Dark King Ascending
a Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
by SoftRogue
whiteb100@hotmail.com
Disclaimer:
I disclaim, I disclaim!
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Prolog/Chapter 1
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18 years ago...
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The nurse gently took the child from the arms of his mother. Placing him into a waiting crib, she wheeled him out of the operating room and down the hall. Entering a small room, the nurse came to a stop. She then lifted the newborn out of the crib and began to clean the blood and gunk off of him. Once done she efficiently measured and weighed him before recording the information.
The nurse then lifted the newborn up to eye level and peered at him intently with her crimson eyes. She felt a small thrill of satisfaction as he opened his crystal blue eyes and focused on her with a serious expression on his young face. With his small hands he reached out and grasped her long dark emerald hair and pulled lightly.
Gently removing his hands from her hair, the nurse placed him back into the crib. Tucking him into a blanket, she wheeled him out of the small room and down the hall, into an elevator and up several floors. Exiting the elevator, she then wheeled the crib down another hall and finally into another room.
"Nodoka Saotome?" the nurse asked.
"Yes. Is that my son? May I hold him?" the new mother asked with excitement.
"Of course, Saotome-san." The nurse said as she lifted the newborn out of the crib and returned him to his mother.
Holding her newborn son close to her Nodoka said, "He's a handsome one, isn't he."
"Yes he is." the nurse said with a small smile. "I can see girls flocking after him in a few years."
With a proud smile Nodoka said, "You really think so?" Seeing the nurse nod, she then said, "Well I guess I should chose a name for him. Would you mind helping me pick one? I've narrowed my choice down to two."
"Shouldn't your husband be helping you with the naming of your child?" the nurse asked carefully.
A small frown crossed Nodoka's face, "As soon as he heard that we had a son, my husband went out to celebrate with his best friend." She shook her head before her smile returned. "Anyway I've narrowed my choices down to either Ataru or Ranma. What do you think?"
Looking with contemplation for several moments at the baby, the nurse finally said very slowly, "'Wild Horse' I believe will suit him well."
"Then Ranma it is. Tell me," Nodoka asked with hope in her voice, "Do you think that Ranma will grow up to be manly?"
Looking at the new mother closely for a moment, the nurse answered carefully. "Yes. Yes he will. Now, if you would excuse me?"
Exiting the room, the nurse leaned heavily against the door. Sighing deeply she closed her eyes as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
"Please forgive me, Ranma." Setsuna Meiou, also known as Sailor Pluto; Guardian of Time; said as she disappeared from the time stream.
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14 years ago...
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A four year old Ranma was having the time of his young life. His mommy warned him not to leave the back yard, but Ranma's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He couldn't help it. He just had to follow the kitty around just to see where it was going. With daddy teaching him how to play in a really fun way, Ranma was able to pull himself up onto walls and climb across them. And it was fun following the kitty around.
Ranma wasn't lost. Not really. He just didn't know where he was, that's all.
"Hello there, little boy. Are you lost?"
Ranma looked up in surprise and said the first thing that came to mind. "Pretty lady."
Blinking in surprise, Setsuna said, "Why thank you, little boy. What's your name?"
"I'm Ranma." he said with pride, "And I ain't lost, I just don't know where home is."
"I see. Well, if you'd like I'll take you there." she said as she held out a hand.
Looking at her seriously for a moment Ranma finally nodded and took her hand. As the woman began to walk she asked, "So, Ranma, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A Martial Artist. I'm going to be the bestist ever! My daddy is gonna teach me!"
"Oh really? Well I'm sure you're going to be the 'bestist ever'." she said with a small smile. "Just remember, you should try to help others whenever you can. Just because you're better in one thing than someone else is, that doesn't mean that you are a better person than they are, alright?"
Ranma looked up at the pretty lady with a confused look on his face as he tried to puzzle out her words. Finally he nodded with conviction and said "Ok, pretty lady."
Finally coming to a stop she said, "Here we are, Ranma. You had better get inside, I'm sure your mother is worried."
Releasing her hand, Ranma walked forward several steps before turning around. "Ok, pretty lady. I love you. Bye-bye." he waved at her before running inside.
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13 years ago...
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Ranma sat with his blanket wrapped around him, shivering in fright in the cold nights air. The nearby fire had burned down to nothing, leaving the five year old boy in the dark. Nearby, his poppa lay in a drunken stupor, the stench of alcohol thick around him. It's been a full day since poppa had taken him from momma, and Ranma wasn't too sure that this training trip idea was a good one.
He was bruised all over from the 'training' that poppa had put him through since the sun had risen. When the pain became too much, Ranma had begun to cry. That had only made the 'training' worse, as poppa began to say mean things like 'No son of mine is going to be a cry-baby' or 'Real men don't cry' or even 'What are you? A little girl?'. Ranma didn't know which hurt more, the 'training' or the words.
"It'll be alright, Ranma." a soft, kindly voice behind him said.
Gripping his blanket close to him, Ranma looked behind him. "Who...who are you? Are you a fairy?"
Sitting down carefully next to him, the woman smoothed out her pants and jacket. "No, I'm not a fairy. I am...a guardian, of sorts."
"Oh," Ranma said, with a hint of disappointment, "What'cha ya doing here?"
Looking at him kindly with her red eyes she said, "My job, in a fashion. You know, if it hurts it's alright to cry Ranma."
"No it ain't." the boy said defensively, "Poppa said only girls cry, and I ain't no girl."
"I see..." she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously at the sleeping form of Genma. "You should get some sleep, Ranma. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."
"I...I ain't tired." he replied, with a hint of fear in his voice.
Reaching over, she gently pushed him to a laying position and she adjusted the blanket over him. "Don't worry, Ranma. I'll watch over you tonight and every night for as long as you need me to. I'll watch over you as I've watched over the duty I was given long ago."
With that, she began to softly sing a song that hadn't been heard by any in a long, long time. Finally coming to the end of the song, she looked over at Ranma's sleeping form and reached over to smooth his hair.
"Good night, Ranma." The Guardian of Time said as she settled in. For tonight, she would keep her promise in person rather than from her normal post.
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12 years, 6 months ago...
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Setsuna sat patiently on the steps of the home she had rented out for the month; a glamour provided by the Luna Pen cast over her to hide her appearance firmly in place. Occasionally she stroked the hair of the small child that was resting in her lap. Looking down sadly at the boy, she tried to calm herself for the task at hand.
What she was waiting for should happen in five, four, three, two...
"Hello there." Genma said as he entered the grounds, "I've seen you've found my good for nothing son. I'll just take him off your hands now."
"I don't think so." Setsuna said, allowing her towering anger to creep into her voice.
"Excuse me?" Genma said in surprise at the thought of the little old lady he saw before him trying to challenge his authority over his meal-ticket...er, son.
"You heard me. I recognize the signs of the Neko-ken training. If you take your son now, he will never revert from his feral condition. He will spend the rest of his life thinking that he is nothing more than a mere housecat."
"You know about the Neko-ken? Can cure him? If you can, I'll give you anything you want. Anything at all! My son would make a perfect husband for one of your granddaughters one day." Genma said, thinking to get his son 'fixed' without having to actually pay for it.
"I cannot cure him completely of what you've done in your stupidly. The best I'll be able to do is to bring him out of his feral state and tech him how to resist the Neko-ken's pull. However, for the rest of his life he will forever be afraid of felines; and when his fear peaks he'll most likely revert back into a feral state." Setsuna leveled her gaze at Genma, her stare hard enough to chip diamond. "And as for payment, I want nothing from you; especially nothing you have no right to give."
"I don't know what you mean." Genma said nervously.
If her gaze was hard before, it was nothing compared to how she looked at Genma now. "I believe you know EXACTLY what I mean; Genma Saotome." she spat, "Or do I have to mention the Tendos'? Or the Kuonjis'? Or perhaps the Daitokujis'? Leave. Now. Do not show your sorry excuse for a carcass around here for three weeks. That is how long it will take. Now go!" With her last words, she embraced the power of Pluto around her and stared Genma down.
Nodding quickly, Genma turned around and fled as fast as he could; not even wanting to consider how the little old lady seemed to know so much about him. Setsuna watched him go and let the glamour around her fade, "Damn you, Genma Saotome. Damn you to hell."
Looking down at the purring boy in her lap, she gently ran a hand through his hair and fought back her tears.
"...and Damn me..."
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6 years ago...
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A twelve year old Ranma sat alone in the night tending the pair rabbits he'd caught over the fire. Pops had left him alone for a 'special training exercise' for the past two nights and wasn't expected to return for at least another week and a half. The purpose of the 'exercise' was simple. Survive.
Part of Ranma was excited by the challenge, but another part of him wasn't so sure about the real reason why he was left to fend for himself. Over the years, the absolute trust Ranma had once had for his father began to slowly fade to be replaced with contempt. While Ranma appreciated what the 'exercise' was suppose to be teaching him, his gut was telling him that his pops was out eating and drinking his fill on whatever he could get his hands on.
A twig snapped behind him and Ranma leapt to his feet and turned around, stumbling to regain his footing. What he saw left him breathless.
"Hello there, Ranma."
Taking in the sight of the beautiful woman before him, Ranma could only stare with wide eyes. Not even her clothing, pristine in condition and nowhere near appropriate for being in the middle of a forest, could brake the spell her appearance cast over him.
"May I join you?" She asked softly, slowly approaching the fire.
Nodding slowly, he moved and offered her the log he had just been sitting on. Sitting down on the ground across the fire from her, Ranma was afraid to speak; lest the magic of the moment be broken. But he had to say something that was bothering him since he first saw her.
"I...I know you, don't I?"
"Perhaps." she said with a mysterious smile. She reached over to pick up one of the rabbits out of the fire, "May I?" she asked, to which Ranma nodded once again.
Taking a bite of the meat, she licked the juices off her lips and fingers. "Delicious." She said with a smile, "So tell me, Ranma. How has your training been going?"
Shaking himself out of his thoughts the young teenager said, "It's going great! Pops been teaching me lots of stuff and it don't nearly hurt as much as it use to. Soon I'll be as good as he is."
"That's nice." She smiled at Ranma's enthusiasm. "But what are you going to do when your that good?"
"What'cha mean?"
Taking another a bite of the rabbit, she looked at Ranma intently and said, "You're learning a dangerous and powerful skill, Ranma. It can be deadly to others if you don't use it correctly. So tell me, Ranma, what are you going to do once you're as skilled as your father?"
Peering deep into the fire, Ranma slowly responded. "Well, pops is always saying that it's the sworn duty of the martial artist to protect mankind from monsters." Pausing to look up at the light reflecting from the beautiful woman's crimson eyes he said apologetically, "Although when he says that ta someone, he's usually trying to get something from them." Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma returned his gaze to the fire. "I guess...I guess I'll protect people from monsters."
"Oh really?" she said with a hint of humor. "So, you plan to go around the countryside finding monsters to fight?"
"Well, yea. What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. But tell me, how will you know when you've found a monster?"
"Well...they're ugly and have fur and long tails and claws and big yellow eyes..."
"Really." she said, hiding her grin at Ranma's description by taking another bite of the rabbit. "So tell me, how will you be able to tell if a monster looks like a human? Or if a human is a monster?"
"Huh?"
"You see Ranma, just because something looks like a 'monster' doesn't mean that it's evil. By the same token, just because someone is human doesn't mean that they are good. So tell me Ranma, how will you be able to tell the difference?"
Deep in thought, Ranma finally responded carefully. "Well, I guess I can't. So...I guess, well I heard something several months ago when we were training outside of Kyoto. Aku-Soku-Zan."
Blinking in total surprise, the woman placed the reference and said, "Slay Evil Immediately? The motto of the Shinsengumi during the Menji Revolution? A bit...harsh, perhaps. But what about those who are simply misguided or ignorant? What about them?"
"Well...maybe I should try to protect the weak?" Ranma said, looking up hopefully.
"'To protect the weak.' Yes, now that would be a admirable duty."
Looking into the fire Ranma said, "I was wondering. Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you?" Not hearing a response, he looked up to see the log vacated.
Staring at the empty seat, Ranma wondered if she had been nothing more that a figment of his imagination. However, the missing rabbit answered that question for him.
"How did she do that?"
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2 years, 6 months ago...
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Ranma sat on a rickety dock looking out across the Sea of Japan. He and his father had just spent several days swimming across from Japan to Mainland China. Genma had said that it would be good training, and besides; they didn't have enough money to travel the 'normal' way. But somehow Genma had enough money to gorge himself on food and drink himself under the table here in this backwater coastal village. The only bright spot Ranma could think of now is that pops said that this would be the final leg of an almost 10 year training voyage.
At least...Ranma thought it might be a bright spot.
The young man was split on that point. Part of him longed for a permanent home, he was tired of leaving friends behind; like Ryoga and his old buddy Ucchan. On the other hand, Ranma wasn't too sure that he would be comfortable with staying in one place for a long period of time. He liked the road; enjoyed the freedom it gave him; never having to worry about those little annoyances that happened to other people. But sometimes, just sometimes when pops wasn't watching, Ranma would look at 'normal' kids his age go about their lives with longing.
"Hello, Ranma." a voice said from behind him.
Turning around in surprise, Ranma looked and saw...Her. Scrambling to his feet Ranma said breathlessly, "Oh, it's you. I...I haven't seen you in a while. Um, what brings you here?"
"You could say that I happened to be in the neighborhood." she said with a humorous gleam in her eye.
"Well, um, it's good to see you again." Ranma stammered slightly as a blush slowly spread across his face.
Surprised at his reaction, she blinked several times before speaking. "Ah, well, um, how has your training going?"
Flashing her his trademark Saotome Grin Ranma replied, "Great! I can beat up pops about 8 out of 10 times now. Pops says that I'm almost done with my training."
"That's good to hear. So what do you plan on doing once you done?"
Caught by surprise by the question, Ranma looked at her with worry and confusion. "Geeze, I don't know. I've never thought too much about it. I guess I'll try to protect those who are weaker than me."
"That's a good thing to do." she smiled, glad that he remembered the lesson she had taught him long ago. "But you should find yourself a goal; a reason to fight. It's not an easy thing to find, however, and you should be comfortable that whatever you decide to fight for is right. No matter how small or large it is, as long as you think you're doing the correct thing you won't be steered wrong."
"I see...I'll have to think about that." Ranma said slowly. Shaking his head to clear his head his thoughts he asked. "By the way, ya never told me your name. I don't know what ta call ya."
With a small smile, she said, "No I haven't, have I." Looking at Ranma for a moment she considered before replying, "You can call me...Setsuna."
"Setsuna..." Ranma said slowly, as if tasting the sound of her name. "It fit's ya."
"Does it now." she said with a small, private, smile.
"Yea, it does." Ranma said as he turned to look out across the ocean, "Ya know what? I want ta thank ya. You've been the only one that I could count on ta talk to and really listen ta me during this trip. I guess...well, I guess I just want ta thank ya." Ranma said with a blush as he turned back around to see nothing.
"Man. I gotta learn how to do that."
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1 year, 6 months ago...
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Ranma sat under a bridge, watching the water flow by. He felt that things couldn't get any worse than they were right now. Not only was he stuck with two fiancées and a girl who thought she was married to him (lets not forget the psycho with the black roses; better yet, lets), he was also cursed to turn into a girl whenever he got splashed with cold water. And to top it all off, after years of thinking that his mother was dead Ranma had just found out that she was alive and well; and would kill him at first sight.
All in all, Ranma thought, his life couldn't be any worse.
"Hello, Ranma. It's been a while." a familiar voice said behind him.
"You!" the pigtailed martial artist shouted as he leapt up and twisted around in midair and landed on his feet in an aggressive stance. "You knew! Didn't you? Didn't You?!
Surprised by the vehemence in Ranma's voice Setsuna stepped back and said carefully, "I knew what?"
"Everything!" Ranma spat, suddenly venting all of his frustration and anger. "You knew about that damn contract, the Neko-ken, Junsenkyo, the fiancées, all the crap I've had ta go through, everything! Didn't you!"
Setsuna lowered her head in shame and said softly, "Yes. Yes I did."
"Why?" Ranma demanded, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why damn it, why? Why did you let it all happen to me?"
"There was nothing I could do." she said painfully.
"Bullshit!" Ranma yell as he casually backhanded a concrete support pillar, shattering it in the processes. "You coulda done something! Anything! Why didn't you!"
"No I couldn't. There was nothing I could have done, nothing at all." she said as tears began to run freely down her face. "Countless eons ago, I was entrusted with the care of a powerful artifact; one that could allow someone to travel through the stream of time itself. I was charged to guard and defend it at all costs. But I was told that I could never interfere with the course of history, lest I rip the fabric of time itself askew. Throughout all those milleniums, there had been only a handful of times I had regretted taking up my duty. The first was as I was forced to watch the great kingdom that I helped to shape and form be crushed and destroyed before my eyes. All the other times were when I was forced to standby and do nothing as I watched your life unfold..."
Watching the anguish and pain that radiated off of the green haired woman, Ranma felt all his anger dissipate. "I-I'm sorry, Suna-chan. I didn't mean ta yell at ya, it's just...sigh. Please don't cry, I'm sorry."
At a loss at what to do, Ranma hesitantly stepped forward and lightly placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. For the next few moments, Setsuna sobbed into Ranma's silk shirt while he held her with a hint of awkwardness. Not that he minded, however. Holding her in his arms like this felt...nice.
Her grief finally running it's course, Setsuna gently pulled herself out of his embrace. "I'm sorry." she said as she wiped her tears from her eyes, "I shouldn't have let myself loose control like that."
"It's alright, Suna-chan." Ranma said, nervously scratching the base of his pigtail. "I mean, you've helped me out before, right? So I'm just returning the favor, ya know?"
Setsuna smiled gratefully then blinked before saying, "I'm sorry Ranma, but what did you call me?"
Looking down at the ground Ranma said with embarrassment, "Uh...Suna-chan. Ya don't mind, do ya?" He asked hopefully.
Setsuna found herself smiling as a warm feeling filled her, "No Ranma, I don't mind. Not at all."
The two stood in awkward silence for several moments before Setsuna finally said, "I had better be going."
"Do ya have to? Er...what I mean to say is I wouldn't mind if, ya know," Ranma stammered as he looked over his shoulder nervously, looking for potential threats or fiancées (which in his book were one in the same). "If ya stayed here, with me, ya know, for a little while."
Looking back at Setsuna, Ranma saw that he was now talking to thin air. "How does she do that?" he said with a small, sad smile before he turned and headed back to the dojo.
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Now...
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Ranma lay upon the roof of the Tendo household, gazing at the stars twinkling in the night's sky; trying to make sense of his life. In the past year since the wedding attempt, his life had slowly moved in a downward spiral of frustration and despair.
At first, everything had gone perfectly. Ranma could actually picture himself married to Akane and he thought he'd come to an understanding with Ucchan and Shampoo; but things began to change about a month after the failed wedding. He always knew that the Chef and the Amazon never actually thought of him as a prize to be won; even though they sometimes came across like that. However, it slowly became apparent to the pig-tailed martial artiest that things had changed. It was Akane, to Ranma's total surprise, who began to lord it over the other two girls that she had 'won' Ranma from them. Then things had gone down hill from there.
Akane; who had never been bashful about showing her jealousy; began to get possessive about Ranma and demanded to know where he was and what he was doing whenever he was gone from her sight for long periods of time. She would also taunt Ukyo and Shampoo about how Ranma loved her and only her and would insult them knowing full well that her fiancé would protect her. The two of them in turn would tell Ranma what was happening; although he refused to believe them. Eventually they set Akane up to show him exactly how she was acting behind his back.
To say that Ranma was upset with what he had seen was an understatement. He felt hurt that Akane was acting this way towards two people he felt were his friends. In the ensuing argument, Akane said point blank that she did not trust him at all and he would probably cheat on her the first chance he got. The two fathers didn't help matters that evening as they launched another 'Operation: Get Ranma and Akane Married' when they got home. Akane reverted to her old ways and called him a pervert before slamming the table over his head once again. After a brief fight with the Lost Boy (who happened to find his way to the Tendos' in time to see Akane yell at Ranma) Akane ended up taking Ryoga's side and blamed everything on Ranma (who, while not the picture of eloquence, had given a super human effort to not insult anyone and had actually succeeded in not saying anything offensive).
After that incident, Shampoo and Ukyo had seen how upset Ranma was at Akane and started to press their advantage. The two girls would be nice to Ranma, which in turn would upset Akane who would blame Ranma for 'hitting' on them, which in turn would slowly drive a wedge between the two. The cycle would go on over and over again. Ukyo and, to a lesser extent, Shampoo (only because the Amazons idea of subtlety left much to be desired) had, over time, increased their efforts in breaking Ranma and Akane up.
And they were succeeding.
So here Ranma was, trying to get a handle on his life when someone spoke from behind him.
"Hello, Ranma." A somewhat familiar voice suddenly said from behind him.
Instincts going into over-drive, Ranma pushed himself up off the roof and twisted in mid-air. Landing in a defensive stance, the pig-tailed martial artiest sized up the person who had sneaked up on him without a sound. She was taller than him, carrying a tall key shaped staff with a reddish orb attached to it's top. Ranma felt a slight blush creep onto his face as he saw what she was wearing, or not wearing as the case seemed to be. It appeared to be a schoolgirls fuku, although there wasn't much of it. As for her face, well...the more he tried to focus on her features, the more its they seemed to slip from his mind. But her hair, it was...familiar somehow. Like her voice was.
"Who are ya and what do ya want?" Ranma said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Holding the staff out to her side at arms length, she let go of it. As soon as it was no longer in her hand it disappeared. Ranma watched in total surprise as her fuku began to flow and change until it became an immaculate black business suit with a very form-fitting jacket.
"Suna-chan?" Ranma said in awe as he relaxed.
Giving him a small smile Setsuna asked, "Tell me, Ranma. Are you doing anything tonight?"
Blushing brightly, Ranma looked down at the roof as he scuffed the tile with a toe. Scratching the back of his head he stammered, "Well, um, I uh, that is, er, I, ah, well I, um..."
With a grin in her eyes Setsuna said, "The reason I was asking, Ranma, is because my friends and I could use some help with a problem we're having."
Loosing all his embarrassment Ranma looked up, "Problem? What sorta problem?"
"My friends and I are currently fighting something that is causing us quite a bit of difficulty."
"A fight? Why are we standing around here for? Let's go!" With that, Ranma took off across the roof.
Setsuna watched Ranma leap off the Tendo roof, only to jump back up. "Um..." Ranma said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Where are they and, um, what do they look like?"
With a small sweat drop on the back of her head, Setsuna reached out and 'grasped' her staff; causing her clothing to change once again into a fuku. "My friends are wearing clothing similar to mine and they are in Juuban; you can't miss the fight."
"Alright." Ranma took off once again, appearing back on the roof less than a second after he left. Once again scratching the base of his pigtail he asked, "Uh, Suna-chan? Which way is Juuban from here?"
"That way." she said, gesturing with her free hand. "Oh, and please call me Sailor Pluto when I'm like this." She said indicating her fuku.
"Got it. Uh, ya need a lift?"
"No, I have my own ways of travel." the Guardian of Time said as she slipped out of the time stream.
Ranma looked at the spot that Pluto had just vacated. He was impressed at her technique; having never actually seen her disappear before. Shaking himself, Ranma took off across the rooftops towards Juuban.
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Appearing at the battlefield, Setsuna frowned as she took in the sight before her. In the time it took to talk to Ranma (all of five minutes) the fight had gone from bad to worse. When she had left, their opponent had been pressing the nine Senshi hard; apparently being equipped with some kind of magical resistant armor. By the time she returned he had apparently called in reinforcements. Uranus and Neptune were trying to double-team their opponent; who had identified himself only as Donnelly MacDhu; who was keeping both at bay with a sword that appeared to be made of crystal. Venus was down, being attended by Saturn; who was healing her. Moon, Mars, and Jupiter were facing off against three giant creatures that Pluto recognized as stone golems as Mercury was to one side trying to analyze the enemy.
Pluto watched as Mars fired off a Fire Sniper directly at one of the golems, causing it to stagger back with no visible damage. Pluto began muttering curses under her breath as she realized that the golems were protected by the same magic as Donnelly MacDhu was. Hearing a sudden cry of panic, Pluto launched into action to save her future Queen.
"dead scream." she whispered, sending a concentrated ball of temporal flux slamming into one of the stone creatures, causing it to stagger on it's feet.
"Pluto!" Sailor Moon cried out in thanks as she climbed back to her feet.
"Where've you been and what have you been doing?" Sailor Mars demanded as she and Sailor Jupiter fell back in a defensive position before Moon, to be joined by Mercury, Saturn and a revived Venus.
"What I must." Pluto responded simply as she formed up behind her future Queen.
Mars was about respond angrily to Pluto's comment, but was interrupted as Uranus and Neptune were both thrown back from MacDhu and into her and Jupiter.
"Nothing we're throwing at them is having any effect." Sailor Mercury said with concern in her voice, "Every attack we use seems to slide right off them."
"That's what happens when you fight someone who's resistant to magic." Pluto stated, "But don't worry. Help is on the way."
"Help?" Uranus said angrily as she climbed back to her feet. "We don't need no stinkin' help!"
"I beg to differ." Pluto said, raising an eyebrow.
Sailor Moon turned to look at Pluto and asked with curiosity, "What kind of help?"
Giving Sailor Moon an infuriatingly mysterious smile Pluto replied, "You'll see."
**********
Ranma raced across the rooftops of Toyko, feeling more alive that he'd felt in a long time. His pulse was racing as his mind was awhirl with possible strategies he could employ. Ranma lived for situations like this; heading into a fight without knowing what to expect, knowing he might be forced to push himself to his limits and beyond. He hadn't felt like this for a long time. Not since Saffron.
Besides, She had asked for his help.
So Ranma ran, being careful not to push himself too hard so he would be ready to go into action the moment he arrived. Entering the Juuban district, he began to senses...something. It wasn't ki; his ability to sense and manipulate ki had grown by leaps and bounds since Saffron; but something big was definitely happening nearby. Changing his course, Ranma headed towards the disturbance he felt.
Arriving at a park, Ranma saw what Setsuna...er, that is to say, Sailor Pluto was talking about. He saw three giant rock creatures apparently being controlled by some Kuno wannabe. They were facing off against a bunch of girls dressed in almost nothing; and the girls were being pressed hard. He saw one of the girls, this one with long flowing blond hair tied back with a red ribbon, fall before one of the rock things; who reached back with its fist to slam her into the ground.
All of his senses kicking into overdrive Ranma raced into action as he appeared to disappear from sight. Everything seemed to slow down for the pigtailed martial artist as the distance shrank between him and the fallen girl.
Sailor Moon could only cry out in horror as she saw one of her friends fall before one of the golems. Her cry was cut short, however, as something seemed to flicker into view above her companion a moment before the golems' fist smashed into the ground.
"A cute girl like you needs ta be more careful, ya know?" a males' voice said from the side.
Moon's cry of 'Tuxedo Kamen' ended before it began as she saw the speaker. He landed lightly on his feat, cradling Sailor Venus in his arms. He was of medium height and had a rakish grin on his handsome face. With long black hair tied back in a pigtail and bright crystal blue eyes, he cut a handsome figure in his red Chinese silk shirt and black kung-fu style pants. Did she mention he was handsome?
He set Venus down onto her feet; or tried to, at least. "Um, it's alright now. Ya can let go of me."
Venus held onto him for a few moments before what he said sunk in. "Oh, ok." she replied, letting go of him with regret.
Walking forward to place himself between the Senshi and the golems he said, "These guys don't seem too tough."
"I'd like to see you do better." Uranus spat angrily at the newcomer.
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Sailor Moon saw his grin grow wider as his blue eyes flashed. "Well, if ya want me to."
"I'm sensing something strange about him." Mars muttered softly.
"Nice of you to make it, Ranma." Pluto said with a small hint of a smile in her voice, "The stone golems before you are creatures of magic. They don't think or feel. They are aren't alive."
"Ya don't say." Ranma said slowly as he appraised the golems before him. "Stone, huh? Too bad P-chan ain't here right now, he'd be perfect for dealing with them." he paused and cocked his head to one side as if listening for something before he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, one could only hope. Ya know what?" he said as Moon could feel his grin become wider still even though his back was to her, "I got this move I've always wanted ta cut loose with, but I ain't never had someone I could safely use it on."
With that, Ranma brought his arms down to his sides, then quickly brought them up and across his chest with a cry of "Kijin Raishuu-dan!"
All the Senshi, save Pluto, watched in awe as two of the three stone golems were shattered into pieces; along with a row of trees over 20 meters behind them.
"Oops." Ranma said as he scratched the back of his head with one hand as he fanned the cloud of dust away from his face with the other, "I guess I shouldn't use the Yamasenken at full power. Oh well, I'll just have ta take care of this last one the old fashion way."
Ranma cracked his knuckles before he launched himself at the remaining golem. It took a swing at Ranma, which seemed pitifully slow to him. Coming up underneath the large fist Ranma slammed his left elbow into it's chest, then followed up with a palm strike with his right hand; both creating large spider web cracks in the stone. Ranma then leaped straight up and delivered a snap kick with his right leg to it's 'chin'; then, using his upward momentum, he spun around and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of it's head, causing it to break off from it's 'neck' and sail a good distance away.
The headless golem fell down onto the ground with a loud crash. Ranma landed lightly on its back, looking at the amazed Senshi. "How's that?" he asked, looking at the shorthaired blonde.
"Foolish mortal! How dare you challenge the might of Donnelly MacDhu; Duke of the UnSeleighe! I shall crush your bones and dance on your grave! I will show you horrors beyond your ken before I slowly squeeze the life from you! I will...
Hey! Stop ignoring me!"
Ranma looked back at MacDhu, trying to stifle a large yawn. "I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "It's just you bad guys all say the same thing. Do ya all use the same speechwriters or sumthin'?"
One of the girls behind Ranma, the blond with the really strange pony-tails, giggled at his comment as he watched the Kuno wannabe fume for a moment before calming himself and bringing his crystal sword up into a ready position. "Very well, mortal. Let us see how you fair against my blade."
Ranma jumped off the golem and landed several feet before MacDhu, bending backwards at an impossible angle to avoid a sword thrust. Coming back upright, Ranma threw a short combination of punches and kicks; all of which were blocked by the crystal sword. Ranma leaped over MacDhu and came down behind him with a shot to the kidneys.
That was the only 'clean' hit Ranma got for the next several minutes as the two danced and weaved around each other. 'Man, this guy ain't no Kuno, that's for sure.' Ranma thought to himself as he dodged a sword stroke with only a hairs' length to spare, 'He's real good. Almost too good...'
Out of curiosity, Ranma threw a lazy right cross at MacDhu and watched him once again bring his sword up to block. Before the blow connected, however, Ranma threw a quick rabbit punch with his left hand and saw the sword move quickly to block the real attack. The pigtailed martial artiest narrowed his eyes as he realized the sword had moved too quickly.
Disengaging himself from his opponent, Ranma leaped backwards several feet. "Man, that's some sword technique there."
Nodding his head slightly MacDhu said, "And you are quite skilled yourself. For a mortal."
"Huh? Oh, I wasn't talkin' about you. I was talkin' about that sword of yours. Probably one of the best magic swords I've come across in a while." Ranma said flippantly.
"How dare you speak to me like that, you worm!"
"In that case," Ranma replied with a grin, "lets see how good ya are without that trick sword of yours."
To the watching Senshi, save Pluto and Mercury (who had been observing the entire battle with the aid of the Mercury Computer and her visor), Ranma jumped forward and yelled "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri" and threw ten slow punches. To their shock, with the tenth punch the crystal sword shattered and MacDhu went flying backwards.
"No way!" Mars exclaimed, "How did he do that with only ten punches?"
"Not ten." Mercury said slowly, finding it hard to believe the information her Computer and visor was showing her; "He did it with 927 punches. Not to mention the 49 hits to the chest and 28 to the face."
"You're joking, right?" Jupiter asked with disbelief.
"Her count is accurate." Pluto responded with a slightly smug tone of voice.
Ranma was breathing heavily and perspiration beaded his brow. He had never kept up the Amaguri for that long before and was worried that he wasn't going to be able to pull it off. He absently noticed a stinging sensation on his cheek and he knew his hand and knuckles were a bloody mess.
And he was loving every minute of it.
"Curse you!" MacDhu spat from a kneeling position, clutching his ribs with one arm and holding his smashed nose with his free hand. "You will rue this day, worm! Donnelly MacDhu will not soon forget what you've done and I shall make you pay!"
"Oh really? Well..." Ranma began to say; only to see MacDhu quickly sink into the shadows and disappear. Feeling he had to say something besides his planned retort, Ranma said the first thing that came to mind, "Yo' Momma!"
Ranma turned around to face the girls to say something. But before he could speak, the blonde with the two long ponytails rushed up and began to speak; almost too fast for Ranma to understand. "Thatwassocool! Howdidyoudothat? Canyouteachmehow? Thatwasgreat! Thankyouforsavingus! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
"It was no big thing; I've faced tougher guys before. Say, what're ya suppose to be, anyway? The School Girl Defenders or something?"
The other girls, including Pluto, gave Ranma dirty looks as the one before him opened her mouth wide in surprise. "You haven't heard of us? Well we are," she said as she went through a series of funny looking poses, "The defenders of Truth and Love! We are the righters of wrongs! We are the bane of bad guys everywhere! We are the Sailor Senshi! And I am none other than Sailor Moon!"
"And I'm yours..." the blonde with the red ribbon in her hair breathed loudly, causing the other Senshi to back away from her slowly. "Uh, I said that out loud didn't I?"
"Here. Let me help you." the Senshi with short dark hair and the kick ass naginata said quietly as she walked up and gently took hold of Ranma's right hand.
"Wha?" Ranma said as a warm sensation filled him and the stinging on his face and hand faded away. He watched as the bleeding gashes on his knuckles faded away to nothingness. "How ya do that?" he said with wonder as he flexed his hand to make sure everything was working right.
"I've always been able to heal others." the girl looked down at her feet in abashment.
"Cool! I wish I could do something like that." Ranma was about to say more; seeing as how his words were brightening the girls' face; but a sudden frown creased his face.
Carefully rolling a piece of stone from the rock littered ground onto his foot, Ranma snapped it up into the air. With his right hand he caught it and sent it flying into the trees in one smooth motion as the Senshi watched it's flight.
^Thud^ ^Crash^
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Several of the girls cried out as Moon ran to the fallen figure.
"How could you do that!" Moon exclaimed, near tears, as she cradled the head of the unconscious Tuxedo Kamen in her lap.
"Well, what was I suppose to do?" Ranma replied to the accusation in several of the girls' eyes, "I mean, someone lurking around after a fight can't be up to no good. Besides, what kind of weenie hangs around on the sidelines and does nothing when a bunch of cute girls are fighting. I mean, look at what he's wearing! He was probably waiting to jump in with some stupid speech about never giving up before disappearing again. He can't be much of a man, ya know."
The temperature seemed to drop as Moon and three of the girls gave him nasty looks (the one with the red ribbon, however, was still looking at him with hearts in her eyes). The whole effect was ruined, though, by the girl with the short blond hair who was trying her best to not laugh her ass off; and failing miserably.
Ranma suddenly reached out with his arm and caught something. Looking at the direction of the throw, he saw that Pluto had her arm extended in a tossing motion. He then glanced over and saw he now held an umbrella. Frowning for a moment, he looked up at the sky and saw storm clouds.
"Thanks." Ranma said as he snapped open the umbrella and raised it above his head just as a light sprinkle began.
"No, Ranma. Thank you." Pluto said gratefully. "You'd better get going now. It's almost dinner time."
"Dinner!" Ranma exclaimed; thinking of Kasumi's cooking. "Thanks Pu-chan! Just let me know when ya need more help."
The Senshi watched Ranma quickly disappear from the park before they all turned to look at the Guardian of Time with only one thought on their minds.
"PU-CHAN?!?"
**********
To be Continued...
(2/1/3)
**********
Author's Notes:
I'd like to thank everyone who's sent me feedback about DKA.
And a special thanks to Thermopyle for his advice for making
several of the above scenes flow better.
Thanks, Therm!!
a Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
by SoftRogue
whiteb100@hotmail.com
Disclaimer:
I disclaim, I disclaim!
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Prolog/Chapter 1
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18 years ago...
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The nurse gently took the child from the arms of his mother. Placing him into a waiting crib, she wheeled him out of the operating room and down the hall. Entering a small room, the nurse came to a stop. She then lifted the newborn out of the crib and began to clean the blood and gunk off of him. Once done she efficiently measured and weighed him before recording the information.
The nurse then lifted the newborn up to eye level and peered at him intently with her crimson eyes. She felt a small thrill of satisfaction as he opened his crystal blue eyes and focused on her with a serious expression on his young face. With his small hands he reached out and grasped her long dark emerald hair and pulled lightly.
Gently removing his hands from her hair, the nurse placed him back into the crib. Tucking him into a blanket, she wheeled him out of the small room and down the hall, into an elevator and up several floors. Exiting the elevator, she then wheeled the crib down another hall and finally into another room.
"Nodoka Saotome?" the nurse asked.
"Yes. Is that my son? May I hold him?" the new mother asked with excitement.
"Of course, Saotome-san." The nurse said as she lifted the newborn out of the crib and returned him to his mother.
Holding her newborn son close to her Nodoka said, "He's a handsome one, isn't he."
"Yes he is." the nurse said with a small smile. "I can see girls flocking after him in a few years."
With a proud smile Nodoka said, "You really think so?" Seeing the nurse nod, she then said, "Well I guess I should chose a name for him. Would you mind helping me pick one? I've narrowed my choice down to two."
"Shouldn't your husband be helping you with the naming of your child?" the nurse asked carefully.
A small frown crossed Nodoka's face, "As soon as he heard that we had a son, my husband went out to celebrate with his best friend." She shook her head before her smile returned. "Anyway I've narrowed my choices down to either Ataru or Ranma. What do you think?"
Looking with contemplation for several moments at the baby, the nurse finally said very slowly, "'Wild Horse' I believe will suit him well."
"Then Ranma it is. Tell me," Nodoka asked with hope in her voice, "Do you think that Ranma will grow up to be manly?"
Looking at the new mother closely for a moment, the nurse answered carefully. "Yes. Yes he will. Now, if you would excuse me?"
Exiting the room, the nurse leaned heavily against the door. Sighing deeply she closed her eyes as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
"Please forgive me, Ranma." Setsuna Meiou, also known as Sailor Pluto; Guardian of Time; said as she disappeared from the time stream.
**********
14 years ago...
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A four year old Ranma was having the time of his young life. His mommy warned him not to leave the back yard, but Ranma's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He couldn't help it. He just had to follow the kitty around just to see where it was going. With daddy teaching him how to play in a really fun way, Ranma was able to pull himself up onto walls and climb across them. And it was fun following the kitty around.
Ranma wasn't lost. Not really. He just didn't know where he was, that's all.
"Hello there, little boy. Are you lost?"
Ranma looked up in surprise and said the first thing that came to mind. "Pretty lady."
Blinking in surprise, Setsuna said, "Why thank you, little boy. What's your name?"
"I'm Ranma." he said with pride, "And I ain't lost, I just don't know where home is."
"I see. Well, if you'd like I'll take you there." she said as she held out a hand.
Looking at her seriously for a moment Ranma finally nodded and took her hand. As the woman began to walk she asked, "So, Ranma, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A Martial Artist. I'm going to be the bestist ever! My daddy is gonna teach me!"
"Oh really? Well I'm sure you're going to be the 'bestist ever'." she said with a small smile. "Just remember, you should try to help others whenever you can. Just because you're better in one thing than someone else is, that doesn't mean that you are a better person than they are, alright?"
Ranma looked up at the pretty lady with a confused look on his face as he tried to puzzle out her words. Finally he nodded with conviction and said "Ok, pretty lady."
Finally coming to a stop she said, "Here we are, Ranma. You had better get inside, I'm sure your mother is worried."
Releasing her hand, Ranma walked forward several steps before turning around. "Ok, pretty lady. I love you. Bye-bye." he waved at her before running inside.
**********
13 years ago...
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Ranma sat with his blanket wrapped around him, shivering in fright in the cold nights air. The nearby fire had burned down to nothing, leaving the five year old boy in the dark. Nearby, his poppa lay in a drunken stupor, the stench of alcohol thick around him. It's been a full day since poppa had taken him from momma, and Ranma wasn't too sure that this training trip idea was a good one.
He was bruised all over from the 'training' that poppa had put him through since the sun had risen. When the pain became too much, Ranma had begun to cry. That had only made the 'training' worse, as poppa began to say mean things like 'No son of mine is going to be a cry-baby' or 'Real men don't cry' or even 'What are you? A little girl?'. Ranma didn't know which hurt more, the 'training' or the words.
"It'll be alright, Ranma." a soft, kindly voice behind him said.
Gripping his blanket close to him, Ranma looked behind him. "Who...who are you? Are you a fairy?"
Sitting down carefully next to him, the woman smoothed out her pants and jacket. "No, I'm not a fairy. I am...a guardian, of sorts."
"Oh," Ranma said, with a hint of disappointment, "What'cha ya doing here?"
Looking at him kindly with her red eyes she said, "My job, in a fashion. You know, if it hurts it's alright to cry Ranma."
"No it ain't." the boy said defensively, "Poppa said only girls cry, and I ain't no girl."
"I see..." she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously at the sleeping form of Genma. "You should get some sleep, Ranma. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."
"I...I ain't tired." he replied, with a hint of fear in his voice.
Reaching over, she gently pushed him to a laying position and she adjusted the blanket over him. "Don't worry, Ranma. I'll watch over you tonight and every night for as long as you need me to. I'll watch over you as I've watched over the duty I was given long ago."
With that, she began to softly sing a song that hadn't been heard by any in a long, long time. Finally coming to the end of the song, she looked over at Ranma's sleeping form and reached over to smooth his hair.
"Good night, Ranma." The Guardian of Time said as she settled in. For tonight, she would keep her promise in person rather than from her normal post.
**********
12 years, 6 months ago...
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Setsuna sat patiently on the steps of the home she had rented out for the month; a glamour provided by the Luna Pen cast over her to hide her appearance firmly in place. Occasionally she stroked the hair of the small child that was resting in her lap. Looking down sadly at the boy, she tried to calm herself for the task at hand.
What she was waiting for should happen in five, four, three, two...
"Hello there." Genma said as he entered the grounds, "I've seen you've found my good for nothing son. I'll just take him off your hands now."
"I don't think so." Setsuna said, allowing her towering anger to creep into her voice.
"Excuse me?" Genma said in surprise at the thought of the little old lady he saw before him trying to challenge his authority over his meal-ticket...er, son.
"You heard me. I recognize the signs of the Neko-ken training. If you take your son now, he will never revert from his feral condition. He will spend the rest of his life thinking that he is nothing more than a mere housecat."
"You know about the Neko-ken? Can cure him? If you can, I'll give you anything you want. Anything at all! My son would make a perfect husband for one of your granddaughters one day." Genma said, thinking to get his son 'fixed' without having to actually pay for it.
"I cannot cure him completely of what you've done in your stupidly. The best I'll be able to do is to bring him out of his feral state and tech him how to resist the Neko-ken's pull. However, for the rest of his life he will forever be afraid of felines; and when his fear peaks he'll most likely revert back into a feral state." Setsuna leveled her gaze at Genma, her stare hard enough to chip diamond. "And as for payment, I want nothing from you; especially nothing you have no right to give."
"I don't know what you mean." Genma said nervously.
If her gaze was hard before, it was nothing compared to how she looked at Genma now. "I believe you know EXACTLY what I mean; Genma Saotome." she spat, "Or do I have to mention the Tendos'? Or the Kuonjis'? Or perhaps the Daitokujis'? Leave. Now. Do not show your sorry excuse for a carcass around here for three weeks. That is how long it will take. Now go!" With her last words, she embraced the power of Pluto around her and stared Genma down.
Nodding quickly, Genma turned around and fled as fast as he could; not even wanting to consider how the little old lady seemed to know so much about him. Setsuna watched him go and let the glamour around her fade, "Damn you, Genma Saotome. Damn you to hell."
Looking down at the purring boy in her lap, she gently ran a hand through his hair and fought back her tears.
"...and Damn me..."
**********
6 years ago...
**********
A twelve year old Ranma sat alone in the night tending the pair rabbits he'd caught over the fire. Pops had left him alone for a 'special training exercise' for the past two nights and wasn't expected to return for at least another week and a half. The purpose of the 'exercise' was simple. Survive.
Part of Ranma was excited by the challenge, but another part of him wasn't so sure about the real reason why he was left to fend for himself. Over the years, the absolute trust Ranma had once had for his father began to slowly fade to be replaced with contempt. While Ranma appreciated what the 'exercise' was suppose to be teaching him, his gut was telling him that his pops was out eating and drinking his fill on whatever he could get his hands on.
A twig snapped behind him and Ranma leapt to his feet and turned around, stumbling to regain his footing. What he saw left him breathless.
"Hello there, Ranma."
Taking in the sight of the beautiful woman before him, Ranma could only stare with wide eyes. Not even her clothing, pristine in condition and nowhere near appropriate for being in the middle of a forest, could brake the spell her appearance cast over him.
"May I join you?" She asked softly, slowly approaching the fire.
Nodding slowly, he moved and offered her the log he had just been sitting on. Sitting down on the ground across the fire from her, Ranma was afraid to speak; lest the magic of the moment be broken. But he had to say something that was bothering him since he first saw her.
"I...I know you, don't I?"
"Perhaps." she said with a mysterious smile. She reached over to pick up one of the rabbits out of the fire, "May I?" she asked, to which Ranma nodded once again.
Taking a bite of the meat, she licked the juices off her lips and fingers. "Delicious." She said with a smile, "So tell me, Ranma. How has your training been going?"
Shaking himself out of his thoughts the young teenager said, "It's going great! Pops been teaching me lots of stuff and it don't nearly hurt as much as it use to. Soon I'll be as good as he is."
"That's nice." She smiled at Ranma's enthusiasm. "But what are you going to do when your that good?"
"What'cha mean?"
Taking another a bite of the rabbit, she looked at Ranma intently and said, "You're learning a dangerous and powerful skill, Ranma. It can be deadly to others if you don't use it correctly. So tell me, Ranma, what are you going to do once you're as skilled as your father?"
Peering deep into the fire, Ranma slowly responded. "Well, pops is always saying that it's the sworn duty of the martial artist to protect mankind from monsters." Pausing to look up at the light reflecting from the beautiful woman's crimson eyes he said apologetically, "Although when he says that ta someone, he's usually trying to get something from them." Shrugging his shoulders, Ranma returned his gaze to the fire. "I guess...I guess I'll protect people from monsters."
"Oh really?" she said with a hint of humor. "So, you plan to go around the countryside finding monsters to fight?"
"Well, yea. What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. But tell me, how will you know when you've found a monster?"
"Well...they're ugly and have fur and long tails and claws and big yellow eyes..."
"Really." she said, hiding her grin at Ranma's description by taking another bite of the rabbit. "So tell me, how will you be able to tell if a monster looks like a human? Or if a human is a monster?"
"Huh?"
"You see Ranma, just because something looks like a 'monster' doesn't mean that it's evil. By the same token, just because someone is human doesn't mean that they are good. So tell me Ranma, how will you be able to tell the difference?"
Deep in thought, Ranma finally responded carefully. "Well, I guess I can't. So...I guess, well I heard something several months ago when we were training outside of Kyoto. Aku-Soku-Zan."
Blinking in total surprise, the woman placed the reference and said, "Slay Evil Immediately? The motto of the Shinsengumi during the Menji Revolution? A bit...harsh, perhaps. But what about those who are simply misguided or ignorant? What about them?"
"Well...maybe I should try to protect the weak?" Ranma said, looking up hopefully.
"'To protect the weak.' Yes, now that would be a admirable duty."
Looking into the fire Ranma said, "I was wondering. Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you?" Not hearing a response, he looked up to see the log vacated.
Staring at the empty seat, Ranma wondered if she had been nothing more that a figment of his imagination. However, the missing rabbit answered that question for him.
"How did she do that?"
**********
2 years, 6 months ago...
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Ranma sat on a rickety dock looking out across the Sea of Japan. He and his father had just spent several days swimming across from Japan to Mainland China. Genma had said that it would be good training, and besides; they didn't have enough money to travel the 'normal' way. But somehow Genma had enough money to gorge himself on food and drink himself under the table here in this backwater coastal village. The only bright spot Ranma could think of now is that pops said that this would be the final leg of an almost 10 year training voyage.
At least...Ranma thought it might be a bright spot.
The young man was split on that point. Part of him longed for a permanent home, he was tired of leaving friends behind; like Ryoga and his old buddy Ucchan. On the other hand, Ranma wasn't too sure that he would be comfortable with staying in one place for a long period of time. He liked the road; enjoyed the freedom it gave him; never having to worry about those little annoyances that happened to other people. But sometimes, just sometimes when pops wasn't watching, Ranma would look at 'normal' kids his age go about their lives with longing.
"Hello, Ranma." a voice said from behind him.
Turning around in surprise, Ranma looked and saw...Her. Scrambling to his feet Ranma said breathlessly, "Oh, it's you. I...I haven't seen you in a while. Um, what brings you here?"
"You could say that I happened to be in the neighborhood." she said with a humorous gleam in her eye.
"Well, um, it's good to see you again." Ranma stammered slightly as a blush slowly spread across his face.
Surprised at his reaction, she blinked several times before speaking. "Ah, well, um, how has your training going?"
Flashing her his trademark Saotome Grin Ranma replied, "Great! I can beat up pops about 8 out of 10 times now. Pops says that I'm almost done with my training."
"That's good to hear. So what do you plan on doing once you done?"
Caught by surprise by the question, Ranma looked at her with worry and confusion. "Geeze, I don't know. I've never thought too much about it. I guess I'll try to protect those who are weaker than me."
"That's a good thing to do." she smiled, glad that he remembered the lesson she had taught him long ago. "But you should find yourself a goal; a reason to fight. It's not an easy thing to find, however, and you should be comfortable that whatever you decide to fight for is right. No matter how small or large it is, as long as you think you're doing the correct thing you won't be steered wrong."
"I see...I'll have to think about that." Ranma said slowly. Shaking his head to clear his head his thoughts he asked. "By the way, ya never told me your name. I don't know what ta call ya."
With a small smile, she said, "No I haven't, have I." Looking at Ranma for a moment she considered before replying, "You can call me...Setsuna."
"Setsuna..." Ranma said slowly, as if tasting the sound of her name. "It fit's ya."
"Does it now." she said with a small, private, smile.
"Yea, it does." Ranma said as he turned to look out across the ocean, "Ya know what? I want ta thank ya. You've been the only one that I could count on ta talk to and really listen ta me during this trip. I guess...well, I guess I just want ta thank ya." Ranma said with a blush as he turned back around to see nothing.
"Man. I gotta learn how to do that."
**********
1 year, 6 months ago...
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Ranma sat under a bridge, watching the water flow by. He felt that things couldn't get any worse than they were right now. Not only was he stuck with two fiancées and a girl who thought she was married to him (lets not forget the psycho with the black roses; better yet, lets), he was also cursed to turn into a girl whenever he got splashed with cold water. And to top it all off, after years of thinking that his mother was dead Ranma had just found out that she was alive and well; and would kill him at first sight.
All in all, Ranma thought, his life couldn't be any worse.
"Hello, Ranma. It's been a while." a familiar voice said behind him.
"You!" the pigtailed martial artist shouted as he leapt up and twisted around in midair and landed on his feet in an aggressive stance. "You knew! Didn't you? Didn't You?!
Surprised by the vehemence in Ranma's voice Setsuna stepped back and said carefully, "I knew what?"
"Everything!" Ranma spat, suddenly venting all of his frustration and anger. "You knew about that damn contract, the Neko-ken, Junsenkyo, the fiancées, all the crap I've had ta go through, everything! Didn't you!"
Setsuna lowered her head in shame and said softly, "Yes. Yes I did."
"Why?" Ranma demanded, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why damn it, why? Why did you let it all happen to me?"
"There was nothing I could do." she said painfully.
"Bullshit!" Ranma yell as he casually backhanded a concrete support pillar, shattering it in the processes. "You coulda done something! Anything! Why didn't you!"
"No I couldn't. There was nothing I could have done, nothing at all." she said as tears began to run freely down her face. "Countless eons ago, I was entrusted with the care of a powerful artifact; one that could allow someone to travel through the stream of time itself. I was charged to guard and defend it at all costs. But I was told that I could never interfere with the course of history, lest I rip the fabric of time itself askew. Throughout all those milleniums, there had been only a handful of times I had regretted taking up my duty. The first was as I was forced to watch the great kingdom that I helped to shape and form be crushed and destroyed before my eyes. All the other times were when I was forced to standby and do nothing as I watched your life unfold..."
Watching the anguish and pain that radiated off of the green haired woman, Ranma felt all his anger dissipate. "I-I'm sorry, Suna-chan. I didn't mean ta yell at ya, it's just...sigh. Please don't cry, I'm sorry."
At a loss at what to do, Ranma hesitantly stepped forward and lightly placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. For the next few moments, Setsuna sobbed into Ranma's silk shirt while he held her with a hint of awkwardness. Not that he minded, however. Holding her in his arms like this felt...nice.
Her grief finally running it's course, Setsuna gently pulled herself out of his embrace. "I'm sorry." she said as she wiped her tears from her eyes, "I shouldn't have let myself loose control like that."
"It's alright, Suna-chan." Ranma said, nervously scratching the base of his pigtail. "I mean, you've helped me out before, right? So I'm just returning the favor, ya know?"
Setsuna smiled gratefully then blinked before saying, "I'm sorry Ranma, but what did you call me?"
Looking down at the ground Ranma said with embarrassment, "Uh...Suna-chan. Ya don't mind, do ya?" He asked hopefully.
Setsuna found herself smiling as a warm feeling filled her, "No Ranma, I don't mind. Not at all."
The two stood in awkward silence for several moments before Setsuna finally said, "I had better be going."
"Do ya have to? Er...what I mean to say is I wouldn't mind if, ya know," Ranma stammered as he looked over his shoulder nervously, looking for potential threats or fiancées (which in his book were one in the same). "If ya stayed here, with me, ya know, for a little while."
Looking back at Setsuna, Ranma saw that he was now talking to thin air. "How does she do that?" he said with a small, sad smile before he turned and headed back to the dojo.
**********
Now...
**********
Ranma lay upon the roof of the Tendo household, gazing at the stars twinkling in the night's sky; trying to make sense of his life. In the past year since the wedding attempt, his life had slowly moved in a downward spiral of frustration and despair.
At first, everything had gone perfectly. Ranma could actually picture himself married to Akane and he thought he'd come to an understanding with Ucchan and Shampoo; but things began to change about a month after the failed wedding. He always knew that the Chef and the Amazon never actually thought of him as a prize to be won; even though they sometimes came across like that. However, it slowly became apparent to the pig-tailed martial artiest that things had changed. It was Akane, to Ranma's total surprise, who began to lord it over the other two girls that she had 'won' Ranma from them. Then things had gone down hill from there.
Akane; who had never been bashful about showing her jealousy; began to get possessive about Ranma and demanded to know where he was and what he was doing whenever he was gone from her sight for long periods of time. She would also taunt Ukyo and Shampoo about how Ranma loved her and only her and would insult them knowing full well that her fiancé would protect her. The two of them in turn would tell Ranma what was happening; although he refused to believe them. Eventually they set Akane up to show him exactly how she was acting behind his back.
To say that Ranma was upset with what he had seen was an understatement. He felt hurt that Akane was acting this way towards two people he felt were his friends. In the ensuing argument, Akane said point blank that she did not trust him at all and he would probably cheat on her the first chance he got. The two fathers didn't help matters that evening as they launched another 'Operation: Get Ranma and Akane Married' when they got home. Akane reverted to her old ways and called him a pervert before slamming the table over his head once again. After a brief fight with the Lost Boy (who happened to find his way to the Tendos' in time to see Akane yell at Ranma) Akane ended up taking Ryoga's side and blamed everything on Ranma (who, while not the picture of eloquence, had given a super human effort to not insult anyone and had actually succeeded in not saying anything offensive).
After that incident, Shampoo and Ukyo had seen how upset Ranma was at Akane and started to press their advantage. The two girls would be nice to Ranma, which in turn would upset Akane who would blame Ranma for 'hitting' on them, which in turn would slowly drive a wedge between the two. The cycle would go on over and over again. Ukyo and, to a lesser extent, Shampoo (only because the Amazons idea of subtlety left much to be desired) had, over time, increased their efforts in breaking Ranma and Akane up.
And they were succeeding.
So here Ranma was, trying to get a handle on his life when someone spoke from behind him.
"Hello, Ranma." A somewhat familiar voice suddenly said from behind him.
Instincts going into over-drive, Ranma pushed himself up off the roof and twisted in mid-air. Landing in a defensive stance, the pig-tailed martial artiest sized up the person who had sneaked up on him without a sound. She was taller than him, carrying a tall key shaped staff with a reddish orb attached to it's top. Ranma felt a slight blush creep onto his face as he saw what she was wearing, or not wearing as the case seemed to be. It appeared to be a schoolgirls fuku, although there wasn't much of it. As for her face, well...the more he tried to focus on her features, the more its they seemed to slip from his mind. But her hair, it was...familiar somehow. Like her voice was.
"Who are ya and what do ya want?" Ranma said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Holding the staff out to her side at arms length, she let go of it. As soon as it was no longer in her hand it disappeared. Ranma watched in total surprise as her fuku began to flow and change until it became an immaculate black business suit with a very form-fitting jacket.
"Suna-chan?" Ranma said in awe as he relaxed.
Giving him a small smile Setsuna asked, "Tell me, Ranma. Are you doing anything tonight?"
Blushing brightly, Ranma looked down at the roof as he scuffed the tile with a toe. Scratching the back of his head he stammered, "Well, um, I uh, that is, er, I, ah, well I, um..."
With a grin in her eyes Setsuna said, "The reason I was asking, Ranma, is because my friends and I could use some help with a problem we're having."
Loosing all his embarrassment Ranma looked up, "Problem? What sorta problem?"
"My friends and I are currently fighting something that is causing us quite a bit of difficulty."
"A fight? Why are we standing around here for? Let's go!" With that, Ranma took off across the roof.
Setsuna watched Ranma leap off the Tendo roof, only to jump back up. "Um..." Ranma said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Where are they and, um, what do they look like?"
With a small sweat drop on the back of her head, Setsuna reached out and 'grasped' her staff; causing her clothing to change once again into a fuku. "My friends are wearing clothing similar to mine and they are in Juuban; you can't miss the fight."
"Alright." Ranma took off once again, appearing back on the roof less than a second after he left. Once again scratching the base of his pigtail he asked, "Uh, Suna-chan? Which way is Juuban from here?"
"That way." she said, gesturing with her free hand. "Oh, and please call me Sailor Pluto when I'm like this." She said indicating her fuku.
"Got it. Uh, ya need a lift?"
"No, I have my own ways of travel." the Guardian of Time said as she slipped out of the time stream.
Ranma looked at the spot that Pluto had just vacated. He was impressed at her technique; having never actually seen her disappear before. Shaking himself, Ranma took off across the rooftops towards Juuban.
**********
Appearing at the battlefield, Setsuna frowned as she took in the sight before her. In the time it took to talk to Ranma (all of five minutes) the fight had gone from bad to worse. When she had left, their opponent had been pressing the nine Senshi hard; apparently being equipped with some kind of magical resistant armor. By the time she returned he had apparently called in reinforcements. Uranus and Neptune were trying to double-team their opponent; who had identified himself only as Donnelly MacDhu; who was keeping both at bay with a sword that appeared to be made of crystal. Venus was down, being attended by Saturn; who was healing her. Moon, Mars, and Jupiter were facing off against three giant creatures that Pluto recognized as stone golems as Mercury was to one side trying to analyze the enemy.
Pluto watched as Mars fired off a Fire Sniper directly at one of the golems, causing it to stagger back with no visible damage. Pluto began muttering curses under her breath as she realized that the golems were protected by the same magic as Donnelly MacDhu was. Hearing a sudden cry of panic, Pluto launched into action to save her future Queen.
"dead scream." she whispered, sending a concentrated ball of temporal flux slamming into one of the stone creatures, causing it to stagger on it's feet.
"Pluto!" Sailor Moon cried out in thanks as she climbed back to her feet.
"Where've you been and what have you been doing?" Sailor Mars demanded as she and Sailor Jupiter fell back in a defensive position before Moon, to be joined by Mercury, Saturn and a revived Venus.
"What I must." Pluto responded simply as she formed up behind her future Queen.
Mars was about respond angrily to Pluto's comment, but was interrupted as Uranus and Neptune were both thrown back from MacDhu and into her and Jupiter.
"Nothing we're throwing at them is having any effect." Sailor Mercury said with concern in her voice, "Every attack we use seems to slide right off them."
"That's what happens when you fight someone who's resistant to magic." Pluto stated, "But don't worry. Help is on the way."
"Help?" Uranus said angrily as she climbed back to her feet. "We don't need no stinkin' help!"
"I beg to differ." Pluto said, raising an eyebrow.
Sailor Moon turned to look at Pluto and asked with curiosity, "What kind of help?"
Giving Sailor Moon an infuriatingly mysterious smile Pluto replied, "You'll see."
**********
Ranma raced across the rooftops of Toyko, feeling more alive that he'd felt in a long time. His pulse was racing as his mind was awhirl with possible strategies he could employ. Ranma lived for situations like this; heading into a fight without knowing what to expect, knowing he might be forced to push himself to his limits and beyond. He hadn't felt like this for a long time. Not since Saffron.
Besides, She had asked for his help.
So Ranma ran, being careful not to push himself too hard so he would be ready to go into action the moment he arrived. Entering the Juuban district, he began to senses...something. It wasn't ki; his ability to sense and manipulate ki had grown by leaps and bounds since Saffron; but something big was definitely happening nearby. Changing his course, Ranma headed towards the disturbance he felt.
Arriving at a park, Ranma saw what Setsuna...er, that is to say, Sailor Pluto was talking about. He saw three giant rock creatures apparently being controlled by some Kuno wannabe. They were facing off against a bunch of girls dressed in almost nothing; and the girls were being pressed hard. He saw one of the girls, this one with long flowing blond hair tied back with a red ribbon, fall before one of the rock things; who reached back with its fist to slam her into the ground.
All of his senses kicking into overdrive Ranma raced into action as he appeared to disappear from sight. Everything seemed to slow down for the pigtailed martial artist as the distance shrank between him and the fallen girl.
Sailor Moon could only cry out in horror as she saw one of her friends fall before one of the golems. Her cry was cut short, however, as something seemed to flicker into view above her companion a moment before the golems' fist smashed into the ground.
"A cute girl like you needs ta be more careful, ya know?" a males' voice said from the side.
Moon's cry of 'Tuxedo Kamen' ended before it began as she saw the speaker. He landed lightly on his feat, cradling Sailor Venus in his arms. He was of medium height and had a rakish grin on his handsome face. With long black hair tied back in a pigtail and bright crystal blue eyes, he cut a handsome figure in his red Chinese silk shirt and black kung-fu style pants. Did she mention he was handsome?
He set Venus down onto her feet; or tried to, at least. "Um, it's alright now. Ya can let go of me."
Venus held onto him for a few moments before what he said sunk in. "Oh, ok." she replied, letting go of him with regret.
Walking forward to place himself between the Senshi and the golems he said, "These guys don't seem too tough."
"I'd like to see you do better." Uranus spat angrily at the newcomer.
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Sailor Moon saw his grin grow wider as his blue eyes flashed. "Well, if ya want me to."
"I'm sensing something strange about him." Mars muttered softly.
"Nice of you to make it, Ranma." Pluto said with a small hint of a smile in her voice, "The stone golems before you are creatures of magic. They don't think or feel. They are aren't alive."
"Ya don't say." Ranma said slowly as he appraised the golems before him. "Stone, huh? Too bad P-chan ain't here right now, he'd be perfect for dealing with them." he paused and cocked his head to one side as if listening for something before he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, one could only hope. Ya know what?" he said as Moon could feel his grin become wider still even though his back was to her, "I got this move I've always wanted ta cut loose with, but I ain't never had someone I could safely use it on."
With that, Ranma brought his arms down to his sides, then quickly brought them up and across his chest with a cry of "Kijin Raishuu-dan!"
All the Senshi, save Pluto, watched in awe as two of the three stone golems were shattered into pieces; along with a row of trees over 20 meters behind them.
"Oops." Ranma said as he scratched the back of his head with one hand as he fanned the cloud of dust away from his face with the other, "I guess I shouldn't use the Yamasenken at full power. Oh well, I'll just have ta take care of this last one the old fashion way."
Ranma cracked his knuckles before he launched himself at the remaining golem. It took a swing at Ranma, which seemed pitifully slow to him. Coming up underneath the large fist Ranma slammed his left elbow into it's chest, then followed up with a palm strike with his right hand; both creating large spider web cracks in the stone. Ranma then leaped straight up and delivered a snap kick with his right leg to it's 'chin'; then, using his upward momentum, he spun around and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of it's head, causing it to break off from it's 'neck' and sail a good distance away.
The headless golem fell down onto the ground with a loud crash. Ranma landed lightly on its back, looking at the amazed Senshi. "How's that?" he asked, looking at the shorthaired blonde.
"Foolish mortal! How dare you challenge the might of Donnelly MacDhu; Duke of the UnSeleighe! I shall crush your bones and dance on your grave! I will show you horrors beyond your ken before I slowly squeeze the life from you! I will...
Hey! Stop ignoring me!"
Ranma looked back at MacDhu, trying to stifle a large yawn. "I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "It's just you bad guys all say the same thing. Do ya all use the same speechwriters or sumthin'?"
One of the girls behind Ranma, the blond with the really strange pony-tails, giggled at his comment as he watched the Kuno wannabe fume for a moment before calming himself and bringing his crystal sword up into a ready position. "Very well, mortal. Let us see how you fair against my blade."
Ranma jumped off the golem and landed several feet before MacDhu, bending backwards at an impossible angle to avoid a sword thrust. Coming back upright, Ranma threw a short combination of punches and kicks; all of which were blocked by the crystal sword. Ranma leaped over MacDhu and came down behind him with a shot to the kidneys.
That was the only 'clean' hit Ranma got for the next several minutes as the two danced and weaved around each other. 'Man, this guy ain't no Kuno, that's for sure.' Ranma thought to himself as he dodged a sword stroke with only a hairs' length to spare, 'He's real good. Almost too good...'
Out of curiosity, Ranma threw a lazy right cross at MacDhu and watched him once again bring his sword up to block. Before the blow connected, however, Ranma threw a quick rabbit punch with his left hand and saw the sword move quickly to block the real attack. The pigtailed martial artiest narrowed his eyes as he realized the sword had moved too quickly.
Disengaging himself from his opponent, Ranma leaped backwards several feet. "Man, that's some sword technique there."
Nodding his head slightly MacDhu said, "And you are quite skilled yourself. For a mortal."
"Huh? Oh, I wasn't talkin' about you. I was talkin' about that sword of yours. Probably one of the best magic swords I've come across in a while." Ranma said flippantly.
"How dare you speak to me like that, you worm!"
"In that case," Ranma replied with a grin, "lets see how good ya are without that trick sword of yours."
To the watching Senshi, save Pluto and Mercury (who had been observing the entire battle with the aid of the Mercury Computer and her visor), Ranma jumped forward and yelled "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri" and threw ten slow punches. To their shock, with the tenth punch the crystal sword shattered and MacDhu went flying backwards.
"No way!" Mars exclaimed, "How did he do that with only ten punches?"
"Not ten." Mercury said slowly, finding it hard to believe the information her Computer and visor was showing her; "He did it with 927 punches. Not to mention the 49 hits to the chest and 28 to the face."
"You're joking, right?" Jupiter asked with disbelief.
"Her count is accurate." Pluto responded with a slightly smug tone of voice.
Ranma was breathing heavily and perspiration beaded his brow. He had never kept up the Amaguri for that long before and was worried that he wasn't going to be able to pull it off. He absently noticed a stinging sensation on his cheek and he knew his hand and knuckles were a bloody mess.
And he was loving every minute of it.
"Curse you!" MacDhu spat from a kneeling position, clutching his ribs with one arm and holding his smashed nose with his free hand. "You will rue this day, worm! Donnelly MacDhu will not soon forget what you've done and I shall make you pay!"
"Oh really? Well..." Ranma began to say; only to see MacDhu quickly sink into the shadows and disappear. Feeling he had to say something besides his planned retort, Ranma said the first thing that came to mind, "Yo' Momma!"
Ranma turned around to face the girls to say something. But before he could speak, the blonde with the two long ponytails rushed up and began to speak; almost too fast for Ranma to understand. "Thatwassocool! Howdidyoudothat? Canyouteachmehow? Thatwasgreat! Thankyouforsavingus! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
"It was no big thing; I've faced tougher guys before. Say, what're ya suppose to be, anyway? The School Girl Defenders or something?"
The other girls, including Pluto, gave Ranma dirty looks as the one before him opened her mouth wide in surprise. "You haven't heard of us? Well we are," she said as she went through a series of funny looking poses, "The defenders of Truth and Love! We are the righters of wrongs! We are the bane of bad guys everywhere! We are the Sailor Senshi! And I am none other than Sailor Moon!"
"And I'm yours..." the blonde with the red ribbon in her hair breathed loudly, causing the other Senshi to back away from her slowly. "Uh, I said that out loud didn't I?"
"Here. Let me help you." the Senshi with short dark hair and the kick ass naginata said quietly as she walked up and gently took hold of Ranma's right hand.
"Wha?" Ranma said as a warm sensation filled him and the stinging on his face and hand faded away. He watched as the bleeding gashes on his knuckles faded away to nothingness. "How ya do that?" he said with wonder as he flexed his hand to make sure everything was working right.
"I've always been able to heal others." the girl looked down at her feet in abashment.
"Cool! I wish I could do something like that." Ranma was about to say more; seeing as how his words were brightening the girls' face; but a sudden frown creased his face.
Carefully rolling a piece of stone from the rock littered ground onto his foot, Ranma snapped it up into the air. With his right hand he caught it and sent it flying into the trees in one smooth motion as the Senshi watched it's flight.
^Thud^ ^Crash^
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Several of the girls cried out as Moon ran to the fallen figure.
"How could you do that!" Moon exclaimed, near tears, as she cradled the head of the unconscious Tuxedo Kamen in her lap.
"Well, what was I suppose to do?" Ranma replied to the accusation in several of the girls' eyes, "I mean, someone lurking around after a fight can't be up to no good. Besides, what kind of weenie hangs around on the sidelines and does nothing when a bunch of cute girls are fighting. I mean, look at what he's wearing! He was probably waiting to jump in with some stupid speech about never giving up before disappearing again. He can't be much of a man, ya know."
The temperature seemed to drop as Moon and three of the girls gave him nasty looks (the one with the red ribbon, however, was still looking at him with hearts in her eyes). The whole effect was ruined, though, by the girl with the short blond hair who was trying her best to not laugh her ass off; and failing miserably.
Ranma suddenly reached out with his arm and caught something. Looking at the direction of the throw, he saw that Pluto had her arm extended in a tossing motion. He then glanced over and saw he now held an umbrella. Frowning for a moment, he looked up at the sky and saw storm clouds.
"Thanks." Ranma said as he snapped open the umbrella and raised it above his head just as a light sprinkle began.
"No, Ranma. Thank you." Pluto said gratefully. "You'd better get going now. It's almost dinner time."
"Dinner!" Ranma exclaimed; thinking of Kasumi's cooking. "Thanks Pu-chan! Just let me know when ya need more help."
The Senshi watched Ranma quickly disappear from the park before they all turned to look at the Guardian of Time with only one thought on their minds.
"PU-CHAN?!?"
**********
To be Continued...
(2/1/3)
**********
Author's Notes:
I'd like to thank everyone who's sent me feedback about DKA.
And a special thanks to Thermopyle for his advice for making
several of the above scenes flow better.
Thanks, Therm!!