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INVINCIBLE MONSTER POWER RANGERS Jyoushou sentai bakemono aburanger
It was cold dark and ancient. Being so far from any sun, there was little light to define its features. It had traveled countless light-years in its mission of destruction and domination. Homing in on the highly organized radio waves emanating from the third planet of an isolated G class star, it picked its next target for conquest. After millennia it had returned.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma sat up in bed suddenly in a cold sweat, "It's coming!" He shouted. A sense of cold dread flowed through his veins like ice as he gasped, trying to catch his breath.
Calming after a second, he slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was sitting on the futon in the guest room of the Tendo residence. His father, in panda form, was sleeping soundly.
Ranma lay back on the futon, "What's coming? What the hell was I dreaming?" The sense of dread had faded as well as whatever he'd been dreaming about.
Shrugging to himself he lay back and went back to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
Setsuna felt like pulling her hair in frustration. Something big was coming and she couldn't tell what it was. The Chaos being generated made looking into the future like trying to tune in a subscription porn channel on cable. Not that Setsuna had ever done so; she paid for the channels and got them legally. No, all she could make out were that there were some colorfully clad warriors and weird monsters. She caught one image of a giant robot firing missiles in Juban. She couldn't tell the target but knew it couldn't be good. Her scouts had no way to fight something so big and powerful. She had a bad feeling the shit was about to hit the fan.
* * * * * * * * * *
Khu Lon woke suddenly as she felt a disturbance in the lines of probability. She would have said something along the lines of a 'disturbance in the force' had there been any of the young ones around to harass. It was time. At long last, all her training and effort would finally bear fruit. She chuckled to herself as she got out of bed to prepare. The time for all pretenses would soon be past and the fate of the world would rest on her heir and prodigy. She just hoped Ranma Saotome would be ready for what lay ahead.
* * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER ONE: Revelations
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma finished breakfast quickly and ran out the door with Akane to get to school on time.
"Thanks to you we're going to be late again!" Akane accused
Ranma was a little subdued as he ran along the fence, keeping pace with her, "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night I guess."
Akane frowned. The two had been getting along a little better as of late but for Ranma to just come out and apologize without being pressured was too weird.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Akane asked after a few moments.
"Huh?" Ranma said as if he'd been distracted, "Oh, I'm fine." And he waved off her concern with a shrug.
Ranma didn't know what to say really. Everything wasn't fine. He'd woken up feeling something in the air. Some sort of untapped potential that could blow up in his face if not handled right. He couldn't escape the feeling of impending doom...
"Hello Ranma."
"And so it begins." Ranma muttered and turned around to confront the voice, "How many times have I told you to call me son in law, not Ranma you old ghoul!" He shouted at the diminutive matriarch. He paused as his mind rewound and replayed the whole scene again. "I mean... Ah hell, what do you want?"
Khu Lon cackled at Ranma's puzzlement. She'd have to break him from falling into routines like that again. Relying always on certain outcomes was a good way to get you killed.
"I am sure you have felt a disturbance recently? As if something's not right?" She asked him.
Akane spoke up, "I think I do, I thought I was just feeling a little down though."
Ranma nodded, "So what is it? Another fiancé? A new challenger?"
Khu Lon seemed thoughtful, "A Challenge. Yes I suppose it is at that," she said mostly to herself. Shaking her head she looked at the pseudo couple, "Come, we have much to discuss as time is short. School can wait."
That was enough of an excuse for Ranma and he took off after Khu Lon. Akane was tempted to go on ahead to school then figured the Amazons were up to something and it was her duty to rescue Ranma when it came time. Pleased with her flow of logic, she followed Ranma.
Eventually they arrived at the Nekokatten and entered to find Xian Pu and Mu Tsu sitting at one of the tables. They both had expressions of uncertainty and anxiousness.
"Great Grandmother tell us what going on now?" Xian asked hesitantly.
"We're still missing the lost boy, but I suppose we'll have to start without him." Khu Lon said as she went to the back to get some tea.
Finally Khu Lon returned and sat at the table with the four teenagers, "What I have to say might be hard to believe at first but I will supply proof later. For now just listen."
"Many thousands of years ago there was a great kingdom on the moon that ruled over all the planets of the solar system. Don't give me that look Ranma; I'm not senile yet. Yes, all the planets of the solar system were once habitable. That's not important right now."
"This great moon dynasty was called the silver millennium by the people who ruled there. But that also is not important. What is important is that before the silver millennium there was an even grander kingdom, the Jade dynasty. It was a time of great heroes and powerful magic. Much of China's folklore comes from that time. It was an enlightened age where man and monster, dragon and demon worked together for the betterment of the whole."
"So what happened to this mythical Kingdom?" Ranma snorted.
Khu Lon gave him a dirty look but continued anyway, "In the end, it was that trust that doomed the kingdom to failure. There was a group of demons that felt that because they were generally more powerful than the other races, they were destined to rule. Slowly and surely they gathered their power over centuries before making their move. They struck fast and decisively, nearly succeeding in their coup. It was only a group of warriors who dedicated their lives to the defense of the kingdom did the demon's plans fail. Unfortunately, rather than be destroyed, the demons fled the solar system never to be seen again, until now."
"So you want us to fight a bunch of demons? No big thing there, we've all done that at one time or another. But why us?" Ranma asked with accompanying nods from the others.
"Simple, you four, plus the lost one, are the re-incarnation of the legendary warriors. Why do you think I've been training you so hard boy?" Khu Lon took a sip of her tea.
"Um, so I'd marry Shampoo?" Ranma said uncertainly.
"If you'd like to, I won't stop you. However, that was merely a ruse." Xian Pu's eyes bugged at the revelation, "In truth I've been subtly preparing all five of you for this day."
Ranma seemed to digest this for a moment while Mu Tsu did a little happy dance because his love was free of the accursed Saotome. Xian was in shock at her great grandmother's announcement.
Finally Ranma sat forward and looked Khu Lon in the eye, "So what do we have to do?"
"Hey! Don't we get a say in this?" Akane yelled.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you would want in because you always claim to be a martial artist too! It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak. I'm sure we could get Ukyou or Kuno to take your place if you want." Ranma said.
Khu Lon concealed a smile. It seemed the dreams Ranma had been having were already affecting the boy's behavior. He would need it to survive the next part with his sanity intact.
Akane slumped in her seat with a 'Humph.' And everyone turned to look at the amazon elder.
She cleared her throat and reached into her robe. Pulling out five pairs of bracers she set them down on the table in front of the youths.
"These are symbols of your station and allow you to access your inborn powers. Clear you mind and focus on them, it will become apparent which pair belongs to each of you."
Ranma did as he was told and a pair of red bracers that looked like they were on fire began to glow; suddenly they flew towards the pigtailed martial artist and attached themselves to his wrists. He looked them over and nodded to himself as if remembering something.
Next was Xian Pu, her bracers were blue and white designed to look like the crashing waves of the ocean. Mu Tsu's were white with splashes of color to look like autumn leaves blowing in the wind.
There were two left, one was dark with browns and grays like the earth. The other was a rainbow of colors like the different emotions of chi. Ranma figured Akane would get the earth because of her martial arts style, so he was surprised when the spirit bracers attached themselves to Akane's wrists.
"So, Ranma is fire. Shampoo is water, Mousse is air, and Akane is Spirit. That leaves earth for Ryouga. Now it is time for the next step. Stand up and repeat after me. BAKEMONO ABURANGER IGNITE!"
Ranma, Akane, Xian Pu, and Mu Tsu all called out, "BAKEMONO ABURANGER IGNITE!" while crossing the bracers over their heads.
Light flashed and the figures of all four teens blurred for the sake of modesty as their clothes shifted and changed into form fitting, full body suits. The last thing to be covered was their heads, which became enclosed in a helmet. As the transformation completed, the four warriors stood and stared at each other in awe.
Khu Lon bowed to each of teenagers, "I am honored to see the Rangers once again. Mousse is Ranger Hermes with the power over wind. Shampoo is Ranger Poseidon with the power over water. Ranma is Ranger Ares with the power over fire. Akane is Ranger Aphrodite with the power of Spirit and Mind. That leaves Ryouga as Ranger Terra with power of the earth."
"Wow! This is so cool!" Ranger Aphrodite said.
"Whew! For a second I thought we were all going to turn into magical girls." Ranger Ares commented as he tried not to look at the two tightly clothed female rangers.
"Shampoo too too happy! Be warrior just like on TV!" Ranger Poseidon jumped joyfully.
"Amazing! I can see perfectly!" Ranger Hermes shouted.
Khu Lon smirked. Wait until they saw all the toys that came with the job, "That went well. Congratulations Akane, or should I say Princess?"
There was a stunned silence...
"What!" "Princess?" "Violent girl no be royalty!" "That Uncute Tomboy?" The last comment resulted in a fist to Red Ranger's faceplate.
"It is true, Ranger Aphrodite was the Royal Princess, in line for the throne in the Jade Millennium. The fact the bracers chose her proves she is the re-incarnation of Princess Jade."
"So does that mean we gotta bow and stuff?" Ranma asked while popping the latch that held his helmet on.
"I don't see why, you never did before." Akane huffed. She suddenly wondered where that came from.
Khu Lon chuckled, "As time goes by you will regain more and more memories of your previous incarnations.
"Ok, so we got cool suits and I can definitely feel more powerful, but there's more you're not telling us isn't there." Ranma accused.
The old ghoul cackled causing everyone to wince in agony, "Nothing gets by you does it boy?" At Ranma's hesitant nod, she laughed again at some joke only she seemed to get.
Pulling a small crystal from her robes she pressed one of the surfaces and a portal opened in the air, "Come, let us go to the main base and I'll show you the rest of the toys." She hopped down and went through the opening.
The other rangers shrugged to each other and followed.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was a dimly lit room that the woman walked into, at least it looked like a woman at first glance. From her silhouette she appeared quite attractive. It wasn't until she came into the low light of a torch that her features became clear. Her face was a parody of a beautiful woman, it resembled a mask for Kabuki or Noh theater. Her makeup was bright and garish and her mouth was turned up in a perpetual smile that revealed sinister fangs. She wore a high collar dress of latex or leather decorated with blades and spikes that hugged her body. She walked up to what appeared to be a throne and kneeled before it.
"Master, we have achieved orbit around Earth. What is your bidding?" She spoke in a voice reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.
The darkness around the throne seemed to coalesce into a figure of a man sitting. Glowing red eyes peered from where his head seemed to be. He gestured to the wall on his right and a picture of the Earth appeared. It zoomed in and down towards Japan then finally Tokyo.
"We have detected energy from the silver millennium here. If this planet has guardians we must destroy them quickly and decisively before we can begin full scale operations here." He spoke as if his mouth was full of dust.
He turned back to the woman kneeling before him. "You will take one of the unformed ones with you along with a force of Ceramica to draw out and defeat any guardians. Gather as much energy as you can to replenish our reserves as well. Go, and do not fail me Daema."
"I will do as you command my lord."
* * * * * * * * * *
The five girls ran for their lives down the stairs of the train station. Hopping over the pay gates they rushed into the waiting train. One of them, a short, blue haired girl looked back towards where they came.
"Run Usagi! Run!" She yelled.
A tall skinny blond girl with her hair done up in buns and pigtails ran down the stairs with a look of terror on her face. Right behind her came an eldritch horror from the darkest nightmares. An amphorous blob oozed down the steps faster than it looked like it should. It was covered in thick slimy blackish green ooze. Usagi leapt like her namesake over the turnstile and ran towards the train. Makoto and Rei were holding the doors open to keep the train from departing.
The gelatinous leviathan shot out tentacles towards Usagi that she barely dodged in her clumsy attempts to escape. With a desperate dive, Usagi leapt into the train as the other two girls let go of the door. It slid shut with a hiss and the train began to depart. The tentacled menace from beyond made a last lunge to grab the train as it left the station only to miss. It snapped its tentacles in frustration and slumped its shoulders in defeat (quite a feat for a formless blob). It slowly made it's way back to the surface. It had to hurry if it was to make it to its midnight summoning appointment.
Meanwhile on the train leaving to Juban five girls panted trying to catch their breath. The girl with long black hair gave the straight haired blonde a dirty look.
"That is the last time I let you talk me into clubbing in Shinjuku. How could you even think of taking us to a dance club like that!" Rei yelled.
Minako winced, "It had love in the name! How could I go wrong?"
"The club was called 'Lovecraftian Lust'," Ami supplied, "And the band tonight was 'Cthulu Babies'."
Makoto sighed, another night without a boyfriend.
"Well at least now we know why none of the other magical girls go to Shinjuku." Usagi observed.
Just then Ami's communicator beeped. Opening it the girls all crowded around to see the face of Setsuna.
"We have a problem, meet me at the temple as soon as possible." She blinked out as she cut communication.
"Geez, what now." Complained Usagi.
"I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with that demon we left behind." Rei said.
There were several nods of agreement.
* * * * * * * * * *
Four teens and one ancient crone appeared in a dimly lit corridor. It looked like they had appeared on some sort of entry platform as it had steps descending towards a short hallway. Khu Lon gestured the group forward. As they walked towards the end of the corridor it became lighter until they reached the exit and gasped at what they saw. They were standing on a large platform that was organized much like a command center with various computer stations and a central planning/strategy map table at the center. What shocked the gathered martial artists was the colossal cavern the command center overlooked. There were five gigantic robots, each in their own docking station. Each one stood at least a hundred feet tall. Three of the robots looked female compared to the other two and each one was color-coded. They were all similar yet there were significant differences that stood out even past the color change.
"Welcome to Nerv Central... hold on, I mean Aburanger Base One," Khu Lon announced.
Ranma came to his senses, "Hey! Why is my robot a girl!?"
"All will become clear in time Ranma. For now, you should all look around and explore to find where everything is. We will go over how to pilot the Ranger Monster units later."
* * * * * * * * * *
Setsuna was already waiting at the temple when the rest of the scouts arrived. She was drinking her tea as usual but from her uncontrollable shaking it was clear it was doing little to calm her nerves. Her hair was slightly frazzled and she had an almost manic look in her eyes.
Usagi immediately went to her side to try to find out what was wrong. "What Happened? Is it a new threat? Are we in danger? Did the price of pork buns go up again?"
The senshi of Pluto mumbled something incoherent then seemed to focus on the group gathered before her.
"It's gone..." she whispered, "There's nothing there. No Crystal Tokyo, no destroyed earth, nothing. It's like someone turned off the universe." She looked at Usagi and narrowed her eyes. "You have to stop it! Something bad is coming and I can't help you!"
Haruka looked at her lover and whispered, "She's really lost it this time."
Setsuna turned her gave at Uranus. "I didn't warn myself like last time. Last time I came back to tell myself everything would be all right. That can only mean I'm not there in the future to come back anymore! Usagi! You have to fix this!"
Usagi seemed to become a different person suddenly and pulled the time guardian into a comforting hug. "It'll be all right. I'll do everything I can to make things right."
Usagi held the older woman as she sobbed quietly on her shoulder. Suddenly there was a beep from Ami's computer.
Ami checked her computer and cursed drawing looks of surprise from the other scouts. "We've got some sort of energy disturbance downtown. It's stronger than anything I've seen from the usual youma."
Setsuna looked up, her eyes redder than usual. "Go, it begins."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma had found series of rooms that looked like self contained apartments. Each one had a sign written in some language that looked familiar but Ranma couldn't quite make it out. What surprised Ranma was the way each apartment was completely furnished. There were a number of personal items in each room as if someone was still living there even after all these years. He still had no idea how many years it had been but Khu Lon had hinted at over twenty thousand years or more.
He entered the last room and was overcome with a sense of dejá-vu. He could swear that he'd been in this room before. Many times in fact. There was a stylized shield with some coat of arms on it with some pole-arm weapons crossed behind it. The color scheme was various earth colors mostly in a deep forest green. Ranma walked around the room looking at the various items sitting on shelves and small tables. He would handle one or another suddenly remembering where he'd bought it or who had given it to him. He was starting to get chills. It was such a weird feeling, remembering a life you yourself have never lived. Spotting a dresser next to the bed he went over to open it. He was curious about what people wore so long ago.
Opening the top drawer he froze in shock at what he saw. Something clicked in his mind and he started to shake in denial. He looked around frantically for anything to distract him and his eyes settled on a photo in a nice bronze frame. In it was a couple of girls. One looked remarkably like Akane when her hair was long only this girl had her hair in a long braid. She had one hand up in the universal V for victory sign the other hand was settled on the other girl's shoulder. It was the other girl that caused Ranma to shake his head slowly while muttering, "no it can't be. It's not true!"
The other girl was shorter than the Akane look alike. She was well endowed and had a knowing smirk that seemed to reach her deep blue eyes. The most noticeable feature however was the girl's long flowing red hair. Overall the girl looked exactly like Ranma's girl side. Ranma collapsed on the edge of the bed as memories assaulted his consciousness. The Jade Dynasty. Ranma hadn't been a guy cursed to become a girl, he hadn't been a man among men. He'd been born a girl, a girl that looked just like his cursed self. He tried to deny it, to smother the memories but they just wouldn't go away. Then he thought of all the times he had acted as a girl in his cursed form and how comfortable and how right it felt.
He cupped his face in his hands as he tried to sort it all out and make sense of everything he now knew. His mother was going to kill him that was for sure. And what about Akane? What would his sister think about not being able to marry.... Wait a minute, Sister? Ranma looked up at the photo again and suddenly realized that the dark haired Akane look alike was Ranma's previous incarnation's sister. Akane had been the elder of the two by almost an hour. Fraternal twins it was called.
That was the missing link for Ranma. Now he understood all his feelings for Akane. Of course he loved her, but it was a different kind of love than husband and wife. Of course he'd fight and kill to protect her as he'd done with Saffron, she was family. Of course he'd fight with her tooth and nail, it was what all siblings did.
As Ranma slowly came to terms with his new life he came to realize that there was a flashing red light on the wall and a siren blaring out in the hall. His past life memories provided the reason, it was an alert!
He got up and ran out of the room, pushing memories aside for something that he could deal with now.
* * * * * * * * * *
Author's Rants:
Well, after being told by a friend that he'd club me to death with my own severed arms if I ever wrote a Sailor Moon Ranma fic I couldn't help but think about the idea. Then I realized I didn't have to make it a serious matchup type fic or any of the weepy Ranma becomes a scout or is married to one or all the scouts in previous lives. Add to the fact that what little I've seen of my Daughter's Sailor Moon videos, Pluto is a sanctimonious manipulative bitch, I decided to bring the scouts down a peg. What series is more powerful than Sailor Moon (not counting DBZ which is more powerful than everyone.)? I realized another sentai series based on any of the many Power Rangers would do the job. How could the scouts even begin to compete with monsters that grew over a hundred feet tall the first time you defeat them? Anyway, the fun is just beginning as thing spin more out of control in the next chapter.
Oh and some of you may have caught the George Lucas reference in the opening sequence.
TAKAHASHI SUBNODE: 8376521053-1845285-0863718-01
DOWNLOAD RELEVENT DATA
CROSSNODE DETECTED: SILVER MILLENIUM REF: 8362701-7351962
CROSSNODE DETECTED: SENTAI &*!#(........
ERROR: WINDOWS 1138 DETECTED!
INITIATING THE BILL GATES PROTOCOLS...
WARNING VIRAL COUNTERMEASURES WILL DELETE INFECTED UNIVERSE:
CONTINUE? (Y/N): YES
DELETING...DELETING...DELETING...DONE.
REBOOT FROM SAVED BACKUP? (Y/N): YES
REBOOT COMPLETE.
DISPLAY:
INVINCIBLE MONSTER POWER RANGERS Jyoushou sentai bakemono aburanger
It was cold dark and ancient. Being so far from any sun, there was little light to define its features. It had traveled countless light-years in its mission of destruction and domination. Homing in on the highly organized radio waves emanating from the third planet of an isolated G class star, it picked its next target for conquest. After millennia it had returned.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma sat up in bed suddenly in a cold sweat, "It's coming!" He shouted. A sense of cold dread flowed through his veins like ice as he gasped, trying to catch his breath.
Calming after a second, he slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was sitting on the futon in the guest room of the Tendo residence. His father, in panda form, was sleeping soundly.
Ranma lay back on the futon, "What's coming? What the hell was I dreaming?" The sense of dread had faded as well as whatever he'd been dreaming about.
Shrugging to himself he lay back and went back to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
Setsuna felt like pulling her hair in frustration. Something big was coming and she couldn't tell what it was. The Chaos being generated made looking into the future like trying to tune in a subscription porn channel on cable. Not that Setsuna had ever done so; she paid for the channels and got them legally. No, all she could make out were that there were some colorfully clad warriors and weird monsters. She caught one image of a giant robot firing missiles in Juban. She couldn't tell the target but knew it couldn't be good. Her scouts had no way to fight something so big and powerful. She had a bad feeling the shit was about to hit the fan.
* * * * * * * * * *
Khu Lon woke suddenly as she felt a disturbance in the lines of probability. She would have said something along the lines of a 'disturbance in the force' had there been any of the young ones around to harass. It was time. At long last, all her training and effort would finally bear fruit. She chuckled to herself as she got out of bed to prepare. The time for all pretenses would soon be past and the fate of the world would rest on her heir and prodigy. She just hoped Ranma Saotome would be ready for what lay ahead.
* * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER ONE: Revelations
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma finished breakfast quickly and ran out the door with Akane to get to school on time.
"Thanks to you we're going to be late again!" Akane accused
Ranma was a little subdued as he ran along the fence, keeping pace with her, "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night I guess."
Akane frowned. The two had been getting along a little better as of late but for Ranma to just come out and apologize without being pressured was too weird.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Akane asked after a few moments.
"Huh?" Ranma said as if he'd been distracted, "Oh, I'm fine." And he waved off her concern with a shrug.
Ranma didn't know what to say really. Everything wasn't fine. He'd woken up feeling something in the air. Some sort of untapped potential that could blow up in his face if not handled right. He couldn't escape the feeling of impending doom...
"Hello Ranma."
"And so it begins." Ranma muttered and turned around to confront the voice, "How many times have I told you to call me son in law, not Ranma you old ghoul!" He shouted at the diminutive matriarch. He paused as his mind rewound and replayed the whole scene again. "I mean... Ah hell, what do you want?"
Khu Lon cackled at Ranma's puzzlement. She'd have to break him from falling into routines like that again. Relying always on certain outcomes was a good way to get you killed.
"I am sure you have felt a disturbance recently? As if something's not right?" She asked him.
Akane spoke up, "I think I do, I thought I was just feeling a little down though."
Ranma nodded, "So what is it? Another fiancé? A new challenger?"
Khu Lon seemed thoughtful, "A Challenge. Yes I suppose it is at that," she said mostly to herself. Shaking her head she looked at the pseudo couple, "Come, we have much to discuss as time is short. School can wait."
That was enough of an excuse for Ranma and he took off after Khu Lon. Akane was tempted to go on ahead to school then figured the Amazons were up to something and it was her duty to rescue Ranma when it came time. Pleased with her flow of logic, she followed Ranma.
Eventually they arrived at the Nekokatten and entered to find Xian Pu and Mu Tsu sitting at one of the tables. They both had expressions of uncertainty and anxiousness.
"Great Grandmother tell us what going on now?" Xian asked hesitantly.
"We're still missing the lost boy, but I suppose we'll have to start without him." Khu Lon said as she went to the back to get some tea.
Finally Khu Lon returned and sat at the table with the four teenagers, "What I have to say might be hard to believe at first but I will supply proof later. For now just listen."
"Many thousands of years ago there was a great kingdom on the moon that ruled over all the planets of the solar system. Don't give me that look Ranma; I'm not senile yet. Yes, all the planets of the solar system were once habitable. That's not important right now."
"This great moon dynasty was called the silver millennium by the people who ruled there. But that also is not important. What is important is that before the silver millennium there was an even grander kingdom, the Jade dynasty. It was a time of great heroes and powerful magic. Much of China's folklore comes from that time. It was an enlightened age where man and monster, dragon and demon worked together for the betterment of the whole."
"So what happened to this mythical Kingdom?" Ranma snorted.
Khu Lon gave him a dirty look but continued anyway, "In the end, it was that trust that doomed the kingdom to failure. There was a group of demons that felt that because they were generally more powerful than the other races, they were destined to rule. Slowly and surely they gathered their power over centuries before making their move. They struck fast and decisively, nearly succeeding in their coup. It was only a group of warriors who dedicated their lives to the defense of the kingdom did the demon's plans fail. Unfortunately, rather than be destroyed, the demons fled the solar system never to be seen again, until now."
"So you want us to fight a bunch of demons? No big thing there, we've all done that at one time or another. But why us?" Ranma asked with accompanying nods from the others.
"Simple, you four, plus the lost one, are the re-incarnation of the legendary warriors. Why do you think I've been training you so hard boy?" Khu Lon took a sip of her tea.
"Um, so I'd marry Shampoo?" Ranma said uncertainly.
"If you'd like to, I won't stop you. However, that was merely a ruse." Xian Pu's eyes bugged at the revelation, "In truth I've been subtly preparing all five of you for this day."
Ranma seemed to digest this for a moment while Mu Tsu did a little happy dance because his love was free of the accursed Saotome. Xian was in shock at her great grandmother's announcement.
Finally Ranma sat forward and looked Khu Lon in the eye, "So what do we have to do?"
"Hey! Don't we get a say in this?" Akane yelled.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you would want in because you always claim to be a martial artist too! It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak. I'm sure we could get Ukyou or Kuno to take your place if you want." Ranma said.
Khu Lon concealed a smile. It seemed the dreams Ranma had been having were already affecting the boy's behavior. He would need it to survive the next part with his sanity intact.
Akane slumped in her seat with a 'Humph.' And everyone turned to look at the amazon elder.
She cleared her throat and reached into her robe. Pulling out five pairs of bracers she set them down on the table in front of the youths.
"These are symbols of your station and allow you to access your inborn powers. Clear you mind and focus on them, it will become apparent which pair belongs to each of you."
Ranma did as he was told and a pair of red bracers that looked like they were on fire began to glow; suddenly they flew towards the pigtailed martial artist and attached themselves to his wrists. He looked them over and nodded to himself as if remembering something.
Next was Xian Pu, her bracers were blue and white designed to look like the crashing waves of the ocean. Mu Tsu's were white with splashes of color to look like autumn leaves blowing in the wind.
There were two left, one was dark with browns and grays like the earth. The other was a rainbow of colors like the different emotions of chi. Ranma figured Akane would get the earth because of her martial arts style, so he was surprised when the spirit bracers attached themselves to Akane's wrists.
"So, Ranma is fire. Shampoo is water, Mousse is air, and Akane is Spirit. That leaves earth for Ryouga. Now it is time for the next step. Stand up and repeat after me. BAKEMONO ABURANGER IGNITE!"
Ranma, Akane, Xian Pu, and Mu Tsu all called out, "BAKEMONO ABURANGER IGNITE!" while crossing the bracers over their heads.
Light flashed and the figures of all four teens blurred for the sake of modesty as their clothes shifted and changed into form fitting, full body suits. The last thing to be covered was their heads, which became enclosed in a helmet. As the transformation completed, the four warriors stood and stared at each other in awe.
Khu Lon bowed to each of teenagers, "I am honored to see the Rangers once again. Mousse is Ranger Hermes with the power over wind. Shampoo is Ranger Poseidon with the power over water. Ranma is Ranger Ares with the power over fire. Akane is Ranger Aphrodite with the power of Spirit and Mind. That leaves Ryouga as Ranger Terra with power of the earth."
"Wow! This is so cool!" Ranger Aphrodite said.
"Whew! For a second I thought we were all going to turn into magical girls." Ranger Ares commented as he tried not to look at the two tightly clothed female rangers.
"Shampoo too too happy! Be warrior just like on TV!" Ranger Poseidon jumped joyfully.
"Amazing! I can see perfectly!" Ranger Hermes shouted.
Khu Lon smirked. Wait until they saw all the toys that came with the job, "That went well. Congratulations Akane, or should I say Princess?"
There was a stunned silence...
"What!" "Princess?" "Violent girl no be royalty!" "That Uncute Tomboy?" The last comment resulted in a fist to Red Ranger's faceplate.
"It is true, Ranger Aphrodite was the Royal Princess, in line for the throne in the Jade Millennium. The fact the bracers chose her proves she is the re-incarnation of Princess Jade."
"So does that mean we gotta bow and stuff?" Ranma asked while popping the latch that held his helmet on.
"I don't see why, you never did before." Akane huffed. She suddenly wondered where that came from.
Khu Lon chuckled, "As time goes by you will regain more and more memories of your previous incarnations.
"Ok, so we got cool suits and I can definitely feel more powerful, but there's more you're not telling us isn't there." Ranma accused.
The old ghoul cackled causing everyone to wince in agony, "Nothing gets by you does it boy?" At Ranma's hesitant nod, she laughed again at some joke only she seemed to get.
Pulling a small crystal from her robes she pressed one of the surfaces and a portal opened in the air, "Come, let us go to the main base and I'll show you the rest of the toys." She hopped down and went through the opening.
The other rangers shrugged to each other and followed.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was a dimly lit room that the woman walked into, at least it looked like a woman at first glance. From her silhouette she appeared quite attractive. It wasn't until she came into the low light of a torch that her features became clear. Her face was a parody of a beautiful woman, it resembled a mask for Kabuki or Noh theater. Her makeup was bright and garish and her mouth was turned up in a perpetual smile that revealed sinister fangs. She wore a high collar dress of latex or leather decorated with blades and spikes that hugged her body. She walked up to what appeared to be a throne and kneeled before it.
"Master, we have achieved orbit around Earth. What is your bidding?" She spoke in a voice reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.
The darkness around the throne seemed to coalesce into a figure of a man sitting. Glowing red eyes peered from where his head seemed to be. He gestured to the wall on his right and a picture of the Earth appeared. It zoomed in and down towards Japan then finally Tokyo.
"We have detected energy from the silver millennium here. If this planet has guardians we must destroy them quickly and decisively before we can begin full scale operations here." He spoke as if his mouth was full of dust.
He turned back to the woman kneeling before him. "You will take one of the unformed ones with you along with a force of Ceramica to draw out and defeat any guardians. Gather as much energy as you can to replenish our reserves as well. Go, and do not fail me Daema."
"I will do as you command my lord."
* * * * * * * * * *
The five girls ran for their lives down the stairs of the train station. Hopping over the pay gates they rushed into the waiting train. One of them, a short, blue haired girl looked back towards where they came.
"Run Usagi! Run!" She yelled.
A tall skinny blond girl with her hair done up in buns and pigtails ran down the stairs with a look of terror on her face. Right behind her came an eldritch horror from the darkest nightmares. An amphorous blob oozed down the steps faster than it looked like it should. It was covered in thick slimy blackish green ooze. Usagi leapt like her namesake over the turnstile and ran towards the train. Makoto and Rei were holding the doors open to keep the train from departing.
The gelatinous leviathan shot out tentacles towards Usagi that she barely dodged in her clumsy attempts to escape. With a desperate dive, Usagi leapt into the train as the other two girls let go of the door. It slid shut with a hiss and the train began to depart. The tentacled menace from beyond made a last lunge to grab the train as it left the station only to miss. It snapped its tentacles in frustration and slumped its shoulders in defeat (quite a feat for a formless blob). It slowly made it's way back to the surface. It had to hurry if it was to make it to its midnight summoning appointment.
Meanwhile on the train leaving to Juban five girls panted trying to catch their breath. The girl with long black hair gave the straight haired blonde a dirty look.
"That is the last time I let you talk me into clubbing in Shinjuku. How could you even think of taking us to a dance club like that!" Rei yelled.
Minako winced, "It had love in the name! How could I go wrong?"
"The club was called 'Lovecraftian Lust'," Ami supplied, "And the band tonight was 'Cthulu Babies'."
Makoto sighed, another night without a boyfriend.
"Well at least now we know why none of the other magical girls go to Shinjuku." Usagi observed.
Just then Ami's communicator beeped. Opening it the girls all crowded around to see the face of Setsuna.
"We have a problem, meet me at the temple as soon as possible." She blinked out as she cut communication.
"Geez, what now." Complained Usagi.
"I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with that demon we left behind." Rei said.
There were several nods of agreement.
* * * * * * * * * *
Four teens and one ancient crone appeared in a dimly lit corridor. It looked like they had appeared on some sort of entry platform as it had steps descending towards a short hallway. Khu Lon gestured the group forward. As they walked towards the end of the corridor it became lighter until they reached the exit and gasped at what they saw. They were standing on a large platform that was organized much like a command center with various computer stations and a central planning/strategy map table at the center. What shocked the gathered martial artists was the colossal cavern the command center overlooked. There were five gigantic robots, each in their own docking station. Each one stood at least a hundred feet tall. Three of the robots looked female compared to the other two and each one was color-coded. They were all similar yet there were significant differences that stood out even past the color change.
"Welcome to Nerv Central... hold on, I mean Aburanger Base One," Khu Lon announced.
Ranma came to his senses, "Hey! Why is my robot a girl!?"
"All will become clear in time Ranma. For now, you should all look around and explore to find where everything is. We will go over how to pilot the Ranger Monster units later."
* * * * * * * * * *
Setsuna was already waiting at the temple when the rest of the scouts arrived. She was drinking her tea as usual but from her uncontrollable shaking it was clear it was doing little to calm her nerves. Her hair was slightly frazzled and she had an almost manic look in her eyes.
Usagi immediately went to her side to try to find out what was wrong. "What Happened? Is it a new threat? Are we in danger? Did the price of pork buns go up again?"
The senshi of Pluto mumbled something incoherent then seemed to focus on the group gathered before her.
"It's gone..." she whispered, "There's nothing there. No Crystal Tokyo, no destroyed earth, nothing. It's like someone turned off the universe." She looked at Usagi and narrowed her eyes. "You have to stop it! Something bad is coming and I can't help you!"
Haruka looked at her lover and whispered, "She's really lost it this time."
Setsuna turned her gave at Uranus. "I didn't warn myself like last time. Last time I came back to tell myself everything would be all right. That can only mean I'm not there in the future to come back anymore! Usagi! You have to fix this!"
Usagi seemed to become a different person suddenly and pulled the time guardian into a comforting hug. "It'll be all right. I'll do everything I can to make things right."
Usagi held the older woman as she sobbed quietly on her shoulder. Suddenly there was a beep from Ami's computer.
Ami checked her computer and cursed drawing looks of surprise from the other scouts. "We've got some sort of energy disturbance downtown. It's stronger than anything I've seen from the usual youma."
Setsuna looked up, her eyes redder than usual. "Go, it begins."
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma had found series of rooms that looked like self contained apartments. Each one had a sign written in some language that looked familiar but Ranma couldn't quite make it out. What surprised Ranma was the way each apartment was completely furnished. There were a number of personal items in each room as if someone was still living there even after all these years. He still had no idea how many years it had been but Khu Lon had hinted at over twenty thousand years or more.
He entered the last room and was overcome with a sense of dejá-vu. He could swear that he'd been in this room before. Many times in fact. There was a stylized shield with some coat of arms on it with some pole-arm weapons crossed behind it. The color scheme was various earth colors mostly in a deep forest green. Ranma walked around the room looking at the various items sitting on shelves and small tables. He would handle one or another suddenly remembering where he'd bought it or who had given it to him. He was starting to get chills. It was such a weird feeling, remembering a life you yourself have never lived. Spotting a dresser next to the bed he went over to open it. He was curious about what people wore so long ago.
Opening the top drawer he froze in shock at what he saw. Something clicked in his mind and he started to shake in denial. He looked around frantically for anything to distract him and his eyes settled on a photo in a nice bronze frame. In it was a couple of girls. One looked remarkably like Akane when her hair was long only this girl had her hair in a long braid. She had one hand up in the universal V for victory sign the other hand was settled on the other girl's shoulder. It was the other girl that caused Ranma to shake his head slowly while muttering, "no it can't be. It's not true!"
The other girl was shorter than the Akane look alike. She was well endowed and had a knowing smirk that seemed to reach her deep blue eyes. The most noticeable feature however was the girl's long flowing red hair. Overall the girl looked exactly like Ranma's girl side. Ranma collapsed on the edge of the bed as memories assaulted his consciousness. The Jade Dynasty. Ranma hadn't been a guy cursed to become a girl, he hadn't been a man among men. He'd been born a girl, a girl that looked just like his cursed self. He tried to deny it, to smother the memories but they just wouldn't go away. Then he thought of all the times he had acted as a girl in his cursed form and how comfortable and how right it felt.
He cupped his face in his hands as he tried to sort it all out and make sense of everything he now knew. His mother was going to kill him that was for sure. And what about Akane? What would his sister think about not being able to marry.... Wait a minute, Sister? Ranma looked up at the photo again and suddenly realized that the dark haired Akane look alike was Ranma's previous incarnation's sister. Akane had been the elder of the two by almost an hour. Fraternal twins it was called.
That was the missing link for Ranma. Now he understood all his feelings for Akane. Of course he loved her, but it was a different kind of love than husband and wife. Of course he'd fight and kill to protect her as he'd done with Saffron, she was family. Of course he'd fight with her tooth and nail, it was what all siblings did.
As Ranma slowly came to terms with his new life he came to realize that there was a flashing red light on the wall and a siren blaring out in the hall. His past life memories provided the reason, it was an alert!
He got up and ran out of the room, pushing memories aside for something that he could deal with now.
* * * * * * * * * *
Author's Rants:
Well, after being told by a friend that he'd club me to death with my own severed arms if I ever wrote a Sailor Moon Ranma fic I couldn't help but think about the idea. Then I realized I didn't have to make it a serious matchup type fic or any of the weepy Ranma becomes a scout or is married to one or all the scouts in previous lives. Add to the fact that what little I've seen of my Daughter's Sailor Moon videos, Pluto is a sanctimonious manipulative bitch, I decided to bring the scouts down a peg. What series is more powerful than Sailor Moon (not counting DBZ which is more powerful than everyone.)? I realized another sentai series based on any of the many Power Rangers would do the job. How could the scouts even begin to compete with monsters that grew over a hundred feet tall the first time you defeat them? Anyway, the fun is just beginning as thing spin more out of control in the next chapter.
Oh and some of you may have caught the George Lucas reference in the opening sequence.