just plain amusing.
"S-sorry," Nabiki said after a moment, whipping a stray tear away. "Continue, go on! We didn't mean to interrupt, honestly!"
"Hmph. I don't think I'll BE continuing now, thanks very much!" Artemas scoffed, frowning deeply. Honestly! Of all the nerve.
"No, please continue kitties! You had something important to say!" Kasumi urged, looking worried. She really hadn't meant to insult them!
"'Of a grave nature!'" Ukyo whispered into Akane's ear, as the blue haired girl tried bravely not to giggle.
"You know, if you girls weren't the only thing between the possible total destruction of Tokyo, we might just leave you right here and now!" Luna sighed. "But. seeing as how you are, we will put up with your childish antics-But just this once!"
"Oh, thank you," Nabiki said, rolling her eyes.
"Now, as I was saying, you girls are needed for a special purpose now!" Artemas continued, that righteous tone of voice back with a vengeance. "The world is vulnerable right now, since the Sailor Scouts are currently battling in a different galaxy for the protection of-"
"Excuse me! Excuse me. did you just say, Sailor Scouts?" Nabiki repeated, arms folded as she leaned over to look the cat in the eye.
"Why, yes," Luna answered for Artemas.
"Okaay." Nabiki said, making koo-koo motions with her hands to the other girls, who nodded solemnly in agreement.
"While the scouts are away, Earth is in grave peril, and we need some. back ups, so to speak, who will defend the world in their absence! That's where you five come in," Artemas said, squaring his shoulders, his voice dead serious.
"So, wait. you want us to be the Sailor Scouts replacements while they're away," Akane summed up, not too sure if she had this right.
"In a nut-shell. yes." Artemas admitted.
"Well, this sucks." Ukyo said, frowning. "Usually the way it works is you just get to BE the super-hero! Not their REPLACEMENT! That's so lame!"
"Aiyah, Shampoo no want to be stupid fill in." the Amazon agreed, placing her hands on her hips. "We getting gypped. Fight way better than those silly Sailor Scouts, anyway. I see on TV! They silly!" Shampoo enthused.
"I know this may not seem like an appealing job to you girls. but we need you! We have reason to believe that a violent criminal is out and about in Tokyo now that the Scouts are away, and there is no telling what she could do from now to the time the scouts return! If you don't help, the results could be disastrous!" Luna said, an edge of desperation to her voice.
"Oh, great, so, on top of it being a lame job, it's highly DANGEROUS too. I like that!" Akane laughed.
"Not to mention that the Sailor Scouts are fictional characters." Nabiki said in a matter-o-factly tone of voice.
"Umm. isn't that like the pot calling the kettle?" Artemas pointed out. "What?"
"Neeevvermind." the feline said, wisely.
"Nabiki's right though, the Sailor Scouts aren't real!" Ukyo stated.
"Then how do you explain us?" asked Luna, arching an eyebrow.
"You're a talking animal! So what? I can do talking animals. They're reasonable. But Sailor Scouts? Oh please." Ukyo said, smiling knowingly.
"The Sailor Scouts are very real, and you would do well to listen to us, too!" Luna spat, fed up with the girls intolerable attitudes. Really, in all her years..!
"Do you have any proof of their existence?" Nabiki questioned, raising an eyebrow. To this question, Luna actually smiled, an action which sent chills down the senior's spine.
"Actually. yes, I do. Girls!" she announced loudly, so that she had everyone's full attention. "Prepare to see your destiny!"
"Destiny? Our destiny is to replacements? That's so depressing!"
"Shut up!" Luna squawked, as the crescent moon on her forehead began to glow an un-Earthly light, that made everything around it an eerie yellow color. The girls shrunk back the tiniest bit as the light stormed its way towards them, suddenly wishing they hadn't been QUITE so rude to the talking animals.
"AHHHHH!" the girls, as a whole, screamed, as the light fully engulfed them with its powerful aura, and they felt themselves change.
* Downtown, the large Disformunous stomped its way along the street, scaring people off the sidewalk and onto the other side, not bother to hide its horrid form, or be in any way inconspicuous. People were calling the police, scared out of their wits, as the God ugly creature made its way slowly, but surely to the Museum, leaving large, cracked footprints in the cement where it had stepped. Nermia was weird, it was true, however, it didn't make happenings like this any less startling! *
Akane gasped sharply as her world became a blanket of pure white, sparkling and wonderful. she closed her eyes almost involuntarily, a small smile gracing her lips. Ribbons of power that weighed nothing at all encircled her body, wrapping around her limbs, and she felt a beating warmth in her chest become raw energy. It created its own light and took her with it as it became something so powerful Akane felt like she was an entirely new person. the light. it was so foreign, and yet so entirely familiar. She embraced it. And then was power and love itself, if just for that one moment. She could do anything! She had been meant to play this role, she suddenly knew it. Illuminating her surroundings now was a bright pink aura that didn't necessarily represent her. but something bigger in the scheme of things. And when she opened her eyes, chocolate brown eyes, filled with curiosity.she was no longer Akane Tendo. But.Was she wearing. a blue pleated mini skirt?! *
Kasumi gasped as she felt a sudden chill overcome her.she hadn't thought the light would be cold, but it was! It was freezing, and soon she was twirling around in place for no particular reason she could disconcert. Her eyes were still open, and she could make out dazzling blue streams of sparkly ice. There was something magical all around her now, and she suddenly wanted to grasp it, an idea totally uncharacteristic of her, but now fitting. Reaching out, her own, soft brown eyes filled with wonder, she was swiftly falling downward into a large mirror. no. it wasn't a mirror! It was water! And as she felt herself splash through it, a surge of power raced through her, and when she broke back up to the surface, gasping, but miraculously dry. she was no longer Kasumi Tendo. Kasumi Tendo did NOT have three ear piercings! Everyone knew that! *
Nabiki cried out as the light fell over her, and it was searing and hot. She was overwhelmed and helpless, as it came at her in rings of burning light. Quickly, she realized it wasn't normal fire as it circled her body perfectly, feeling as though it had been made to fit her aura and power. and then everything escalated to a new height of awareness as she felt a new sensation enter her blood. She had never been so strong! Is this what she had been missing out on? Is this what all of those martial artists felt like all day long? Almost unconsciously, Nabiki smiled, as she was quickly pulled in a downward spiral, closer to the heat. She let it take her this time, like a river, to its source, and when she reached it. there was a brief explosion inside her, before she was back to where she began, and suddenly everything felt cooler than before, as though nothing could compare to what had just happened to her . to her soul, too, maybe? She was no longer Nabiki Tendo. Nabiki Tendo didn't have red pumps! But now that she did, she didn't really mind. *
Ukyo gasped, and her hair stood on end. What was going on? Zipping all around her, and confusing her to the point of no return, were colorful spurts of electricity, mostly green, zapping her and pushing her into totally random positions. She thought she should be shocked or electrocuted or something equally as unpleasant when the electricity made contact, but as the lightening formed a fascinating pattern, and took her into it, she felt elated, not hurt. Better. Stronger. More powerful than ever before. She curled up into fetal position and let it go, as there was a humungous boom of thunder somewhere, and a searing light blinded her momentarily. She was gone for a second, a terrifying second. and then she was exited once more as she was zoomed back, smiling and ready for anything. She was no longer Ukyo Kuonji! Ukyo Kuonji didn't where white gloves. Hell, for that matter, who did? * Shampoo tried to contain a squeal of terror as she was pulled into something that was startling and.a particularly vibrant color of orange. Shapes she couldn't make out, but looked disturbingly like hearts, swirled around her, and her hair floated all about her form as she tried to gain her footing, but simply found herself spinning out of control into a black whole of pure energy and love power of the likes she had never experienced. Enticed by the idea of obtaining that kind of power, she let herself be totally surrounded by the chains of flying light, slowly closing her violet eyes as it washed over her. There was a final bang of light, and then her entire body underwent a change that sent her soaring back to where she began, everything more solid and real now. How and she gotten so powerful? What was this energy? She smiled. She was no longer Shampoo of the Amazons. Shampoo of the Amazons didn't where a tiara! Though it was a cute idea. *
".So." Nabiki, the first one to gain her voice back, asked after a moment of stunned silence on everyone's part. "What was THAT?"
"THAT," Luna replied, physically unable to keep a teasing tone out of her voice, replied. "Was your sailor scout transformation. Usually you have to activate it. but. I didn't think I was going to be able to make you girls shout 'Planet Power Make Up!', just yet."
And in thinking that you were right." Akane croaked flatly, looking down at her body in shock. WHAT was she WEARING? A sailor fuku? She examined her gloved hands, pulled at her revealing sailor top, and eyed her knee high boots and bare thighs guardedly. Err. wait. was she wearing a tiara around her forehead?!
"I used to watch Sailor Moon all the time! Oh, I feel like a cartoon character!" Kasumi laughed, pulling at her short, light blue mini skirt.
"As oppose to..?" Artemas asked.
Shampoo walked around in a little circle, testing out her orange heals with ankle high straps, and finding them surprisingly easy to move in. If she had known heals were so easy to handle, she would have converted years ago! However, she had a feeling that these weren't exactly normal heals.
"This what sailor scouts really wear?" she asked, critically, finding it hard to imagine a bunch of super heroes running around and saving the day in outfits like THESE. they just weren't practical!
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "You now are equipped with all of the accessories and powers of the Sailor Scouts, in order to protect Earth.- Temporarily of course." she added.
"Again, with the lameness!" Nabiki sighed, while tugging experimentally at her red choker.
"Now, you must take this position seriously! You may be a surrogate
scout, but don't forget you are a scout now none the less! Take this job with pride! Don't be an embarrassment to our honorable history!" Artemas encouraged, a bit forcefully. The girls all traded hesitant glances, holding a silent conversation, before sighing together, and conceding to the animal's wishes.
"Fine. we'll play along for now. This whole thing feels real enough anyway. I guess it wouldn't hurt to help you." Akane admitted, shrugging dispassionately. She had always had a soft spot for people, er, things, in need, in any case.
"Yeah, besides, Sailor Moon is big wimp, so, this be easy job for us." Shampoo added helpfully.
"Sailor Moon is most certainly NOT a wimp!" Luna snapped irritably, glaring at the cocky girl.
"Just so I have the fine print down. how long exactly do you we have to have to hold this position?" Nabiki asked. Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo might be strong martial artists, but what could she and Kasumi add to the group? She still wasn't so sure about this whole idea, and didn't want to be a part of it for too long.
"Actually. we're not exactly positive on that one. Not an unreasonable amount of time, we're sure, but, the thing is-" Artemas began, cut off in mid explanation by a surprised yelp from his partner.
"Artemas! Something's up!" Luna yowled, blinking, and swiftly summoning a floating laptop to her, her senses tipped off my some sort of internal alarm system, signaling danger.
"Damn, I got to get me on of those," Nabiki whispered to Akane, watching the highly advanced laptop work with hungry eyes. All of the girls waited uneasily as the two felines typed some problematical looking codes into the computer, muttering a string of what sounded suspiciously like curses in another language. Was it. Latin?
"Shit, it's already started!" Artemas spat, aggravated. "Girls, there's a Disformunous down town trying to break into the Tokyo Museum of Ancient Jewelry! The police are on it, but, I'm afraid this sort of yoma is bullet proof. They wont be able to hold It off much."
"Eh?" Ukyo asked, flatly.
"We can't stop it on our own, and we have a feeling it could be after one of the more. magical. items in the museum. It must not get its hands on that artifact!" Luna said, shifting into business mode.
"And you want us to stop it?" Akane asked, not all too sure what a Disformunous was, but already positive she didn't like the sound of it.
"Yes, this will be a wonderful chance to prove yourself, in any case, since you already believe you're greater than sailor Moon. this demon is a low class one. he should be no problem," the pedantic cat said breezily. All of the girls turned to glare at a slightly abashed looking Shampoo.
"But. you haven't even taught us about our powers yet!" Kasumi, also wary about doing any actual fighting, pointed out.
"Oh, they'll come to you. besides, you've been through worse. right?" Artemas said, wickedly.
"That's right we have!" Akane snapped, peeved at having the tables turned on her. "We'll go beat that monster and be back in time for dinner!"
"Um. Akane honey. the thing's bullet proof, maybe you shouldn't be going around saying stuff like that." Ukyo offered, showing wisdom beyonde her years for this inference.
"Most everything we fight is bullet proof, Ukyo! Now come on guys, are we going to do this, or are we going to do this?" Akane questioned the assembled group of kinky looking teens. They all glanced briefly at one another, shrugged, and nodded.
"Sure, we whip yoma butt and save museum!" Shampoo enthused. And with that all of the girls quickly sashayed out of the gym, confidant and ready.
"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Luna asked Artemas softly after they had all left, feeling slightly guilty for egging them on like that, come to think of it. "It's true, we DIDN'T prepare them for this. they don't know what they're doing!"
"Ahhh. they'll be fine," he replied, biting his lip. nervously. "But. just in case. maybe we should follow them! You know, give them some helpful pointers for the fight?"
"Good idea!"
*
And, somewhere in the city, Ritsuko let out a full-blown cackle.
NOTES: Did you like it? I finished this one just about two minutes ago. and this is actually pretty fun! Thanks again for reviewing, and plleeassee make that habit a continuing pattern! Look out for the next chapter: 'In Over Our Heads? Nooo.' It'll also have more actual Ranma in it (sorry he was so unappreciated in this chapter.) and you'll find out exactly which scouts the girls are, if you hadn't guessed already!
Rio~
I don't own Ranma 1/2 OR Sailor Moon.
*NOTE- I feel so lame... last time, I spelled my own e-mail address wrong. It's papaya41@aol.com... not papya. Heh. Right. Sorry about that.
Partial Eclipse
By Rio Grande
Chapter One: Where Have all the Sailor Scouts Gone?!
"I don't like the sound of this. A normal nightmare wouldn't leave you so drained." Cologne repeated for the umpteenth time that evening. "Or frightened... I smell a rat ..." the old woman grumbled quietly, turning away from her purple haired descendent, and hopping on her cane over to a table where a distressed white goose wearing a pair of glasses was stuffed precariously into a small cage...
"Aiyah.. don't worry Grandmother, I ... I shouldn't have brought it up anyway. It's no big thing. I'm probably just tired from working here at the restaurant." Shampoo replied in her native tongue, sighing. She lay back farther into her seat, gazing around the Neko Hattan thoughtfully as she spoke. "drained anyway, just sleepy,"
"Have you lived in Nermia for nearly two years now only to learn nothing?" Cologne snapped, irritably. " Cologne concluded, whacking the duck over the head in an effort to shut up its inane quacks. Shampoo winced as the duck collapsed comically on its side. Mouse...
"" Shampoo asked, cocking her head. "But from whom? Should I be worried?"
"Not just yet... As you said the dream wasn't entirely bad... just ominous. Who knows, maybe it's a good omen."
"Maybe it's a good omen about Ranma and I!" Shampoo giggled hopefully, much to the duck's distress.
"Perhaps," Cologne conceded, bowing her head in thought. "On the other hand, it could be warning you about dangers to come, perhaps a terrible battle... I don't like it, either way, but as of yet there is nothing I can do." Cologne sighed after a second, scratching her head thoughtfully. Maybe you're right, anyway, maybe you ARE just tired from working at the Neko Hattan... I'll remember to give you more breaks," Shampoo clapped her hands together, happily. "Still, Granddaughter, keep an eye out for any suspicious happenings, and be extra careful. I don't want anything happening to you,." the withered woman added, rather affectionately. Shampoo beamed.
"Of course, Grandmother," Shampoo agreed, watching the small Amazon hop out of the room without turning back. Shampoo watched her leave with soft purple eyes, until a worry quack reached her ears, and her attention was drawn back to Mouse, still stuck in his cage. The pretty girls expression took on a scowl.
"You," she sighed, shaking her head scornfully. "If you hadn't gone crazy when I told grandmother I wasn't feeling well, she wouldn't have had to put you in that cage! You bring this upon yourself, you stupid male!" she scoffed, folding her arms. The duck gave off a more pitiful quack this time, hanging his head with shame. Shampoo bit her lip as she watched the small animal sigh. After a moment her conscience won an internal battle, and the attractive Amazon teen slowly stood up, walking over to the confined mallard with a considerably kinder expression on her face.
"Here you silly boy, let's get you some clothes and a pot of hot water," she murmured as she unlocked the cage.
*
"Wow... look at that babe!"
"Hott stuff!"
"She's freaking gorgeous!"
"And so flexible..."
As a group of bumbling teenagers continued to drool over her, Ristuko finished her round off on the mats, and turned to glare at them with piercing, cold eyes.
'What are a bunch of idiots like them doing in a gymnasium, anyway?' she thought to herself, adjusting her leotard and marching over to them, her movements graceful and sharp.
Ritsuko was the star of Juban's Gymnastics' team, her trophy case filled to the brim with awards for her various performances and wins throughout the years, starting back when she was a freshman. The blonde had always had an amazing knack for gymnastics, and had been winning competition after competition since she entered high school... but never seemed to care much about boys, no matter how much they seemed to care about her.
"Oh my God... she's coming this way!"
"Shit!... Do I look ok?"
In addition, she was infamous around the school for being the beautiful Ice Queen. She had very little friends, and kept to herself, shrouded in mystery, making her only more appealing to the horny teen. She didn't attend school dances, seemed to be permanently in a bitchy mood, and cared very little about her grades. On the OTHER hand, she had a body to DIE for.
"What are you fools gawking at?" she asked in a low hiss, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. Her glare seemed to penetrate the young men, boring into their souls and forcing shivers down their spines. She knew just how to deal with their kind... she had encountered them one to many times.
"Yo! Babe! No need to get pissed man!... we were just... admiring the view!" one boy cackled, snorting at his own joke, and elbowing his friends helpfully as they began to chuckle as well. Ritsuko rolled her eyes and let off a little sneer.
"How pathetic. You idiots must have brains the size of a grape! Do you have nothing better to do with your lives then stand around and bother people with important training to do?" she questioned, jabbing one boy in the chest with her finger for emphasis.
"Hells no!" another boy joked, smiling wickedly, then quickly wrapping his arm around Ristuko, and pulling the thin girl close to him, head craning down, and going in for the kill...
He was the first to go.
The tricky boy's friends backed away in morbid fascination and horror as the prodigy high school girl quickly returned the kiss with a passion... and then began to suck the life directly out of his body.
"Fuck! What the freak is she doing to 'Yoshi, man!? I don't think he likes her style!" one boy cried in terror, watching as his companion's eyes bulged unpleasantly, and his flailing arms began to shrivel up and rot away right in front of his eyes. His skin purpled and bubbled as the process went on, and Ristuko didn't pull away for a moment, eyes closed in concentration.
Finally, one of the four observing boys had the sense (or lack there of) to step forward and try to pull the homicidal girl away from his quickly dying friend, surprised on just how strong a grip the blonde had on the boy.
"Shit, bitch! What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" he cried, yanking her away and throwing her to the ground. The other boys watched in terror as their friend collapsed to the wood floor, and immediately began spasaming and coughing up blood, his skin so damaged he looked like an old mummy.
Ristuko hissed in rage and quickly pulled herself up, blood streaming from her mouth, which had suddenly acquired a nasty looking pair of fangs, and bit into the other boy's stomach with her killer jaws, sinking into his skin as though it were butter, and inwardly smirking as he cried out in pain.
"FUCK!"
The other boys seemed extremely distressed as they watched their next friend start to get sucked dry, before coming to their senses and deciding to all gang up on her at once, giving the whacked up wench a quick death.
None of them came out of the encounter alive.
There was more blood and screams, dismembered body parts and evil laughs, and at the end of it all, Ritsuko stood victorious, breathing heavily, and blood dripping from her hands and mouth, while her pupils continued to dilate erratically. Finally, after surveying the damage she had dealt, and the boys rotting, dried up corpses, a small smile graced her lips.
"I... wasn't even that angry..." she admitted, looking up at the ceiling, as if expecting something. "And... no one is here to stop me..." she added as an after thought, her voiced awed and clearly amazed. "I could go do this to anyone I want... and no one would stop me...YES!" she finally cried, jumping into the air happily, much like an enthusiastic cheer- leader, and doing a little happy dance around the dead teens, flecks of blood whipping around her.
"THERE ARE NO STUPID, ANNOYING LITTLE SAILOR SCOUTS HERE TO STOP ME! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!" she continued to shout, throwing her arms up with joy. It had been SO LONG since she had violently and thoughtlessly maimed a human without fear of being caught and destroyed by the pesky sailor soldiers!
Quickly stopping her joyful rant, Ristuko's eyes suddenly fell on the door out of the gymnasium, and soon her smile had grown even more sinister.
"And I think I will."
*
"C'mon Ranma, PLLEEEAASSEE spar with me!" Akane whined, dashing eagerly after her annoyed fiancée.
"NO way! You KNOW I don't hit girls, and, as you've all too often pointed out to me before, what's the point of sparring with someone if they don't attack back?" Ranma huffed, leaping up a tree in the Tendo's yard and staying there, frowning down at the smaller girl beneath him now.
"Oh come on Ranma! Even just a little?... It's just SPARRING, I used to do it all the time with Dad and it doesn't really hurt at all!" Akane cooed, somehow knowing that it was very important to Ranma to hear that she probably wouldn't be getting TOO injured if the couple just did a short sparring session in the dojo, that whole protective factor coming back into play. And with the sheer mass and variety of weirdos that now dwelled in Nermia, it was sometimes something that Akane really needed from him, too... Not that she would ever admit to THAT, either!
"Well, then, go spar with your father, if it's so safe! Look! He's right over there!" Ranma encouraged, pointing to the middle aged man in question, carefully playing shoji on the deck with a panda, while smoking a cigarette and scheming up to ways to get Ranma and Akane together, forever. Akane gave a flat stare at the young martial artist at this suggestion, and Ranma had to admit it was a silly notion. Soun hadn't sparred with anyone, voluntarily, in years!
"Oh, yeah, capital idea," Akane dead panned, folding her arms, and beginning to get annoyed. What was the BIG deal anyway? He so HAD hit girls before!... just never her.
"Listen, Akane," Ranma sighed, rubbing his head, and still not emerging from his perch in the tree. " I really just DON'T want to spar with you. It makes me... uncomfortable." he decided to say.
"'Uncomfortable?'" Akane repeated, skeptically. "Honestly Ranma, how do you ever expect me to get better and protect myself from all of the freaks who come around here, if you don't help me train!"
"You don't have to protect yourself, I will!" Ranma stated firmly, loudly, before he fully realized just what he had said. Akane's eyes widened, and a small blush spread over her cheeks, as Ranma watched in horror. Had he really just SAID that?
"Whooo, you tell her Ranma!" Nabiki cheered, along with her father's, from the porch. And even as Ranma was quickly forced to back pedal out of the tree, and escape the Tendo's home before his idiot father and Mr. Tendo could arrange yet ANOTHER marriage attempt, a little voice in the back of his head reminded him softly... 'But it's true. I will NEVER let anyone hurt Akane... not anymore.' However, the second thought to cross the boys mind was, 'Shit! I'm going freaking insane!'
*
"Ahhh... young love!" Nabiki crooned in a mocking tone of voice, as Akane quickly dashed up the stairs, not entirely sure why Ranma wanting to protect her affected her this much. It wasn't like she didn't KNOW. He had been protecting her since he first came to Nermia!... he had just never talked about it like that.
"Nabiki! Don't tease Akane like that," Kasumi reprimanded lightly, even though there was a small smile on her face, too.
"All I'm saying is, those two better get their acts together quick, or else something drastic is going to happen in the fiancée department, if you know what I mean. The natives are getting restless out there, and I wouldn't put it past Cologne to get nasty if need be." Nabiki stated in all seriousness, drawing a frown from Kasumi.
"I suppose you are right... but they're just so young! I feel bad for them, it's so much responsibility." she said, putting a hand to her face. Nabiki shrugged.
"Life sucks, so what. In any case, It's not like they wouldn't be happy together, you know they would... but... Kasumi, I wanted to talk to you about something else... I mentioned it yesterday,"
"Oh, yes! You looked so odd yesterday Nabiki-chan, was something wrong?" Kasumi asked, thinking back on not just Nabiki, but everyone's odd state, yesterday.
"Well, first off, did you have a bad dream last night?" Nabiki asked, not beating around the bush.
"Well, actually, yes, I did! Why, did you?"
".Yeah, I did. And so did everyone else and their mother! You, me, Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo all looked like we got punched in the face this morning, and we ALL had ominous dreams. I think Ranma might have had one too... but it's hard to tell with that boy."
"Well, he's always so energetic!"
"Tell me about it. Anyway, seeing as how things like this usually lead to OTHER things like, oh, the apocalypse, I figured I should give it some thought. But so far, I'm just worrying myself. I can hardly remember anything from this dream, and I don't know if all five of us having a bad dream is an odd coincidence or something I should really worry about. Do YOU remember anything from the nightmare?"
"I'm afraid I'm in the same position as you, Nabiki-chan." Kasumi sighed regretfully, seating herself, and Nabiki quickly following suit. "I remember a woman, I think, talking to me. She seemed pretty adamant about what she was saying, and I remember understanding it in the DREAM, but now it's all fuzzy and unclear. What was your dream like?" Nabiki's features had darkened considerably.
"Exactly like that."
"Oh, my."
"Well, you know, honestly. What was I expecting? For this to turn out NORMAL? For this all to just be some fluke ACCIDENT?"
"Yes, we certainly do seem to get our fair share of odd things around here," Kasumi agreed solemnly.
"No shit,"
"Nabiki!"
"Sorry... sorry.. anyway, any ideas on how to approach this? Should we spaz out and go around warning everyone, or keep it to ourselves?" Kasumi bit her lip, and pondered this one for a minute. Nabiki hardly ever came to her with problems, unlike Akane, so she wanted to get this right.
"Well... there's already so much going on, I don't want to frighten people, so I think we should keep this under wraps for just a little while longer. Then, if anything pops up, we can tell Akane or Ranma... maybe even better we should consult Dr. Tofu. He would most likely know about things such as odd sequences of dreams." Kasumi suggested. Nabiki nodded her head approvingly.
"Sounds like a plan. How about you see him tomorrow morning, and I'll keep an eye on things at school. See if I find anything out of the ordinary... or more out of the ordinary than usual..."
"All right. And. I'm glad you came to me, Nabiki. It's good we're taking the initiative on this problem. I really detest feeling helpless when things just pop up as catch us all by surprise. Now. now I feel as though I'm really getting a head start here!" Nabiki watched her elder sister with warm, sad eyes. Kasumi really took pride in being the mother hen of the bunch, but it must be hard to be protective when your children are always getting themselves into situations that the Nermia crew was?
'Maybe I should have done this a while ago.' Nabiki pondered as she wandered back up to her own room, ready for some serious shut-eye.
*
"Luna, this is bad. We have to take action, now." Artemas said, his voice serious, his eyes steely. Luna winced, but nodded her head firmly. He was completely right. for once.
"Yes. I'm afraid this does not bode well at all. I had no idea she would go to these lengths. What is she doing, anyway? Forming an army? Gathering followers?" the black cat questioned.
"It would appear so. Now I suggest we get some followers of our own, before she gets a chance to collect any more monsters for her posse. Fortunately, this was done recently, so she can't have been active for much more than a day now. We were lucky to find this when we did." Artemas said.
"Yes," Luna agreed. The two cats sat in front of a cave. a scorched cave with various large and mean looking scratch marks around its edges. The trees around the cave were ripped literally out of the ground, roots attached, and either torn to paper-thin shreds, or tossed some kilometers away, where they lay innocently among the carnage. Feet tracks the side of car tires made there way out of the wood, following an unsteady and angry path. The two cats followed it with their eyes, delicately sitting around the pieces of rock left over from the explosion within the cave.
"Well. it's time to round 'em up. They have to know what they're getting into," Artemas commented, heading off, Luna quickly following. They had work to do.
*
Akane stretched and yawned, greeting the mornings rays with a small grin, happy that she had gotten a full nights sleep after last nights disaster. Ranma had snuck home around eight that evening, and she had heard him moving around her roof as she was doing her homework. Eventually, as she had known he would, he swung down to her window, and tapped on the glass, requesting entrance. Of course she had let him in, and, after a few harsh words on both parts, the problem had been resolved, Akane actually still a little bit flustered about what Ranma had said earlier. After saying something like that. 'You don't have to, I'll protect you!" -it had been considerably harder to stay angry with him for running away than usual. And, luckily, after that confrontation, Akane had been free to go to bed, and there had been no pesky dreams to bother her slumber. In fact, there had been some rather GOOD dreams, actually involving a certain pig tailed martial artist and.
"Akane, Ranma, Nabiki, breakfast is ready!" Akane heard Kasumi called from the lower levels of the house.
"I'll be right there!" Akane called back, sliding out of bed, and walking over to her dresser, spotting her hairbrush there. Deftly picking it up, and beginning to comb out her blue locks as she did every morning, her movements perfected by habit, it occurred to her that something was. not right. with her reflection. in the mirror.
Frowning, the sixteen year old peeled the sticky note off her forehead, wondering why she hadn't noticed it was attached to her head before.
"What the-?" she asked, reading the note with a wrinkled nose. The message read:
Come to the gym of Furikan High School at 4:00, ALONE. and be prepared. -Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium
"Who the heck are 'Luna and Artemas?'" Akane asked no one in particular, shaking her head. "Honestly, can't I go ONE day without some weirdo harassing me?" Crumpling up the message, Akane carelessly threw it in her waste-bin, and quickly finished brushing her hair, all while trying quite hard to forget what she just found. The last thing she needed was more trouble, after all.
"Akane? Hey Akkkaannnee.Hello! Akane!"
"Hu!? " Akane asked, head snapping up, eyes wide and alert. "What? What!"
"Jeez it's nothing!" Sayuri said, putting her hands up in a defense motion. "You just look really zoned out and I thought you might want to know that class was over,"
".It is?" Akane asked, generally surprised. "But it just started!" she protested.
"Yeah, forty-five minutes ago! You were completely in another world all class, and I highly doubt you took any notes," her friend stated plainly. Akane sighed because she knew it was true. Honestly, she had been thinking about that NOTE all class. Should she go to the gym, should she not go to the gym? Should she go alone, should she bring someone? Should she even tell anyone about the note at all? Or keep it to herself? And just WHO wanted to meet her at the gym? Probably not any of the fiancées. they rarely signed their names 'Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium', after all. Kuno? Probably note. He liked to see his name on paper too much. Not Nabiki, not Kasumi. definitely not Ranma. The list of weirdos she knew was dwindling, and Akane could only come up with the assumption that some KNEW freak in town had given her the letter. This also meant that, out of pure morbid curiosity, Akane would probably end up at the gym that afternoon.
"Hey, you want to go to lunch or what?" Sayuri asked, raising an eyebrow. "You look kinda sick, actually, maybe you should check in with the nurse first?"
"I look sick? Really? Shoot." Akane sighed, standing up and following her friend out the door. "Why can't I just have a normal day?" she asked the heavens, heaving a sigh. Well, at least things with her and Ranma were relatively calm so far, and no fiancée troubles as of yet. That was ALWAYS a plus.
"Eeek!" Sayuri cried as the duo stepped outside the classroom.
"I jinxed it, I definitely jinxed it." Akane dead panned as she was quickly covered in a blanket of black roses, accompanied by the sound of an ear piercing chortle that sounded suspiciously like it belonged to Kodachi.
*
"I want to thank you again for agreeing to this," Ritsuko said, leaning back in her chair, and drumming her long, poisonous red nails on the side as she spoke.
"Gh." The Disformunous yoma commented. "You free me, I help you." Ritsuko nodded happily, looking up at the large monster. The Disformunous Yoma was a far cry from being an attractive monster, or even a presentable one. It's arms were large and bulky, it stood at about 7'5, it's chest was about as white as a three 'W' magazines lined up horizontally, and it's large jaws had a terrible over-bite. The skin was tinted purple, and its beady green eyes had the rumored nasty tendency to shoot out deadly lazar beams. Just your generic, brainless monster.
"True, true," Ritsuko agreed." And I'm glad you are in a reasonable mood today."
The Disformunous made another "Gh" sound, and Ritsuko decided it was high time she got right to heart of the matter. "Now. the reason I need your help is. well.there is a certain artifact I need, from the Tokyo Museum of Ancient Jewelry. it's called the 'Glowing Stone Necklace.'" she said, her eyes glittering dangerously. "And simply. I want you to get it for me." The Disformunous cocked its ugly head at Ritsuko, thinking this one over. Finally, it uttered:
"You strong. Why no you get it?" Ritsuko grinned in such a cat like manner that one could almost see the ears sprout out of her pretty head.
"Now that, my lovely Disformunous, is for me to know, and you to find out. Remember, I freed you from your prison, where those wretched Sailor Scouts had you. and now you owe me. I don't think I need an explanation for a task as simply as this. I'm not even asking you to kill anyone." She purred convincingly. The Disformunous didn't really need any encouraging after that convincing pep talk though, and it nodded dutifully, its small brain totally won over.
"'Kay" It mumbled, slowly turning, and lurching out of the dark room, leaving Ritsuko alone, chuckling quietly to herself. *
Not so surprisingly, Akane found herself, around 3:45 that afternoon, fully Ranma ridden, (she had convinced him she was staying after school for a study hall. an all girls study hall. an all girls study all that didn't allow red heads.!) walking down the hall towards the gym. However, QUITE surprisingly, she found a certain Amazon making the trek with her.
"What you doing here?" Shampoo asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Well, I could ask you the same thing!" Akane replied curtly, already pointing fingers in her mind. Had Shampoo really been the one to give her the letter? She wouldn't put it past her. but.
"Shampoo invited here!" the girl informed Akane, as they both stood outside the doors to the gym. "What Violent Kitchen Destroyer doing here?" she questioned sharply.
".Wait, you were invited here?" Akane asked, putting her hand to her chest, and biting her lip. "Umm. this might sound a little weird, but, was there a sticky note attached to your head this morning?"
"Aiyah! So it was you! Why you make Shampoo come here? She have work to do!" Shampoo huffed, folding her arms.
"No! No I DIDN'T invite you here! Someone put a sticky note on MY head this morning as well! I was invited here too!" Akane quickly assured the buxom girl.
"You sure?" Shampoo asked, just for good measure.
"Yes I'm sure!" Akane sighed, rubbing her head. She had finished off her aspirin supply during science, and was now sourly wishing she hadn't.
"But. if you no do it. then who?.." Simultaneously, both girls turned to look at the gym doors, frowns on their pretty faces. The answer was obviously inside.
"You guys goin' in or what?" a voice from behind them asked, and both Akane and Shampoo jumped, turning to look at who had posed the question.
"Uyko?" both girls squeaked.
"Nabiki and Kasumi too?" Akane asked, shaking her head as she watched both of her sisters wave to her from behind the okanamiyaki chef's back. "Let me guess. you guys got invited here also?" Akane deadpanned.
"How did you know?" asked Nabiki. It just got weirder and weirder.
"Because Shampoo and I did, too!" Akane replied, throwing her hands up in a show of utter bafflement.
"Do we know who asked us to come here?" Ukyo asked, fingering her spatula.
"Nope, we're totally clueless."
"Oh, my. How disturbing," Kasumi commented, trading worried glances with Nabiki, both thinking the same thing. Did this have something to do with the dream? All of the same people were here. so.
"Well, you know, the only way to find out who asked us here, is to go in." Ukyo said, throwing her comment towards Shampoo and Akane, who were still standing firmly in front of the doors.
"I don't want to rush blindly in," Akane admitted. She had been through enough in her lifetime already to be cautious about running into large, open spaces because a couple named 'Luna and Artemas of the Neo Silver Millennium' asked you to.
"Well, neither do I, but it doesn't look as though we have much of a choice here. unless you want to enter through the windows." Ukyo said blatantly. Not liking THAT idea, Nabiki quickly darted forward.
"Oh come on little sis', there's five of us! It shouldn't be a problem! I mean, what. are you scared?" she asked, knowing JUST what buttons to press, after years of hard practice. Sure enough, Akane got all huffy and moved to the side.
"Well. well no! I just want us to be careful," she insisted, as Shampoo opened the doors cautiously, not all to sure about this idea herself.
"Hello?" she called to the large, empty gym. And as everyone poured in, quietly inspecting their surroundings, and finding nothing out of the normal, in occurred to them all that the whole thing might be just a hoax.
"It doesn't look like anyone's here, maybe we should just leave-" Nabiki started.
"Excuse me, but there is most certainly someone here! Two someone's in fact!" a proper little voice called out, and immediately all five heads shot to the side. "Down here," the voice added as they all floundered around, looking for a source.
"Oh, my!" Kasumi repeated, looking at the small black cat, and her white partner, sitting a few feet away from the girls. They had hardly noticed them! "But. your just a little kitty," Kasumi said, going down to scratch the white one under the chin. Unable to resist Kasumi's overwhelming motherly vibes, Artemas found himself purring into the nineteen year olds hand like a common house cat.
"Artemas, now is not the time,"
"Sorry! Sorry!"
"Excuse me. but are you talking?" Nabiki asked, just wanting to get that all cleared up.
"Well. yes
"Oh. All right, just wanted to make sure," the brunette said, folding her arms and shrugging.
"So, what did you want to see us for?" Akane asked, curiously.
"You girls seem to be taking this extremely well," Artemas said, impressed. "Usually people run screaming when they hear us talk for the first time.
"We've seen odder things," Nabiki admitted nonchalantly, shrugging. "But, time is money kitties, and we want to know why you stuck sticky notes to our heads this morning," At this the cats demeanor seemed to get a lot more serious, and Kasumi backed away a little.
"Actually, we have something of a grave nature to discuss with you girls, and you must listen carefully!" Artemas informed them all. The girls stared at the two small house animals for a second, biting their lips, and shifting from foot to foot. before Shampoo let a little bit of a giggle slip out, and Ukyo and Akane quickly followed suit, chuckling into their hands. Nabiki snorted delicately, turning her head to the side, and Kasumi just smiled.
"What? What's so funny?" Artemas asked as Ukyo suddenly doubled over in laughter.
"S-sorry." Ukyo breathed, getting a hold of herself. "But you just looked so FUNNY! I mean. I mean. you're a cat! And-and-" she dissolved into laughter again, Akane nodding along with her, saying 'Something of a grave nature! S-something. grave.Bwahaha!"
"This. is so degrading." Luna said flatly, as the girls laughed in their faces, unable to contain themselves at the oddity of the situation. They had seen a lot, true, but this was just plain amusing.
"S-sorry," Nabiki said after a moment, whipping a stray tear away. "Continue, go on! We didn't mean to interrupt, honestly!"
"Hmph. I don't think I'll BE continuing now, thanks very much!" Artemas scoffed, frowning deeply. Honestly! Of all the nerve.
"No, please continue kitties! You had something important to say!" Kasumi urged, looking worried. She really hadn't meant to insult them!
"'Of a grave nature!'" Ukyo whispered into Akane's ear, as the blue haired girl tried bravely not to giggle.
"You know, if you girls weren't the only thing between the possible total destruction of Tokyo, we might just leave you right here and now!" Luna sighed. "But. seeing as how you are, we will put up with your childish antics-But just this once!"
"Oh, thank you," Nabiki said, rolling her eyes.
"Now, as I was saying, you girls are needed for a special purpose now!" Artemas continued, that righteous tone of voice back with a vengeance. "The world is vulnerable right now, since the Sailor Scouts are currently battling in a different galaxy for the protection of-"
"Excuse me! Excuse me. did you just say, Sailor Scouts?" Nabiki repeated, arms folded as she leaned over to look the cat in the eye.
"Why, yes," Luna answered for Artemas.
"Okaay." Nabiki said, making koo-koo motions with her hands to the other girls, who nodded solemnly in agreement.
"While the scouts are away, Earth is in grave peril, and we need some. back ups, so to speak, who will defend the world in their absence! That's where you five come in," Artemas said, squaring his shoulders, his voice dead serious.
"So, wait. you want us to be the Sailor Scouts replacements while they're away," Akane summed up, not too sure if she had this right.
"In a nut-shell. yes." Artemas admitted.
"Well, this sucks." Ukyo said, frowning. "Usually the way it works is you just get to BE the super-hero! Not their REPLACEMENT! That's so lame!"
"Aiyah, Shampoo no want to be stupid fill in." the Amazon agreed, placing her hands on her hips. "We getting gypped. Fight way better than those silly Sailor Scouts, anyway. I see on TV! They silly!" Shampoo enthused.
"I know this may not seem like an appealing job to you girls. but we need you! We have reason to believe that a violent criminal is out and about in Tokyo now that the Scouts are away, and there is no telling what she could do from now to the time the scouts return! If you don't help, the results could be disastrous!" Luna said, an edge of desperation to her voice.
"Oh, great, so, on top of it being a lame job, it's highly DANGEROUS too. I like that!" Akane laughed.
"Not to mention that the Sailor Scouts are fictional characters." Nabiki said in a matter-o-factly tone of voice.
"Umm. isn't that like the pot calling the kettle?" Artemas pointed out. "What?"
"Neeevvermind." the feline said, wisely.
"Nabiki's right though, the Sailor Scouts aren't real!" Ukyo stated.
"Then how do you explain us?" asked Luna, arching an eyebrow.
"You're a talking animal! So what? I can do talking animals. They're reasonable. But Sailor Scouts? Oh please." Ukyo said, smiling knowingly.
"The Sailor Scouts are very real, and you would do well to listen to us, too!" Luna spat, fed up with the girls intolerable attitudes. Really, in all her years..!
"Do you have any proof of their existence?" Nabiki questioned, raising an eyebrow. To this question, Luna actually smiled, an action which sent chills down the senior's spine.
"Actually. yes, I do. Girls!" she announced loudly, so that she had everyone's full attention. "Prepare to see your destiny!"
"Destiny? Our destiny is to replacements? That's so depressing!"
"Shut up!" Luna squawked, as the crescent moon on her forehead began to glow an un-Earthly light, that made everything around it an eerie yellow color. The girls shrunk back the tiniest bit as the light stormed its way towards them, suddenly wishing they hadn't been QUITE so rude to the talking animals.
"AHHHHH!" the girls, as a whole, screamed, as the light fully engulfed them with its powerful aura, and they felt themselves change.
* Downtown, the large Disformunous stomped its way along the street, scaring people off the sidewalk and onto the other side, not bother to hide its horrid form, or be in any way inconspicuous. People were calling the police, scared out of their wits, as the God ugly creature made its way slowly, but surely to the Museum, leaving large, cracked footprints in the cement where it had stepped. Nermia was weird, it was true, however, it didn't make happenings like this any less startling! *
Akane gasped sharply as her world became a blanket of pure white, sparkling and wonderful. she closed her eyes almost involuntarily, a small smile gracing her lips. Ribbons of power that weighed nothing at all encircled her body, wrapping around her limbs, and she felt a beating warmth in her chest become raw energy. It created its own light and took her with it as it became something so powerful Akane felt like she was an entirely new person. the light. it was so foreign, and yet so entirely familiar. She embraced it. And then was power and love itself, if just for that one moment. She could do anything! She had been meant to play this role, she suddenly knew it. Illuminating her surroundings now was a bright pink aura that didn't necessarily represent her. but something bigger in the scheme of things. And when she opened her eyes, chocolate brown eyes, filled with curiosity.she was no longer Akane Tendo. But.Was she wearing. a blue pleated mini skirt?! *
Kasumi gasped as she felt a sudden chill overcome her.she hadn't thought the light would be cold, but it was! It was freezing, and soon she was twirling around in place for no particular reason she could disconcert. Her eyes were still open, and she could make out dazzling blue streams of sparkly ice. There was something magical all around her now, and she suddenly wanted to grasp it, an idea totally uncharacteristic of her, but now fitting. Reaching out, her own, soft brown eyes filled with wonder, she was swiftly falling downward into a large mirror. no. it wasn't a mirror! It was water! And as she felt herself splash through it, a surge of power raced through her, and when she broke back up to the surface, gasping, but miraculously dry. she was no longer Kasumi Tendo. Kasumi Tendo did NOT have three ear piercings! Everyone knew that! *
Nabiki cried out as the light fell over her, and it was searing and hot. She was overwhelmed and helpless, as it came at her in rings of burning light. Quickly, she realized it wasn't normal fire as it circled her body perfectly, feeling as though it had been made to fit her aura and power. and then everything escalated to a new height of awareness as she felt a new sensation enter her blood. She had never been so strong! Is this what she had been missing out on? Is this what all of those martial artists felt like all day long? Almost unconsciously, Nabiki smiled, as she was quickly pulled in a downward spiral, closer to the heat. She let it take her this time, like a river, to its source, and when she reached it. there was a brief explosion inside her, before she was back to where she began, and suddenly everything felt cooler than before, as though nothing could compare to what had just happened to her . to her soul, too, maybe? She was no longer Nabiki Tendo. Nabiki Tendo didn't have red pumps! But now that she did, she didn't really mind. *
Ukyo gasped, and her hair stood on end. What was going on? Zipping all around her, and confusing her to the point of no return, were colorful spurts of electricity, mostly green, zapping her and pushing her into totally random positions. She thought she should be shocked or electrocuted or something equally as unpleasant when the electricity made contact, but as the lightening formed a fascinating pattern, and took her into it, she felt elated, not hurt. Better. Stronger. More powerful than ever before. She curled up into fetal position and let it go, as there was a humungous boom of thunder somewhere, and a searing light blinded her momentarily. She was gone for a second, a terrifying second. and then she was exited once more as she was zoomed back, smiling and ready for anything. She was no longer Ukyo Kuonji! Ukyo Kuonji didn't where white gloves. Hell, for that matter, who did? * Shampoo tried to contain a squeal of terror as she was pulled into something that was startling and.a particularly vibrant color of orange. Shapes she couldn't make out, but looked disturbingly like hearts, swirled around her, and her hair floated all about her form as she tried to gain her footing, but simply found herself spinning out of control into a black whole of pure energy and love power of the likes she had never experienced. Enticed by the idea of obtaining that kind of power, she let herself be totally surrounded by the chains of flying light, slowly closing her violet eyes as it washed over her. There was a final bang of light, and then her entire body underwent a change that sent her soaring back to where she began, everything more solid and real now. How and she gotten so powerful? What was this energy? She smiled. She was no longer Shampoo of the Amazons. Shampoo of the Amazons didn't where a tiara! Though it was a cute idea. *
".So." Nabiki, the first one to gain her voice back, asked after a moment of stunned silence on everyone's part. "What was THAT?"
"THAT," Luna replied, physically unable to keep a teasing tone out of her voice, replied. "Was your sailor scout transformation. Usually you have to activate it. but. I didn't think I was going to be able to make you girls shout 'Planet Power Make Up!', just yet."
And in thinking that you were right." Akane croaked flatly, looking down at her body in shock. WHAT was she WEARING? A sailor fuku? She examined her gloved hands, pulled at her revealing sailor top, and eyed her knee high boots and bare thighs guardedly. Err. wait. was she wearing a tiara around her forehead?!
"I used to watch Sailor Moon all the time! Oh, I feel like a cartoon character!" Kasumi laughed, pulling at her short, light blue mini skirt.
"As oppose to..?" Artemas asked.
Shampoo walked around in a little circle, testing out her orange heals with ankle high straps, and finding them surprisingly easy to move in. If she had known heals were so easy to handle, she would have converted years ago! However, she had a feeling that these weren't exactly normal heals.
"This what sailor scouts really wear?" she asked, critically, finding it hard to imagine a bunch of super heroes running around and saving the day in outfits like THESE. they just weren't practical!
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "You now are equipped with all of the accessories and powers of the Sailor Scouts, in order to protect Earth.- Temporarily of course." she added.
"Again, with the lameness!" Nabiki sighed, while tugging experimentally at her red choker.
"Now, you must take this position seriously! You may be a surrogate
scout, but don't forget you are a scout now none the less! Take this job with pride! Don't be an embarrassment to our honorable history!" Artemas encouraged, a bit forcefully. The girls all traded hesitant glances, holding a silent conversation, before sighing together, and conceding to the animal's wishes.
"Fine. we'll play along for now. This whole thing feels real enough anyway. I guess it wouldn't hurt to help you." Akane admitted, shrugging dispassionately. She had always had a soft spot for people, er, things, in need, in any case.
"Yeah, besides, Sailor Moon is big wimp, so, this be easy job for us." Shampoo added helpfully.
"Sailor Moon is most certainly NOT a wimp!" Luna snapped irritably, glaring at the cocky girl.
"Just so I have the fine print down. how long exactly do you we have to have to hold this position?" Nabiki asked. Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo might be strong martial artists, but what could she and Kasumi add to the group? She still wasn't so sure about this whole idea, and didn't want to be a part of it for too long.
"Actually. we're not exactly positive on that one. Not an unreasonable amount of time, we're sure, but, the thing is-" Artemas began, cut off in mid explanation by a surprised yelp from his partner.
"Artemas! Something's up!" Luna yowled, blinking, and swiftly summoning a floating laptop to her, her senses tipped off my some sort of internal alarm system, signaling danger.
"Damn, I got to get me on of those," Nabiki whispered to Akane, watching the highly advanced laptop work with hungry eyes. All of the girls waited uneasily as the two felines typed some problematical looking codes into the computer, muttering a string of what sounded suspiciously like curses in another language. Was it. Latin?
"Shit, it's already started!" Artemas spat, aggravated. "Girls, there's a Disformunous down town trying to break into the Tokyo Museum of Ancient Jewelry! The police are on it, but, I'm afraid this sort of yoma is bullet proof. They wont be able to hold It off much."
"Eh?" Ukyo asked, flatly.
"We can't stop it on our own, and we have a feeling it could be after one of the more. magical. items in the museum. It must not get its hands on that artifact!" Luna said, shifting into business mode.
"And you want us to stop it?" Akane asked, not all too sure what a Disformunous was, but already positive she didn't like the sound of it.
"Yes, this will be a wonderful chance to prove yourself, in any case, since you already believe you're greater than sailor Moon. this demon is a low class one. he should be no problem," the pedantic cat said breezily. All of the girls turned to glare at a slightly abashed looking Shampoo.
"But. you haven't even taught us about our powers yet!" Kasumi, also wary about doing any actual fighting, pointed out.
"Oh, they'll come to you. besides, you've been through worse. right?" Artemas said, wickedly.
"That's right we have!" Akane snapped, peeved at having the tables turned on her. "We'll go beat that monster and be back in time for dinner!"
"Um. Akane honey. the thing's bullet proof, maybe you shouldn't be going around saying stuff like that." Ukyo offered, showing wisdom beyonde her years for this inference.
"Most everything we fight is bullet proof, Ukyo! Now come on guys, are we going to do this, or are we going to do this?" Akane questioned the assembled group of kinky looking teens. They all glanced briefly at one another, shrugged, and nodded.
"Sure, we whip yoma butt and save museum!" Shampoo enthused. And with that all of the girls quickly sashayed out of the gym, confidant and ready.
"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Luna asked Artemas softly after they had all left, feeling slightly guilty for egging them on like that, come to think of it. "It's true, we DIDN'T prepare them for this. they don't know what they're doing!"
"Ahhh. they'll be fine," he replied, biting his lip. nervously. "But. just in case. maybe we should follow them! You know, give them some helpful pointers for the fight?"
"Good idea!"
*
And, somewhere in the city, Ritsuko let out a full-blown cackle.
NOTES: Did you like it? I finished this one just about two minutes ago. and this is actually pretty fun! Thanks again for reviewing, and plleeassee make that habit a continuing pattern! Look out for the next chapter: 'In Over Our Heads? Nooo.' It'll also have more actual Ranma in it (sorry he was so unappreciated in this chapter.) and you'll find out exactly which scouts the girls are, if you hadn't guessed already!
Rio~