Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!). Other characters belong to their respective owners. Songs 'The Biggest Dreamer belongs to Digimon Tamers and 'Dancing in the Velvet Moon' belongs to Rosario+Vampire.
Note: this follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubs.
Chapter 36: Overseas! An Age of Faeries!
Saotome complex…
It was a peaceful afternoon at the Saotome home. Kasumi was out in the back taking down the laundry with Sasuke holding the basket.
"Clean as a whistle, as usual, Mistress Kasumi." Said Sasuke.
"I should hope so." Said Kasumi. "I wouldn't want to have done a bad job."
"Far from it!"
After gathering the laundry, Kasumi and Sasuke entered the living room to sort them out. Ranma walks in after a soul training session in the dojo.
"Hello, Ranma! You had a good workout?" asked Kasumi.
"Yep! Can't let myself get rusty, you know." Replied Ranma.
"Yes, that sounds just like you."
Stella comes down and sees the three. "Hey there, everyone!" She then noticed the laundry sorting Kasumi and Sasuke were doing. "Oh, don't worry, I can take care of this in a cinch!"
Using her magic, Stella caused the laundry to fold itself up and sort out by colors, make, and design. Sasuke was a bit surprised to see the numerous clothing articles float about and arrange themselves.
"Oh my!"
Stella knows her own clothes, and she knows the ones of her friends, so separating them wasn't a problem for her. "Hmmm… let's see, that's mine, mine, Bloom's, mine, Layla's, mine, mine, Ranma's, Flora's, Bloom's, Flora's, Tecna's, Musa's, Layla's, Musa's, Ran-" Stella stopped when she saw Ranma's boxers and blushed. Owner of said boxers quickly swiped them out of the air and hid them behind his back. "Oops…"
"I'll… just grab all my boxers from here…" said a blushing Ranma. Using his amaguriken technique, Ranma plucked out all his clean underwear from the floating pile and rushed them all to his room. He came back down later, letting out a breath of relief. "Okay, carry on." He quickly leaves to take a bath.
Some time later, Stella had finished magically rearranging the clothes and had them float to their respective rooms. Sasuke left to attend to other matters.
"I know that you're magical, but I still can't believe it when I see it." Said Kasumi.
"This? This is nothing compared to the other stuff me and my friends are capable of!" said Stella. "By the way, Kasumi, how about joining me and the girls in our room for a moment?"
"Huh? I don't mind, but what is it?"
"I was thinking you could use a change in attire. No offense, but that housedress is just too plain for such a lovely-looking girl like you."
Kasumi looks down at herself. When she thought about it, Stella had a point. Her usual attire made her look like a homemaker. It also reminded her of how her past life was like, giving her sad thoughts. She shook it off when she realized Stella referred to her as looking lovely. "Me? Lovely? No, I don't see myself that way…"
"Of course you are, Kasumi! As a fashion and beauty expert, I know! You just need to be more self-conscious and assertive!"
"But… I…"
"Now now now, just leave it to me!"
Stella escorts Kasumi to the guestroom where Bloom and the others were.
"Hello, Kasumi. What's going on?" asked Flora.
Stella clears her throat. "Ladies, we're going to work on Kasumi here."
"You mean…?" started Musa.
"You got it! It's time for a make-over game!"
The door to the Winx's room closes as Kasumi lets out one last "Oh… my!"
Opening (Digimon Tamers style, 'The Biggest Dreamer')
A flaming dragon appears and makes a loud roar before fading into a side shot of Ranma. The music starts as Ranma takes off running.
Wanna be the biggest dreamer
Zensokuryoku de (Running full speed through)
Mirai mo ima mo kake nukero (Both the future and the present)
Ranma runs across the mapped out globe. As he runs, the Winx appear on either side of him running alongside, then followed by his family and friends. At the last line, the Phantom Specialists rise up from behind Ranma and fly off. They all run from the continent of Japan to the United States.
A collage of Ranma is seen, followed by one of Ranma-chan, and one of him with the girls. The Pixies fly in, carrying the 'Ranma Club' logo and sets it before flying off. Kiko appears and swings and slides on it.
Sou boku wa ki zuitan da (That's right, I've realized)
Zutto shukudai wasureteta (I forgot to do my homework)
From behind, Ranma and the Winx are walking through the streets of New York at night, then stop to turn around. A shot of the city as people mill about. On the buildings, shadows of winged beings pass by.
Sore wa hitotsu no nazo nazo nazo (That's one puzzle, puzzle, puzzle)
"Boku wa dare nan darou?" ("Who am I?")
Shots of everyone else throughout the city: Ukyou is walking through the streets, Shampoo is standing by the road in China Town, Mousse was standing atop a light post looking out, and Kasumi and Sasuke were sitting at a park bench feeding pigeons before they flew off. It zooms out to show the entire city.
SURAIDINGU shite surimuketa hiza (Even if I am sliding)
Itakutatte ne (And skin my knees)
Undershot as it shows the Pixies fly up and hover in place, with Zing at the center. The shot goes overhead and shows the Pixies' respective bonded partners below them looking up.
Sugu tachiagaranakya (I've gotta stand right back up)
CHANSU wa nigete yuku wakatteru sa (Or my chance will run away, I know)
The scene switches to Shampoo holding her bonboris, then her cat form and catwoman form appear behind her. Switch to Ukyou with her spatula, then her fox and foxwoman forms behind her. Switch to Mousse with his hands in his sleeves, then his duck form and a shaded in humanoid winged form behind him. Switch to Kasumi in her new attire taking a respectful bow, then two shaded in forms behind her. Switch to Sasuke taking a seat looking nervous, then two shaded in forms behind him.
The city's enveloped in a flash of light.
Big and bigger, biggest dreamer!
Yume miru koto ga (Dreaming is the start)
Ranma walks towards the screen in the foreground. In the background, Platinum Sky slashes with his long sword in conjunction with punches and kicks, followed by Diamond Brandon swinging his huge broadsword.
Subete hajimari sore ga kotae daro (Of everything, that's the answer)
Gold Helia whips out with his light cables, then Onyx Riven jumps in slashing with his scimitar.
Dare yori tooku e tonde miseru yo (I'll fly farther than anyone)
Subete no asu wo tsuranuite (Through all the tomorrows)
Silver Timmy quick draws his gun and fires numerous shots, then Amethyst Nabu flies in spinning his staff and launching a beam of light from it.
Wanna be the biggest dreamer
Zensokuryoku de (Running full speed through)
Mirai mo ima mo kake nukero (Both the future and the present)
Ranma looks upward, followed by each of the Winx turning to look up. Before them was a tall building with a castle on top, and something on it.
The scene whites out to show Kiko's face. He hops over to the back as the Ranma Club cast walks out and appears behind him to take a pose.
End opening
Ranma finished refreshing himself from his training sessions and heads down towards the living room. He finds, Shampoo, Ukyou, Mousse, and Sasuke there.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" asked Ranma.
"Stella said that she and her friends were giving Kasumi a makeover." Replied Mousse.
"Huh? Kasumi?"
"It true, Ranma! They say they give Kasumi change!" added Shampoo.
"Probably the same as what they did with us." Said Ukyou.
Ranma gulped. He looked at Shampoo and Ukyou's skimpy attire, a product of Stella's makeover. He then recalled his own makeover by her for his female form. When he thought about it, Ranma couldn't imagine pure, conservative Kasumi dressed like that.
Stella comes down the stairs. "Your attention, please! I have succeeded yet again! Another fashion miracle!"
Everyone turned their attention to the blonde faerie. Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla came down after next to Stella. Kiko was sitting on Bloom's shoulder.
"Where is Mistress Kasumi?" asked Sasuke.
Stella smirked and gestures to the stairs. "Come on down, Kasumi!"
Slowly, Kasumi stepped down the stairs and into full view. The Nerima residents looked shocked at what they were seeing.
The elder Tendo sister was no longer in her conservative housedress. On Kasumi's feet were white wedge sandals with triple straps. Instead of a skirt, she wore a pair of form-fitting blue slacks that emphasized her curves while being loose just below the knees. Her wrists were adorned with matching gold bracelets. Her top consisted of a short white blouse with the sleeves folded up to the forearms. It had no buttons, so the blouse was tied right underneath her breasts, fully exposing her midriff all around as well as a bit of cleavage. From the look of it, Kasumi didn't look like she was wearing a bra. She still retained her white hair ribbon but was moved towards the end of her hair rather than at the middle near her neck.
Kasumi could only blush as she stood before everyone in her current attire. Aside from the beach, she never wore something so exposed in public. It wasn't as revealing as Ukyou and Shampoo's clothes, but just enough for her.
Shampoo and Ukyou looked shocked. Ranma, Mousse, and Sasuke were even more dumbfounded. Kasumi had always been considered a looker even with her housedress, but the new outfit only made her natural beauty radiate even more. The clothes accented her curves quite nicely, and were a bit skimpy compared to her usual attire but still conservative enough.
"Er… how do I look?" Kasumi asked nervously while blushing.
Sasuke was the first to speak. "Oh! You look absolutely radiant, Mistress Kasumi! Oh, I'm not worthy!" He immediately bowed down on his knees.
"Wow, Kasumi, you look great!" said Ukyou.
"That look suits you." Said Mousse.
"Shampoo never knew you make it look good!" added Shampoo.
"Yeah, Kasumi. You look rather… stunning…" said Ranma. He looked over to Stella, who gave him a wink and a thumbs up. "Stella did a great job on you."
"Of course!" said Stella. She then whispered to Kasumi. "You see? They can't keep their eyes off of you! Heeheehee!"
Kasumi blushed more after what Stella said. Flora looked at her. "You feeling all right, Kasumi?"
Kasumi was silent for a moment, then spoke up. "Actually, I feel somewhat… refreshed…" The dutiful Tendo girl had always been used to wearing her housedresses. Wearing the tied up blouse and slacks ensemble had been a new experience for her. Despite it being more skimpy than her usual clothes, Kasumi's new ones made her feel comfortable and unrestrained. It wasn't just in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense, too. Her housedress looked more like it was fit for a homemaker… or a housekeeper. When it had been revealed to Kasumi by Bloom that her life was seemingly going nowhere and that in truth, she wasn't at all happy at where she is, she left the Tendo home to be given a new chance at life. For that, she threw away her past life as a caretaker for ungrateful people to start on her own, and she liked it. This was also why she shunned Nabiki and Akane when they tried to convince her to return back home with them so that the Tendo home could be restored from the mess it was currently in. At the Saotome complex, she wasn't treated like a maid, no one expected her to do all the work for them, and she was being treated like an equal. Kasumi had experienced life outside of being a busy bunny all day long. The housedress was like a reminder of the past life she once had. Symbolically, the change in attire is like a sign that Kasumi has left her past self behind, and she won't be going back to it anytime soon. A change in appearance is only appropriate for a change in lifestyle.
"You see? I told you a make-over would do you some good!" said Stella.
Everyone nods in agreement, even Kiko.
"Thank you, Stella, and you girls as well." Said Kasumi.
"Don't mention it, Girlfriend!" said Musa.
The Pixies flew into the room from the direction of the front door.
"Hey everyone! Miss Nodoka's got an announcement!" said Chatta excitedly.
"Huh? Mom?" asked Ranma.
Amore nods, then turned her attention to the newly dressed Kasumi. "Oh, Miss Kasumi looks rather stunning! I'm guessing you had something to do with it, Stella?"
"Guilty!" said Stella.
Kasumi and Sasuke looked confused at who the blonde faerie was talking to.
Nodoka walks into the room. "Oh good, everyone is here…" She notices Kasumi. "Oh, Kasumi! I love the new look on you!"
"Thank you, Auntie." Said Kasumi. "It's all thanks to your students here."
Nodoka smiles at the fact Kasumi s new attire seemed to have given her more self confidence. She got back to the topic at hand. "Alright everyone, I have an announcement. I had received a call from a good friend of mine overseas some time ago. We're going to have a little get-together since we haven't seen each other in a while. Therefore, we're going to have a little trip!"
"A trip, Mom? Where?" asked Ranma.
"To Manhattan!"
"Manhattan? In America?"
"Oh wow! New York! Where Broadway started!" said Bloom.
"Sounds like an interesting place." Said Tecna.
"I've always wanted to go there! I've only seen it in movies, but not in real life!"
"Same here. I've never left Japan." Said Kasumi. "Oh my, this is exciting! So when do we leave?"
"As soon as we can get packed." Replied Nodoka.
"Huh? You mean you've booked us a flight already?"
"No, we've got something better…"
Some time later…
Everyone stood before Nodoka(Cologne didn't feel like going as she had to watch the shop). Each person carried at least one suitcase. Nodoka noticed that Stella had about five large ones.
"Stella, dear, we're only going to be there for a short while, not months!" said Nodoka. "Just what do you have in there?"
"Just my clothes… and a few accessories…" replied Stella.
Nodoka sweatdrops as she looked at the luggage in which each was about as big as small bed. "Just pack lightly, okay?"
Stella groans, but obliges. She settled with bringing one of the suitcases.
Nodoka looks over to Sasuke, who only carried a small green sack. She then looked over to Mousse, who didn't have anything at all. "Where's your luggage?"
"Oh trust me, I have it." Replied Mousse.
Nodoka tilted her head, but shook it off. She instructed everyone to put their luggage before her, then made them all disappear into a subspace pocket for storage. Walking about with them would be too bulky. "Okay, is everybody ready?"
"YEAH!"
"Then it's off to Manhattan!"
"Excuse me, Ms. Nodoka, but you mentioned we weren't taking a flight. How exactly are we going to get there?" asked Sasuke.
"Like this…" Nodoka turns and holds her hand out before her. "Warp Gate!"
A large multi-colored disc formed in the air before them. Kasumi and Sasuke looked shocked at what they're seeing.
"This certainly beats swimming there." Said Ranma.
"Follow me." Nodoka enters the portal after psychically setting the coordinates of their destination. One by one, everyone enters the portal until Kasumi and Sasuke were the only ones left.
"I don't know about this…" said Sasuke.
Layla's hands suddenly come out of the portal and grabbed their wrists. "Come on, you two. It's all right."
The faerie of water pulled the two in, with Sasuke yelping in surprise. Once everyone was through, the portal vanished.
In an alleyway…
The destination warp gate opened, and out came Nodoka and her party. The gate vanished in an instant.
"Where are we?" asked Musa.
"Looks like an alleyway." Said Ukyou.
"Sorry, everyone. I couldn't risk opening up a gateway in a populated place." Said Nodoka. "However, we are definitely in Manhattan."
"We are?" asked Ranma. He goes to peek around the corner and sees the city in its entirety. "Whoa… check it out!"
Everyone else exited the alleyway to see themselves standing in the streets of Manhattan. Tall buildings filled the area, the roads were packed with cars, and people milled about.
"It's almost like Tokyo City…" said Ukyou.
"So where do we go from here, Saotome-san?" asked Flora.
"We're going to the Eyrie Building. If I can recall, it's only a short walk away from here." Replied Nodoka as she started to walk.
"Huh? 'Eyrie Building'? That just sounds… eerie…" said Stella. Everyone groans at the pun.
Some time later, the group of thirteen plus one rabbit and six Pixies have arrived to their destination, the tall skyscraper known as the Eyrie Building. The Eyrie Building before them was very tall, tall enough for the top of it to pass above the late afternoon clouds. From the look of it, it seemed to be a top rate business skyscraper. What got their attention was that further up the side of the building was a giant window to display the huge atrium inside. It just seemed strange to them that it showed what looked like unearthed… earth behind the huge window.
"This is place?" asked Shampoo.
"Your friend works here, Mom?" asked Ranma.
"Actually, he owns it. He's a very successful corporate enterprise business man in the field of technological research and development." Replied Nodoka. Tecna became especially interested in that fact. "As well as it being his corporate headquarters, it's also his personal residence."
"Seriously? A private building? This friend of yours must be seriously loaded!" said Ranma.
They all entered the building. Bloom was the last to enter when she had stopped to look upwards. Some of the clouds have parted a bit, giving her a better view of the top of the building. She was startled when she saw what looked like the stone parapet of a medieval castle.
'Huh? Is that a castle on top of this building? Was that earth we saw in the window its foundation?'
"Hey Bloom! What are you doing? Hurry up!" called out Stella from the building entrance.
Bloom was snapped back to reality. "Sorry! I'm coming!"
The redhead followed her friend inside. Panning upwards through the clouds, an ancient European castle could be seen sitting on top of the Eyrie Building. Spread out on the parapets were seven stone statues of fearsome looking beings.
The group entered the lobby and marveled at the setup. The lobby was huge! Many decorated square pillars with built-in lights held the floors up. The waiting area had several plush couches and coffee tables. Towards the back was a receptionist desk and behind it three doors going to different parts of the office floor. On each side of the reception desk were two grand red carpeted staircases leading to the upper level. Down the halls were several public elevators. Another distinguishable trait was that everything looked gold-plated. Many employees walked about tending to their duties.
"Whew… sweet setup here!" whistled Musa.
"Yes, we are quite proud of the structure of the Eyrie Building. Nothing less for Xanatos Enterprises."
The group turned towards the source of the monotonous tone of voice. Standing before them was a spectacled, clean-cut blonde man in a dark navy blue business suit. He was rather tall and lean built. His face was devoid of any emotion whatsoever that he might as well be a robot. His left hand was balled into a permanent fist and looked… stiff.
"Burnett-san, It's good to see you again." Greeted Nodoka.
"As with you, Ms. Saotome." Owen Burnett greeted back monotonously.
"I trust that David is around? How has he been?"
"Mr. Xanatos is in his penthouse office and has been doing fine these past times."
"That's good to know. Can we see him?"
"Certainly. I believe Mr. Xanatos was expecting you."
Owen made a one-eighty degree turn as if he were on ball bearings and headed towards the elevators.
As they followed him, Shampoo whispered to the others. "He stiffer than Great Wall…"
"I heard that." Said Owen.
Shampoo eeped and clapped her hands over her mouth. She looked down and noticed Owen's left hand was dark gray. It wasn't flesh, nor was it a glove. It looked more like rock. 'No think stiff man be THAT stiff…'
She wasn't the only one suspicious of Owen. Ranma and the Winx were also a little curious as they sensed something was off in the monotonous man. He seemed to hold in him a power that seemed… mischievous, but at the same time sealed off. The Pixies were flying by and observed Owen. The personal assistant peeked from the corner of his eye and turns to look up directly at the Pixies, raising an eyebrow, much to their shock. His expression remained emotionless as he made a dismissive grunt and continued on his way.
"Did… did he just… SEE us?" asked Lockette.
"No way! On Earth, only children and animals can see us!" said Digit.
Eyrie Building atrium…
The elevator trip to the atrium was quite long. Fortunately, the elevators were big enough to hold the group. Still, it was a good feeling to get out of its cramped space. What the group saw inside the atrium was marvelous. It was a huge space consisting of three levels containing lush foliage as well as an artificial waterfall, lake, and stream. The walls and ceiling were glass windows giving off a view of the sky and the city down below. Hanging above was a huge rock formation. They would've never expected something like this inside a building. It was a natural and botanical wonder (though not as lovely as Ryokumon's hidden garden in Flora's opinion).
"Welcome to the atrium." Said Owen simply.
"Whoa…" said Ranma.
"It's beautiful…" said Bloom.
"Who would've thought all this could be inside a building?" commented Musa.
"Yes, it is rather impressive, isn't it?" said Owen in an unenthused tone. "Mr. Xanatos will be here shortly."
As if on cue, said person walks in from another elevator along with someone else.
"Correction, Owen, I have arrived."
Ranma's group came face to face with a tall well-built mustached and short-bearded man in a black tie-less suit. He was slightly tanned, with dark brown hair tied back in a loose tail. He carried himself with an air of confidence befitting a successful industrialist.
Next to him was a beautiful red-haired woman clad in black shoes and denim, and a red long-sleeved shirt. Her long hair reached the back of her waist. However, the most distinguishing part of her is the gray tattoo over her right eye, which was in the shape of a fox's head.
"David! It's good to see you again!" greeted Nodoka.
"The feeling's mutual, Nodoka." Said Xanatos as they shared a friendly hug. "You've arrived mush faster than anticipated."
"I have my ways." She addressed the others. "Everyone, this is David Xanatos. David, this is my family and students."
Brief introductions were made to Xanatos who filed their names away.
"Hello there. Quite a group you have."
"Certainly so." Said the woman.
"I'd also like you to meet Fox, my wife."
He takes Fox's hand, who gives them all a curt bow. "Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure's all ours, Fox-san." Said Nodoka, bowing back.
"Please, just Fox."
"As you wish."
Fox nodded, then thought she saw something from the corner of her eye. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw the Pixies floating to the side. She didn't make anything of it since it didn't look like David noticed despite floating there in plain view, and he was considered very observant.
"I noticed you've renovated this place since the last time I was here." Said Nodoka.
"More a reason than a need, I can assure you." Said Xanatos. "Come, allow us to give you a tour of my new abode. Owen?"
"Of course, sir." Said Owen as he led the way towards the elevator leading to the top of the building.
As they walked, Fox whispered to her husband.
"David, did you by any chance see six little flying pixies?"
"Huh? No…"
"Oh, I thought so."
"Why do you ask? You don't suppose your mother is around?"
"No, it's not that. I don't think Mother's involved at all."
Xanatos gets a brooding look and makes a mental note to ask Owen about this later.
Top floor of Eyrie Building…
Everyone comes out into the great hall. The interior was of stone medieval quality, but with a modernized look. While the walls and ceiling were stone, the floor was of polished tiles. The arching doorways were built with automatic security doors. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling and several tapestries adorned the walls. A main desk sat at the end of the room.
"Oh my, it's like a castle!" said Kasumi.
"Funny you should mention that, my dear. That's because it actually is." Said Xanatos.
"Huh?" said Sasuke.
"Probably best if I showed you."
Opening the doorway, they come across the courtyard. While the interior was modernized, the exterior definitely retained its medieval look, save for a few light posts and hidden surveillance cameras. The castle area was huge! I had several levels leading to different section of the castle. Some foliage lined the pathways and towering parapets lined the outer walls. It was big enough to occupy the entire rooftop of the skyscraper.
"No way! It's an entire castle!" said Layla.
"Aiya! It really so!" said Shampoo.
"You mean you had a castle built on your building, Xanatos-san?" asked Ranma.
"Not quite, my boy." Replied Xanatos. "The truth is that I bought this castle a few years ago in Scotland and had it flown over here piece by piece."
"You mean you had this castle moved from another country entirely and had it placed on your building?" asked Ukyou incredulously.
"That is correct. I'd say Castle Wyvern makes a splendid addition to my home."
"Goodness! The cost of that venture must've been astronomical!" said Tecna.
"I said the same thing to him." Said Owen, surprising the girl. His silence made them forget he was there.
"Then those rocks from the atrium…" started Bloom.
"That's right. It's actually the foundation of the castle."
"I can tell you're all curious. Go ahead and look around. Just be careful not to break anything." Said Xanatos.
The teenagers were excited and immediately split off to explore the castle.
"I think you're spoiling them, David." Said Nodoka jokingly.
"Not at all." Said Xanatos.
"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Xanatos, I shall go check up on young Alexander." Said Owen.
"Thank you, Owen."
Owen bows and leaves the courtyard.
"Alexander? Is he your son?" asked Nodoka.
"That's right. Next in line of Xanatos Enterprises."
"He's our pride and joy." Added Fox. "He'll grow up to be a fine young man under our care."
"I'm sure he will." Said Nodoka. "Maybe he'll grow up to be like my son."
"Maybe so…" Fox looked off to see Ranma walking about through the courtyards. "Your son looks like a fine catch. I bet those girls never leave him alone."
Nodoka giggled. "Oh, he doesn't mind at all."
"I noticed that your company had grown a lot since the last time I saw you, Nodoka." Said Xanatos. "You used to live alone."
"I did, but recent events had reunited me with Ranma, and I had gained a surrogate family soon after in my son's friends and with my students."
"And your husband?"
Nodoka took a dark look. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about that fool. It's kind of complicated."
"Sorry about that. So you teach now?"
"At a prestigious college. I teach… life sciences."
As the adults continued their chat, the others were walking about. Sasuke was with Kasumi as they walked down the numerous pathways. Shampoo, Mousse, and Ukyou were exploring the towers. Musa and Layla were admiring the view from over the walls. Flora was studying the foliage while Tecna studied the structure. Bloom, Stella, and Kiko were climbing up to the higher levels of the courtyard.
With Ranma, he was on the mid level of the main tower. He was looking out towards the afternoon sun and admiring the view.
"Man, I don't think Tokyo Tower has anything on this place." Said Ranma as he hopped up on one of the parapet structures. He walks around the winding pathway until he saw six statues. "Whoa…" The statues were of fearsome creatures. Five of them were humanoid in appearance and had bat-like wings with long tails, one of the statues feminine in looks. The sixth was quadruped with a short tail and lacked wings. "So lifelike. I think they're called gargoyles, if I recall…" Ranma looks upwards towards the highest point of the tower, and in a single bound, leapt up on top. There he saw a seventh gargoyle statue, this one much bigger than the previous six. It was in what looked like a battle stance with claws and fangs bared and wings spread out. "This one is pretty big. Must be the leader of these statues, heh." He looks out in the direction the statue was facing. "Quite a view you got here, huh, buddy? Guess you got the best seat in the house. Come around here, often? Read any good books lately?" Ranma stood there silent. "What the hell am I doing? I'm talking to a statue…"
Some time later, everybody had been called back as Xanatos had Owen make room preparations for them as they are guests. There certainly was enough room for them in the castle, let alone the hundred plus floor skyscraper. As expected, the guestrooms were of top quality like that of a five star hotel. They were to stay as long as they needed.
Once they were settled in, Ranma decided to take to the streets for a while. The others opted to check out the rest of the renovated castle's interiors and other points of interest in the Eyrie Building. After a long trip down to the first floor, Ranma exited into the street.
"Man, must be a pain for takeout deliveries…" said Ranma as he turned to look upwards at the Eyrie Building. He could barely see the castle up top, then turns and walks down the streets.
Ranma had walked for some time now, observing the sights, getting a feel for his surroundings. Something tells him that this international visit might get ugly, as his previous experiences in Nerima and Magix have told him. That, and cities like this are vulnerable to crime, not that he was worried, being a highly trained martial artist and magic user.
Near a more deserted part of the city, he heard gunfire and… laserfire? "What the hell was that!" He runs towards the direction the sound came from and arrives at an abandoned car lot. Ranma sees what looked to be two police officers, a man and a woman, in a gunfight with several armed hooded thugs. The officers were hiding behind some wrecked cars for cover from the thugs' advanced weaponry.
"DIE, COPPERS!"
"ALL WHO STAND IN THE WAY OF THE QUARRYMEN'S DUTIES DESERVE DEATH!"
Detectives Elisa Maza and Matt Bluestone were in a heap of trouble. They had chased two Quarrymen throughout the streets which eventually led them to the abandoned lot, and into the ambush they were in. A total of seven Quarrymen were shooting at them with their laser guns.
"This is just great, we're being swamped here! Where's our backup!" said Matt.
"These Quarrymen are such a pain…" said Elisa as she went up to fire another shot before ducking back down. "We'll be out of bullets soon, and those guys have nearly limitless ammo!"
"If only it were night…"
"I know, but I'm afraid we're on our own here. We'll make it out of here alive until our backup arrives!"
"Yeah! I still have things I want to do!"
Ranma had seen enough. Those officers need help. Seven against two wasn't very fair, so he'll even those odds a bit. With that thought in mind, he silently went around the back of the lot.
"SAY YOUR PRAYERS, COPS!" The Quarryman was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. Turning around in confusion, he was met with a fist to his face, courtesy of Ranma. "UGH!"
This caught the attention of the other six. "Huh!"
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!"
"Just a passer-byer." Said Ranma as he cracked his knuckles. "You don't want to have anything to do with me. It's obvious you're the criminals here. Just turn yourselves in and I won't have to send you all to the hospital."
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, PUNK KID!"
"HE'S PROBABLY A FREAK LOVER! KILL HIM!"
The six remaining Quarrymen closed in on Ranma, who sighed in disgust.
Elisa and Matt noticed the firing on them had stopped and heard the commotion.
"What's going on, Elisa?" asked Matt.
"I'm not sure." Replied Elisa. They both dared to peek over their cover and saw six of the Seven Quarrymen converge on a Japanese youth. "Where'd that kid come from?"
The Quarrymen shot at Ranma, but the pigtailed boy nimbly dodged all their attempts at making him a target. He jumps at one Quarryman, tagging him in the face with a flying kick. Turning around, he ducks another laser shot and rushes at the shooter. Dodging again, Ranma kicks the gun out of the Quarryman's hands and nailed him hard with a triple punch combination. Turning, he catches in time a Quarryman charging at him with what appeared to be a lightning-charged sledgehammer. Letting that hit him would not be a good idea and quickly sidestepped to avoid the blow. The missed attack made a small crater in the ground.
"That was dangerous, you jerk!" said Ranma angrily before gut punching the offender followed by an upperkick, sending him flying.
Two Quarrymen began firing on Ranma, who jumped out of the way. Running forward, he dodged what lasers were shot at them as easily as if he were dodging attacks from any of the NWC. Lashing out with his fists, he broke their laser guns. Before the two Quarrymen realized what had happened, they were immediately floored via jumping split kick by Ranma. The last Quarryman rushes at Ranma with his charged sledgehammer, swinging wildly.
"STAY STILL, FREAK LOVER!"
Ranma didn't understand why these masked whackos were calling him that, but he won't stand for being attacked especially by a hammer. The Quarryman does a horizontal swing at Ranma, but then seemingly vanished. He was confused as to where he went, but then looked up in shock seeing that Ranma was balancing on the shaft of his sledgehammer as if he were weightless. Before he could react, Ranma strikes him hard in the face with a backflip kick, knocking him down for the count.
Elisa and Matt couldn't believe what they had seen. An unarmed teenager had soundly beaten a group of armed thugs like nothing.
"Whoa… that kid's got moves! I've only seen that sort of thing in martial arts flicks!" said Matt.
Elisa could only nod in agreement, but then became alarmed when she saw one of the Quarrymen had recovered and was about to blindside the Japanese kid from behind with his sledgehammer. "HEY! LOOK OUT!"
Ranma didn't bother to turn around. Just as the Quarryman was about to cave Ranma's skull in, Amethyst Nabu emerges from Ranma's back and elbows the assailant in the gut, then follows up with a knee kick and finally a roundhouse, sending the would-be attacker sprawling. With his host safe, Amethyst Nabu fuses back into Ranma. The pigtailed boy looks down at the dropped techno sledgehammer and frowns. Angrily, he shoots his foot up and brings it down into an axe kick, breaking the hammer in two.
"I warned you, you whackos!" said Ranma in annoyance.
Elisa's eyes widened at what she had witnessed. 'Huh? Did I just see a ghost come out of that teenager's back?'(1)
"What just happened? That Quarryman was just about to hit that kid from behind, but then he just fell back like he was struck without the kid even touching him…" said Matt.
Elisa looked over to Matt in confusion. 'Huh? Matt didn't see the ghost? But why?'
'
Ranma turns his attention to the two officers who had been pinned down earlier. "Hey! You two all right over there?"
The pigtailed boy sees the two officers stand up and come into view. One was a red-haired man in a brown suit and a pale trench coat. The other was a beautiful tanned-skinned woman with long black hair and dressed in blue jeans and a red leather jacket.
"We are now, thanks to you, young man." Said Elisa as she holsters her gun, her partner doing the same.
"Yeah, no kidding! That was real impressive, kid! You took out an armed group with your bare hands! You a martial artist or something?" asked Matt.
"As a matter of fact I am." Replied Ranma with pride. "I saw you two under fire and I had to help out. Just who are these whack jobs anyway?"
"You're not from around here, are you?" asked Elisa.
"Figures. They're a group called the Quarrymen, an insane group of vigilantes whose sole purpose is to destroy gargoyles. They cause a lot of public property damage. You ask me, they're just racist fanatics." Said Matt.
"Huh?"
"If you stay around Manhattan, you'll get what we mean." Said Elisa.
Ranma gets a complicated look as he thought back to those statues he saw at Xanatos' residence.
Elisa and Matt turned their heads towards the sounds of sirens coming their way. Several police cars rush up and stopped before the abandoned lot as more police officers came out.
"So typical, the backup arrives AFTER the situation dies down…" muttered Matt.
"Thanks for your help, but now we can take it from-" Elisa started, but then stopped as she turned around to see that the Japanese boy was gone. "Huh?"
"Hey! Where'd that kid go?" asked Matt as he looked around.
Elisa was wondering the same thing. 'Who was that boy? He's no ordinary youth, that's for sure. Something tells me that we'll meet again…'
For now, she and the others go to arrest the downed Quarrymen and cart them off to the precinct.
Later on in the day, Ranma continued walking through the streets. It had taken him quite a while that before he knew it, it was already nightfall.
'Maybe I shouldn't have run off like that…' thought Ranma. 'Still, I doubt I could've answered any questions they might've asked of me.' He looks up to see the sky darkening. 'Oh crap! I didn't even realize I was gone this long. I'd better get back or everyone might worry.'
He starts heading towards the Eyrie Building. It wasn't that hard to miss. Just look for the really tall skyscraper with the medieval castle perched on top.
"Ranma! Over here!"
Ranma turned to the voice and saw Bloom waving at him. Behind her were Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla.
"Oh, Girls! What're you all doing here?" asked Ranma as he made his way towards them.
"We were looking for you. You've been gone for a while now." Replied Flora.
"No kidding, it's almost nightfall." Said Layla.
"Sorry about that…" said Ranma.
"Well, we found you now. How about heading back?" said Musa.
"Sounds like a plan."
"So Ranma, what happened while you were out?" asked Stella.
"Took down a gang of masked crazies."
The group of seven walked off together. Further down, they came before a large public park full of trees. They decided to cut through the park to get back to the Eyrie.
The park was full of foliage, the stone walkways lit up by the light posts.
"What a lovely park…" said Flora in awe.
Bloom nods in agreement. She started to feel a bit nostalgic walking through there as she had remembered that she first met Stella in a public park and found out about her faerie heritage. That fateful meeting changed her life forever.
"Well, we're almost out of here." Said Ranma.
"What's the hurry? Why don't you stay a while? Hehehe…"
The group of teenagers was startled at the new voice. A thug comes out from behind a tree, wearing a smug expression on his face.
"Err… sorry, but we have someplace to go." Said Tecna.
"Oh, but we insist you stay." Said the thug.
Suddenly, more punks come out into the open. Fourteen gang members in all appeared and surrounded the faerie students. Each of the punks was armed with weapons ranging from pipes, chains, knives, broken bottles, lumbers, and brass knuckles. Bloom, Stella, Musa, and Layla had a sickening feeling of déjà vu as they remembered this happening during their unofficial visit to Gardenia during their second year.
"The atmosphere here has suddenly taken a nosedive…" muttered Ranma. He and the girls stood back to back, facing the surrounding punks.
"This's our turf, pretty boy. You'll have to pay the toll fee." Said the lead punk. He brandishes a pair of butterfly knives. "Now, how about leaving us all your valuables?"
"Hey boss! Those ladies there are real hotties!"
"Yeah! Would be a real shame if we had to get rough with them."
The Winx became visibly disgusted at this.
"You got a point, boys." Said the leader as he gave a lecherous grin to the six girls behind Ranma, who cringed. "Why don't you just leave the ladies with us? We'd be much better company than you."
Ranma growled under his breath, along with the six souls in him. Like he would allow these scumbags to even touch a hair on the girls. "Like hell I will! Listen, punk, believe me, you do NOT want to get on my bad side! Now get out of the way before you get hurt!"
All the gang members laughed at this declaration.
"Oh? You think you can stop us yourself? Hilarious!" The leader raises a hand, signaling the others to attack. "Grab the girls, and beat the crap out of the guy!"
Ranma's eyes narrowed and he quickly slid into a fighting stance. Before he could retaliate, a roar was heard. A shaded figure with wings jumped out and took down two of the punks. More of the shadowed shapes came out and started assaulting the rest of the gang members. The punks screamed as inhuman roars filled the air.
"Huh? What's going on?" asked Ranma to no one in particular.
The pigtailed boy had counted five of the winged shapes. Their rescuers were easily beating the crap out of the punks with utmost efficiency. The carnage continued and all the punks ran off screaming like scared rabbits.
"Whoa…" said Stella as she saw the punks running.
"Are you all right?"
The Alfea students turned their attention to the deep voice. They were a bit shocked when they got a clear view of their rescuers.
All five figures were humanoid in shape, but with very distinguishable traits. Rather than five fingers, they possessed four sharp talons on each hand. Their feet were three-taloned and were shaped in a way that they looked like they were permanently walking on their tiptoes. Each of the figures also had long tails that occasionally swished, and large bat-like wings on their backs.
The first one was green-skinned and quite pudgy, which belied his strength. His ears were fin-shaped and his face a bit pudgy yet contained a bit of innocence. He wore just a dark blue loincloth.
The next one was red-skinned and thinner unlike the green one. He also had thin horns on his head and long white hair that seemed unkempt. Unlike the others, he had a bird-like beak and seemed to possess a bit of rebelliousness. He, too, also sported a dark blue loincloth.
The yellow-skinned one was a lot smaller. His wing structure was different as they were attached under his arms like a flying squirrel rather than on his back. He was bald like the green one and had rather large eyes that reflected intelligence. Like with the green and red, he also wore a dark blue loincloth.
The next one was obviously female. She was lavender-skinned and has quite a voluptuous figure. Her face seemed very angelic in contrast of her non-human appearance. Her long waist-length dark hair was tied in two places. She wore a white loincloth and a matching white midriff-baring top that was sewn in front, but barely kept her assets held. She wore gold earrings on her ears and a gold bracelet on her left wrist.(2)
Finally, they laid eyes on the big one. He was lavender-skinned like the female and had long dark hair reaching his waist. He was also very well built, standing over seven feet tall and had a chiseled face which reflected his strength, wisdom, and experience. Like the males, he wore a dark brown loincloth.
"Actually, we are now, thanks." Said Bloom.
"Even if you didn't show up, I could've taken those guys." Said Ranma, which earned him an elbow to the side from Layla.
"Ranma! Is that any way to speak to your rescuers?" scolded Layla.
"Ow ow! Sorry…" said Ranma as he rubbed his sore side. "Thanks for helping us out, whoever you are…"
"We greatly appreciate it." Said Flora with a bow.
The Manhattan Clan were a bit shocked. They didn't expect this sort of reaction, especially from young women.
"Wow, now this is unexpected…" said the red gargoyle.
"No kidding. Usually they'd be scared of us." Added the green gargoyle.
"You all are certainly taking this rather well." Said the female gargoyle. "Still, it makes me glad."
"Believe me, can't speak for the girls here, but I've seen worse." Said Ranma. 'Hmmm… they'd make good sparring partners…'
"You're gargoyles, aren't you?" asked Tecna.
"That's right. We are." Replied the yellow gargoyle.
"Well, we're glad you're all unharmed. We should be going." Said the lavender gargoyle. He gestures towards the others to go ahead and leave.
"Hey! Wait!" Ranma called out. Before he knew it, the five gargoyles had glided off.
"That's something you don't see everyday." Said Stella. "And here I thought magical creatures couldn't be found on Earth."
"They usually don't, Stella." Said Bloom.
The group continued on their way to exit the park. Ranma was lost in thought about the encounter. 'Hmmm… something about those guys seemed familiar… they look just like those statues at the castle… no, it can't be…'
"Ranma? What're you thinking about?" asked Flora.
Ranma was brought back to reality. "Huh? Oh, nothing, Flora. Just thought those gargoyles seemed familiar somehow."
Some time later over Manhattan…
"Those were some unique humans." Said Lexington.
"No kidding. They were surprisingly courteous." Said Broadway.
"Still, those girls were pretty hot…" said Brooklyn.
"Getting lecherous, Brooklyn?" teased Angela.
"Huh? Oh no no! It's just… I mean… uh… argh!"
Broadway, Lexington, and Angela laugh at Brooklyn's reaction.
"Enough, you four. We need to go and check up on Hudson and Bronx." Said Goliath as he was taking the lead. His communicator pendant crackled to life. The pendants were provided to each of the Gargoyles by Xanatos in order to keep in touch with each other. Goliath patched it on open channels. "This is Goliath. What is your situation?"
He was startled when he heard what sounded like laser fire in the background.
"Aye, Goliath. I'm afraid Bronx and I have bitten off more than we k'in chew." Replied Hudson on the other end.
"Hudson! What's going on! Where are you!"
"Ran intae a Quarryman ambush! By thee dockside, warehouse thare-teen!"
"The docks? That'll take us a minute to get there!" said Brooklyn.
"But we may not have that much time!" said Lexington.
"Hold on, old friend! We're coming for you!" said Goliath.
The five gargoyles immediately glided towards Hudson's location.
Warehouse thirteen…
Hudson and Bronx were currently hiding behind crates from open fire. Unfortunately, it's been shot through several times that it won't hold off for long.
"Quite a wee bit o' trouble we've gatten ourselves intae, eh Boy?" said Hudson to Bronx, who growfed in response. Seeing that their cover wasn't going to last very long, they both made a break for it just before the heavy crates exploded.
"I GOT YOU, YOU MONSTER!"
Hudson turned in time to block a Quarryman hammer swing with his sword. The old gargoyle quickly shoved the Quarryman away, then deflects a laser shot with the flat of his blade. Bronx charged around, knocking down more Quarrymen in his wake.
"I'm gittin' tae old fer this…" said Hudson.
He and Bronx continue to hold off the Quarrymen adversaries until finally Goliath and the others arrived.
"Calvary's here!" said Broadway.
"Took ye youngins, long enough!" said Hudson.
"Sorry, we ran into something." Said Brooklyn.
The five touched down and faced off against the twenty or so Quarrymen in the warehouse.
"MORE FREAKS! KILL 'EM ALL!"
The surrounding Quarrymen made ready with their laser guns and electro sledgehammers. Goliath and the Clan made growling sounds as their eyes lit up. The Gargoyles sprang forward and attacked.
Mass chaos ensued as the Manhattan Clan fought against the Quarrymen, talon (and sword in Hudson's case) to laser and hammer. Broadway catches a hammer swing by the shaft and counters with a punch, knocking the Quarryman away, then tail swipes another who tried to blindside him. Brooklyn jumps up to dodge a laser shot and dives at the shooter feet first, smashing him down, then swipes at another Quarryman from the front. Lexington rushes forward, tagging a Quarryman in the gut with his fist and trips another one with a foot sweep. Angela grabs a Quarryman and nails him in the face with a punch, knocking him back, then she mule kicks another. Goliath disarms an attacking Quarryman and grabs and swings him into more of his accomplices like a makeshift bat.
The carnage continued as the Gargoyles took down the Quarrymen assailants. It was then that they stopped when they all heard the audible clicking of heavy guns above them.
"Hold it right there, monsters!"
Goliath and the others looked up to see nearly forty armored Quarrymen up on the surrounding catwalks, each armed with a charged laser bazooka locked right on them. The Gargoyles may be stronger than humans, but they couldn't possibly take laser fire from those things, especially from a huge number of them. Goliath snarls at the odds against them.
"Perfect… just perfect…" muttered Brooklyn.
"We shall now cleanse the city of you filth! Mr. Castaway will reward us greatly!" said the lead armored Quarryman.
Before they could open fire, some of them screamed as they were getting attacked on the catwalks.
"ARGH!"
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"WHAT'S GOING ON!"
"YAAAAAHH!"
"IT'S A SNEAK ATTACK!"
Some of the armored Quarrymen were getting attacked by an invisible force while others were attacked by elements. One group got washed off the catwalk by a water torrent. Another was blasted unconscious by a small flaming explosion. The next group got floored by an intense sound wave that rattled their eardrums. The next got blasted away by light. More got shocked unconscious by green electricity while others were put to sleep by a cloud of pollen. Soon, all the armored Quarrymen were down for the count, and it looked like they won't be getting up anytime soon.
The Manhattan Clan was confused as to what was going on.
"What happened?" asked Goliath to no one in particular.
"What sorcery is this?" asked Hudson.
"Guess we got 'em all."
Goliath and the others were surprised when they heard that voice.
"It can't be…" said Goliath.
From out of the darkness on the catwalks comes one Ranma Saotome. He jumps over the railing and lands on the floor before the Gargoyles.
"Hey there again." Said Ranma.
"It's you!" said Brooklyn.
"You did all that?" asked Broadway in shock.
"Not all of it…" replied Ranma. From out of the shade, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla come out and stood by either side of the martial artist. "They helped out, too."
The Winx had gone Enchantix in the dark in order to incapacitate the crazed hooded figures, then reverted in the darkness before showing themselves.
"Wow, I can't believe you seven actually took down forty heavily armed thugs!" said Lexington.
"That was nothing." Said Ranma. He and the girls recalled their experiences fighting the golems on Lyco and the crystal demon army in Alfea.
Musa's ears perked up as she heard the telltale signs of police sirens. "Guys, we'll have to continue this later. We don't want to be around when the authorities get here!"
"Musa's got a point. This commotion was sure to attract some attention." Said Bloom. She and the others certainly weren't in the mood to be answering questions to the fuzz.
"Stella!" called out Ranma.
Stella nods and starts preparing a spell. "Lucid Warp!"
To the shock of the Gargoyles, a huge globe of gold light engulfed them and the seven teenagers.
"T'is sorcery!" shouted Hudson before the globe vanished from sight, passengers included.
The police cars screeched to a halt as numerous officers came in and saw the wreckage as well as the defeated Quarrymen. They proceeded to arrest the crazed masked cultists.
The light globe appeared on the rooftop of a building then vanished, revealing the passengers.
"It truly is magic…" said Angela in awe.
Goliath stepped forward to face Ranma's group while folding his wings over his shoulders like a cloak, the others following suit. "I must thank you for saving us from that situation. I wasn't sure if we were able to escape that without your interference."
"Well, you did save us before." Said Flora.
"But how did you find us?" asked Angela.
"Noticed a disturbance on my PDA." Replied Tecna as she pulled it out, revealing a three-dimensional hologram map of the city. "It picked up on some negative vibes around that area and we decided to check it out."
"Cool device!" commented Lexington.
"Well now, I guess you all probably have a few questions for us…" said Ranma.
"T'would be an understatement, lad." Said Hudson.
Ranma and the Winx took note of the two additional gargoyles. One was brown-skinned and looked old, judging by his long white hair and flowing beard. Unlike the males, his manner of dress was a dark brown sleeveless shirt and tight pale breeches. He carried a steel curved sword at his side and his left eye was scarred and yellow. The other was bluish green and resembled a gargoyle version of a dog, a really big dog.
"Then I suppose introductions are in order." Said Layla.
Some time later after brief introductions were made, each group had explained their story to the other.
"Whoa, so you've been stone for almost an entire millennium?" asked Musa.
"Yeah, but in a sense, I'm glad it happened." Replied Brooklyn.
"We managed to see another world because of it, and found new experiences." Added Lexington.
"And new kinds of food!" said Broadway.
"Well I'm glad you've found peace with your first benefactor." Said Flora.
"Inna sense, lass. We can at least trust Xanatos not tae shatter us as we sleep." Said Hudson.
"Odd, he didn't strike me as that kind of man." Said Tecna.
"You'd be surprised, but he seems to have mellowed out a bit after getting hitched." Said Brooklyn.
"It is surprising that you're also staying at the Eyrie Building as well." Said Angela.
"Guess we'll be seeing more of each other then." Said Ranma.
"Still, to know that all of you are Faeries…" said Goliath.
"Half over here." Ranma pointed out.
"Pretty wild, huh? Even though we are, we're not part of this… what did you call them again?" started Stella.
"The Third Race, Fae Folk, or Oberon's Children." Replied Broadway.
"Yeah, that. We can't be as we don't even originate from Earth."
Tecna's PDA started to act up. Taking a glance at it, she cursed herself. "Guys, I'm picking up several aircrafts covering this area. Probably be a good idea to get out of here."
"Leave that to me!" Stella held out her hands. "Lucid Warp!"
Like before, the golden globe of light engulfed the group and vanished. Soon after they vanished, a copter bearing the Quarryman symbol passed by.
Castle Wyvern…
The light globe reappeared and vanished, leaving its passengers in the castle courtyard.
"Pretty handy trick there, Stella." Said Brooklyn.
"It was nothing!" beamed Stella.
"Welcome back, everyone. I trust your evening went well enough?"
The Faeries and Gargoyles turned to see Owen standing before them.
"In a sense." Replied Goliath.
Owen raised an eyebrow. "I see you've all managed to get acquainted with Mr. Xanatos's overseas guests."
"Err, yeah, purely coincidental, though." Said Lexington.
Xanatos and Nodoka then come out. Behind her were Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse.
"So that's why you kept this castle up here, David." Said Nodoka.
"Like I said, more a reason than a need." Said Xanatos.
"Wow! They're more amazing up close!" said Ukyou.
"Shampoo still no can believe." Said Shampoo.
"And to think they were those same statues." Said Mousse.
The Clan was surprised to see four new faces.
"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I am Nodoka Saotome, an old friend of David here." Greeted Nodoka to the Gargoyles. "I see you've met my son and students."
"I'm Ukyou."
"Shampoo!"
"Mousse."
The Clan gave questioning looks at Xanatos.
"Don't worry, I had to explain to them about you. No sense keeping you secret from guests staying here, and they'd eventually find out about you anyway."
"Can't deny that logic…" said Broadway.
"Greeting, Nodoka. I am Goliath, and this is my Clan. Your son and students were of great help to us tonight. You should be proud."
Before more could be said, it started to lightly drizzle.
"Oh crap!" cursed Ranma.
Soon, it began to rain hard. It was then that Elisa Maza had finally arrived to the castle floor after a long elevator ride up and walked out to the courtyard.
"Hey guys, I heard that-"
Her sentence was cut short when she saw three people seemingly shrink, and another one only shorten a bit in height. The purple-haired girl had turned into a cat, the brown-haired girl into a fox, and the long-haired boy into a duck. She also saw the kid she and Matt met earlier turn from an ebony-haired boy to a scarlet-haired girl in a different set of clothes.
She wasn't the only one shocked. Goliath and the Clan were also shocked to see the Jusenkyo curses activate in the rain. Xanatos just looked intrigued. Owen, as usual, showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Whoa…" said Brooklyn.
"Jalapeno…" said Hudson.
"Fascinating." Said Xanatos.
"What… just… happened?" asked Elisa.
"Ah, Detective Maza, you've arrived in time to meet some of my guests." Said Xanatos.
"Meow!"
"Quack!"
"Rrrrr…"
Ranma-chan turned to face the detective she had helped out earlier in the day.
"Hi there… I'm… Ranma Saotome… sorry about this…"(3)
To be continued…
Ending (Rosario+Vampire style, 'Dancing in the Velvet Moon')
The music starts as the Specialist weapons fall into the darkness.
Hakugin no honoo ten wo kogashite (A snowy silver fire scorches the heavens)
Tatoe kokoro hikisaitemo (Even if it's going to tear my heart apart)
Pans up the Eyrie Building, through the clouds, and closes in on Castle Wyvern.
Anata dake ni sasagetai no (I'll offer to nobody else but you)
Watashi no mune no juujika wo (The cross on my chest)
The statues of the Manhattan Clan are seen on the main tower and Ranma stands on the roof next to the Goliath statue. He looks upwards towards the sun, which then transforms into the full moon. The 'Ranma Club' title flashes by
Nemuranai VELVET no tsuki (A sleepless velvet moon)
Kazarareta himitsu no heya (Adorned our secret room)
Bloom sits in her castle guestroom, looking out the window at the night sky. Stella stands within the great hall.
Futari kiri sotto kagi wo kake (With just the two of us, we quietly locked the door)
Odorimashou itazura na toki ni yudanete (Let us dance, and indulge ourselves in these playful moments)
Flora sits on the grass in the courtyard looking upwards. Musa is kicking back in the dining room. Tecna is leafing through some book in the castle library. Layla is standing on the castle walls looking out.
Yasashiku hi wo tomoshita CANDLE no youni anata (Ah, I'll make you melt like a gently lit candle)
It shows Xanatos sitting in his office, with Fox holding Alex behind him, and Owen standing at his desk side. Elisa is leaning against a castle wall near the helipad as Goliath's shadow passes over her.
Aa torokasete agemashou (I let my heart be softened by you)
Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse sit in the castle's rec room.
Chikainasai eien wo (Pledge eternity to me)
Nodoka, Kasumi, and Sasuke are cooking in the kitchen. At the beats, it flashes profiles of Bronx, Hudson, Lexington, Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela, and Goliath.
Ai no kusari dare nimo kowasenai (Nobody can break the chains of love)
Amaku kiyora na jumon wo kakete (I'll cast a sweet, chaste spell on you)
Anata dake ni yurusareru no (Or even a forbidden melody)
Kinjirareta MELODY sae mo (That only you would be forgiven for)
Ranma drops down in an unknown building swarming with Quarrymen. He rushes in and utilizes his Anything-Goes style to beat the crap out of the masked sledge-wielding racists. Punches and kicks fly as Ranma fought the Quarrymen, while his souls would occasionally come out and attack in tandem with him. Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse also join in on the fray as well as the Manhattan Clan.
Jiyuu kakeru tsubasa ni naru (I'll become the wings that soar freely)
Ranma floats, looking as if he's in stasis. The Winx float over and hug him as if to instill their power into him.
Tsukamaete... hayaku saa watashi wo (Come and catch me quickly!)
Ranma's eyes snap open, then splits to shoe the Clans' eyes flashing. Ranma's group and Goliath's group face down at the Quarrymen with John Castaway in the back, smirking deviously. In the moonlight was the shadow silhouette of a female gargoyle. A shot of Angela hanging by her arms chained over her head is shown before showing the still shot of the Quarrymen confrontation.
End ending
Preview…
Ranma: Living statues! Who would've thought?
Bloom: Guess there really are other magical beings on Earth.
Flora: I'm sure we'll all get along just fine.
Musa: Tell that to those hooded creeps.
Layla: Just what is their problem! They attack the Gargoyles for no reason other than that they're not human!
Stella: Come on! We got to help out the Clan!
Ranma: Next time, on Ranma Club, 'Fanatical! The Quarrymen's Scheme!' Bunch of unreasonable (REAL big censor)s…
Author's notes:
It took me a while, but I managed to finish. Had to rewatch a few eps of Gargoyles to get the feel of it again. How you like Kasumi's new look? Her and Ranma-chan's pics will be up on my profile.
(1)Elisa is able to see the souls and Pixies due to her own magical experiences. She may be a human, but she had been heavily influenced by magic. Examples include the Mirror incident when she was temporarily turned into a gargoyle, the City of Stone incident, her family's link to the Kachina Coyote, and not to mention her Avalon trip. When she, Goliath, Angela, and Bronx were going around the world through Avalon, they've been exposed to Avalon's magic (gone on for about six months before finally returning home to Manhattan).
(2)Angela is in her comic book outfit here.
(3)I bet all of you were wondering when s/he'd say this.
XemnasisMANSEX0-0: Oh, it was painful all right... BTW, what's OHSHC?
Hanzo of the Salamander: Why thank you, it was what I was aiming for.
Durlock: It took you five days to read through all this? I must've written more than I thought!
Alyssa: It's no problem.
Hiryo: Awww… the dates weren't enough? Well I'll work on that.
Dragooner: Hmmm… that bad, huh? I would've thought medics from that are highly advanced.
Darthme1011: Remember, the RAI version, NOT the 4Crap version!
OBSERVER01: I know of the Hell's Circles through Wiki as well as playing Dante's Inferno. If I can recall, from 1st to 9th: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence(towards others, towards self, towards God), Fraud(panderers and seducers, flatterers, Simonists, false prophets, corrupt politicians, hypocrites, thieves, fraudulent advisors, sowers of discord, and falsifiers), and Betrayal.
Rictor Yagami: He was a rude little shithead, wasn't he? I was pissed he didn't get his in the original series, but I rectified that little problem.
Dumbledork: Why thank you!
7 Winds: You guessed right as well. Satori was a karma Houdini whom I wouldn't spare from my wrath.
Jerry Unipeg: Ranma and Winx, 1. Little mind-reading shit stain, a series of overdue karma torment.
El Irrespondible: Welcome from DA! And yes, you guessed right, from this here chapter!
Red King: Yeah, I'm familiar with Killer7, beat it a couple times (hidden option Killer8 is even harder). I suppose Ranma's situation could be similar to that, but I had modeled it after the Stands in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
Jimbobob5536: I'll never… NEVER… forgive 4Crap for what they did to One Piece!
PEJP Bengtzone: Time will tell…
AndrewK9000: Thanks. You notice that the victims in the Saw series are not all innocent. That fit Satori well, so I gave him the Jigsaw treatment, which would be considered righteous in my opinion.
Sagitarius: Oh? What story is that? I'd like to hear it.
Firelordeg: I've finally got the time to finish this one, eh?
Ryan L. Spradling: A few, that's all I'll say…
RAI vs. 4Kids Rant!
The subject is Season 1 episode 11, "The Realm of Nymphs" (US: "Junior League" the hell?)
Scene: The girls getting annoyed at Flora's study habits.
4Kids:
Stella: "Flora, why don't you take your hippy-dippy research and go save a different planet!"
Flora: "That's not nice!"
Bloom: "Hey come on, guys! Stop fighting!"
Stella: "Her flower power has gone too far!"
Flora: "I'm close to finishing my new potion. It will protect us from the Witches!" (it's the Trix…)
Stella: "Well hold me off if it can work against dark magic! It'll be like, 'don't you dare mess with us or we'll hit you with a daisy and go herbal on you'!"
Bloom: "Hey, it's an alternative."
Stella: "It's out of control! It wasn't enough for her to turn your room into a stinky twenty-four-hour potion lab, she had to invade MY room with her veggies!" (they cut a scene, AGAIN!) "And now she crossed the line with those grabby little fashion victim plants! They're shrinking my clothes, using my make-up, they're self-absorbed mirror addicts!"
Flora: "They adapt to their environment."
Stella: "That's my Goblin Govanna (?)! It is my favorite dress! You see what's happening here? Oh, my poor poor clothes! Ah!"
Bloom: "Come on, they're just clothes."
Stella: "No, they're couteure! Do you know what that means? They're one of a kind! The shrinking's bad enough, but they're also mixing stripes with florals, it's like a horror show!" (and whatever dubs 4Kids makes is a horror in itself…)
Flora: "Maybe I can fix this. Tecna might know a counter spell."
(Flora enters Musa and Tecna's room. Musa's reading a music sheet.)
Flora: "Hey Musa, have you seen Tecna?"
Musa: "Naw, she's been off of the radar."
Flora: "I need to find a spell to unshrink couteure."
Musa: "Hey, doesn't the nocturnal ivy do something like that?"
Flora: "Oh yeah! I could combine it with a drop of sparkly parsley oil."
Tecna: (Flora opens closet, revealing a tied and gagged Tecna) "MMMPPHH! MMMPPPHH!"
Flora: "Tecna!"
Tecna: "MMMPPHHH!" (gets released) "Where have you been! All I wanted was a jacket and I got kidnapped by this psycho plant!"
Stella: "You see what Flora is doing to our living conditions?"
Musa: "Hear it, Flo? That's not cool. That stuff's not cool at all!" (this version is also NOT cool…)
Tecna: "Your plant also happened to eat my notebook. Is there any way to get it back?"
Flora: "Uh, get it back? Uh… no… ahah…"
Tecna: "What about a spell!"
Flora: "Whatever the ivy eats is pretty much gone…"
Tecna: "GREAT!"
Flora: "I really didn't think it would grow so fast! Sorry!"
Tecna: "What am I supposed to do, tell the teacher that a plant ate my homework! Oh yeah, she'll believe that!"
Stella: "This plant nonsense has gone too far! This is a dormitory, not a rain forest!"
Flora: "I understand. I'll move out to Blackmud Swamp, and I won't come back until I'm done with my potion."
Bloom: "You'll move out!"
Flora: "Yeah. I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."
Bloom: "You can't move to Blackmud Swamp! There are keekbugs, not to mention subterranean sludge slugs! She should stay, right? Tell her to stay!" (Flora leaves) "This is unbelievable… you guys call yourselves her friends and you let her go like that!"
Stella: "Her plants used all my make-up!"
Tecna: "And they ate all my homework!"
Bloom: "Flora's our friend, you guys! So she's made a couple of mistakes, that doesn't mean she has to go live in a swamp!" (Bloom leaves)
How this scene REALLY went down…
RAI:
Stella: "Oh but really! You've gone too far this time! I'm putting a stop to it!" (notice Flora didn't say anything here.)
Bloom: "Stella, what happened? What's going on?"
Stella: "Flora's overdoing it, as usual!"
Flora: "I'm just carrying out a couple of experiments. I've got an exam soon!"
Stella: "Ha! No kidding! You've been going on about it for a month! (mockingly) 'I'm gonna use the power of flowers to thwart the witches' evil spell'!"
Bloom: "So? What's wrong with that?"
Stella: "Huh, what's wrong with that? In case you haven't noticed, your room has become a humongous chemistry lab!"
(4Kids cut)
Flora: "Bloom gave me permission, and what's more she said she'll help me study."
Bloom: "I've already passed the simulator test, so uh…"
Stella: "Yeah, some test…"
Bloom: "Hey! I took on Icy, Darcy, and Stormy! It wasn't easy!"
Stella: "I know, I'm sorry, Bloom…"
Bloom: "Don't worry about it. I know you're all a bit nervous."
(end 4Kids cut)
Stella: "Don't worry about it! You should see my room! Okay, I gave Flora permission to put her flowers by my window sill (another 4Kids scene cut) because they need a lot of sunlight, but then she spread herself out and put a bunch of Melanoma Vericosa!"
Flora: "Mimosa Vainatosa!"
Stella: "Whatever! I mean she put them right next to my mirror, Bloom! My MIRROR!"
Flora: "Well it's normal. They feed off reflected light. Your mirror is huge, so it's perfect!"
Stella: "Uuugh! And you think THIS is NORMAL!" (points at said plant)
(end 4Kids cut)
Flora: "What's wrong?"
Stella: "They're trying on my clothes!"
Flora: "That's why they're called VAINatosa!"
Stella: "I don't care what they're called! Make them stop right now! Oh! My clothes! Bloom, my beautiful clothes! Ah!"
Bloom: "Stella, it's not that bad."
Stella: "Oh yes it is! They're wearing my shoes! They're even using my make-up! And look at them! They have no taste whatsoever! Their outfits don't even match!"
Bloom: "What do you expect? They're just plants."
Flora: "Tecna doesn't complain about it!"
(Flora enters Musa and Tecna's room. Musa's reading a BOOK, not a music sheet. Why did 4Kids think it necessary to change the book to a music sheet? Overemphasis at work there… or they must think Musa reading a book is offensive somehow…)
Flora: "Musa, have you seen Tecna?"
Musa: "No, haven't seen her since this morning."
Flora: "Are you guys having any trouble with my plants?"
Musa: "Huh? What do you mean? We have plants in our room?"
Flora: "Um, yes, I asked Tecna to keep a few seeds in the dark inside her closet."
Tecna: (Flora opens closet, revealing a tied and gagged Tecna) "MMMPPHH! MMMPPPHH!"
Flora: "Tecna!"
Tecna: "MMMPPHHH!" (gets released) "It's about time! Ugh! I was just looking for a pair of trousers, when this creepy crawly thing grabbed me!"
Stella: "Musa, she was in there all day and you didn't notice a thing!"
Musa: "I am not in the habit of snooping in other people's closets."
Tecna: "Okay, I'll keep my cool, but I'd really like to know what kind of seeds they were."
Flora: "Uh… they were… uh… Triple S's… eh heh…"
Tecna: "Triple S's?"
Flora: "Secoya Separifalis Swifta…"
Tecna: "WHAT!"
Flora: "I didn't think they would grow so fast! I swear to you I had no idea!"
Tecna: "Okay Tecna, don't go bananas, take a deep breath (breathes in) and let's remain calm…"
Flora: "Oh Tecna, I'm so sorry…"
Stella: "It's all well and good, Flora, but I think that, ugh, those killer string beans have got to go."
Flora: "You're right. I'll come and get everything in a sec, then I'll take myself and my stuff over to Blackmud Swamp."
Bloom: "Blackmud Swamp?"
Flora: "The rooms at Alfea are not suited for my experiments."
Bloom: "But you can't move to the swamp! We all know that the place is horrible! We don't want you to go there! Right? Girls? Is that a yes or a no?" (Flora leaves) "I don't believe this. Flora was just trying to prepare for her big exam!"
Stella: "Bloom, we all have to study, but when we study, we don't tear up her clothes."
Tecna: "Nor do we try to strangle her."
(4Kids cut. Bloom pleads with the others, and accidentally drops Kiko to the floor)
Bloom: "Oh come on, girls, don't be so hard on her. Flora's exam is coming up soon and… uh… anyway, I…" (end 4Kids cut) "Well I promised Flora that I'd help her, and where I come from, promises are kept, alright!" (Bloom leaves)
Damn, this scene alone had a bunch of cuts in it.
See you all next chapter!