Disclaimer: Do I own Sailormoon, AMG, Ranma 1/2, or any of the other
characters in this story? Am I making money by writing this? I'll give
you a clue: are Ranma and Akane a good couple?
Warning: If you watch Fatal Fury: the Motion Picture once you're an
adult, and the last time you saw it was way back in high school, the
whole movie will seem to be a lot... cheesier on the whole.
Warning: Altaverse (Keiichi ain't here, and the senshi timeline is
all messed up.)
"words"
'thoughts'
A Time for Wild Horses chapter 17
by Jose Argao
Ryoga glanced nervously around him as Kasumi served tea. He
had never really felt too comfortable in the Tendo home, despite all
the time he spent there. The fact that Ranma lived there was part of
the reason, of course, but there was also something else. There was
something about the people... a quality he couldn't quite put his
finger on that made him feel as if he was always on the outside looking
in. They shared a bond that he wasn't a part of. It was like the Tendos
and the Saotomes were part of a special club that he could never be a
member of, no matter how hard he tried. It was like they were a family.
Ryoga had never really experienced having a family of his own.
Oh, he had a mother and a father and probably he had a brother or a
sister somewhere... but they were always too busy being lost to really
spend time together as a family. He couldn't even remember the last
time they all had dinner together.
Ryoga didn't blame them for it, since he spent just as much
time wandering unknown locales as they did, but sometimes he couldn't
help but wish things were different... that he had a home to return
to with a loving family to welcome him when he got there. He couldn't
help but imagine what it would be like to have someone to talk to who
wouldn't judge him... who wouldn't laugh at his mistakes or make fun
of his ideas. Someone he could turn to for help when he needed it, who
would cheer him up when he was down. He couldn't help but wonder what
his life would have been like if he had something like that.
Something like what Ranma had.
Ranma... even thinking of that coward's name was enough to make
his blood boil. He had a family that loved him, a home to call his own,
a future to look forward to.... He even had a beautiful, kind-hearted
girl like Akane for a fiancee. He already had everything in the world a
man could want and yet he acted like... like it was nothing. Like it
didn't matter because he somehow deserved more.
Didn't Ranma realize how good he had it? What on Earth did he
ever do to deserve all the good things he's been given? All he ever did
was play around all day with those girls who were always fawning over
him. Disgusting.
What did all those girls see in Ranma anyway? Why couldn't
they see the painfully obvious fact that he was just toying with them?
Why couldn't they realize that he didn't deserve their love? They would
be much better off giving their love to someone else. Someone who would
recognize their offering and treasure it forever. Someone more like
himself.
"...meet her?"
Ryoga snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Kasumi had
finished serving tea and was sitting on the other side of the kotatsu.
Mousse was still sitting beside him, and they were both looking at him
as if they were expecting an answer.
How could he answer? He didn't even know the question! To be
caught ignoring such a generous host as Kasumi... it was nothing short
of humiliating! This was all _Ranma's_ fault! If that idiot hadn't
caused him to space out like that, he would have known what Kasumi
had asked him and would have been able to answer. Ranma was truly a
coward, attacking him like this without even having the courage to be
in the same room. The next time they meet, Ranma would die.
For now, though, there was a more pressing problem at hand.
Kasumi was still waiting for an answer, but he didn't know what
the question was. He could ask Mousse, but that would reveal that he
wasn't listening. He could try to guess what the question was, but if
he guessed wrong it might be even worse for him. There was nothing he
could do but admit his transgression and hope that Kasumi wouldn't be
too upset. She might give him some punishment, of course, but he would
take it like a man. He wasn't a coward like some other people he could
name.
"Um... ah...."
Sweat started forming on his brow. This was so embarrassing.
Kasumi was one of the few people who had always been nice to him, and
this was how he repaid her kindness? He felt like scum... like he was
the lowest of the low. He wished lightning would strike him down right
now... that the ground would open up and swallow him whole... anything
to avoid the anger that Kasumi would surely direct at him once he had
admitted what he had done.
"Ryoga, your face is all red. Are you okay?"
Kasumi was standing over him and holding her hand against his
forehead before Ryoga could react. She frowned as she felt for his
temperature.
"Well, you don't seem to have a fever, but you still don't
look too good. You should lie down for a bit. The guest bedroom is
occupied right now, but you can use Ranma's futon since he's not here.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind, the two of you being such good friends and
all."
The honorable thing to do would be to come clean and admit his
error to Kasumi, Ryoga reasoned to himself. To pretend that he wasn't
feeling well and accept Kasumi's offer would be a coward's way out, not
to mention it would work poor Kasumi even harder.
"Ryoga-kun, are you listening to me?"
Ryoga opened his mouth with the intention of admitting that he
wasn't listening and falling to his knees in front of Kasumi to beg for
forgiveness.
No sound came out. Try as he would, the best his vocal chords
could come up with was a strangled gasp. Kasumi shook her head.
"Oh my, something must really be wrong with you. Here, why
don't you come with me to Ranma's room and I'll call Doctor Tofu. He
should be able to tell what's... Ryoga?"
*****
Kasumi watched with concern as Ryoga bolted out of the room
and started running in a random direction. She turned towards Mousse,
who was quietly sipping his tea.
"What happened to Ryoga? Will he be okay?"
Mousse put his tea cup down on the kotatsu and turned towards
Kasumi as he began to reply.
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Don't worry yourself
over him. He's not worth it."
Kasumi nodded slowly. Though she didn't agree with Mousse's
opinion of Ryoga, she trusted his judgment.
"Well, if you say so. Anyway, would you mind telling me how
the two of you met Rose? Ryoga-kun never got around to answering me
when I asked him."
Mousse took another sip of his tea before answering.
"Well, I first met her after I lost in battle to a mysterious
cloaked stranger. When I woke up, I was in a room I didn't recognize.
She entered the room right after I woke up and when I asked her who she
was all she said was...."
*****
"My name is... Rose."
Mousse followed Rose with his eyes as she made her way towards
his bed. His mind was filled with questions, but Rose had told him that
he would have his answers in due time. In his current state, he wasn't
in much of a position to argue.
"You should go back to sleep. I'll promise to answer your
questions after you wake up."
Rose walked up to him and laid her hand on Mousse's head. He
immediately felt his eyelids getting heavier as sleep overtook him. He
drifted off into a deep, dreamless slumber. The next thing the blind
martial artist knew, he was being shaken awake.
"It's time to wake up, sleeping beauty. Your friend is already
up and waiting for you."
Mousse opened his eyes and opened his mouth to ask the obvious
question. The woman who introduced herself as Rose shushed him with a
finger.
"Do not worry, you've only been out for a night. I'm pretty
impressed, actually. I've never seen anyone heal so fast before. The
other one was also a fast healer. He's in the living room waiting for
you. Please come with me."
Mousse followed Rose out of the room and through a short
hallway before walking down a flight of stairs. From what he could
see, they were in a large two-story house. Having cleared the stairs,
they walked a short distance into what looked like the living area.
Ryoga was sitting quietly on the couch. Their eyes met as Mousse
moved to sit down beside him, but both men remained silent. Rose sat
down on another chair and cleared her throat before speaking.
"Well, I promised both of you answers when you were healed
and I guess now it's time to provide them. My name is Rose, and for
the past few years I have been chasing after a dangerous terrorist
bent on world domination known as M. Bison."
Ryoga shook his head. "I've never heard of him."
Rose did not miss a beat as she continued. "Bison was planning
to conquer the world through the use of his evil psycho power. He was
defeated by a powerful warrior named Ryu Hoshi some time ago, but he
was not killed. At the moment, I think that he is trying to rebuild his
power base by collecting the most powerful fighters from around the
world to join him."
Mousse put two and two together and smacked his fist against
his palm. "So that strange cloaked fighter was sent to test my power
and see if I was good enough for Bison's purposes!"
"Well, not exactly," Rose replied. "Those cloaked women that
you fought are members of Bison's team of 'dolls'. They used to have
free will, but were brainwashed into becoming his loyal slaves. They
are tireless, fearless, and will fight for him until their last breath
has been extinguished. Their primary purpose is to search for fighters
who have great power as well as an untapped potential for evil."
Ryoga smiled. "I see... they must not have chosen me because
there isn't a shred of evil in my person."
Mousse nodded. "The same goes for myself. I may have great
power, but my heart is pure."
Rose sweatdropped at their declarations. "Well, anyway, I
wanted to know if your opponents gave any clues as to who the next
target might be. It would help greatly if I could get to him or her
before Bison does."
Ryoga rested his chin on his hand as he thought. "Well, I was
too busy fighting to hear if she said anything important, but if you're
looking for a good fighter with evil in his heart--"
"I think I know exactly where you can find one," Mousse
finished Ryoga's sentence for him.
*****
Setsuna looked around her and, seeing that everyone seemed to
be ready to begin, tapped her staff on the ground once again. When all
the attention was hers once more, she began talking.
"It seems that everyone is just about ready, so if it's okay I
will now begin the countdown to start this whole... what?"
Mamoru lowered his right hand, which he had raised to get
Setsuna's attention.
"I need to go to the bathroom."
A large sweat drop appeared on Setsuna's forehead. "You should
have taken care of that before you left home. Is it really bad?"
Mamoru closed his eyes, seemingly deep in concentration. A few
seconds later, he opened them again. "Never mind. I'm okay now."
Setsuna rolled her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Mamoru's only reply was to give her the thumbs up sign.
Setsuna sighed. "Well, if there are no more concerns, I guess
we can start. The fighting will begin in ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two--"
"Soul Fist!"
*****
Peorth wore a concerned look on her face as she walked down the
corridor towards Belldandy's office. The goddess of the present had
never been called upon to make a report before and now suddenly Odin
himself wanted to have a word with her. She wondered if something big
that she didn't know about was going on.
Even though she held a reasonably high rank in Asgard, Peorth
had no idea whatsoever what it was that Belldandy actually did. All she
knew was that it was top secret, classified information and not even
Skuld and Urd knew what it was that their sister worked on.
Now that she thought about it, even the circumstances that had
led to Belldandy being assigned to Special Operations were a bit foggy.
Peorth knew for a fact that Belldandy was originally supposed to be
assigned to the Goddess Relief Office, but something happened while she
was completing the required number of Midgard exposure hours and she
never completed the course. The next thing she knew, Belldandy had her
own office and a memo was circulated informing all the senior gods and
goddesses that Belldandy was not required to report to any of them.
Peorth was still deep in thought when she finally arrived at
the door to Belldandy's office. She knocked quickly on it, and the soft
voice of her friend responded from inside.
"The door's not locked. Come on in."
Peorth frowned. That was strange. Normally, Belldandy would
come to the door and usher any visitors inside herself. What was up?
Realizing that there was nothing to be gained by waiting around outside
the door, Peorth opened it and made her way inside.
"Belldandy, I was sent here to tell you that Odin wants to see
you in his office immediately. We tried sending you a message through
the instant messaging system but we couldn't contact...."
Peorth's voice trailed off as she got a good look at the inside
of the office. It was a mess! The casings of various mechanical devices
lay strewn across the floor, their innards missing. There were wires,
nuts, bolts, and other spare parts scattered all across every surface.
In the middle of it all, Belldandy sat at her desk, her fingers gliding
over the keyboard of her terminal at high speed. The computer itself
was completely unrecognizable. It's casing had been removed and dozens
of wires connected it to various outlets throughout the room.
"Belldandy, what's going on here?"
Belldandy stopped typing momentarily before replying. "I'm
just working on a processor-intensive project so I routed all the power
in the room to the terminal. Did you want something?"
Peorth was slightly taken aback by that reply. What could
Belldandy possibly be working on that it would require so much extra
power? She cleared her throat before repeating her message.
"Odin wants to see you in his office immediately, something
about the special project you're working on."
A frown appeared on Belldandy's normally cheerful face. "I see.
I guess I should get going then. Thank you for giving me the message,
Peorth-san."
Belldandy activated the password protection program on her
terminal before standing up to leave the room. As she was opening the
door, Peorth called out to her.
"Belldandy."
The goddess of the present stopped walking and turned towards
the goddess of roses. "Yes? Did you want something else?"
"What exactly are you working on, anyway?"
Belldandy shook her head as she replied. "I'm sorry, but I
can't tell you that. It's classified."
*****
"Dead Scream."
The powerful ball of energy produced by Sailor Pluto's attack
collided with Morrigan's Soul Fist. Both attacks disappeared in a
bright flash after impact. Setsuna turned towards Morrigan and pointed
an accusing finger at the succubus.
"I wasn't finished counting down. You weren't supposed to
attack yet!"
Morrigan giggled, annoying the hell out of the angry senshi of
Pluto. "All's fair in love and war, you know. Besides, I'm a demon. It
wouldn't be good for my reputation if word got out that I was following
rules."
A large vein started throbbing on Setsuna's temple area. "Why
you... Dead Scream!"
Setsuna produced an even larger ball of energy than before
and hurled it at Morrigan. Before the ball was able to reach halfway,
however, Lilith intercepted it with her own attack.
"Soul Flash!"
As two attacks cancelled each other in another bright flash of
light, Lilith flew through the air and directed her own attack towards
Sailor Pluto.
"Soul Spin!"
Lilith's wings swirled around her body, forming razor sharp
blades that threatened to inflict serious harm upon Setsuna's body if
her attack connected. Setsuna seemed unimpressed, however, as she
easily blocked it with her staff. With a slight twist of her wrist,
she threw Lilith off her staff and sent the young demon hurtling
towards the ground. Lilith was barely able to right herself mid-fall
and land on her feet.
"If you know what's best for you, child, you'd get out of my
way right now."
Lilith giggled. "Oh, but this is so much fun!"
*****
"Do you remember what happened now, goddess of the past? You
lied to me and caused me to lose everything that I had. For that, I can
never forgive you!"
Urd frowned as she listened to Morrigan. Her hands curled into
fists as she shouted at the demon.
"Enough! I don't believe a word of it! The things you're
saying... they're all impossible!"
Morrigan shook her head. "You know, denial is such a pathetic
thing to watch."
"I said enough! If you won't shut your mouth then I'll shut
it for you!"
Urd concentrated a large burst of energy into her right hand
and threw it at Morrigan. The succubus spread her wings and flew into
the air to avoid it, but the attack changed direction to follow her.
She was forced to fire her own blast of energy to cancel it out. When
Morrigan looked in front of her, she found that Urd had also taken to
the air. A grin formed on her face.
"All that time I was rotting away in that stupid pool, I've
done nothing but dream of this moment... the chance to finally avenge
myself. My sister is busy with the green-haired one at the moment,
so it would seem that our battle will be a fair fight."
After listening to Morrigan's words, Urd started laughing
loudly. "A fair fight? A _fair_ fight? I'm a goddess, stupid! I _never_
fight fair!"
Immediately after saying those words, Urd closed her eyes
and clasped her hands in front of her. Assuming that her opponent was
vulnerable, Morrigan fired another Soul Fist at Urd. Her attack flew
through the air at high speed, moving towards the goddess of the past
until it was suddenly stopped by a hand that suddenly sprouted from
inside Urd's chest. Urd's eyes opened. She smiled as the hand retracted
back into her chest.
"I'd like you to meet someone. She's a very dear friend of
mine. World of Elegance, come out!"
At Urd's words, an angel seemingly appeared from her back and
started hovering slightly above her. The angel had one black and one
white wing, and her hair was dark on the left but light on the right.
She had pale skin, but there were multiple dark markings arranged
symmetrically on her body. Morrigan's eyes grew wide when she saw
what had happened.
"Wha... what the hell is that?"
Urd chuckled. "This is World of Elegance. She's my angel, and
we're about to kick your ass!"
*****
"Sailor Mercury, what's going on? Everyone's started fighting!
Should we start fighting too? Who are we going to fight?"
Ami was about to reply with something along the lines of 'keep
quiet and let me think', but before she could say a word she saw a red
blur moving towards her at high speed. She brought her hands up to
defend herself, but it was no use. She felt the air rushing out from
her lungs as she took a hard hit to her stomach.
Her eyes closed and her knees buckled from under her as she
started falling towards the ground. Before she could fall completely,
however, she felt herself getting hit once more across the face. The
impact sent her hurtling through the air until she smashed into one
of Juuban High's walls.
Ami opened her eyes with great difficulty, and found Makoto
standing over her, electricity crackling on the tall girl's fingers.
"Supreme Thunder!"
Usagi started saying aloud every thought that went through
her mind, proving that even in the direst of situations she still had
an incredible knack for stating the obvious.
"Ami's down! Ranma and Mako-chan are attacking us! Sailor Venus!
Sailor Mars! What are we going to do?"
Seeing that Usagi was panicking, Rei took charge of the
situation. She positioned herself to Usagi's right and called out to
Minako.
"Ranma's started attacking! Sailor Venus, we have to stay near
Sailormoon and make sure nothing harms her!"
At Rei's words, Minako joined her friend and took her place
at Usagi's left. The two of them started craning their necks in an
effort to see where Ranma's next attack would come from. Beside them,
Usagi was trembling as she thought of the speed in which Ami had been
taken out.
What was going on? Ranma wasn't moving nearly as fast when
she watched him fight that strange boy with the bandanna. Also, where
was he now? When she turned back towards the spot where he had been
standing after watching Ami hit the wall, he was no longer there. She
had to be alert. His next attack could come from anywhere.
"Don't be scared, Usagi."
Usagi turned towards Rei, who had interrupted her thoughts
with the unexpected words of reassurance. "But... but he's moving too
fast! How can we beat him if we can't even see where he's coming--"
Rei interrupted Usagi with her reply. "He's using ki to make
himself faster. If you concentrate, you can feel him release it as he
moves around."
Usagi finally shut her mouth and tried to do as Rei said. She
calmed herself and concentrated on her surroundings. At first, she
couldn't feel anything. In a few moments, though, she sensed it. Ranma
was releasing small bursts of ki to allow himself to move at high
speeds.
He was circling them, probably looking for a good opening. The
realization made her feel like a lost man wandering the desert while
vultures flew overhead. It was like if she lost concentration even for
a moment, he would swoop down and--
"Above us! Crescent Beam!"
Sailor Venus fired off a beam of energy directly above them,
and Usagi was barely able to make out Ranma as he twisted in the air
to avoid getting hit. He managed to change the trajectory of his fall
and avoid the attack. A grin appeared on his face as he fell in front
of them.
"You managed to sense that? You're better than you look."
Minako laughed at Ranma's words. "Did you think we couldn't
see through your little ki-enhanced speed trick? We may not be able to
follow your movements with our eyes, but we can feel your ki when you
use it!"
Ranma nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for telling me. I guess I'll
have to save it for other things, like beating you up."
Minako stepped in front of her friends, energy swirling around
her fingertips. "Enough talk, if taking you down is what I have to
do to save you, then I'll be more than happy to do it. Crescent Beam
Shower!"
Multiple beams of energy shot forth from the Venus senshi's
fingers. Ranma jumped into the air to avoid them, but Rei was ready
for him.
"Fire Soul Bird!"
A flaming bird flew from Rei's hands, flying directly towards
Ranma. Once again, the martial artist was forced to twist in the air
to avoid getting hit by the senshi's attacks. Rei grinned as she saw
this.
"That won't work again, Ranma. Follow!"
At Rei's command, the flaming bird shifted course and followed
Ranma as he fell to the ground. He twisted again to avoid the attack,
but the bird quickly changed course anew and headed for him once again.
All throughout this, Minako continued firing a stream of Crescent Beams
at Ranma to keep him off balance. Ranma was able to avoid the attacks
without too much trouble, but it seemed that he wasn't able to attack
Usagi and her friends for the moment. Rei smiled as she watched him
flip through the air to avoid her fire bird. It was only a matter of
time before his luck ran out and he would get hit. Once he was out of
the picture, they could concentrate on sending that annoying succubus
back where she came from.
"Hello there."
Rei's eyes went wide with fear. Ranma was standing right in
front of her, his face mere inches from her own. She didn't feel him
use any ki. Her firebird disappeared as she lost concentration. How
could he have gotten to her so fast? She brought her hands up in front
of her to launch another attack at him, but he was gone again before
she could fire it.
"Over here."
Rei whirled around when she heard Ranma's voice coming from
behind her. She never saw him, however, mostly because of the backhand
that hit her as she turned and sent her flying into another one of
Juuban High's walls.
"Sailor Mars!"
Usagi was at a loss. They had seemed to have the upper hand
back there, and now Rei was lying on a mound of wrecked concrete. Ranma
was gone now, of course. She felt him use his ki to get a quick burst
of speed. Now he was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn't feel him
using his ki at all.
"He's hiding. I don't know where, but it's probably nearby. He
didn't use enough ki to get very far. Stay alert, Usagi."
Usagi nodded as she listened to Minako's words. She couldn't
see Ranma and she didn't feel him using any ki, so he was lying in wait
somewhere hidden. It made sense. Why hadn't _she_ thought of that?
"Usa--mmmph"
Usagi turned around and Minako was gone. Not a single trace
of her was left. Ranma was nowhere to be seen as well. Now she was all
alone. Her eyes started watering.
"If you give yourself up to me without a fight, I promise not
to hurt you."
There he was, standing in front of her. Ranma. He was holding
up an unconscious Minako in one of his arms, her blonde hair flowing
over his body and along his legs. Ranma dropped her unceremoniously
onto the ground before he started talking again.
"Think about it. All you need to do is give up and you won't
have to get hurt at all. I know first aid. I'll help your friends out
if you give up. I know you only want to save me from Mistress Morrigan,
but I don't want to be saved. It feels great to be her servant. If you
give up, we can share this feeling together. You just need to give up
fighting and submit yourself to us. We'll be together forever. Isn't
that what you wanted?"
Usagi mumbled something unintelligible. Ranma frowned, unable
to understand what she said.
"What was that? Do you give up now?"
Usagi's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting desires. She
didn't want to fight Ranma all by herself, but she didn't want to give
up either. On the other hand, Ranma's offer didn't sound too bad when
she really thought about it, but how could she be sure that Ranma was
serious about his claims?
"What's the matter? Don't you want us to be together?"
Ranma took a step towards Usagi, and she took a corresponding
step back. Their eyes locked together. A lone tear fell across Usagi's
right cheek. What was she supposed to do?
"There's no need for you or anyone else to get hurt, you know.
Just say you give up and Mistress Morrigan and I will stop the fight
and take things from there. Doesn't that sound inviting, Minako?"
A large nerve appeared on Usagi's left temple. Her hands closed
themselves into fists as she shouted her reply at Ranma. "My name's
Usagi, not Minako, and I'll never give in to you! I'll fight you and
beat you and rescue you from that weird lady with the wings if it's the
last thing I do!"
Ranma shook his head. "I'm sorry about the mix-up. I've never
been good with names. Are you sure you don't want to just give in? It'd
save you a lot of pain and effort."
Usagi shook her head defiantly in response. Ranma chuckled.
"Well... if that's how you feel...."
Ranma started jogging towards Usagi, the girl charging up to
prepare for his attack, when he heard a loud cry coming from somewhere
to his side.
"Wait!"
The two combatants turned to see Sailor Mercury, bruises all
over her body and her suit was heavily damaged where she had gotten hit
with electricity. She was gasping for breath, and seemed to be having
trouble standing up. Sailor Jupiter was lying unconscious behind her.
"Our fight... it's not over yet."
Ranma raised an eyebrow at Ami's declaration. "Are you
challenging me?"
Ami nodded slowly. "How about it? One on one. Right here...
right now. No sneaky stuff, just full on attacking."
Ranma smiled. "Sure, but do you really want to fight me in
that condition?"
Ami managed to grin. "Mako-chan did a number on me, but I'm
still strong enough to fight."
Ranma smirked. "I wasn't referring to that. I meant your
clothes."
Ami looked down at herself and found that her senshi outfit
was leaving nothing at all to the imagination. With all the dignity
a half-naked defender of justice could muster, she fixed it with her
transformation pen.
Ranma dropped into a fighting stance. "Much better. Shall we
start?"
Ami readied herself for the upcoming confrontation. "Bring it
on!"
While the two combatants began their battle, Usagi was having
a heck of a time trying to get the mental image of a naked Ami fighting
Ranma out of her head.
*****
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
Hinako fired yet another burst of energy at Mamoru, and the
quick fighter once again avoided it with ease. She had been blasting
him since the fight started, but had yet to land a hit. He hadn't
tried to attack her yet, however, so she was likewise unhurt.
It was all very frustrating.
The worst part of it was that if she only had a decent area
attack, hitting him would have been much easier. Something like her
draining attacks. They hadn't been working right ever since she had
tried draining Urd, though. Perhaps they would work now?
"Happo Fifty-Yen Satsu!"
Mamoru watched with mild interest as the pretty girl he had
chosen to fight waved a fifty yen coin in his general direction. He had
no idea what she was trying to do exactly, but he was ready to jump
away in case it was another projectile attack.
"Happo Fifty-Yen Satsu!"
Mamoru continued waiting as his opponent tried again. What was
she up to? The projectiles she had been throwing at him were easily on
par with any attack he had ever seen a senshi do, so she was probably
a very capable fighter, but it didn't look like her attack was working
right now. Strange.
Oh well, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth. Kick 'em
while they're down and all that. Mamoru started running towards Hinako
with his cane raised, poised to take the battle in one decisive blow.
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
Mamoru barely dodged Hinako's attack by rolling to his
right. The blast flew past him and hit a nearby building, destroying
it completely.
"Darn, I missed again!"
Hinako charged up for another blast, carefully following
Mamoru's movements with her eyes so she wouldn't lose him. Her Happo
Yen Satsu attacks were still out of whack, but at least she didn't
seem to be running out of energy after attacking like she used to.
It was probably a fair trade, except her students would probably
pay less attention to her lectures now that she had less cleavage
to show off.
Then again, she had read in one of her mangas that having
one's breasts fondled worked wonders for their growth. Perhaps she
could get one of her students to help her... maybe even Ranma? He
deserved to be punished for being such a delinquent, and doing extra
work for the teacher seemed like just as good a punishment as anything
else she could think of. She would have to think more about this later,
when he was safely back in Furinkan High under her care.
Hinako snapped out of her thoughts and found that Mamoru was
attacking her again.
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
*****
"I'm soooo tired."
Nabiki sighed as she allowed herself to fall onto the bed in
her room. She had tried to find out where Ranma and the others had gone
off to but with no clues to guide her she quickly realized that her
search was futile. She looked at the clock hanging on one of her room's
walls and noticed that it was getting very late. A loud rumbling noise
came from her stomach, reminding her that she hadn't had any dinner
yet. She started reaching for her cell phone to order some food when it
started ringing. She rolled her eyes as she activated the keypad and
held it against her ear.
"Nabiki speaking. This better be good."
The familiar voice of Gosunkugi answered her from the other end
of the line. "Turn to channel fifteen."
The middle Tendo sister frowned as she picked up the remote
control for the television set. "Channel fifteen, huh? You realize of
course that if I see porn on this channel and you start asking me what
I'm wearing, you're dead."
Nabiki heard chuckling from the other end of the line before
Gosunkugi replied to her. "You don't have to worry. I'm not _that_
desperate."
After several attempts to use the remote control failed, Nabiki
threw it into one the room's corners in frustration. She stood up and
walked towards the television to turn it on manually, muttering angrily
as she did so.
"What's this about anyway? Are you airing one of the girl's
locker room videos you took?"
Gosunkugi was quick to answer. "No, nothing like that. You'll
see for yourself soon enough."
Nabiki started pressing the channel button on the television
rapidly. When she finally got to channel fifteen, she was greeted by
the sight of an attractive female reporter making what appeared to be
a live news broadcast.
"...have not yet been able to ascertain the identities of all
the combatants, but it has been confirmed that Sailormoon and her
senshi are taking part in the battle. As you can see from the live
feeds provided by our telescopic cameras, Juuban High's athletic
field has become a veritable war zone--"
Nabiki immediately stood up and ran out of the door, all
thoughts about dinner forgotten. She spoke into her cell phone as
she did so.
"Good work, Gosunkugi. This isn't exactly what I asked for,
but you've been a great help. I'll email you a little bonus for your
trouble."
Nabiki scrolled through the pictures stored in her cell phone
and sent one of them to Gosunkugi. She heard him get up and type on
his computer as he checked his email. A few seconds later, she heard
him holler with joy.
"Yes! This is the best one yet, Nabiki! I don't know how to
thank you! It's so... so beautiful! I don't think I can sleep tonight
at all. You'll have the information on Ranma by tomorrow for sure!
Man... I never realized that Akane had such deep cleavage!"
Nabiki smiled as she turned her cell phone off.
"That's what Photoshop is for, idiot."
*****
"Well, we've finally arrived! I must say that I didn't expect
us to get here this early, especially since we were just running."
Konatsu stopped running and started doing some light stretches
to cool down. Beside him, Akane was bent over with her hands on her
knees, gasping for breath. Konatsu smiled to himself, noting that the
running would do Akane's figure some good. He sometimes got the urge
to give her some tips on how to achieve an hourglass figure or smoother
skin, but he wasn't sure she'd take them the right way.
Akane closed her eyes and drew in a few lungfuls of air before
she was able to speak. "So where's Ranma?"
Konatsu frowned at Akane's question. "Er... don't _you_ know
where Ranma is?"
Akane glared at the effeminate ninja in front of her. "Konatsu,
tell me that you know where we can find Ranma."
Konatsu grinned and scratched his head. "How am I supposed to
know that?"
Akane grit her teeth and punched the ground, cracking the
pavement as she did so. "This sucks! You know, if that stupid Ranma
had only left his address with me this wouldn't be a problem! Of
course, that _would_ work to his advantage, wouldn't it? He must have
been planning this from the start! I _knew_ something fishy was going
on when I saw him on television with the Sailor Senshi! I'll bet you
the moment he laid eyes on all their blonde hair and long legs he
completely forgot that he had other responsibilities waiting for him
back at home!"
"Like his responsibility to marry you?"
Akane blushed bright red. "Me? Well... I... of course not! I
meant his responsibility to... Ukyo and Shampoo."
Konatsu grinned. "Oh yes, he has a responsibility to marry
them as well, right?"
Akane stomped her feet on the ground in frustration. "No! I
meant... take responsibility but... but not by marrying them! He can't
possibly marry them both, right? Besides, he's got fiancees all over
the place! Is he supposed to marry them all?"
Konatsu nodded slowly. "I see your point. He'd have to take
responsibility... but he'd have to do it through means other than
marriage."
Akane smiled brightly. "That's absolutely right!"
Konatsu smiled as well. "Say, wouldn't it be funny if it turned
out that Ranma was also engaged to one or more of those Senshi you were
talking about?"
Akane's smile quickly turned into a frown. "No it wouldn't!
The Sailor Senshi are defenders of love and justice. They would never
be involved with someone like Ranma. He's an enemy of love and justice
himself! Of course, they might not know about him yet! He might corrupt
them and add them to his list of conquests. I can't believe that Ranma
would actually... Konatsu?"
Akane walked towards Konatsu, who was looking into the open
windows of a house beside them. "Konatsu, you shouldn't look into the
houses of people you don't know. It's an invasion of--"
Akane's eyes widened as she saw what Konatsu was looking at.
The owner of the house was watching television, and she could clearly
make out Ranma and the Sailor Senshi. Her lower lip trembled.
"Oh my God! He _is_ doing his thing with the Senshi! We've
got to stop him! Do you know where that is?"
Konatsu turned towards her. "I think it's at the school. Should
we--"
Konatsu never got a chance to finish his sentence as Akane
ran off with a burst of speed he hadn't thought the young girl capable
of releasing. He shook his head as he watched her figure rapidly grow
smaller and smaller.
"Oh well, I guess I should go there as well."
*****
"Good evening, Belldandy. It's been a while. How have you
been all this time?"
Belldandy tried to put on her best smile as she stood in front
of Odin's throne. Freya was standing beside him, glaring at her. For
some reason, the older goddess had always seemed to harbor a dislike
for her and her sisters.
"I'm doing well, sir."
Odin nodded thoughtfully at her response. "That's good to hear.
How about your sisters?"
Belldandy's lower lip trembled a bit. She hoped that Odin
hadn't noticed. "They... they're in good health."
It was Odin's turn to smile at Belldandy. "I am happy to hear
that. Well, I suppose we should get down to business then. Freya, if
you would please leave the room...."
Freya wordlessly left her post and started walking out of the
room, glaring daggers at Belldandy as they passed each other. A few
seconds later, the sound of doors opening and closing signaled that
she had already left.
Odin immediately started talking. "I've just come back from an
emergency meeting with the heads of the other companies, Belldandy. Do
you know what the meeting was about?"
Belldandy's smile left her face. He knew! He already knew! "I
don't know, sir."
Odin shook his head slowly at her reply. "Apparently, we have
a crisis on our hands. Two of our goddesses wreaking havoc on the
mortal realm. An old enemy that we have previously thought imprisoned
forever has recently been released. Most importantly of all, the most
dangerous account we are currently handling has apparently escaped the
area of containment. Are you aware of this, Belldandy?"
Belldandy looked away as she spoke. "Yes sir."
Odin nodded slowly. "Good for you, then. You see, _I_ had
no idea any of this was going on. When I went to the meeting all I
knew was that one of the other companies has made a mistake. Imagine
my shock upon learning that it was my own company, and that I was
apparently the last to know. To say I was humiliated would be an
understatement."
Belldandy immediately started apologizing. "I'm terribly sorry
sir, but I thought--"
Odin interrupted Belldandy with a shout so loud it made her
ears ring. "No you didn't! You have done many things, most of them
without my knowledge, but thinking was definitely not one of them! Do
you know how I know this?"
Belldandy fought to keep herself from crying. "No, sir."
Odin slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne as he
replied to her. "Because if you had done any thinking at all, you would
have realized that this is one of the greatest threats that we've ever
faced! A threat, let me remind you, that is of your making!"
Tears started falling from Belldandy's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir."
Odin's own eyes flashed with anger. "You'd better be! I
thought I made it clear before that any further mistakes concerning
Ranma Saotome would not be tolerated! Now he's running around down
there under the control of Morrigan, of all people, in close proximity
to not one but two of the goddesses that control time! This is not even
counting the fact that he is also involved with those little brats from
the Silver Millennium! What were you thinking? This is a nightmare! The
other company heads were talking about reinstalling as a last resort!"
Belldandy's face paled at the mention of reinstallation.
"Please sir! I can fix things! Please don't--"
Odin silenced Belldandy with a wave of his hand. "There is no
need for you to beg. I managed to convince the other heads to abandon
that plan. I told them that you would be able to restore things to
order. This is your last chance, Belldandy. If you fail, I will enter
the code for reinstallation myself."
Belldandy dried her eyes and bowed low in front of Odin. "I
won't fail you, sir."
After leaving Odin's office, Belldandy quickly made her way to
her office. She had to get to Midgard before things got worse. There
was no time to lose. She just hoped that things didn't get too out of
hand before she got there.
*****
Author's Notes
I would like to thank Charles Stitman, M, Mark Biggar, Seaver,
Chester, Juan Paolo Gabrioti, Nathan Diederich, Flores, Wray, Egan
Mandreck, Kevin Henry, Vex, and Griever for all of the help they have
given me for this chapter.
Ya know, I just realized that I'm not content to have a fanfic
that's basically a seventeen chapter rant. I feel that, as a biased
author who plays character favorites, my author's notes should be a
really long rant as well. Here goes!
Well, how did you like that chapter? The battle didn't really
turn out as I envisioned it. The senshi are putting up too much of a
fight and I'm not emphasizing Mamoru's wussiness enough... still, I
guess it'll please all the people complaining about my biased writing
(that means you, Chester). I don't really know what's wrong with it,
though. What nobler reason to write can there be than bashing
characters you hate and making it seem like your favorite characters
are perfect?
Anyway, watch for the next chapters. They're gonna be really
good, sort of good, passable, somewhat bad, or really bad. How's that
for narrowing it down! ^-^
I've been informed by many people that the anime I'm currently
enamored with influences my writing greatly, so I'll be telling you
guys what I'm watching from now on! I've just finished watching Full
Metal Panic. Tessa is soooooo hot! Chidori has nothing on her. She
has that Ruri look that really gets to me. I'm working on finishing
Star Ocean, but all the lovey dovey crap is slowing me down. I've
also seen the Fatal Fury movie recently.
Whoa, I totally forgot to thank people and stuff! I have tons
of people to thank this time around. My theory from the last chapter
was proven correct, as thousands upon thousands of people sent me
links to the stuff that I wanted. Well, maybe not thousands, but a
lot of people nonetheless. Anyway....
Thanks to Francis for sending me Hand Maid May! He was trying
to break his record of mentions in the last chapter, so here he is
again, three more times: Francis Francis Francis! Also, a HUGE thanks
goes out to N_Yah for pointing me out to the most complete archive of
Mogudan works that I've ever seen! When I saw the Outlaw Star dojin
up for downloading, tears fell from my eyes. I swear, I was bawling
like a senshi on her special episode.
More HUGE thanks to the good people at the hentaimania forums,
who helped me find tons of stuff including but not limited to a bunch
of Big Boss dojinshi and a whopping thirty-six assorted works by
Studio Katsudon, not to mention Saigado's AMAZING Mai Special! I
would also like to thank JBee, David Andersson, Quy Duong Nguyen,
and all the other good people who have been kind enough to send me
links to dojin and anime goodness.
Also, I would like to take this chance to extend a very
special thanks to Steven Avery for taking the time to write me and
inform me of so many ways I could make the story better. I would
also like to apologize for the fact that although I agree with most
of his points and realize that following his suggestions would
improve the quality of my writing immensely, I just can't do it. A
Jose Argao fanfic without cliches, AFCs, character bashing, rants,
and long drawn out scenes that have no bearing on the story just
isn't a true Jose Argao fic. Gomen.
Chester should be either laughing hard, shaking his head, or
bashing it onto his keyboard right now. Kewlness.
What else can I talk about?
Oh yeah, my want-list! It's a new feature of my author's
notes designed to help me mooch stuff from friends and fans alike.
I'm currently looking for dojinshi by Big Boss (as always) and
Hanaukyo Maids dojinshi/manga (they're about the same anyway).
I'm looking for dojins by D'erlanger, Nadesico A, as well as anything
by the same dude who made Maria and Maria 2 (who was the author
of those awesome dojins? Is there a Maria 3?) I'm not really looking
for regular anime right now, since I've realized that I have a huge
backlog of anime to watch. I haven't even started on Gatekeepers,
Baki, and Rave yet. Remember kids, anyone who helps out has a chance
to be mentioned in next chapter's author's notes! How cool is that?
Well, not very, but it's something!
Please send C&C to ukyo_rulz@edsamail.com.ph
Visit my homepage (www.geocities.com/ex_fuk) for new chapters.
characters in this story? Am I making money by writing this? I'll give
you a clue: are Ranma and Akane a good couple?
Warning: If you watch Fatal Fury: the Motion Picture once you're an
adult, and the last time you saw it was way back in high school, the
whole movie will seem to be a lot... cheesier on the whole.
Warning: Altaverse (Keiichi ain't here, and the senshi timeline is
all messed up.)
"words"
'thoughts'
A Time for Wild Horses chapter 17
by Jose Argao
Ryoga glanced nervously around him as Kasumi served tea. He
had never really felt too comfortable in the Tendo home, despite all
the time he spent there. The fact that Ranma lived there was part of
the reason, of course, but there was also something else. There was
something about the people... a quality he couldn't quite put his
finger on that made him feel as if he was always on the outside looking
in. They shared a bond that he wasn't a part of. It was like the Tendos
and the Saotomes were part of a special club that he could never be a
member of, no matter how hard he tried. It was like they were a family.
Ryoga had never really experienced having a family of his own.
Oh, he had a mother and a father and probably he had a brother or a
sister somewhere... but they were always too busy being lost to really
spend time together as a family. He couldn't even remember the last
time they all had dinner together.
Ryoga didn't blame them for it, since he spent just as much
time wandering unknown locales as they did, but sometimes he couldn't
help but wish things were different... that he had a home to return
to with a loving family to welcome him when he got there. He couldn't
help but imagine what it would be like to have someone to talk to who
wouldn't judge him... who wouldn't laugh at his mistakes or make fun
of his ideas. Someone he could turn to for help when he needed it, who
would cheer him up when he was down. He couldn't help but wonder what
his life would have been like if he had something like that.
Something like what Ranma had.
Ranma... even thinking of that coward's name was enough to make
his blood boil. He had a family that loved him, a home to call his own,
a future to look forward to.... He even had a beautiful, kind-hearted
girl like Akane for a fiancee. He already had everything in the world a
man could want and yet he acted like... like it was nothing. Like it
didn't matter because he somehow deserved more.
Didn't Ranma realize how good he had it? What on Earth did he
ever do to deserve all the good things he's been given? All he ever did
was play around all day with those girls who were always fawning over
him. Disgusting.
What did all those girls see in Ranma anyway? Why couldn't
they see the painfully obvious fact that he was just toying with them?
Why couldn't they realize that he didn't deserve their love? They would
be much better off giving their love to someone else. Someone who would
recognize their offering and treasure it forever. Someone more like
himself.
"...meet her?"
Ryoga snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Kasumi had
finished serving tea and was sitting on the other side of the kotatsu.
Mousse was still sitting beside him, and they were both looking at him
as if they were expecting an answer.
How could he answer? He didn't even know the question! To be
caught ignoring such a generous host as Kasumi... it was nothing short
of humiliating! This was all _Ranma's_ fault! If that idiot hadn't
caused him to space out like that, he would have known what Kasumi
had asked him and would have been able to answer. Ranma was truly a
coward, attacking him like this without even having the courage to be
in the same room. The next time they meet, Ranma would die.
For now, though, there was a more pressing problem at hand.
Kasumi was still waiting for an answer, but he didn't know what
the question was. He could ask Mousse, but that would reveal that he
wasn't listening. He could try to guess what the question was, but if
he guessed wrong it might be even worse for him. There was nothing he
could do but admit his transgression and hope that Kasumi wouldn't be
too upset. She might give him some punishment, of course, but he would
take it like a man. He wasn't a coward like some other people he could
name.
"Um... ah...."
Sweat started forming on his brow. This was so embarrassing.
Kasumi was one of the few people who had always been nice to him, and
this was how he repaid her kindness? He felt like scum... like he was
the lowest of the low. He wished lightning would strike him down right
now... that the ground would open up and swallow him whole... anything
to avoid the anger that Kasumi would surely direct at him once he had
admitted what he had done.
"Ryoga, your face is all red. Are you okay?"
Kasumi was standing over him and holding her hand against his
forehead before Ryoga could react. She frowned as she felt for his
temperature.
"Well, you don't seem to have a fever, but you still don't
look too good. You should lie down for a bit. The guest bedroom is
occupied right now, but you can use Ranma's futon since he's not here.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind, the two of you being such good friends and
all."
The honorable thing to do would be to come clean and admit his
error to Kasumi, Ryoga reasoned to himself. To pretend that he wasn't
feeling well and accept Kasumi's offer would be a coward's way out, not
to mention it would work poor Kasumi even harder.
"Ryoga-kun, are you listening to me?"
Ryoga opened his mouth with the intention of admitting that he
wasn't listening and falling to his knees in front of Kasumi to beg for
forgiveness.
No sound came out. Try as he would, the best his vocal chords
could come up with was a strangled gasp. Kasumi shook her head.
"Oh my, something must really be wrong with you. Here, why
don't you come with me to Ranma's room and I'll call Doctor Tofu. He
should be able to tell what's... Ryoga?"
*****
Kasumi watched with concern as Ryoga bolted out of the room
and started running in a random direction. She turned towards Mousse,
who was quietly sipping his tea.
"What happened to Ryoga? Will he be okay?"
Mousse put his tea cup down on the kotatsu and turned towards
Kasumi as he began to reply.
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Don't worry yourself
over him. He's not worth it."
Kasumi nodded slowly. Though she didn't agree with Mousse's
opinion of Ryoga, she trusted his judgment.
"Well, if you say so. Anyway, would you mind telling me how
the two of you met Rose? Ryoga-kun never got around to answering me
when I asked him."
Mousse took another sip of his tea before answering.
"Well, I first met her after I lost in battle to a mysterious
cloaked stranger. When I woke up, I was in a room I didn't recognize.
She entered the room right after I woke up and when I asked her who she
was all she said was...."
*****
"My name is... Rose."
Mousse followed Rose with his eyes as she made her way towards
his bed. His mind was filled with questions, but Rose had told him that
he would have his answers in due time. In his current state, he wasn't
in much of a position to argue.
"You should go back to sleep. I'll promise to answer your
questions after you wake up."
Rose walked up to him and laid her hand on Mousse's head. He
immediately felt his eyelids getting heavier as sleep overtook him. He
drifted off into a deep, dreamless slumber. The next thing the blind
martial artist knew, he was being shaken awake.
"It's time to wake up, sleeping beauty. Your friend is already
up and waiting for you."
Mousse opened his eyes and opened his mouth to ask the obvious
question. The woman who introduced herself as Rose shushed him with a
finger.
"Do not worry, you've only been out for a night. I'm pretty
impressed, actually. I've never seen anyone heal so fast before. The
other one was also a fast healer. He's in the living room waiting for
you. Please come with me."
Mousse followed Rose out of the room and through a short
hallway before walking down a flight of stairs. From what he could
see, they were in a large two-story house. Having cleared the stairs,
they walked a short distance into what looked like the living area.
Ryoga was sitting quietly on the couch. Their eyes met as Mousse
moved to sit down beside him, but both men remained silent. Rose sat
down on another chair and cleared her throat before speaking.
"Well, I promised both of you answers when you were healed
and I guess now it's time to provide them. My name is Rose, and for
the past few years I have been chasing after a dangerous terrorist
bent on world domination known as M. Bison."
Ryoga shook his head. "I've never heard of him."
Rose did not miss a beat as she continued. "Bison was planning
to conquer the world through the use of his evil psycho power. He was
defeated by a powerful warrior named Ryu Hoshi some time ago, but he
was not killed. At the moment, I think that he is trying to rebuild his
power base by collecting the most powerful fighters from around the
world to join him."
Mousse put two and two together and smacked his fist against
his palm. "So that strange cloaked fighter was sent to test my power
and see if I was good enough for Bison's purposes!"
"Well, not exactly," Rose replied. "Those cloaked women that
you fought are members of Bison's team of 'dolls'. They used to have
free will, but were brainwashed into becoming his loyal slaves. They
are tireless, fearless, and will fight for him until their last breath
has been extinguished. Their primary purpose is to search for fighters
who have great power as well as an untapped potential for evil."
Ryoga smiled. "I see... they must not have chosen me because
there isn't a shred of evil in my person."
Mousse nodded. "The same goes for myself. I may have great
power, but my heart is pure."
Rose sweatdropped at their declarations. "Well, anyway, I
wanted to know if your opponents gave any clues as to who the next
target might be. It would help greatly if I could get to him or her
before Bison does."
Ryoga rested his chin on his hand as he thought. "Well, I was
too busy fighting to hear if she said anything important, but if you're
looking for a good fighter with evil in his heart--"
"I think I know exactly where you can find one," Mousse
finished Ryoga's sentence for him.
*****
Setsuna looked around her and, seeing that everyone seemed to
be ready to begin, tapped her staff on the ground once again. When all
the attention was hers once more, she began talking.
"It seems that everyone is just about ready, so if it's okay I
will now begin the countdown to start this whole... what?"
Mamoru lowered his right hand, which he had raised to get
Setsuna's attention.
"I need to go to the bathroom."
A large sweat drop appeared on Setsuna's forehead. "You should
have taken care of that before you left home. Is it really bad?"
Mamoru closed his eyes, seemingly deep in concentration. A few
seconds later, he opened them again. "Never mind. I'm okay now."
Setsuna rolled her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Mamoru's only reply was to give her the thumbs up sign.
Setsuna sighed. "Well, if there are no more concerns, I guess
we can start. The fighting will begin in ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two--"
"Soul Fist!"
*****
Peorth wore a concerned look on her face as she walked down the
corridor towards Belldandy's office. The goddess of the present had
never been called upon to make a report before and now suddenly Odin
himself wanted to have a word with her. She wondered if something big
that she didn't know about was going on.
Even though she held a reasonably high rank in Asgard, Peorth
had no idea whatsoever what it was that Belldandy actually did. All she
knew was that it was top secret, classified information and not even
Skuld and Urd knew what it was that their sister worked on.
Now that she thought about it, even the circumstances that had
led to Belldandy being assigned to Special Operations were a bit foggy.
Peorth knew for a fact that Belldandy was originally supposed to be
assigned to the Goddess Relief Office, but something happened while she
was completing the required number of Midgard exposure hours and she
never completed the course. The next thing she knew, Belldandy had her
own office and a memo was circulated informing all the senior gods and
goddesses that Belldandy was not required to report to any of them.
Peorth was still deep in thought when she finally arrived at
the door to Belldandy's office. She knocked quickly on it, and the soft
voice of her friend responded from inside.
"The door's not locked. Come on in."
Peorth frowned. That was strange. Normally, Belldandy would
come to the door and usher any visitors inside herself. What was up?
Realizing that there was nothing to be gained by waiting around outside
the door, Peorth opened it and made her way inside.
"Belldandy, I was sent here to tell you that Odin wants to see
you in his office immediately. We tried sending you a message through
the instant messaging system but we couldn't contact...."
Peorth's voice trailed off as she got a good look at the inside
of the office. It was a mess! The casings of various mechanical devices
lay strewn across the floor, their innards missing. There were wires,
nuts, bolts, and other spare parts scattered all across every surface.
In the middle of it all, Belldandy sat at her desk, her fingers gliding
over the keyboard of her terminal at high speed. The computer itself
was completely unrecognizable. It's casing had been removed and dozens
of wires connected it to various outlets throughout the room.
"Belldandy, what's going on here?"
Belldandy stopped typing momentarily before replying. "I'm
just working on a processor-intensive project so I routed all the power
in the room to the terminal. Did you want something?"
Peorth was slightly taken aback by that reply. What could
Belldandy possibly be working on that it would require so much extra
power? She cleared her throat before repeating her message.
"Odin wants to see you in his office immediately, something
about the special project you're working on."
A frown appeared on Belldandy's normally cheerful face. "I see.
I guess I should get going then. Thank you for giving me the message,
Peorth-san."
Belldandy activated the password protection program on her
terminal before standing up to leave the room. As she was opening the
door, Peorth called out to her.
"Belldandy."
The goddess of the present stopped walking and turned towards
the goddess of roses. "Yes? Did you want something else?"
"What exactly are you working on, anyway?"
Belldandy shook her head as she replied. "I'm sorry, but I
can't tell you that. It's classified."
*****
"Dead Scream."
The powerful ball of energy produced by Sailor Pluto's attack
collided with Morrigan's Soul Fist. Both attacks disappeared in a
bright flash after impact. Setsuna turned towards Morrigan and pointed
an accusing finger at the succubus.
"I wasn't finished counting down. You weren't supposed to
attack yet!"
Morrigan giggled, annoying the hell out of the angry senshi of
Pluto. "All's fair in love and war, you know. Besides, I'm a demon. It
wouldn't be good for my reputation if word got out that I was following
rules."
A large vein started throbbing on Setsuna's temple area. "Why
you... Dead Scream!"
Setsuna produced an even larger ball of energy than before
and hurled it at Morrigan. Before the ball was able to reach halfway,
however, Lilith intercepted it with her own attack.
"Soul Flash!"
As two attacks cancelled each other in another bright flash of
light, Lilith flew through the air and directed her own attack towards
Sailor Pluto.
"Soul Spin!"
Lilith's wings swirled around her body, forming razor sharp
blades that threatened to inflict serious harm upon Setsuna's body if
her attack connected. Setsuna seemed unimpressed, however, as she
easily blocked it with her staff. With a slight twist of her wrist,
she threw Lilith off her staff and sent the young demon hurtling
towards the ground. Lilith was barely able to right herself mid-fall
and land on her feet.
"If you know what's best for you, child, you'd get out of my
way right now."
Lilith giggled. "Oh, but this is so much fun!"
*****
"Do you remember what happened now, goddess of the past? You
lied to me and caused me to lose everything that I had. For that, I can
never forgive you!"
Urd frowned as she listened to Morrigan. Her hands curled into
fists as she shouted at the demon.
"Enough! I don't believe a word of it! The things you're
saying... they're all impossible!"
Morrigan shook her head. "You know, denial is such a pathetic
thing to watch."
"I said enough! If you won't shut your mouth then I'll shut
it for you!"
Urd concentrated a large burst of energy into her right hand
and threw it at Morrigan. The succubus spread her wings and flew into
the air to avoid it, but the attack changed direction to follow her.
She was forced to fire her own blast of energy to cancel it out. When
Morrigan looked in front of her, she found that Urd had also taken to
the air. A grin formed on her face.
"All that time I was rotting away in that stupid pool, I've
done nothing but dream of this moment... the chance to finally avenge
myself. My sister is busy with the green-haired one at the moment,
so it would seem that our battle will be a fair fight."
After listening to Morrigan's words, Urd started laughing
loudly. "A fair fight? A _fair_ fight? I'm a goddess, stupid! I _never_
fight fair!"
Immediately after saying those words, Urd closed her eyes
and clasped her hands in front of her. Assuming that her opponent was
vulnerable, Morrigan fired another Soul Fist at Urd. Her attack flew
through the air at high speed, moving towards the goddess of the past
until it was suddenly stopped by a hand that suddenly sprouted from
inside Urd's chest. Urd's eyes opened. She smiled as the hand retracted
back into her chest.
"I'd like you to meet someone. She's a very dear friend of
mine. World of Elegance, come out!"
At Urd's words, an angel seemingly appeared from her back and
started hovering slightly above her. The angel had one black and one
white wing, and her hair was dark on the left but light on the right.
She had pale skin, but there were multiple dark markings arranged
symmetrically on her body. Morrigan's eyes grew wide when she saw
what had happened.
"Wha... what the hell is that?"
Urd chuckled. "This is World of Elegance. She's my angel, and
we're about to kick your ass!"
*****
"Sailor Mercury, what's going on? Everyone's started fighting!
Should we start fighting too? Who are we going to fight?"
Ami was about to reply with something along the lines of 'keep
quiet and let me think', but before she could say a word she saw a red
blur moving towards her at high speed. She brought her hands up to
defend herself, but it was no use. She felt the air rushing out from
her lungs as she took a hard hit to her stomach.
Her eyes closed and her knees buckled from under her as she
started falling towards the ground. Before she could fall completely,
however, she felt herself getting hit once more across the face. The
impact sent her hurtling through the air until she smashed into one
of Juuban High's walls.
Ami opened her eyes with great difficulty, and found Makoto
standing over her, electricity crackling on the tall girl's fingers.
"Supreme Thunder!"
Usagi started saying aloud every thought that went through
her mind, proving that even in the direst of situations she still had
an incredible knack for stating the obvious.
"Ami's down! Ranma and Mako-chan are attacking us! Sailor Venus!
Sailor Mars! What are we going to do?"
Seeing that Usagi was panicking, Rei took charge of the
situation. She positioned herself to Usagi's right and called out to
Minako.
"Ranma's started attacking! Sailor Venus, we have to stay near
Sailormoon and make sure nothing harms her!"
At Rei's words, Minako joined her friend and took her place
at Usagi's left. The two of them started craning their necks in an
effort to see where Ranma's next attack would come from. Beside them,
Usagi was trembling as she thought of the speed in which Ami had been
taken out.
What was going on? Ranma wasn't moving nearly as fast when
she watched him fight that strange boy with the bandanna. Also, where
was he now? When she turned back towards the spot where he had been
standing after watching Ami hit the wall, he was no longer there. She
had to be alert. His next attack could come from anywhere.
"Don't be scared, Usagi."
Usagi turned towards Rei, who had interrupted her thoughts
with the unexpected words of reassurance. "But... but he's moving too
fast! How can we beat him if we can't even see where he's coming--"
Rei interrupted Usagi with her reply. "He's using ki to make
himself faster. If you concentrate, you can feel him release it as he
moves around."
Usagi finally shut her mouth and tried to do as Rei said. She
calmed herself and concentrated on her surroundings. At first, she
couldn't feel anything. In a few moments, though, she sensed it. Ranma
was releasing small bursts of ki to allow himself to move at high
speeds.
He was circling them, probably looking for a good opening. The
realization made her feel like a lost man wandering the desert while
vultures flew overhead. It was like if she lost concentration even for
a moment, he would swoop down and--
"Above us! Crescent Beam!"
Sailor Venus fired off a beam of energy directly above them,
and Usagi was barely able to make out Ranma as he twisted in the air
to avoid getting hit. He managed to change the trajectory of his fall
and avoid the attack. A grin appeared on his face as he fell in front
of them.
"You managed to sense that? You're better than you look."
Minako laughed at Ranma's words. "Did you think we couldn't
see through your little ki-enhanced speed trick? We may not be able to
follow your movements with our eyes, but we can feel your ki when you
use it!"
Ranma nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for telling me. I guess I'll
have to save it for other things, like beating you up."
Minako stepped in front of her friends, energy swirling around
her fingertips. "Enough talk, if taking you down is what I have to
do to save you, then I'll be more than happy to do it. Crescent Beam
Shower!"
Multiple beams of energy shot forth from the Venus senshi's
fingers. Ranma jumped into the air to avoid them, but Rei was ready
for him.
"Fire Soul Bird!"
A flaming bird flew from Rei's hands, flying directly towards
Ranma. Once again, the martial artist was forced to twist in the air
to avoid getting hit by the senshi's attacks. Rei grinned as she saw
this.
"That won't work again, Ranma. Follow!"
At Rei's command, the flaming bird shifted course and followed
Ranma as he fell to the ground. He twisted again to avoid the attack,
but the bird quickly changed course anew and headed for him once again.
All throughout this, Minako continued firing a stream of Crescent Beams
at Ranma to keep him off balance. Ranma was able to avoid the attacks
without too much trouble, but it seemed that he wasn't able to attack
Usagi and her friends for the moment. Rei smiled as she watched him
flip through the air to avoid her fire bird. It was only a matter of
time before his luck ran out and he would get hit. Once he was out of
the picture, they could concentrate on sending that annoying succubus
back where she came from.
"Hello there."
Rei's eyes went wide with fear. Ranma was standing right in
front of her, his face mere inches from her own. She didn't feel him
use any ki. Her firebird disappeared as she lost concentration. How
could he have gotten to her so fast? She brought her hands up in front
of her to launch another attack at him, but he was gone again before
she could fire it.
"Over here."
Rei whirled around when she heard Ranma's voice coming from
behind her. She never saw him, however, mostly because of the backhand
that hit her as she turned and sent her flying into another one of
Juuban High's walls.
"Sailor Mars!"
Usagi was at a loss. They had seemed to have the upper hand
back there, and now Rei was lying on a mound of wrecked concrete. Ranma
was gone now, of course. She felt him use his ki to get a quick burst
of speed. Now he was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn't feel him
using his ki at all.
"He's hiding. I don't know where, but it's probably nearby. He
didn't use enough ki to get very far. Stay alert, Usagi."
Usagi nodded as she listened to Minako's words. She couldn't
see Ranma and she didn't feel him using any ki, so he was lying in wait
somewhere hidden. It made sense. Why hadn't _she_ thought of that?
"Usa--mmmph"
Usagi turned around and Minako was gone. Not a single trace
of her was left. Ranma was nowhere to be seen as well. Now she was all
alone. Her eyes started watering.
"If you give yourself up to me without a fight, I promise not
to hurt you."
There he was, standing in front of her. Ranma. He was holding
up an unconscious Minako in one of his arms, her blonde hair flowing
over his body and along his legs. Ranma dropped her unceremoniously
onto the ground before he started talking again.
"Think about it. All you need to do is give up and you won't
have to get hurt at all. I know first aid. I'll help your friends out
if you give up. I know you only want to save me from Mistress Morrigan,
but I don't want to be saved. It feels great to be her servant. If you
give up, we can share this feeling together. You just need to give up
fighting and submit yourself to us. We'll be together forever. Isn't
that what you wanted?"
Usagi mumbled something unintelligible. Ranma frowned, unable
to understand what she said.
"What was that? Do you give up now?"
Usagi's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting desires. She
didn't want to fight Ranma all by herself, but she didn't want to give
up either. On the other hand, Ranma's offer didn't sound too bad when
she really thought about it, but how could she be sure that Ranma was
serious about his claims?
"What's the matter? Don't you want us to be together?"
Ranma took a step towards Usagi, and she took a corresponding
step back. Their eyes locked together. A lone tear fell across Usagi's
right cheek. What was she supposed to do?
"There's no need for you or anyone else to get hurt, you know.
Just say you give up and Mistress Morrigan and I will stop the fight
and take things from there. Doesn't that sound inviting, Minako?"
A large nerve appeared on Usagi's left temple. Her hands closed
themselves into fists as she shouted her reply at Ranma. "My name's
Usagi, not Minako, and I'll never give in to you! I'll fight you and
beat you and rescue you from that weird lady with the wings if it's the
last thing I do!"
Ranma shook his head. "I'm sorry about the mix-up. I've never
been good with names. Are you sure you don't want to just give in? It'd
save you a lot of pain and effort."
Usagi shook her head defiantly in response. Ranma chuckled.
"Well... if that's how you feel...."
Ranma started jogging towards Usagi, the girl charging up to
prepare for his attack, when he heard a loud cry coming from somewhere
to his side.
"Wait!"
The two combatants turned to see Sailor Mercury, bruises all
over her body and her suit was heavily damaged where she had gotten hit
with electricity. She was gasping for breath, and seemed to be having
trouble standing up. Sailor Jupiter was lying unconscious behind her.
"Our fight... it's not over yet."
Ranma raised an eyebrow at Ami's declaration. "Are you
challenging me?"
Ami nodded slowly. "How about it? One on one. Right here...
right now. No sneaky stuff, just full on attacking."
Ranma smiled. "Sure, but do you really want to fight me in
that condition?"
Ami managed to grin. "Mako-chan did a number on me, but I'm
still strong enough to fight."
Ranma smirked. "I wasn't referring to that. I meant your
clothes."
Ami looked down at herself and found that her senshi outfit
was leaving nothing at all to the imagination. With all the dignity
a half-naked defender of justice could muster, she fixed it with her
transformation pen.
Ranma dropped into a fighting stance. "Much better. Shall we
start?"
Ami readied herself for the upcoming confrontation. "Bring it
on!"
While the two combatants began their battle, Usagi was having
a heck of a time trying to get the mental image of a naked Ami fighting
Ranma out of her head.
*****
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
Hinako fired yet another burst of energy at Mamoru, and the
quick fighter once again avoided it with ease. She had been blasting
him since the fight started, but had yet to land a hit. He hadn't
tried to attack her yet, however, so she was likewise unhurt.
It was all very frustrating.
The worst part of it was that if she only had a decent area
attack, hitting him would have been much easier. Something like her
draining attacks. They hadn't been working right ever since she had
tried draining Urd, though. Perhaps they would work now?
"Happo Fifty-Yen Satsu!"
Mamoru watched with mild interest as the pretty girl he had
chosen to fight waved a fifty yen coin in his general direction. He had
no idea what she was trying to do exactly, but he was ready to jump
away in case it was another projectile attack.
"Happo Fifty-Yen Satsu!"
Mamoru continued waiting as his opponent tried again. What was
she up to? The projectiles she had been throwing at him were easily on
par with any attack he had ever seen a senshi do, so she was probably
a very capable fighter, but it didn't look like her attack was working
right now. Strange.
Oh well, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth. Kick 'em
while they're down and all that. Mamoru started running towards Hinako
with his cane raised, poised to take the battle in one decisive blow.
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
Mamoru barely dodged Hinako's attack by rolling to his
right. The blast flew past him and hit a nearby building, destroying
it completely.
"Darn, I missed again!"
Hinako charged up for another blast, carefully following
Mamoru's movements with her eyes so she wouldn't lose him. Her Happo
Yen Satsu attacks were still out of whack, but at least she didn't
seem to be running out of energy after attacking like she used to.
It was probably a fair trade, except her students would probably
pay less attention to her lectures now that she had less cleavage
to show off.
Then again, she had read in one of her mangas that having
one's breasts fondled worked wonders for their growth. Perhaps she
could get one of her students to help her... maybe even Ranma? He
deserved to be punished for being such a delinquent, and doing extra
work for the teacher seemed like just as good a punishment as anything
else she could think of. She would have to think more about this later,
when he was safely back in Furinkan High under her care.
Hinako snapped out of her thoughts and found that Mamoru was
attacking her again.
"Happo no Yen Coin Return!"
*****
"I'm soooo tired."
Nabiki sighed as she allowed herself to fall onto the bed in
her room. She had tried to find out where Ranma and the others had gone
off to but with no clues to guide her she quickly realized that her
search was futile. She looked at the clock hanging on one of her room's
walls and noticed that it was getting very late. A loud rumbling noise
came from her stomach, reminding her that she hadn't had any dinner
yet. She started reaching for her cell phone to order some food when it
started ringing. She rolled her eyes as she activated the keypad and
held it against her ear.
"Nabiki speaking. This better be good."
The familiar voice of Gosunkugi answered her from the other end
of the line. "Turn to channel fifteen."
The middle Tendo sister frowned as she picked up the remote
control for the television set. "Channel fifteen, huh? You realize of
course that if I see porn on this channel and you start asking me what
I'm wearing, you're dead."
Nabiki heard chuckling from the other end of the line before
Gosunkugi replied to her. "You don't have to worry. I'm not _that_
desperate."
After several attempts to use the remote control failed, Nabiki
threw it into one the room's corners in frustration. She stood up and
walked towards the television to turn it on manually, muttering angrily
as she did so.
"What's this about anyway? Are you airing one of the girl's
locker room videos you took?"
Gosunkugi was quick to answer. "No, nothing like that. You'll
see for yourself soon enough."
Nabiki started pressing the channel button on the television
rapidly. When she finally got to channel fifteen, she was greeted by
the sight of an attractive female reporter making what appeared to be
a live news broadcast.
"...have not yet been able to ascertain the identities of all
the combatants, but it has been confirmed that Sailormoon and her
senshi are taking part in the battle. As you can see from the live
feeds provided by our telescopic cameras, Juuban High's athletic
field has become a veritable war zone--"
Nabiki immediately stood up and ran out of the door, all
thoughts about dinner forgotten. She spoke into her cell phone as
she did so.
"Good work, Gosunkugi. This isn't exactly what I asked for,
but you've been a great help. I'll email you a little bonus for your
trouble."
Nabiki scrolled through the pictures stored in her cell phone
and sent one of them to Gosunkugi. She heard him get up and type on
his computer as he checked his email. A few seconds later, she heard
him holler with joy.
"Yes! This is the best one yet, Nabiki! I don't know how to
thank you! It's so... so beautiful! I don't think I can sleep tonight
at all. You'll have the information on Ranma by tomorrow for sure!
Man... I never realized that Akane had such deep cleavage!"
Nabiki smiled as she turned her cell phone off.
"That's what Photoshop is for, idiot."
*****
"Well, we've finally arrived! I must say that I didn't expect
us to get here this early, especially since we were just running."
Konatsu stopped running and started doing some light stretches
to cool down. Beside him, Akane was bent over with her hands on her
knees, gasping for breath. Konatsu smiled to himself, noting that the
running would do Akane's figure some good. He sometimes got the urge
to give her some tips on how to achieve an hourglass figure or smoother
skin, but he wasn't sure she'd take them the right way.
Akane closed her eyes and drew in a few lungfuls of air before
she was able to speak. "So where's Ranma?"
Konatsu frowned at Akane's question. "Er... don't _you_ know
where Ranma is?"
Akane glared at the effeminate ninja in front of her. "Konatsu,
tell me that you know where we can find Ranma."
Konatsu grinned and scratched his head. "How am I supposed to
know that?"
Akane grit her teeth and punched the ground, cracking the
pavement as she did so. "This sucks! You know, if that stupid Ranma
had only left his address with me this wouldn't be a problem! Of
course, that _would_ work to his advantage, wouldn't it? He must have
been planning this from the start! I _knew_ something fishy was going
on when I saw him on television with the Sailor Senshi! I'll bet you
the moment he laid eyes on all their blonde hair and long legs he
completely forgot that he had other responsibilities waiting for him
back at home!"
"Like his responsibility to marry you?"
Akane blushed bright red. "Me? Well... I... of course not! I
meant his responsibility to... Ukyo and Shampoo."
Konatsu grinned. "Oh yes, he has a responsibility to marry
them as well, right?"
Akane stomped her feet on the ground in frustration. "No! I
meant... take responsibility but... but not by marrying them! He can't
possibly marry them both, right? Besides, he's got fiancees all over
the place! Is he supposed to marry them all?"
Konatsu nodded slowly. "I see your point. He'd have to take
responsibility... but he'd have to do it through means other than
marriage."
Akane smiled brightly. "That's absolutely right!"
Konatsu smiled as well. "Say, wouldn't it be funny if it turned
out that Ranma was also engaged to one or more of those Senshi you were
talking about?"
Akane's smile quickly turned into a frown. "No it wouldn't!
The Sailor Senshi are defenders of love and justice. They would never
be involved with someone like Ranma. He's an enemy of love and justice
himself! Of course, they might not know about him yet! He might corrupt
them and add them to his list of conquests. I can't believe that Ranma
would actually... Konatsu?"
Akane walked towards Konatsu, who was looking into the open
windows of a house beside them. "Konatsu, you shouldn't look into the
houses of people you don't know. It's an invasion of--"
Akane's eyes widened as she saw what Konatsu was looking at.
The owner of the house was watching television, and she could clearly
make out Ranma and the Sailor Senshi. Her lower lip trembled.
"Oh my God! He _is_ doing his thing with the Senshi! We've
got to stop him! Do you know where that is?"
Konatsu turned towards her. "I think it's at the school. Should
we--"
Konatsu never got a chance to finish his sentence as Akane
ran off with a burst of speed he hadn't thought the young girl capable
of releasing. He shook his head as he watched her figure rapidly grow
smaller and smaller.
"Oh well, I guess I should go there as well."
*****
"Good evening, Belldandy. It's been a while. How have you
been all this time?"
Belldandy tried to put on her best smile as she stood in front
of Odin's throne. Freya was standing beside him, glaring at her. For
some reason, the older goddess had always seemed to harbor a dislike
for her and her sisters.
"I'm doing well, sir."
Odin nodded thoughtfully at her response. "That's good to hear.
How about your sisters?"
Belldandy's lower lip trembled a bit. She hoped that Odin
hadn't noticed. "They... they're in good health."
It was Odin's turn to smile at Belldandy. "I am happy to hear
that. Well, I suppose we should get down to business then. Freya, if
you would please leave the room...."
Freya wordlessly left her post and started walking out of the
room, glaring daggers at Belldandy as they passed each other. A few
seconds later, the sound of doors opening and closing signaled that
she had already left.
Odin immediately started talking. "I've just come back from an
emergency meeting with the heads of the other companies, Belldandy. Do
you know what the meeting was about?"
Belldandy's smile left her face. He knew! He already knew! "I
don't know, sir."
Odin shook his head slowly at her reply. "Apparently, we have
a crisis on our hands. Two of our goddesses wreaking havoc on the
mortal realm. An old enemy that we have previously thought imprisoned
forever has recently been released. Most importantly of all, the most
dangerous account we are currently handling has apparently escaped the
area of containment. Are you aware of this, Belldandy?"
Belldandy looked away as she spoke. "Yes sir."
Odin nodded slowly. "Good for you, then. You see, _I_ had
no idea any of this was going on. When I went to the meeting all I
knew was that one of the other companies has made a mistake. Imagine
my shock upon learning that it was my own company, and that I was
apparently the last to know. To say I was humiliated would be an
understatement."
Belldandy immediately started apologizing. "I'm terribly sorry
sir, but I thought--"
Odin interrupted Belldandy with a shout so loud it made her
ears ring. "No you didn't! You have done many things, most of them
without my knowledge, but thinking was definitely not one of them! Do
you know how I know this?"
Belldandy fought to keep herself from crying. "No, sir."
Odin slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne as he
replied to her. "Because if you had done any thinking at all, you would
have realized that this is one of the greatest threats that we've ever
faced! A threat, let me remind you, that is of your making!"
Tears started falling from Belldandy's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir."
Odin's own eyes flashed with anger. "You'd better be! I
thought I made it clear before that any further mistakes concerning
Ranma Saotome would not be tolerated! Now he's running around down
there under the control of Morrigan, of all people, in close proximity
to not one but two of the goddesses that control time! This is not even
counting the fact that he is also involved with those little brats from
the Silver Millennium! What were you thinking? This is a nightmare! The
other company heads were talking about reinstalling as a last resort!"
Belldandy's face paled at the mention of reinstallation.
"Please sir! I can fix things! Please don't--"
Odin silenced Belldandy with a wave of his hand. "There is no
need for you to beg. I managed to convince the other heads to abandon
that plan. I told them that you would be able to restore things to
order. This is your last chance, Belldandy. If you fail, I will enter
the code for reinstallation myself."
Belldandy dried her eyes and bowed low in front of Odin. "I
won't fail you, sir."
After leaving Odin's office, Belldandy quickly made her way to
her office. She had to get to Midgard before things got worse. There
was no time to lose. She just hoped that things didn't get too out of
hand before she got there.
*****
Author's Notes
I would like to thank Charles Stitman, M, Mark Biggar, Seaver,
Chester, Juan Paolo Gabrioti, Nathan Diederich, Flores, Wray, Egan
Mandreck, Kevin Henry, Vex, and Griever for all of the help they have
given me for this chapter.
Ya know, I just realized that I'm not content to have a fanfic
that's basically a seventeen chapter rant. I feel that, as a biased
author who plays character favorites, my author's notes should be a
really long rant as well. Here goes!
Well, how did you like that chapter? The battle didn't really
turn out as I envisioned it. The senshi are putting up too much of a
fight and I'm not emphasizing Mamoru's wussiness enough... still, I
guess it'll please all the people complaining about my biased writing
(that means you, Chester). I don't really know what's wrong with it,
though. What nobler reason to write can there be than bashing
characters you hate and making it seem like your favorite characters
are perfect?
Anyway, watch for the next chapters. They're gonna be really
good, sort of good, passable, somewhat bad, or really bad. How's that
for narrowing it down! ^-^
I've been informed by many people that the anime I'm currently
enamored with influences my writing greatly, so I'll be telling you
guys what I'm watching from now on! I've just finished watching Full
Metal Panic. Tessa is soooooo hot! Chidori has nothing on her. She
has that Ruri look that really gets to me. I'm working on finishing
Star Ocean, but all the lovey dovey crap is slowing me down. I've
also seen the Fatal Fury movie recently.
Whoa, I totally forgot to thank people and stuff! I have tons
of people to thank this time around. My theory from the last chapter
was proven correct, as thousands upon thousands of people sent me
links to the stuff that I wanted. Well, maybe not thousands, but a
lot of people nonetheless. Anyway....
Thanks to Francis for sending me Hand Maid May! He was trying
to break his record of mentions in the last chapter, so here he is
again, three more times: Francis Francis Francis! Also, a HUGE thanks
goes out to N_Yah for pointing me out to the most complete archive of
Mogudan works that I've ever seen! When I saw the Outlaw Star dojin
up for downloading, tears fell from my eyes. I swear, I was bawling
like a senshi on her special episode.
More HUGE thanks to the good people at the hentaimania forums,
who helped me find tons of stuff including but not limited to a bunch
of Big Boss dojinshi and a whopping thirty-six assorted works by
Studio Katsudon, not to mention Saigado's AMAZING Mai Special! I
would also like to thank JBee, David Andersson, Quy Duong Nguyen,
and all the other good people who have been kind enough to send me
links to dojin and anime goodness.
Also, I would like to take this chance to extend a very
special thanks to Steven Avery for taking the time to write me and
inform me of so many ways I could make the story better. I would
also like to apologize for the fact that although I agree with most
of his points and realize that following his suggestions would
improve the quality of my writing immensely, I just can't do it. A
Jose Argao fanfic without cliches, AFCs, character bashing, rants,
and long drawn out scenes that have no bearing on the story just
isn't a true Jose Argao fic. Gomen.
Chester should be either laughing hard, shaking his head, or
bashing it onto his keyboard right now. Kewlness.
What else can I talk about?
Oh yeah, my want-list! It's a new feature of my author's
notes designed to help me mooch stuff from friends and fans alike.
I'm currently looking for dojinshi by Big Boss (as always) and
Hanaukyo Maids dojinshi/manga (they're about the same anyway).
I'm looking for dojins by D'erlanger, Nadesico A, as well as anything
by the same dude who made Maria and Maria 2 (who was the author
of those awesome dojins? Is there a Maria 3?) I'm not really looking
for regular anime right now, since I've realized that I have a huge
backlog of anime to watch. I haven't even started on Gatekeepers,
Baki, and Rave yet. Remember kids, anyone who helps out has a chance
to be mentioned in next chapter's author's notes! How cool is that?
Well, not very, but it's something!
Please send C&C to ukyo_rulz@edsamail.com.ph
Visit my homepage (www.geocities.com/ex_fuk) for new chapters.