The Best of Times

by Ozzallos

Ranma discovers why his life at the Tendo Dojo has been hell and engages in an epic pissing match with Pluto and the rest of the Senshi. A fukufic production, multipart. COMPLETE.

10. Epilogue X2

The Best of Times
By Ozzallos
A Fukufics (dotcom) Production

Epilogue X2

A flattened three and a half foot long silver oval sat peacefully atop the eight story high power converter recently vacated by those whose sole goal was to destroy it and the source of power floating above—an 8,000 pure heart crystal reactor feeding humanities destruction. The manufacturing facility it supplied hadn't come fully on line yet, but when it did, it would be capable of producing over fifteen thousand youma a day, more than enough to send a tide of destruction marching across the Earth.

The silver device sat unaware of the battle waging around it as its main processor measured time in discreet electrical pulses that flashed across a monofilament nervous system. Since the unit's activation, it had measured two hundred and thirty nine of these pulses, which in themselves were nothing special.

Pulse two hundred and forty, however, was a notable exception.

The pulse hit the main processor and tripped a special flag in the software, causing dormant systems to come online and power up. The Elerium core at the center of the device came to life and power began to funnel into the five anti-matter capacitors surrounding it. In another sixty pulses, those capacitors would dump their full potential into the core, initiating a catalyst that would turn over two thousand miles of space into super heated plasma…

…or annihilate one pocket universe.

Pulse number two hundred and forty was noted and marked by the weapon's processor as it completed its journey through the maze of circuitry, activating another protocol.

"Warning... Option to countermand has expired." The bomb spoke with ineffable calm. "Countdown, time minus one minute until detonation."

---

"Point of no return!" Mercury called out, one kilometer down range from the last nuke of the Silver Millennium. "One minute!"

Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts considered his rapidly dwindling options as the remainder of their strike team filed through the temporal gate held open by Sailor Pluto. With well over ten thousand youma pressing their lines, he was going to have to come up something fast, and that something would have to be nothing short of a martial arts weapon of mass destruction. Ranma ran down the list of his own techniques and came up short, his most devastating special technique being a ki borne tornado when she really needed a hurricane. In fact, the only one that came close to having the power they needed to stay the demonic advance was in Saturn, and they really weren't looking to destroy the pocket universe with all of them inside.

Options… options… Beyond Sailor Pluto was Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn, the final combatants chosen to hold the line until a safe- hell, any –retreat through Setsuna's gate could be organized… But they had cut their force to the bone, evacuating everybody they could spare without being overrun in the process, and now the girls were fighting just to maintain parity with the opposing army. They were deadlocked and the clock was running down.

The pig-tailed martial artist was the best of her generation, and part of that ability came from her from a brain that could devise tactics on the fly and under any situation. It was an ability that had saved him and her friends more times than they would care to admit, and now that formidable intellect chewed on the current dilemma at terrifying speed, weighing the opposing force, firepower needed to dispose of them, tools at her disposal, time remaining and the necessary physics to pull off what was almost certain to be a suicide move. She spared a moment, staring at the two staves in her hands, one the embodiment of fire, the other ice. They were elements she had all too much familiarity with, and Sailor Nova new exactly what to do with them.

Sailor Nova fused the Gekkaja and Kinjakan back together and stepped to the center of the defensive ring around the wormhole, feeding power into the newly reformed staff. Ki flowed in a circle from her, to it and back,as she twirled it wildly in preperation for the ultimate technique that existed only in her minds eye, up until now.

"Hiryu..."

The razor ring snapped away, igniting as it took flight. The Staff of Ascension continued to twirl in her hands, and the guided ring spiraled outward, trailing super-heated air.

"Shoten..."

The spiral continued to expand out beyond their lines, and over the youma horde. The staff spun and Ranma focused every ounce of ki into the technique. If it worked, it'd give Pluto and herself the need breathing room to retreat themselves. If not... Well, they'd both buy it in a spectacular fashion.

"Ha..."

The twisting stopped and Ranma flipped the staff around, its crescent blade facing downward. With a might heave, she shoved the blade into the ground, turning it to ice for hundreds of meters.

"ASCENSION!"

The shock wave ripped out from the staff and along the super-heated line of atmosphere, uncoiling like the dragon Ranma had unleashed so many times before. But now, those dragons seemed like fence lizards compared to the one she had now loosed. Air pressure and ki ripped outward beyond Nova , Pluto, and into the waiting army of youma where it crushed them mercilessly. The shock wave followed the heated spiral to the end and became self sustaining, forming into a tempest the likes of which few had ever seen. Saturn jumped through the portal, followed quickly by Mercury and Jupiter. Nova held onto the ice embedded staff for dear life as the winds threatened to rip her arms out of their sockets.

Ranma had known from the moment she felt the power build she was more than likely a dead woman. There was no chance for her to bridge the high pressure gap of super sonic wind separating her from salvation. She managed a tear strew look and caught sight of Pluto through the vapor and fog, seemingly standing against the tempest from within her own bubble of serenity.

Her impassive face said it all.

There would be no salvation for the martial artist and she could easily see the Senshi would make no move to help her. Apparently the time-bitch would keep her word, and the only question now was which would kill her first—The raging ki driven storm around her or the nuclear fireball waiting to be unleashed one kilometer away. The gale redoubled its efforts to tear her apart, and she tightened her slipping grip on the staff.

No, if she was going down, it was gonna take the blast from an ancient one gigaton super-weapon to do it.

---

Atop the plateau of the PHC converter, the ancient super weapon in question sat peacefully, reflecting the pink light of a construct that represented the slaughter of eight thousand people. This fact was lost on the Elerium weapon of mass destruction, whose central processor was preoccupied with counting the timing pulses that measured its remaining function in seconds. Another specially flagged pulse flashed across its monofilament circuitry, and the CPU made final preparations to end its life.

"Time minus ten seconds until detonation." The silver orb advised. "Elerium core primed. Terminal Protocols engaged. Final safeties released. Executing Defense of the Realm in five… four… three…"

---

The Senshi-Nermian team that had driven the tip of the spear home across two worlds watched the Pluto's dimentional gate from Earth, just outside the Cherry Hill shrine. Mercury had the planetary computer link open, receiving live telemetry from the other end of the wormhole. The readings weren't good. In fact, they sucked. She watched the timer tick down past the ten second mark and noted the power spike across the link's display. The bomb was going terminal and neither Ranma or Pluto had yet to step across the gate boundry.

Five seconds.

Ami tore her eyes from the Mercury link and stared desperately into the shimmering blue mass that represented a pathway to another world. They had to make it back. Had to. They were the good guys. The good guys always win. Even when they lose, they win. Setsuna herself was damn near immortal while Yumei was a cast iron, bullet proof bitch, even if she was a guy half the time. They just had to---

PHoooMMP!

The porthole flashed and energy crackled away from it wildly, as unrestrained lighning bolts skittered across the earth. The gateway maintained its shape for a moment, then shuddered, twisting in upon itself. Another pulse of light and the Pluto's gateway glowed neon red before loosing cohesion entirely and wavered out of existence. The only evidence that it had ever existed was the black scoring across the ground and their memories.

A continues keening tone marked the event, causing the others to look to Mercury for answers. The Senshi raised the protesting PDA-like device and stared at the screen in mounting horror. Across it read the words "transmission lost". Even as the Sailors turned to her for answers, a soft gasp tore Moon's attention from the shock-stricken Mercury and found Rei's eyes riveted on Chibi.

"No…" Small Lady clutched her head, rocking slowly back and forth. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way!"

Usagi blinked. Chibi was fading in and out of reality, as if she were a mirage. "Chibi, what's happening to you!" She rushed forward to anchor the pink haired girl, only to find her hand pass clean through her shoulder. "Mercury, what the hell!"

"Temporal distortion!" Mercury replied, panic creeping back into her voice as she interpreted the new readings. "I can't even get a time-space lock on her, Moon!"

"Chibi, stay with us!" Usagi pleaded, kneeling next to her ghostly visage. Her subsequent attempts to grab at her ended the same way the first had.

"It's all gone…!" The pink haired princess gasped, as if the act of drawing a breath was becoming supremely hard. "I can't remember…!"

Haruka spun around on Ami "Mercury, what the hell is happening here!"

Sailor Mercury's fingers stabbed into the link, their speed fuelled by desperation. "I told you, it's like she not even there! Her phase readings are jumping all over the place!"

Moon turned back, facing Mercury with steeled blue eyes. The Princess had arrived in full force. "I don't care what it take, but you get her back—" The air shuddered softly, causing Usagi to turn back to Chibi who now stood before her absolutely solid in form. She couldn't hold the surprised gasp. "Mercury--!"

"I didn't do it." The Senshi cut her off abruptly. "I don't know how the hell it happened, but she just popped back into phase suddenly."

Cologne hopped into the circle of Senshi, trying to discern what had happened to the young girl with her three hundred years of human physiology expertise as a baseline. "Young Lady, are you alright...?"

Her eyes were wide, stareing into the distance without truly seeing anything. A single tear rolled down her face. "No, I'm not." Her voice whispered in muted shock. "It's never going to be okay again…"

---

"Twelve dormant readings, one alpha." Sailor Mercury reported as she interpreted the Mercury link's sensor readings. The target of those readings lay in the tree line, and with that information, Sailor Moon arrayed her forces accordingly.

"Venus, Jupiter, right flank." She directed in a tone that meant she was all business. The two women nodded and took their positions thirty meters off to her right, setting up for a lethal ambush. Her fire team was in position.

Moon glaced sidelong to Mercury and nodded. The cobalt haired girl returned it and keyed her fuku's imbedded communications array. "Mars, now."

A fireball roared from a building behind the pair and into the tree line, blowing it and several meters of earth apart in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. Another fireball streaked in, pulverizing the razed mound revealed by the first detonation. A plume of violent flame gouged the earth once again, showering the area with fiery debris.

Moon's second in command smiled with internal satisfaction as the readings within the hive began to shift sporadically. Yeah, that rattled the bastards. "They're coming out." Moon nodded once more and stared into what was left of the burning tree line. Six months ago the Sailor Senshi had eliminated a major threat to the Earth, that being a massive youma incursion from a pocket universe. While they had succeeded in eliminating that threat, there were still loose ends left wandering around, and those loose ends had seen fit to entrench themselves in an attempt to multiply.

Sailor Moon was dealing with one of those loose ends right now.

The first youma climbed out of the smoldering underground hive and the blond smiled. This is what the threat to their world had been reduced to—Small masses of youma hiding beneath the ground, fighting pre-programmed guerilla campaign against them. She sniffed with contempt. Against the old Senshi, they might have done so effectively. Sure, they would have still lost, but the damage would have been extensive. Against the new Senshi, however…

"Venus, Jupiter, hold up." Mercury advised, predicting Moon's own thoughts exactly. "Wait for the main group." Sure enough, more youma boiled struggled out of the carnage that had once been their makeshift base of operations. The battered demons looked around through the smoke and ash, attempting to find their tormenters. Sailor Moon and Mercury were the first people they found, standing out in the open of the park grounds. Of course, there was only one course of action that could be taken.

"RROOOOoooOWWL!"

The cry went up in unison and a group of eight youma charged Moon and Mercury. The cobalt blue-haired Senshi sighed, almost bored, while Moon appeared to be examining her nails, oblivious to the threat in front of her.

"Now?"

Usagi arched an eye brow and considered Ami's question for a few precious moments while the mob advanced on them. "Give them a few more seconds." Mercury shrugged, and watched the short platoon rush closer, claws and jaws snapping in hurried time.

"Let's not grandstand too much, your Highness." She advised as their line drew within fifty meters. "Still got the big one to take care of."

Usagi sighed. After a pocket universe full of monsters worse than this, it almost seemed anti-climatic. "Now."

"Waste 'em."

The response to Mercury's order was instantaneous. There was no call to attack. No fancy dances or sounding out special techniques. One moment there was peace and silence along the youma's right flank, then there was a Venus Love Me Chain ripping through it, tearing into it like a golden buzz saw. Three of the demons were cut down instantly and the advance faltered as the survivors desperately tried to find the source of the ambush. The chaos created by Venus was so complete that the remaining force failed to see the ball of compressed thunder fall into their ranks, detonating with cataclysmic results. Another two youma at ground zero were crushed into a fine paste as the over-compressed shockwave swallowed them up and proceeded to maim the survivors. Two more were savaged, leaving one combat functional demon alone amidst the destruction. The golden chain of death descended upon it and the platoon of youma ceased to exist.

The orange and green fuku'd women affected an unhurried stroll past the carnage they had wrought seconds before, joining Moon and Mercury.

"Well that was weak." Venus commented, looking at the pair. "Don't tell me Mars managed to take out the others when she opened up?"

Mercury shook her head. "Don't worry. Three more left." Jupiter squinted into the ruined tree line, and the lifeless cratered mound therein. "They're still digging themselves out. In fact, they should be surfacing right about…"

"BWWRAAaaaaWWLL!"

"…Now." Mercury smiled, tapping on the link like clockwork.

"Uh, guys…" Jupiter took a step back as the three youma dug themselves from the wreckage of their former hive. It wasn't the two ugly pink youma with tails and horns that caused her to take a double take. She instinctively knew they would go down like wet tissue paper. It was the three story tall mass of fangs and scales that had her attention.

"Huh." Ami stated blandly, coaxing more data out of the PDA. "Didn't see that one coming."

"'It's freaking huge' is what you mean!" Venus protested. Even as it marched forward, one of its surviving brethren strayed to close to it and was squashed beneath a giant pink hoof.

Moon winced. "Ouch."

The monster youma before them took a step forward and they took a step back. Mercury clicked the clamshelled link closed and prepped for battle. "It's one of the siege youma. Energy blasts, super strength, the whole nine yards."

"Right." Sailor Moon replied, her memory sufficiently jogged. They had named the monstrously large youma from the other dimension 'seige youma', as their primary purpose seemed to be to anchor any youma incursion with its massive firepower and strength. In fact, she was loathing the fact that they didn't have a Mishma Heavy Industries gunship handy to deal with it. "Semi-circle, on me. Don't bunch up." She paused, opening a channel to Mars. "Rei, light it up so we can get in close."

"With pleasure." The disembodied voice replied, and the top of a building two blocks away flashed to life. From it, the third fireball since the start of the engagement tore in and smacked into the Siege youma like a flaming hammer. The explosion incinerated the last remaining youma regular and stuck to its larger cousin like napalm. Its advance halted with the howl of pain just as another bolt tagged it, causing it to thrash around furiously.

"NOW!"

All four Senshi were in motion, attacking the monster from different direction simultaneously. Moon's golden tiara cut through one of four arms while Jupiter's Supreme thunder attempted to punch a hole through it's backbone armor. Venus stepped in and her Love Me Chain raked its hooved leg. A horizontal pillar of water followed the attack courtesy of Mercury, freezing the leg in place within a jagged icy block. Mars' flaming attacks died out and the beast seemed to regain some composure, sending a bright blue energy bolt after Venus. The blast missed, but the shockwave hammered her into the ground as a plume of supernatural fire rose into the mid-day sky. Moon's attention was diverted just long enough to miss the next energy blast with her name on it. The monsters other free arm extended and the bolt seem to reach out and grab her, plunging her consciousness into a world of pain. The blast slammed her into the earth and used her face to create a trench thirty meters long, before coming to a smoldering stop.

Moon pushed herself up, only to find the Siege Youma having broken free of Mercury's ice trap and shambling towards her. The other Sailors were all around it, doing damage, but not fast enough to deter the beast from it's single minded focus on ripping her apart. All four arms seemed to glow, and if she didn't know any better, the youma's face produced a fanged-filled smile.

"Oh shit…"

Huge blue balls of power coalesced in each hand and the youma wound-up, readying the energy torrent to launch. Usagi knew what was going to happen next, and it was going to hurt. The arms came back and—

"Dead Scream."

A pink ball of energy tore through the siege youma, taking with it a large chunk of flesh, bone and other vital organs. The blue energy in its hands disappeared abruptly and the demon fell to its spiked knees in agony.

"Dead scream?" Sailor Moon mouthed. There was only one Senshi she knew of that would use that attack, and if she was alive, then it meant… Her eyes found her savior balanced lightly atop a telephone pole, and her thought process halted abruptly. She recognized the black and white fuku immediately. Everything after that, however, crushed reality as she knew it.

The woman was a far cry from Pluto's five foot seven height, barely topping five two herself. Instead of the flowing green hair, an impossibly bright red mane floated with the daytime breeze. No. No way. No way in hell could that be… The new Senshi appeared not to notice her or the other Sailors gaping as she flipped gracefully off the pole and landed within a few meters of the siege youma, who was trying to recover from having a quarter of its mass forcibly removed. The woman stepped in and waited for the massive creature to notice her. After a few seconds, a beady, sunken eyeball finally found her and raised a huge claw in response, ready to shred the source of its anguish. The massive fist of flesh came down and was intercepted by the point of her staff; a half moon blade that promptly turned the youma's entire arm to ice on contact. Its beady little eyes mirrored Moon's own expression, widening as she flipped the weapon around almost lazily and removed the appendage; the opposite ringed blade tip cutting through the ice. A violent geyser of steam accompanied the act, and the arm fell to the earth where it promptly shattered into a few thousand pieces.

A state of shock existed within the monster's limited thought process, allowing the redhead a moment to admire her handiwork before looking back up into the youma's eyes, waiting for its next move. The Senshi didn't have long to wait. The demon had three remaining arms and it put them all to work in a simultaneous strike that was sure to hit her. At least that's what it thought. The Sailors too.

It didn't.

Her form blurred into a streak of red and the staff whirled around, carving the arms off at their elbows. Two went down as blocks of ice while the third in scorching flame. The blur subsided and the only evidence that the Senshi had even moved was her settling red hair.

"Is that it?" She asked rhetorically and now it was the youma who took a step back. "Nah, don't think so." She raised a hand it glowed with power. "Moko Takabisha revised… Chrono Takabisha."

A shivering blue ball floated from the outstretched hand and into the armless youma. For a moment, nothing happened, then the youma itself shuddered and screamed, hitting the ground and proceeded to twitch violently.

"What the hell did she hit him—" Mercury was asking as she pulled Moon up from her trench, when the entire three story tall youma began to fold in upon itself. Its chest cavity crumbled as bone splintered, and with one final waver of light, the demon was gone. The remaining Senshi gathered around the redhead and stared in total disbelief while she gazed into the space the monster had just been forcibly evicted.

"R-Ranma?" Sailor Moon asked with trepidation, reaching out to touch the woman to ensure she actually did exist. Her probing fingers found the shoulder solid and a smile broke out across her face. It was a smile of joy and relief; however it failed to move Ranma, who continued to stare into space.

"If Ranma's alive…" Rei began softly, coming to the only logical conclusion available to her, minus any of the facts. It was the same one that Usagi and the others came to. Ranma made it. So had Setsuna. Somehow, against all odds…

"Setsuna is alive too…?" Ami forwarded the largely rhetorical question. The answer was obvious. The good guys always—

"No."

Time skipped a beat as the word was processed by the Senshi surrounding Ranma. "But…"

Ranma turned to Usagi for the first time since their meeting, confronting her directly. There was no emotion in her voice as she spoke her next words. "Setsuna Meiou is dead."

"Pluto is... Dead?" Makato repeated, as if unable to believe the statement.

"No." Ranma corrected in the same, emotionless voice. "Setsuna is dead."

"But…" Now everybody was confused and Usagi was getting a very bad feeling about where all this was going.

"Setsuna didn't make it," She continued. "But I'm Ranma Saotome, Guardian of Time and the last Princess of Pluto."

---

Usagi stared at the girl sitting across from her, and the words coming out of her mouth just didn't make any sense. If being dead wasn't enough, there was no way she could have carried the mantle of Pluto. While her Sailor Nova persona would always be fondly remembered, she was neither a real sailor or reincarnated. Her fuku had been a costume, not real armor. The only thing real about Nova was her martial arts ability and the staff she bore, which was a relic from the Silver Millennium. Now here she was in the shrine, not only alive, but claiming Setsuna was dead and she had taken her place.

"Not buying it." Haruka stated from across the room, staring icy daggers into the red head. "In fact, we oughta beat you within an inch of your miserable life for impersonating our friend."

Ranma's eyes slowly found Uranus and stared back, matching the icy glare but saying nothing. Moon shivered. This wasn't the Sailor Nova she had met. No snappy comebacks. No issuance of challenge. Just silent, ominous threat.

"That dead scream she let loose was the real deal." Ami inserted. "Pulled the sensor log. Aside from the minor variations in quantum flux the energy signatures match with a Senshi of Pluto."

"A trick." Michiru pointed out, though in a far less certain tone than partner.

"You'd like a demonstration." Ranma stated in calm voice, finally turning her attention to the pair of outers. "Sailor Nova was a fake. I can assure that this—" She triggered the transformation and the pink glow around her called the black and white fuku armor forth. "—is the real thing."

She pulled the Staff of Ascension out of weapons space and Usagi couldn't help but to stare… That wasn't the same weapon she remembered Ranma wielding. The differences started at the crescent blade, its reverse edge notched at precise angles. The shaft of the stave was also notched with precise, angular teeth that prevented a smooth level down the first half of its length. The end ring seemed unchanged, save the glowing, blood red crystal floating at its center.

"And I had almost thought I'd never get a---" Uranus' words were cut off abruptly as a subtle gust erupted around her, accompanied by the ice cold feeling of steel at her neck. The Senshi of Uranus dared not move, staring into the empty space Ranma had just occupied. It didn't take a genius to realize who was holding the blade to her neck now.

"Rematch, 'Ruka-chan?" The low whisper tickled her ear. "I'd drop you in a heartbeat if it weren't for all the fond memories I have of you."

At any other time, the situation might have been an extreme turn on. A beautiful woman pressed to her back, whispering in her ear…That might have even been the intention, but the cold edge that threatened to vent a major artery kept Haruka firmly rooted to reality.

The remaining Senshi stared. Ranma hadn't moved. They were positive of that fact. Every single one of them knew that the martial artist was pre-naturally quick, but this registered on an entirely different level. One moment she had been there, the next, gone.

"Time stop." Ami said, consulting her Mercury link. "No movement recorded, but there are definite signs of temporal displacement."

The blade lowered from Haruka's throat and she bolted away, spinning around. "You can't do that! That's a suicide move!" Ranma frowned. It was probably the most emotion she had displayed since her arrival.

"For Setsuna, it was."

---

Princess Pluto squinted across the twenty foot distance that separated her from Ranma Saotome. Leaping the gap from the ice imbedded staff to the porthole would be all but impossible, even for a martial artist of Ranma's caliber, and the only reason she herself hadn't been swept away by the mach two gale was the time space bubble she resided in. "Sailor Nova" had no such respite, and the very tempest she unleashed was battering her mercilessly. Pluto couldn't help but to note the sickening irony. After all the work she had put into removing the boy as a threat, he went and removed himself.

…And saved all their asses in the process.

That particular fact didn't sit well with the Senshi. She had done a good many things in her life and lay through many sleepless nights because of them, but she had developed a high tolerance to guilt. Her job was to safeguard the Senshi and insure the survival of humanity in the process. All in all, it was one hell of a rationalization that allowed her to do any number of very nasty things in the name of love and justice. Part of her wanted to say this was just another step down that bloody path. Ranma would go down by fire or ice and Setsuna would go home, get blasted on sake and do it all over again the next day. The other part of her… There was a quiet rebellion taking place in Setsuna's mind. What right did she have to take the life of somebody who so willingly marched into the fire, knowing that there was a good chance that they wouldn't be coming back? A person who had the same mentality as she did—Doing whatever it took to safe guard the future of the world she loved?

But instead of taking other peoples lives to do it, Ranma Saotome, soon to be dead heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial had given his own..

Could she really do it again? Could she murder another fellow patriot so willingly? And what did that say about her? Would she do the same to Ami? Maybe Rei? If it came down to it, would she remove one of her own team from existence to secure the near impossible dream? The answer sickened her and in that moment, Setsuna Meiou knew what she had to do. Oblivion reached out to snatch the martial artist with a flash of light and Setsuna unsheathed the time key one last time.

"Jikan yo Tomore."

The hypervelocity storm raging around her ground to a halt, and even the blast wave rushing for them froze in its ferocious expansion. Sailor Pluto stepped from the safety provided by the gate's rift and into a universe rapidly draining of color. She moved through the curtains of mist and vapor over to Ranma, whose life and death struggle against the forces she wrought were reduced to a single frame floating in time. Setsuna looked the fuku'd warrior up and down, noting every painful line etched in her face, the strain in her muscles against a phantom wind.

The Guardian of time nodded with approval. If she was to give her life for another, then better it be to somebody who would fight until they had breathed their last, and then some. Setsuna extended her staff once more, noting the darkening reality around her. You can't fight time forever, she thought ruefully and touched the cursed martial artist with the heart tip. Sailor Nova began to glow softly, gaining intensity with unnatural shimmer. Her body was enveloped and the light peaked and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the form of a martial artist that once was. The world around Setsuna continued to darken and burn away like an over-exposed negative.

"Forgive me, Ranma-kun, it was the best I could do." She sighed, lowering the time key to her side. Time continued to crumble in upon itself, dissolving into a mass of formless shadows until only a small space around her person remained lit.

And it was there Setsuna Meiou, Guardian of Time and the Last Princess of Pluto finally found her peace.

---

"To the time gates?" Usagi queried as Ranma powered down from Senshi mode and back into the her civilian dress, which consisted of loose red slacks, a black silk blouse and jacket, complementing the long unbound mane of bright red hair.

Ranma nodded, taking another sip of tea with the pause in their discussion. "It was the only place she could send me, having frozen our original escape route in time."

"But shouldn't you have just…" Ami asked tentatively, stepping lightly across the subject of death, especially when it involved opening so many old wounds for everyone involved.

"Died?" Ranma let a slight smile cross her face. Moon noticed more emotion trickle back into her friend the longer she was around them. "Setsuna was bound by that protocol, not I."

"You changed Queen Serenity's protocols?" Michiru mouthed, eyes widening. Behind her, Haruka remained silent, but glaring, still nursing her bruised ego.

"Not exactly." She smiled warmly, and for a moment, the Senshi of Neptune could have sworn it had come from Setsuna. "The Queen's protocols were specifically written for Setsuna Meiou. There's no way she could have foreseen somebody taking her post in the manner I did."

"And how was that?" Haruka questioned, with a trace of hostilitiy. Still it was magnitudes less than what had erupted earlier.

"The wish."

The girls looked at Ranma with blank expressions, and the redhead suppressed a sigh, knowing she was going to have to recount the entire sordid tale. "About nine months ago, I came into possession of a sword that granted wishes."

"Sword?"

"Wishes?"

"No way."

Ranma smirked and Usagi watched the tide of personality change from something that resembled the mysterious Setsuna to the roguish Ranma. "Any more impossible than a gender shifting martial artist?" That shut them all up. "Anyway, I made a wish… To know why I could never get a moment's peace. As it turned out, Setsuna was behind that particular aspect of my life and I found out far more than I ever wanted to know about her."

"How much..?" It was a new voice and Ranma turned to find the pink hair of Chibi Usa. Suddenly, the red head was at a loss for words as a full head of emotion rushed to the forefront. Everybody in the room could see it, and was wondering just how the child had affected her so. Whatever she was feeling it obviously wasn't pleasant.

"Everything."

Moon glanced from Ranma to Chibi, wondering what the connection was. With the presumed deaths of Ranma and Setsuna six months ago, the child had lapsed into a depressive state that was totally at odds with her usual, bubbly personality. Any assurances that everything would be okay died the moment she began to fade from existence, and it was only through later analysis- much of it Ami's –did they realize the probable cause. It had happened once before, and it meant that some key component had been removed from the girl's future. That component, Ami had figured, was Setsuna. Without the Senshi to bring her back in time to them, Chibi became the focus of a paradox- a concept Usagi herself barely understood –and began to fade from existence. In fact, she was still at a loss to explain why Chibi was even still alive.

What had become obvious was the source of the girl's anxiety and mounting depression… Whatever had happened, her entire future was built on quicksand. Without a Sailor Pluto, she couldn't go back to the parent she knew. In fact, the world as she knew it no longer existed without the lynchpin named Setsuna Meiou. Her parents. Family. Friends. Even her childhood had been erased in favor of a new future.

"Puu?" It was a meek whisper, one mixed with hope, longing and sadness in equal measure. It surprised everybody in the room to see Ranma kneel down to her level and open her arms.

"Come, child."

Small Lady needed no further prompting, and slammed into Ranma like a freight train of tear, no longer holding back the emotion she had held at bay for the past six months. "They're gone, Puu, they're gone! Every last one of them!"

Ranma pulled the child tighter into her, stroking her hair as she cried into her shoulder. "I know, Chibi… I know…"

The sobbing continued unabated. "Mom, Dad… 'Kira-kun… Auntie Setsuna … You… All gone!"

The Senshi watched the scene with morbid fascination as Chibi Usa cried in Ranma's arms as if she were a long time friend. Even more surprising was Ranma's unabashed acceptance of the child, as she tenderly stroked the tearful pink haired girl.

"I won't leave you, Chibi…" Ranma whispered into her ear, and the sniffling girl seemed to regain some composure. "Not ever."

She waited a moment longer as Chibi Usa took the promise to heart, wiping the tears from her eyes. Ranma stood up, looking fondly down at the girl one last time before turning back to the others, who stared with questions radiating from their being, but were to polite to ask. She decided to dispense with formalities.

"You all know what happened to Chibi six months ago." She began, and the group around her nodded. While the exact nature of temporal mechanics remained a mystery to most of those present, the effects weren't. "When Setsuna stopped time to save me, she unwittingly created a paradox in which Chibi here couldn't have come back in time, since there was now literally nobody to do it. She died and set into motion a temporal cascade that nearly removed Chibi from time. Had I not acted, none of you would even remember she existed."

"You acted?" Ami's ears perked up. She had been one of the few in the room who understood the full implications of Chibi's paradox and was now being offered an explanation as to why the girl didn't disappear outright.

Ranma nodded. "I manipulated the Time Gates and anchored Chibi to this timeline. It let her continue to exist, but the price was… high. She's now an independent element within the flow of time. As such, everything she knew- her past and our future –is gone." A sniffle from Chibi punctuated the statement, and she clinged tighter to Ranma, who in turn let her hand flow through the child's pink hair.

Rei spoke up, raising a hand tentatively as if she were in class and talking to the teacher, which was odd, since Ranma was carrying herself like one. One of the better ones, she noted absently. Calm and patient. "But can't you just… Return her back to the future? Like Setsuna was going to?"

"No." Ranma shook her head slowly. "With Setsuna's death, the future has been rewritten. If I were to return Chibi to the future, she would find another in her place. While some of it might be similar, a lot has changed with my predecessor's death."

"So you're saying there'll be two Chibi's eventually?" Michiru fidgeted with a strand of her luscious green hair. Her mind trying to wrap itself around the new possibility.

Ranma cast a sidelong glance over to Usagi. "Assuming certain outcomes come to pass, yes." The blond instantly began to glow bright pink, her eyes shifting around nervously.

"So you're Setsuna now." Haruka pressed, her voice laden with disbelief. Miraculously, all traces of its former venom had vanished.

"No." Ranma frowned. It was obviously not the most pleasant subject for her to discuss. "As I said, the wish granted me knowledge as to why I could never have a moment's peace. The sword fulfilled that wish literally, giving me awareness as to Setsuna and her plans regarding me. I thought that was the extent of the wish. Simple awareness. I knew who Setsuna was, her Senshi identity and a fair amount of minutiae."

"I had no idea just how wrong I was."

---

The void.

Ranma paced the void once again, casting a baleful glare at its only other occupant, two huge, intricately carved double doors. What day was it again? They had lost their names early on in her stay and had since been regulated to numbers. Today's day was number fifty eight. Maybe. There was no day or night in the void, making it all but impossible to accurately measure time.

"What time is it?" The doors considered the question and responded in silence. Ranma fumed, mumbling something about the doors and their questionable linage. Halfway through her litany of curses, Ranma stopped short, realizing that she was holding a conversation with a door. Not good. Almost as bad as that time when I sacked Egypt, she thought with amusement. The plague of locus had been especially—

"AHHHHAAARRR!" the scream echoed across the endless night, and the redhead fell to her knees. "Get out of my head!" Ranma sent a fist into the insubstantial surface she was kneeling on, only to have it softly intercepted by a counter force. The nullification of her attempt at physical violence only fueled her anger, and she whipped around, glaring at the double doors. "Oh, you just think this is SO funny, don't you!" the doors remained silent. "Fucking doors! Moko Takabisha!"

The ki shot covered the small distance at near light speeds, flashing into the doors and ablating across their surface with a loud crack of energy. Ranma glared at the structure. As usual, they had come through the abuse absolutely unscathed. It pissed her off to no end. She pulled the Staff of Ascension from weapons space and rushed them, wedging the crescent bladed edge into the center seam. She shifted her leverage hard right and attempted pry the double doors open with everything she had, an attempted that last only ten minutes as neither the staff nor doors yielded to her pressure.

"Alright, fine." The martial artist growled. He stepped away from the doors, gaining distance. "If that's the way you wanna play it, have it your way! DEAD SCREAM!"

Silence greeted the technique and Ranma stood by in incomprehension. That should have worked. She stared at her hands wondering why a pink ball of death hadn't erupted from them to smash the doors to smoldering ash. She was about to reposition herself for another attempt when horrible realization desended upon her.

The was her technique.

Ranma stared at her hands. "What the hell is happening to me!" She gasped, alone in the night. "I ain't her!" She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself, settling into a crouch. If this was Setsuna's idea of a practical joke, it really wasn't funny anymore. Not by a long shot. How long is she going to keep her locked up? Years? Is this her solution to removing me as a threat to Crystal Tokyo? Somehow, the answer came up as a negative for Ranma. She was getting to know the green haired woman all to well and it didn't strike her as something Pluto would do. After all, these were the Time Gates. You wouldn't leave a potential advesary— Ranma's thoughts paused again, staring at the double doors and the staff imbedded in their seam.

So that's what they are.

Ranma hopped up from her crouch with renewed purpose, and strode over to the doors. Her hand closed around the staff and pulled it from the seam, returning it back to weapons space. Time Gates. Ranma knew she shouldn't have known that. Couldn't have known that. But she did, and it unnerved her. She ran a finger down the unmarred seam and across the intricate carvings. The touch was accompanied by another flash of insight… the first time she had laid eyes on them. The Queen was at her side, showing her… The martial artist squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head free of the vision. She broke contact with the gates and stepped away from them as if they were a threat. She knew they weren't of course, but the visions… no, not visions, she decided. Memories.

Setsuna's memories.

It had taken over a month to come to that conclusion, but it was the only one Ranma could come with. She had been seeing things through the woman's eyes. Feeling them. And it was getting worse. With the familiar surroundings, the memories had started to flow into her brain at a faster pace. Coupled with the near total sensory deprivation of the time gate void, and the brain was very receptive to input. How she was even still alive after over a month without water was beyond the pigtailed girl, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Keeping her sanity was, and was becoming increasingly harder to separate her memories from Pluto's.

"Ok, think…" Ranma prodded herself aloud. "Why the hell is this happening…?" She had had plenty of time to think on the matter and there was only one thing she could attribute the memories to… "That damn wish…" She growled. The sword had evidentially taken her quite literally, not simply identifying and knowing the source of her angst, but knowing everything about her, right down to the woman's life experiences… all three thousand, five hundred and sixty three years of them. The normal human memory knew decay. Very few people would recall their entire life experience, and even fewer over three thousand years of it. Chunks of it would be reduced to vague impressions, fond recollections and the like. Ranma's wish knew no such limitations, however and it was all getting squeezed into her brain like an over-stuffed package. Not instantly, mind you, but just fast enough not to kill her outright.

Ranma's mind found another unpleasant topic to dwell on… Like how the hell she was going to get out before she went insane, between the memories and near sensory deprivation. The void had no sound, no real light save the glow of the doors. Nothing to feel, let alone taste. The redhead stared at the Time Gates once again. She knew what they were. Now all she had to do was get them to work before she broke.

No, she decided. Ranma Saotome, never loses.

---

"Three thousand…" Hotaru breathed, sitting on the edge of the sofa as Ranma recounted the tale. Ranma nodded silently from her kneeling position on the floor, Chibi Usa wrapped possessively around her as if the redhead herself were a lifeline.

"I remember everything that she was." Ranma spoke softly. "Hell, I even remember bringing the lil Spore here back in time to you guys." Slight shock registered on Chibi's face as she jerked up to look at Ranma, finding a warm smile. A little smile pierced her cloudy depression and she tightened her grip tightened around the redhead. "Make no mistake however, I am not her. I battled long and hard with those memories. They threatened to swallow me up… I mean, what is eighteen years as you versus three thousand as somebody else? The line blurs."

"I'm sure it does…" Ami whispered. Like Usagi next to her, she had been watching as traces of Setsuna ripple across Ranma's personality. But she was right. There was an undeniable difference. She was neither the Ranma they knew nor the Setsuna of old. This amalgam carried herself with confidence, yet retained the cloak of calm mystery.

"…So you won't have to worry about me sneaking up on you any time soon, Princess." The mischievous smile grew and Usagi readily identified it as Ranma's. "Now 'Ruka and Michi-chan on the other hand…"

"You say that like you know us." Haruka stated flatly while her partner kept her expression neutral.

"That's my point." Ranma offered guilessly. "Everything Setsuna knew about you, I know. Which is why I've tabled any feud we may have had in the past. I… she remembers you both too fondly for me to hold that sort of grudge."

Haruka blinked. It was true… They had all been close friends, but… Uranus further speculation on the matter was cut short by the click of the front door and the entry of a lean woman with long black hair clad in a blue happi and black tights. The leather bandolier and giant combat spatula slung around her back identified her to the Senshi immediately.

"Tell me you saved some snacks for…" Ukyo's voice trailed off as her eyes fell upon Ranma, and her breath seemed sucked away by an invisible force of nature. "…me…" She stood there for several long seconds before her something close to a coherent thought formed in her mind. "...Ranma!"

Ranma's eyes widened as she stood up slowly. She had known that her child hood friend had been hanging out with the Senshi, but to have her just suddenly appear… She recovered from her initial shock and Ukyo watched as her face closed up into serene mystery, content, unrevealing in its nature. "Hello, Uccha—OOF!"

A second train of tears ran headlong into her, nearly running over Small Lady in order to get to the red headed Senshi. "You're not dead? How in the hell—no wait! I don't care! I don't give a damn! Just tell me this isn't a dream, Ran-chan!"

Ranma smiled and wrapped her arms around her oldest friend. "If it's a dream, it's pretty sick and perverse. Either way, it's... It's good to see you, Ucchcan."

They held the embrace for several minutes before Ukyo untangled herself from Ranma, looking her over for the first time since his death. Or her death, she revised, taking in her friend and fiancées current fashion. More telling was the hair, which was now an unbound mane of long red hair. She knew the person across from her like the back of her hand, and several key pieces of logic instantly snapped into place. First the hair. Ranma just didn't let it get that long unless it was part of some ruse. Second, the fashion. While it wasn't frilly, it was definitely feminine in nature and the styling left more than enough room for combat mobility, she appraised. Finally, came the way she held herself. Beyond the hair, it was the most striking change of all. The other two elements could have been attributed to Ranma and the games that tended to surround him, but the way she held herself now was totally un-Ranma. She was confident, yet reserved. Even mysterious. It wasn't the cocky stance she had grown so used to seeing, no matter what form he wore.

The red headed Guardian of Time noticed Ukyo's appraisal and nodded. "Yes, there's been a few changes."

"The curse?" It wasn't a question any of the Senshi had bothered to ask given their lack of familiarity with Ranma's daily life, but Ukyo was seeking a reason for the change and it was the first most logical question to ask.

"Unlocked." Ranma kept her expression carefully neutral, knowing what was coming next.

"Whew." Ukyo relaxed. "I thought the change was permanent for a moment there."

"It is." The Okanomiyaki master blinked. "It's been a hard road getting back here, Uuchan…"

Her mind processed the implications and everything that came with it. Ranma's guarded expression helped solidify the conclusion she came to. He was a she and she was staying that way for a reason. It also meant the engagement—all of them –were more than likely dead. Ukyo took a deep breath and sighed, then settled on a smile that was totally at odds with what Ranma had been expecting.

"That's not important now." She decided. "What is, is that you're alive to tell me all about it."

---

"Pan left, eight degrees." Ranma directed, and the image in front of her rotated left at a lethargic pace. It was a rainy day she was watching, and everyone was in black with matching umbrellas. Kinda fitting, she mused. "Wide angle. Give me fifteen meters AGL. Z-minus five." The scene pulled out, allowing the view of the entire scene. She chuckled as Ryoga Hibiki came into view. Ryoga in a suit and tie. It doesn't get much better than that. Shampoo was all decked out, while her grandmother was flanked by an Amazon ceremonial honor guard. Nice touch. Even better was the wary glances they were shooting at the Musk honor guard across the isle, with Herb as their ambassador. Baby Saffron, Kira and the Phoenix were simply icing on the cake after that. The redhead stifled another chuckle, as if they'd somehow be able to hear her through the opened double doors.

All in all, it was pretty funny considering it was her funeral they were all attending.

That, and the images she was watching play out were about three months old, now. The martial artist watched for a few minutes longer, noting that it wasn't quite as good as Ceasar's funeral. Now that was a—Ranma paused, grinding her teeth in irritation. Not my memory, not my memory, mot my memory, she clenched a fist, burning the mantra into her head. While it was a small victory to have successfully caught the mental trespass, she knew for every foreign memory she caught, five more normally slid past unnoticed. Of course, unlike Ceasar, she was still alive, so he was welcome to the larger funeral. Ranma shook her head and turned her attention back to the Time Gates. Speaking of Setsuna…

"Date, April 11th, 1990. Time: 10:30am. 35 by 40 by 49 point 13 north, 139 by 43 by 43 point 27 east, execute."

The scene she had been watching flashed away to a different location thirteen miles south of Nerima, floating high above a small graveyard. "Ten meters AGL at forty-five degrees, z-minus eight." The gates obeyed the command, dropping from aloft and settling in on another funeral, this one much smaller than the last she visited. Eight girls stood around a single plot, their dress varying wildly with each individual. Fortunately they had better weather than the presumed dead martial artist laid to rest three days earlier. Ranma cocked her head, studying the scene for maybe the tenth time since she had stumbled acrossed it. It wasn't the hero's farwell she herself had received, but that wasn't what caused her pause.

"Six, seven, eight…" Ranma counted of softly as Usagi and the girls began laying single roses on Setsuna Mieou's empty coffin, one by one. "What's wrong with this picture…?" The redhead whispered, leaning forward in her sitting position before the gates. "Y plus thirty two, Z plus three. Give me a tight angle." The gates obeyed and swung her view up and around, affording Ranma a close up of everybody present. She counted the girls off by their planetary names this time and frowned when she got to the last one. "Now where'd the lil' Spore run off to?"

The answer was obvious. She simply wasn't there. Ranma put a finger to her lips. The question was why wasn't she there? Puu was one of her best friends, Ranma rationalized, not realizing she had adopted Chibi's title for Setsuna from memories that weren't hers. There's no way she'd miss this event. She didn't know their entire history, but the memories had been flowing steadily. They were connected somehow and for some reason, the fact that she wasn't present filled Ranma with foreboding. In fact, she hadn't been able to find the little pink haired girl anywhere. Setsuna and Chibi… Something to do with time tra—

Ranma bolted to her feet suddenly, panic firing through her brain. "Scan timeline. Report last major paradox." The fact that she even knew what a paradox was a trip unto itself, she realized as the funeral faded from view and was replaced by thick blackness. Blue lines began to appear in the darkness, some intersecting while still more branched away. The main blue line continued until it was interrupted by a pulsing red dot.

"Last major paradox at 15.3380Z.00001 by 132.900567AX0004.00 time-space." The gates reported in a soft female voice, pausing over the red dot. Ranma Saotome mentally converted the co ordinance with memories that weren't hers and swore. Not only was that the day Pluto sent her to this hell hole, it was the day she died. And if she died, what would have happened to Chibi Usagi? The redhead actively dug through Setsuna's memories now, drawing a blank. They were connected somehow and Chibi had paradoxed out when Setsuna bought it.

"And I was just starting to like the little trouble-maker…" Ranma frowned unhappily, also unaware that her memories were mixing with Setsuna's own affections for the girl. No, she decided. It wasn't going to go down like that. "Open gates to 15.3380Z.00001 by 132.900567AX0002.00 time space." She was going to fix this little—

"Operation restricted." The gates' disembodied voice chided. "Your access is insufficient to perform the requested operation. Please contact the Time Gate administrator for further assistance."

Ranma fumed, glaring at the gates themselves. It wasn't the first time she had heard that message. "The administrator is DEAD, you piece of junk! Let me OUT!"

The gates sat passively by, ignoring her orders.

Ranma began pacing, shooting daggers at the construct. She had been here for three months and still had yet to find a way out. While Setsuna's memories had allowed her to use some of the gate's lower functions, they were still largely incomplete, and whatever magic she used to get the damn things to work was still safely hidden behind the curtain that was leaking the memories into her brain in the first place. If not for the current situation, she would prefer it to remain that way, as they had begun to screw with her gender sense in earnest. That night with Lancelot really stuck out in her mind. It was quite—Ramma scowled, chopping that particular memory down at the source. It had already led to more than enough trouble, taking her down roads she swore she'd never visit in this particular body. Not that it hadn't been entirely unpleasant. In fact…

"AAHHHHaaaRR!" Ranma clutched her head with one hand, pounding on it with the other. She stepped away from the gate and launched into a blistering kata, attempting to clear her mind. Focus… focus… It was a devilish situation to be trapped in, she realized. If she wanted out, she had to accept Setsuna's memories to find whatever would unlock the gates. At the same time, they brought with them an unbelievable burden. Not only did they creep in, muddying her own memories, but they were changing her and she woke up every day, fighting for her own identity. If she just accepted those memories outright, it was going to get worse sooner than it got better. Sure, she'd probably find a way out, but at what cost?

But that was the price. Ranma fell out of her kata, considering the dilemma. If she wanted out, she had to accept the memories. Not just pieces of them, as the wish hadn't afforded her that particular luxury. All of them. Not only did she have to accept all of them, she had to retain her identity in the process, since the last person she wanted to become was Setsuna Meiou. If it was just her life, the decision would have been much harder for Ranma. But it wasn't. Chibi had paradoxed and the redhead felt an empty, saddening hole where she had existed in her thoughts and memories. The kid deserved better.

Her course decided, Ranma Saotome settled in for the long haul, none too pleased as to where that road would take her. Even as she accepted her fate, there was one amusing thought that became her ever present companion…

The life of a martial artist was, without a doubt, filled with peril.

---

"So you're completely…" Ukyo asked softly, unable to finish the question that was too alien to her view of Ranma.

"Three thousand years of her versus eighteen of little old me." The long haired redhead replied in an offhanded manner, then smiled. "Overall, I'd say I faired pretty well." She paused and the smile faded slightly. "But there was no avoiding some of the sacrifices I had to make."

Ukyo nodded somewhat solemnly, recognizing exactly what those sacrifices were. Ranma, the man among men was all but gone. His core remained, but a changed person had emerged from the Time Gates to save Chibi and himself… Herself, she mentally revised. No man remained in the person named Ranma Saotome, of that she was certain. Somewhere in the void, Ranma had crossed too far over that particular line to return, and she had evidentially made peace with herself concerning it. It was also something the chef would have to---

"Wait a minute…" Ukyo paused abruptly, interrupting her own thoughts. "You made out with Sir Lancelot?"

The redhead didn't even blush. "By proxy." She stated evenly. If Ukyo didn't know better, she could have sworn there was even a slight smile in there somewhere. "After all, it wasn't my body." Ranma didn't feel it necessary to mention the fact that while it hadn't been her body, she remembered every exquisite detail of that encounter quite vividly, let alone the fact that she was probably the Earth's foremost living authority on sex, even if she was still technically a virgin herself.

"I didn't realize that Set-chan got around so much." Haruka muttered to herself, a sentiment that was shared by most of the Senshi present. The woman had been so mysterious that none of them knew anything of the time she spent shepherding history along.

For her part, Ranma simply shrugged off the stares. "She had a lot of time on her hands, go figure." This revelation produced dumb nods from her audience, as it pretty much said it all. Ami, however, was already doing the math.

"Three thousand some years time, one guy per year…" She mentally ticked through the numbers.

"At a minimum." Ranma added off-handedly, causing Ukyo to blush. Others simply gaped.

"And you… remember them all?" The Okanomiyaki master simply couldn't believe Ranma Saotome, manly man of men had fallen so far from that ideal, let alone become so… worldly. It was a sharp contrast from the martial artist she had known a mere six months ago, one that could barely stand to have a girl hang on him let alone discuss matters of intimacy so openly. Ranma simply nodded, keeping her peace on the subject. An uncomfortable silence settled down on the group, while certain others marked Ranma as the go-to person on matters of intimacy, should the matter arise.

Ukyo shifted away from the uncomfortable topic. "So does your family know you're alive?"

Ranma's serene mask slipped noticeably and a hint of fear crept across it. "No. Wasn't planning on letting them know either."

Ukyo Kuonji blinked. Then she blinked again. Usagi took up the next obvious question; the one Ukyo was dying to ask. "But… why?"

"I've had about six months to think on it, and I agree with Setsuna." Ranma began sullenly. "I've taken over the mantle of Pluto. Everyone I know will pass away. I don't need that. They don't need to watch me stay young while they slowly die off…" With those words, it was the first time any of them considered their impact on the world around them, beyond the theme of love and justice. They would all live on even as their family and friends grew old and died around them. "Since I'm already dead, I think I'll let sleeping dogs lie, y'know?"

"Oh no you will not, Ran-chan!" Ranma's head jerked up from her introspection, finding his best friend's eyes locked solidly with hers. "A little bit of Nerima died that day with you. Do you know how many times your mother tried to commit seppuku?"

The answer came softly. "Yes."

"Even the Tendo's suffered after they heard about your death." Ukyo detailed the events of since her absence. "And Akane… She's just not the same. Her spark is gone. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss it."

"I don't know…"

"You should." Ranma blinked. The voice came from the diminutive pink haired girl wrapped around her. She stared up at the Princess of Pluto with her big red eyes. "Enjoy them while you can." A tear rolled out of one eye, leaving a glistening trail down her cheek. One from Ranma herself soon followed. Of all people, Small Lady would know, she thought, and given Ranma's unique circumstances, her words carried substantially weight with the martial arts guardian of time, more so than her ex-fiancee. She looked from her, then back to Ukyo, who simply nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

Chibi smiled brightly and tightened her hug around the redhead. Ukyo gave her a pat on the shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Ran-chan."

The pair sat comforting Ranma for a few more moments until she had recovered enough to field Michiru's question, which was thankfully not along the same vein as the last. She couldn't have known that her particular topic of conversation was a keg of high explosives waiting to be lit. Neptune struck the match.

"So if you're the new Senshi of Time, how is Crystal Tokyo looking?" She forwarded. "Has the change-over disrupted those probabilities?"

"Yes." The reply brought an instant hush over the other Sailors.

"How…?" Usagi asked with trepidation. Was there another big enemy they had to eliminate? "How bad is it?"

"There's a zero point zero chance of Crystal Tokyo coming about." Ranma reported. The silence was deadening for a moment, then chaos reigned.

"ZERO?" Haruka lurched forward in total disbelief.

"How in the world is that possible!" Ami's eyes were wide in similar disbelief. She pulled out the Mercury computer and began tapping in variables.

"If Crystal Tokyo doesn't exist…" Moon let the statement speak for itself. If that future didn't exist, then mankind was totally and completely doomed. Not even the small remnant of man would survive. "It was nearly one-hundred percent before we took the pocket universe out! What the hell happened!"

"I happened."

Ranma stood up from her seat and Chibi disentangled herself from the redhead. Ukyo knew the look of ice that resided in the Saotome's eyes and mentally readied herself for what was about to occur. She had no idea what Crystal Tokyo was, but if Ranma was about to lay some smack down, there would be no question as to whose side she'd come down, regardless of how many youma she had slain with the sailors. She stepped off to Ranma's right flank, giving them both combat room. It caused the redhead to smile slightly. Even after so much change, it was nice to know some things never would.

"You what?" Haruka hissed, deadly venom leaking from her voice.

"But Setsuna…!" Makoto practically squeeled and Ranma cut her off sharply.

"Maybe I should reintroduce myself." She bit testily. "I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, Guardian of Time and Last Princess of Pluto. I am not Setsuna Meiou and I will not let over nine billion people die on my watch."

"Are you saying you will deny man its last hope of survival!" Moon bolted upright, totally forgetting the cookies she had been munching on contently.

"No." Ranma burned a hard stare into Moon, who took a step back. "I'm saying that I will not write off ninety-nine percent of the world's population on some idyllic post apocalyptic future. The lines may have blurred while I was trapped in the Time Gates, but one thing that hasn't is that the first duty of a martial artist is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and I will fight to my last breath before that future comes to pass."

"And what do you think you can do to stop us from pursuing it?" Michiru stepped up to Haruka, flanking Usagi. "In fact, what's to stop us from revoking your status as substitute Guardian of Time?"

Ukyo reached around her back, bringing the combat spatula to bear. She took Ranma's own over-confident grin as her own. "You're welcome to try, Sugar."

Usagi's wide eye stare matched those of the inners, who obviously hadn't been expecting any confrontation, let alone one that would escalate so far out of control so quickly. That, and she couldn't figure out why there was a huge grin plastered across Chibi Usa's face, who had yet to leave the redhead's side. Moon couldn't believe it—One day as a real Senshi and Ranma was staging her own mini rebellion! In that moment, all the sacrifices they had made in the name of Crystal Tokyo came to the forefront and she did the only thing she could.

"No!" She snapped. "I did not let billions die! You can't just come in and destroy everything we've worked so hard for in two hours time! As the Princess of the Moon, I cannot allow that!"

"Two hours?" Ranma scoffed, putting her hand to her hips defiantly. "I've had six months and three thousand years of fucking memories to consider this, little girl. As I see it, you don't have much of a choice."

Moon glared at the redhead. "Hmmf! I can always remove you as a Senshi with this!" There was brief flash of light and the glowing crystalline form of the Ginzuishou formed in her hand.

Ranma's rolled her eyes. "Pah-lease. I have every memory of you that Setsuna has. You can barely even use that stupid rock, let alone remove my abilities before I can incapacitate you; and even if you managed to accomplish that feat, I'm still the best martial artist in the world. You wouldn't last five seconds."

Two pink flashes erupted at Moon's side and Michiru and Haruka processed their transformation to from civilian to Senshi, taking up attack stances. "I think you're over-estimating your odds, you redheaded bitch."

"I don't think so."

Another flash of light perforated the room once more. Once it faded, the Senshi froze in panic. Even the outers at Usagi's side took a step back. Ukyo simply stared. What had once been the little pink haired girl at Ranma's side was now a lithe, fully developed woman. 'Goth' was the first thing that came to her mind as her eyes fell upon the woman clad in a pitch black evening gown, wrapped in translucent of pink and black streamers. It was all bound by a studded black collar. Her forehead was topped with a golden moon symbol and Ukyo decided that somehow, the clash of cute and gothic worked for the girl. That's also when she noticed it absolutely wasn't working for her former friends.

Usagi was the first to find her voice. "Black lady!"

"How the hell did that happen!" Rei screeched and took several steps back, while Haruka let a silent "oh shit" form at her mouth. Everybody present remembered their last encounter with Chibi's Wiseman-born alter ego, as well as the ass-whooping that followed. Every Sailor in the room activated their transformations simultaneously and took defensive positions off Sailor Moon, who was holding the Ginzuishou like it was some warding symbol.

The pink haired woman laughed with contempt as she rejoined Ranma's side as she had in her smaller form, only now it seemed a far more intimate gesture. If Ranma objected, it wasn't written on her face or body language.

"And what do you think you're going to do with that?" Her voice sounded like tiny daggers who had found amusement in the girl in front of her.

"I'm going to use its power to return you to normal, Wicked Lady!" Moon proclaimed, and began concentrating. The crystal glowed briefly, flickered and died. She stared at the crystal, then Usa, then back to the crystal and began to shake it as if it were a defective piece of electronics.

Usa sighed, clearly bored with the scene. "The catalyst for that particular change was removed when my timeline was wiped." She turned slightly into the Senshi of Pluto next to her. "I spent nearly 900 years trapped in that silly body …yet another thing I have to thank Ranma-chan for correcting." Even Ukyo arched an eyebrow at how close she had moved to Ranma. She didn't seem to be discouraging the pink haired goth, either.

Sailor Venus peered at the woman formerly known as Chibi Usa, noting the gold moon on her forhead. "She doesn't seem evil…"

"If I were evil, I would have blasted you all to glass by now." Usa remarked dryly, taking the others back. "As it is, I'm simply in agreement with my Ranma-chan. I've been through the catastrophe once. I was assured it was the only way then, and now, I will not allow it to happen again."

The fact that she was refering to Ranma as her Ranma-chan didn't go unnoticed by Ukyo, who was already doing her best not to tear the interloper slash ally away from Ranma's personal space.

Sailor Uranus stepped forward in Moon's silence, trying to regain the upper hand in their standoff. "Somehow, I doubt that you can take all of us and stand up to Saturn's power as well."

As if that were her cue, Sailor Saturn stepped up from the back and past the Senshi, who immediately began to gape. Uranus cursed to herself as Hotaru's adult form walk past her to confront Ranma. Luscious, floor-length black hair flowed behind her fully developed figure and Uranus swore again. When the hell did that happen? It was just a fucking red letter day all the way around. Off to her right, Mercury twitched. She had since recognized the adult form as sort of an armament switch and was not looking forward to the planet buster going live. A beautifully dressed planet bluster, clad in a sleevless silk vest, pearls and a long, elegant dress, but a planet buster none the less with Silence Glaive balanced lightly on he left shoulder.

"Hotaru." Ranma managed the air of serene mystery about her with ease, allowing a slight smile to escape the cloak. Saturn cocked her head, studying the Guardian of Time momentarily before turning to Usa, whose dememor was all but identical. She gave them both a nod and joined their right flank.

"Saturn, what are you doing!" Sailor Uranus hissed, unable to believe the trespass that had just occurred.

The matured Saturn pursed her lips and cast a sidelong glance over to Usa. "Joining my friends. Besides, I think I'd prefer the company of those who haven't been plotting my demise."

The Outers gut turned to solid ice with those words.

Ukyo's mind flew through the startling developments, trying to make sense of the entire situation with only a limited amount of history at her disposal. Somehow, Ranma had just rallied the two most powerful Senshi to her cause. What that cause was, exactly, she wasn't sure, but it was enough to afford her a largely patronizing smile for the remaining Senshi, Uranus in particular. "How are those odds looking now, Sugar?"

Moon stared incredulously at the force now arrayed against her, which easily eclipsed hers in both skill and power, if not numbers. The girl she had considered her little sister for so long had matured into a stunning woman with nearly nine-hundred years of experience her senior. She had joined the side of not only the world's premier martial artist, but the newly anointed Senshi of Time with three thousand years of memories to call her own. If that weren't enough, their presence was now augmented by the recently matured and slightly resentful Sailor Saturn. Words simply could describe the amount of dread that particular bit of knowledge invoked. Finally, there was Ukyo, whose own skill, if not power easily rivaled that of any of the Inners. All in all, it was turning out to be a bad situation for Moon to be in, even with the superiority she had in numbers.

Finally, the inevitable happened. Sailor Moon broke into tears.

"But... but why!" She sobbed with huge eyes. "I'm such a good princess!"

Usa sighed and Ranma stepped forward with an unreadable mask etched on her face. The redhead took the girl's hand and looked into her eyes, and it was as if that serene calm flowed into the blond, stabilizing her emotional state somewhat. "Perhapse, but there is more to being a princess- or a queen for that matter –than waving a crystal around, or a wand or running around it a fuku."

"But… Crystal Tokyo…" Moon sniffled and the Guardian of Time sighed. She just wouldn't let it go.

"The only reason Crystal Tokyo even seems like a remotely good idea is because actually saving the world has far longer odds attached to it." She explained patiently as the rest of the Sailors listened in, never having heard this particular aspect of the mission before. "It all comes down to doing the smart thing or the right thing. The smart thing is to cut your losses and wait for Crystal Tokyo. The right thing is to fight for every last man woman and child on this planet, even if you or every single last one of us go down in the attempt."

"The path of a Magical Girl is fraught with peril." Ukyo quipped as she sheathed her combat spatula, earning a smile from her best friend in the process.

Ranma nodded at the essence of her comment. "Are you a guardian of love and justice?" Moon blinked. Of course I am, she thought as Ranma's stare bore into her. What kind of question—

"Then your path is clear."

Sailor Moon blink at the enigmatic statement and watched as Ranma Saotome, Heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, Guardian of Time and Last Princess of Pluto turned on heel and leave the room followed by Dark Usa, heir Primus to the throne of Serenity, Sailor Saturn and Ukyo Kuonji, Okanomiyaki master and Demon hunter extraordinaire.

---

"So have you thought about where you're going to stay?"

Ukyo asked as the four women stepped out into the open air of the dusk sky. For the passers by they were quite a sight, being more than a bit on the exotic side. For once, the chef and her combat spatula weren't the ones drawing the most attention. Of course, it didn't help that all four of them were absolutely gorgeous either. Frankly, Ukyo was having a hard time not staring herself. Not only was her best friend alive… She was changed. Granted, coming back from the dead might do that, she acknowledged, but the amount of change was nothing short of staggering. In fact, none of the women currently in her company had left that room unchanged.

Chibi Usa had transformed into a lithe, pink gothic fairy, and held herself entirely too close to the now female Ranma to be construed as anything but intimate. Worse still was the fact that Ranma had done nothing to dissuade her presence. Ukyo took another, discreet glance over at the pair. The way Usa had her arm subtly entwined with Ranma's was nowhere near the glomps of old, but they were infinitely more suggestive.

Then there was Hotaru, who still maintained her quiet, neutral demeanor, but held it with an air of authority now. She too had undergone a startling transformation. Gone was the self-conscious school girl in favor of a full developed woman, with quite possibly the best figure of the four of them. All in all, she was nothing more than a punctuation mark on an already well written sentence concerning the stunning beauty they invoked.

Then there was the hair.

Ukyo simply couldn't believe it. It wasn't often that her waist length black mane was eclipsed by the women around her, and now all three of them had done exactly that. There was just so much of it. Ranma's bright red hair easily reached her calves, while Usa's pink streamers did likewise. Of course, none of it held a candle to Hotaru's, whose luscious black tresses somehow flowed along the ground, getting neither tangled or dirty.

The Okanomiyaki Master was getting a tad jealous, quite frankly.

Ranma cocked her head thoughtfully. "I think that was enough drama for one night, so Nerima's out." Her best friend silently agreed. The Senshi standoff had been dramatic enough, let alone the chaos Ranma would incite on her return to Nerima. Ranma looked at Hotaru and Usa, frowning slightly. "And I did mange to get us all kicked out of our homes." Usa smiled and gave her arm a light squeeze while Hotaru merely shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find a hotel for the night."

Ukyo smiled. "Come on, Ran-chan, you know my door is always. It'll be a tight fit for all of us, but…"

"I was thinking of the Imperial." Ranma commented, causing Ukyo to choke on her words.

"THE IMPERIAL!" She gasped, staring at her best friend as if she had not only changed genders and become the Guardian of Time, but grown a second head as well. "Uh, don't know how to break it to you, Sugar, but the Imperial rates thirty-thousand a night… Minimum."

"No worries, Ucchan." Ranma smiled gently. "It's all taken care of."

"Taken care of…?"

"How do I put this…" The redhead put her finger to her lips, only to have Usa preempt her explanation.

"Setsuna was loaded."

"And now, so am I." Ranma finished, and the two women smiled at each other. There was an unspoken something that passed between them and it was a something that was making Ukyo very uncomfortable. She turned back to the chef. "Setsuna's been collecting wealth for nearly three thousand years now, secreting it in stashes world wide. A few million in a bank here, another couple in a bank there. Priceless works of art. Precious stones from Atlantis. I could buy the Imperial if wanted to out of my play money."

"You could buy every five star hotel in Tokyo out of your play money." Usa teased, causing Ranma to smile.

"True."

"So not only are you alive, a Senshi and retain three thousand years of your predecessor's memories," Ukyo ticked off with her fingers. "You're also filthy, stinkin' rich."

Ranma's smile widened. "That's about right."

The Okanomiyai master demon hunter sighed, totally exasperated. "Even dead, the chaos sticks to you like glue."

The laughter that comment incited lasted them all the way to the Imperial, where upon Ranma checked them in under an account that instantly earned them the staff's undivided attention. Three deluxe suites on the Imperial's 16th floor ensured it stayed that way, and the uneven number of rooms didn't register with Ukyo until they stepped of the elevator. She found her room and watched Ranma and Usa continue down the hall.

"Three rooms?" She asked, hesitantly, to which Ranma nodded with a carefully neutral expression. Usa's proximity was not lost on the chef. "And where will you be sleeping?"

"We'll be sleeping… together."

Ukyo Kuonji's mental process stumbled and plowed into a brick wall with Usa's words, who hadn't so much as batted an eye. The pair was entirely too calm and the implication was too obvious to ignore, especially given the signs she had been seeing all day long. If Ranma was as rich as she claimed, there was no doubt she could afford another suite if she so chose… Which meant… No. No fucking way. There had to be another explanation.

"Um, Ran-chan?" She began tentatively. "Can I have a word with you?" Her eyes flicked to the pink haired woman next to her, frowning. "Alone?"

Ranma nodded to Usa, who took the keycard from the redhead's hand and found the room only a few feet away. Ukyo remained silent until the suite door clicked shut with the woman safely behind it.

"Ranma, what the hell is going on!" Ukyo spat sharply, covering the distance to her friend easily. "Tell me that is not what I think it is!"

"It's exactly what you think it is." Ranma sighed. Ukyo's jaw dropped, her train of thought promptly derailing in a massive wreck of twisted metal. "I told you there were sacrifices. With those sacrifices came changes. Lots of them."

"But… but..!" Ukyo gibbered, desperate to form a coherent thought. "But she's a girl! You're not a…!" Her thought process took another stumble as Ukyo realized she didn't know what the proper sexual orientation for Ranma was anymore. He was a guy who changed into a girl, who preferred girls. So what happens when you start preferring the girl's body? Do you still prefer other girls? How about guys? Did that make Ranma a homosexual or lesbian? Even if the martial arts demon hunting chef had made it past that hurtle, she would then have to consider the effects of three thousand years of female memories being imposed on an eighteen year old male psyche.

The martial arts Senshi waited patiently for the shock to expend itself before continuing. That unnerving aura of calmness surrounding Ranma only served to reinforce Ukyo's growing feelings toward the redhead. She didn't know her friend at all anymore.

"I've explained the memories and Setsuna's… pastime." Ranma explained calmly, taking Ukyo's hand. "What I haven't explained is the relationship between Usa and myself. Before the memories, I knew her as a cute little trouble making child. After the memories, that view changed. Radically. I now share quite a history with her, and probably know her better than anybody alive. Likewise, she not only shares those experiences, but those of the future. She has lived what could have been, and apparently both myself and Setsuna featured prominently in that future."

"That's just…. Weird." It was also a vast understatement, but it was the best the shell shocked Ukyo could come up at the moment.

Ranma nodded, sharing the sentiment. "Even if I wanted to, there's no way I could deny the bond. That bond…changed when Chibi cast her childhood form aside."

"So…" Ukyo paused, trying to catch a mental breath. "You're both…" She clutched her head. "Dammit Ran-chan! If I was gonna get beat out, I expected it to be by another fiancée with you as a guy, not this!"

Ranma snorted, as laughter cracked her calm façade. "You and me both."

The introspective humor caught Ranma's childhood friend off guard. "What do you mean…?"

"I had no idea Setsuna was such a freak… And now here I am, by proxy." Ranma shook her head. "Men, women, threesomes…" Ukyo simply blinked. "But then, three thousand years is more than enough time for boredom to set in, I guess."

Ukyo continued to blink, and it was a good minute before anything resembling a coherent thought found its way to her mouth. It came out in the form of a weary sigh. "Alright, too much information."

Another nod understanding nod from Ranma. "Tell me about it. Anyway, you'll always be Ucchan to me. See you tomorrow." Ukyo watched as the person that was simultaneously her best friend and perfect stranger disappeared through the door Usa had claimed.

She was certain that wouldn't be the only thing claimed tonight.

---

"A limo?" Ukyo arched an eyebrow as the first rays of dawn cracked the skyline. Truth be told, Ukyo Kuonji hadn't woken in the best of moods, a state borne of her incessant dwelling on what was happening in the room next to her last night. It didn't help matters when they emerged from their room by dawns early light, positively glowing. The chef barely suppressed the urge to smash a nearby sculpture into tiny, little pieces.

The jet black stretch Bently glided up to the curb and Ukyo simply stared. "Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"Nah." Ranma dismissed the missive. "I just spent six months cooped up in the Time Gates. Figure I'm entitled to some pampering." Usa disengaged from her arm, turning to Hotaru.

"How about it, Ru-chan?" The pinked haired women inquired easily. "Shopping?

"Don't mind it I do," A smile cracked Hotaru's neutral mask.

Ukyo watched a chauffer opened the doors of the black monolith on wheels and hesitated as the three women got in. The ground she was transversing with Ranma wasn't just unfamiliar, it was downright treacherous.

"Coming, Ucchcan?"

Ukyo broke from her introspective to find Ranma's bright blue eyes locked on to hers, having paused in the doorway. Ukyo hesitate some more. "Look, I don't know… I have the restaurant to look after, and…"

"The restaurant will take care of itself for one day." Ranma stated, then continued with a smile, "And if it can't, I'll send somebody over who can."

Ukyo favored Ranma with a skeptical look. "And just how would you do that?"

Ranma pulled out a business card and flipped it between her fingers. "Me and the hotel manager are very good friends." Ranma deadpanned, then smiled. "Seriously, Ucchan, I've changed, but I'm still Ranma. We just need time to get adjusted."

"Alright, alright…" Ukyo surrendered, stepping to the curb. "But don't think I approve of your little stunt last night."

"You would have if you had been—OW!" Ukyo scowled once more as her fist bounced off Ranma's head.

"For being the Guardian of Time, you sure as hell didn't see that one coming…"

---

Ryoga Hibiki, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts sidestepped the mid-kick that blazed by him, grabbed the offending leg and pulled it through on it's own momentum. The action caused one balding middle aged martial artist to stumble through the maneuver. Ryoga brought his own fist around, ready to pound his attacker, when the elder pivoted impossibly on one foot and onto his hand for balance. The remaining foot that was presumed to be out of position actually was dead on target, and leveled out into Ryoga's chest.

WHaaaM! SPALoooSH!

The bandanna'd martial artist went flying into the only logical place a Jusenkyo cursed person could land, and fell into the Tendo koi pond, sending a geyser of water high into the air. Genma Saotome recovered from is combat stance and folded his arms with satisfaction.

"You're getting sloppy, Hibiki!" He proclaimed as a small black creature emerged from the pond.

"BWeeeeeEE! Bwe Bwee!" The tiny black piglet sputtered, obviously none too pleased with its impromptu bath.

"You're still too damn slow." Genma noted, almost to himself. "Gonna have to hit the speed training harder." With that, he shrugged and walked across the yard and back into the house without a second look at the small swine.

The piglet continued to protest furiously until a steady of shower of warm water found his person. "Bwee bwee Bwee is hell because of you, Genma Saotome!" Ryoga paused, noticing the perspective shift immediately as the curse reversed. "Thanks." He replied to his unknown benefactor absently. The martial artist proceeded to collect his clothing from the koi pond before pausing once more. Warm water didn't often pour from the sky of its own violation to conveniently reverse his cursed state, and a curious Ryoga turned around, finding its source sitting happily on the Tendo property wall mere feet from him. She wore loose red silk pants, a white sports bra and matching red jacket. Long red hair waved in the afternoon summer breeze, framing the bright blue eyes that stared down at him with mischievous intent.

There could be no mistake.

A girl had just seen him completely nude.

"ACK! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ryoga exclaimed, gathering the crumples of soaked clothing around notable parts of his anatomy.

"Don't be sorry. You're certainly better equipped than most." Her smile widened and Ryoga froze. Now something was wrong. Something beyond a girl seeing him naked. The voice. The young man's head pivoted back up to the girl, processing the details he had already seen for the first time.

"Ieee…eeehh… Impossible…." He whispered, his formerly crimson blush draining completely away into a white mask. It was instantly replaced by a look of outrage. "WHY DO YOU KEEP HAUNTING ME, SAOTOME?"

The girl arched an eyebrow and flipped off the wall gracefully from her sitting position, landing neatly beside the banndanna'd boy. "Put your clothes on, baka. I'm alive."

Ryoga blinked. Alive? He took a step back from the would-be apparition, studying her intently. The last one had said it was alive too. Over, and over, and OVER again. But this one was different. It was… feminine? The lost boy rolled the conundrum around in his head. Ranma never came to him looking feminine. Except for that one time, but she had fangs and two heads then. Of course, there was always one sure fire way to be sure…

"PREPARE TO DIE, SAOTOME!"

---

BOOOooooMMM!

The thundering crash sent a shockwave through Nabiki Tendo's cup of tea, casuing the rebounding ripples to send a few drops into the air and onto the table, eliciting a frown from her older sister.

"Oh my."

The middle Tendo bit her tongue at the innocuous comment, snatching the hot tea from the table before another rumble shook the house. A small plate of spring rolls hopped across its surface. She snatched a glance at Genma, who seemed all but oblivious to the commotion as he continued to stuff his face. Ok, she thought. If Genma is in here, then who the hell is Ryoga expending that kind of firepower on? Her eyes flicked over to Akane, who was trying to get a better of the courtyard from her position. Couldn't be attributed to her mallet of destruction, either. Nabiki sighed and got to her feet wearily. It was, after all, her obligation to check it out. She'd just have to make certain that he paid for annoying her later on today. Literally.

Nabiki stepped to the arcadia door to the courtyard and watched the impossible.

Two blurs danced across the courtyard, engaged in high intensity martial arts combat. The first figure was obviously Ryoga, who was putting everything he had into hitting the second figure, a red head clad in loose red silk trousers and a white sports bra. Her main of red hair flowed behind her as she launched into a nearly impossible aerial corkscrew, taking the her over a punch that promised to level a building if it connected. Nabiki's breath was caught in her breath as she watched the impossible scene play out. No way. That couldn't be…

"Akane…" She called in a low, reverent voice. It instantly got the girl's attention. "I think I need you to check me on this one."

"Check you?" The chopsticks paused at her mouth. The absolute stillness of her elder sister earned her undivided attention.

"Yeah, because I'm not the one prone to seeing visions of Ranma dancing in my head." Akane blinked, not comprehending the words for a moment before scrambling up from the table. Chopsticks clattered the ground and she was instantly at Nabiki's side, watching the same scene.

"Im…possible!" The sound of a broken dish accompanied Akane's words. If she could have turned around, she would have found Kasumi with an equally shocked look on her face.

"Oh…Oh My…." She studdered in a most un-Kasumi like manner. "Ranma's… back from the dead. I'll have to prepare another setting."

The two traded blows for a few more minutes before separating, as if my mutual consent. Ryoga stared at his opponent, who smiled mysteriously back. It took the banndanna'd martial artist a minute to gather the courage to say his next words.

"R…Ranma?"

Ranma cocked her head with an innocent smile. "Yes?"

"You'e alive?" Ryoga stepped forward, poking the redhead in the shoulder.

"Last I checked." She stepped up to him and took his hand. "It's good to see you, Ryoga-kun." The moment held until Ranma was plowed over by the youngest Tendo sister.

"Oh my God! Ranma! You're alive! It's impossible!" Akane and Ranma hit the ground in fierce embrace, Ranma sputtering laughter.

"Yes! Yes! I'm alive for cryin' out loud!" She protested from the ground half heartedly as a small crowd of close friends gathered around in disbelief. It took another minute for Ranma to pry Akane off and make it to her feet so that the others could acknowledge her existence. The next hug was far more gentle in nature as Kasumi stepped into her.

"It's very good to see you again, Ranma-kun." She smiled warmly and Ranma knew Usa and Ukyo had been right after all. "I was starting to get worried about you."

Ranma blinked. She wasn't even about to touch that one so she settled for a simple nod. "Thanks, Kas-chan. It's good to be home…"

"What gives, Saotome? You're supposed to be dead." Nabiki asked, her voice laden with a mixture of skepticism while fighting to keep the awe from being audible. Of course, none of them should have been surprised, she amended as an after thought. The guy had cheated death so many times it was getting to be old habit.

The Saotome shrugged. "I got better."

Nabiki cast him a dry look and took stock of the martial artist, who was retrieving her red jacket that had been hanging off a nearby kotoji. It didn't take her powers of observation to note the changes in the martial artist's appearance, starting at the leg length hair and ending in the fashionable red ensemble what- to Nabiki's trained eye -looked to have cost a shiny yen or two. Beyond that, if Ranma actually was still alive… "Come on, Ranma, we need to talk."

"Nabikiiii…" Akane growled stepping defensively to Ranma's side, who simply watched the scene play out.

"You know what's going to happen when Genma finds out, A-chan." The middle sister justified, which did nothing to dissuade Akane's glare.

"And you know what happened last time you tried your petty scheming on Ryoga-kun." Now Ranma moved from amusement to genuine curiosity as Nabiki's mask faltered ever so slightly.

"But…"

Akane cracked her knuckles, which popped audibly. Each pop seemed to reinforce her own position on the matter. Nabiki frowned, but remained quiet this time. Seeing that her message had been clearly received, she turned back to Ranma with a smile. "Ranma! You look…" The smile faltered slightly as she took in the redhead's appearance, but was quickly replaced. "…It's good to see you again, Ranma."

"What she means is, 'my you look incredibly feminine'" Nabiki adlibbed with a dry smile, to which Ranma shrugged.

"Being dead will do that to you." She replied cryptically, then turned back to Ryoga. "Your speed needs some work, but you've got a solid grasp on the technique." She paused, as if thinking of something. "Do I even want to ask why Pops is teaching you Anything Goes?"

Ryoga simply shook his head and Akane replied for him. "No. You really don't."

"Two thousand yen." Nabiki held out her hand expectantly and Ranma failed to stifle her chuckle.

"If I wanted to know the future, I'd just go look for myself, Nabs." She replied nonchalantly, then sniffed the air. "Is that lunch I smell?"

"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed in a slightly alarmed manner. "You must be starved after coming back to life." Ranma didn't have the time or inclination to object as Kasumi led her from the yard and into the house, where a balding old man in white karate gi sat stuffing his face. His portion of food long since depleted, the resource harvester had since moved on to Akane and Nabiki's plates. Kasumi's remained miraculously untouched. The eldest sister sighed. "Mr. Saotome, if you don't behave yourself, I might be forced to put you on another diet."

The blurring chopsticks froze abruptly, hovering millimeters from the last morsel on Akane's plate. "Uh.. heheh heheh.." He turned to give the Tendo an innocent smile, only to have it wither and die off his face as he found the person standing next to her. "Boy? Is that you?"

"Jeez, gone six months and nobody recognize---OOF!." Ranma commented only to have the life squeezed out of him as Genma seemingly teleported from his sitting position to a bear hug around the redheaded girl.

"I knew you couldn't be dead! No stupid puny youma could defeat my son! Not even a universe full of them!" Genma beamed, yanking the girl back and forth. "We've got to tell Nodoka-chan! And Soun! The schools can be--!" Ranma broke the fierce embrace easily and stepped back, with an expression whose temperature had dropped sharply. It wasn't outright hostility or anger, but all the warm familiarity had drained away.

"No."

"--joined?" Genma stood bewildered; his arms suddenly empty of his son. He stared at the girl in front of him, who had donned a mask as unreadable as any Nabiki had ever owned. Beside her, Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi and Ryoga watched the unmistakable change in attitude and swore an entirely different person had just taken over Ranma's body. They weren't too far from the truth. "But, Son, you're alive! We can finally fulfill--"

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Ranma replied calmly. "While it's good to see you too, there will be no engagements, Genma Saotome. Period."

Genma was at a loss, torn between the incessant need to fulfill his family honor and the spontaneous resurrection of his son. Of course, that wasn't the only thing to give the aging martial artist pause, as he was noticing the exact same changes the others already had. With indecision waging war in his psyche, Ranma's father opted to take the high road…

…He'd wait for backup.

"Nevermind that now," He brushed past the topic. "Where the hell did you run off to? And why the heck are you dressed in those girly clothes."

"That's what I want to know."

"Same here."

"Ditto."

Ranma looked from her father to Nabiki, Akane and Ryoga, who all waited for the explanation with baited breath. Ranma shook her head. She really wasn't looking forward to explaining everything another five times, so she cut to the chase in an effort to avoid the inevitable. "No, it's not locked."

"Whew." The tension drained from Genma's frame. If the curse wasn't locked, then the clothing was no doubt part of some elaborate stunt the boy was regularly engaged in. "Kasumi, could you bring the boy some hot water?"

Kasumi turned to happily comply with his request only to have it instantly countermanded. "No, Kasumi. Hot water won't be necessary." Now they were staring at the redhead with interest. Ranma's curse wasn't unlocked, but had just turned down the offer to revert to his birth form?

"You didn't…" Nabiki was the first to put two and two together, and she wasn't happy with the answer it came up with.

Ranma shrugged, allowing a slight smile to escape the serene mask. "Afraid so."

Akane, however, was still in the dark. "Didn't what?"

"Dammit, you can't do this to me!" Nabiki protested with outrage, successfully confusing the redhead. "I've seen hell because of you, Saotome!" She stopped her tirade short, putting a shocked hand over her mouth. "My God, I'm even starting to sound like him…"

"Maybe I should have taken you up on that two-thousand yen…" Ranma pursed her lips trying to make sense of the middle sister's outburst when the answer suddenly came to Akane, who could do nothing but produce a malicious grin.

"It's Nabiki's 'business arrangement', Ranma." Nabiki scowled at her sister's words, and Ranma instantly knew it was going to be a great story. "When you, um, disappeared, our parents were left without an heir…"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding…" Ranma's cool mask lapsed for a moment as she too made the connection.

Akane nodded, all smiles. "So your father conned P-chan here into being the heir, while your mom dropped a chunk of money on Nabiki's doorstep to be the fiancée since I… wasn't up to it after… well, you know…"

Ranma was barely suppressing a fit of giggles as he stared at the two red-faced teens. She turned back to her father, who was desperately avoiding eye contact. "You know, for once I totally approve of your stupidity."

Genma's head jerked up suddenly. "But since you're back--"

"Since I'm back, nothing, old man." The frosty mask dropped back into place and she took an aggressive step forward. "You have no idea what it took me to get back to this point, and I'll be damned if I'm going to step back into this pile of shit you've created for yourself again." Ranma withdrew and turned to Akane, peace flowing back around her like a cloak. "…No offense, Akane-chan."

"Um, none taken?" The youngest daughter was wide eyed and shocked. It hadn't been the first time Ranma had called his father out on the stupidity concerning the engagement, but it was the first time she could remember her outright refusing to play into it since the day they were first introduced.

"We'll see how long that lasts." Ranma turned to find Nabiki cradling the end tables' phone receiver in one hand, her gaze narrowed sharply on the redhead. Something caused her to smile, and she began to speak into the other end, her eyes never leaving Ranma. "Yes, it's Nabiki. Mmm-Hmm. It's good to hear from you too. Well, sit down please because I have some news for you. Sitting? Good. He's alive. No, I swear I'm not. Yes, he's here now. I know. I will. See you in a few." Nabiki lowered the receiver with a light click, and her smile turned positively feral.

"That was your mother, of course. She's so glad to hear you're alive." Nabiki explained effortlessly, as if such a thing occurred everyday. She was, however, slightly disappointed that the news didn't seem to even dent Ranma's serene demeanor. "You may be happy with the way things have turned out, but I'll be damn if I'm going to get the shaft because of it."

"Nabiki…." Akane growled, glaring at her sister fiercely.

"No, Akane." She waved her off. "You're here, he's back and I'm done trying to keep track of the idiot lost boy over there." She opened her mouth for another round of biting commentary only to feel a gust of wind, suddenly finding the redhead in her face, Ranma's nose inches from her own. Nobody had even seen the redhead move, and the intensity flickering in the woman's blue eyes caused her to shiver.

"First of all, we are not your puppets to be played, Nabiki Tendo." Ranma hissed softly, causing the sister to take an involuntary step back. It wasn't rage. It could barely be called anger. But one thing that is was, was displeasure. Intense displeasure. "You screwed yourself by buying into this mess, not I or Akane. Suck it up. Second," Nabiki took another step back, drops of sweat bubbling from her forehead. "Akane and Ryoga are my friends. Make them unhappy and you make me very unhappy. Finally, the only reason I'm giving you a pass here is because I don't want to have to explain everything five hundred times. Play with me, my family or my friends again like that and you'll find I can make life very difficult for you." Nabiki was now backed up against the dining room wall and Ranma leaned into those remaining inches. "I hope I've made myself absolutely clear."

The middle Tendo stood stunned, unable to tear her eyes away from the radiant blue orbs that had locked onto hers. Of all the incoherent thoughts that demanded her attention, one stood out amongst them all… She did not know this woman. She may have been wearing Ranma's body, but this was not the naïve martial artist she knew six months ago. That, and she wasn't lying… She wouldn't simply make her life difficult, she'd make it hell. Manipulating her again would be like poking a scorpion, or some similarly venomous animal.

The redhead started to turn away , but stopped halfway through the motion. "And while you're at it, give Cologne and the others a call too."

---

Ranma Saotome stared at the closed Time Gates, contemplating her fate. She had endured the last six months of isolation and memories, somehow retaining her sanity, but not without a price. The line was blurred and after three thousand years worth of Setsuna, Ranma could no longer call herself a man. Ranma knew every aspect of life as a woman intimately from emotion to biological necessity, and after six months all alone on the night, there was no turning back. If she had been in her male form, she might have withstood the flood. Or gone insane. As it was, the memories had left their indelible mark and she had made her peace with them. It was the compromise and sacrifice she had to make for what she was about to do.

The redhead, whose hair had since grown out of its pigtail took a deep breath and hoped to God those memories hadn't betrayed her.

"Initiate override sequence alpha-alpha-echo-zero break five." She began, speaking toward the immobile gates. "Authorization, Setsuna Meiou, Princess of Pluto."

"Initial override sequence recocognized." The gates replied softly. "Awaiting preliminary identification."

Ranma let a dead smile cross her face. She knew what the gates wanted. They wanted a voice print. Maybe some DNA. More codes. Unfortunately, she couldn't provide anything beyond the latter. "Negative. Reincarnation protocols."

The gates stood silently for a moment, as if thinking her words over. "Reincarnation Protocals recognized. Awaiting override sequence." Ranma took a deep breath and dug into memories that were all but her own. The Reincarnation Protocals were exactly that—Should Setsuna have died and be reborn, there was no guarantee that her biology would match that of which the time gates knew. For just such an occation, a master reset had been programmed into the gates, one that only Setsuna Meiou with the memories of Sailor Pluto would be able to access.

And now, those memories were Ranma Saotome's.

She began stepping lightly to an invisible beat, gracefully executing a derivative form of Bugakuand dance and Silver Millennium ballroom that a scant living few would have been able to recognize, let alone reproduce. Ranma Saotome flowed through the night with the precision only a martial artist could achieve… or somebody who had been practicing dance as a hobby for nearly three millennia. Lucky for Ranma, she was both at the moment, drawing on Setsuna's memories as if they were own and her conditioning in the arts to float through the moment. The tempo in her mind's eye increased and her movements blurred. The martial artists smiled. In some ways, it was like a kata; supremely relaxing while it conditioned both mind and body. It was one of the habits she actually wouldn't mind keeping from the late guardian of time. The mental tempo slowed and she came to a precise stop before the Time Gates and waited.

"Sequence Accepted. Loading Reincarnation protocols." Ranma relaxed as the voice accepted Setsuna's code. "Caution. Protocol will purge current Time Gate administarator Setsuna Meiou from this system. Current Time Gate administrator will not be recognized henceforth. Proceed with protocol?"

Ranma Saotome chewed on her lip, sparing herself a moment of indecisiveness. There really was only one thing to be done, and that was to give the go ahead. But there was more. Once she did so, she- Ranma Saotome –would become the new Guardian of Time. In order to leave this hell hole and save Chibi Usa, she would have to accept the mantle of Pluto. As a temporary gag it had okay. Even fun. But as a permanent post to span a few thousand years, give or take? But then the other side of the issue came forth into her considerations… As the Guardian of Time, she could make a huge difference beyond that of a martial artist. Combined with her innate skill, the power boost was simply enormous. Add on top of that three thousand years of wisdom, and she couldn't help but to consider the possibility.

Maybe she could even avert the apocalypse.

There really was no choice.

"Execute protocol."

The Time Gates opened, bathing Ranma in a shaft of soft white light as they scanned their new keeper, finding the pure heart crystal within. The gates pulsed with power and began to transform the girl, causing her to float inside the bath of light, while her wild red hair drifted in the ethereal breeze. Lines of particle light began to drift off the martial artist, who was only aware of the energy coursing through her body. After a few minutes of alterations, the gates pulsed again and clad the redhead in the black and white fuku armor she knew all too well. Ranma floated down on light boots and watched as the time key emerged from the radiant gates, floating into her hand. Once in her grasp, the light faded, leaving a darkened doorway.

"Reincarnation protocol complete." The gates confirmed. "Register new timegate administrator."

"Ranma Saotome."

"Confirmed." It replied. "Resetting all keys and protocols to Ranma Saotome, Princess of Pluto."

Ranma smiled mischievously, staring at the frilly heart shaped timekey in her grasp. This was the part she had been looking forward to. It was her little bit of payback to the dead Senshi, after having endured three thousand years of her lifetime. The heart-tipped staff was Setsuna's symbol, and now it was hers. The staff. The gate. Everything. The martial artist turned Senshi pulled her Staff of Ascension from weapons space with her free hand and grinned wildly as only Ranma Saotome could.

"Gate… fuse the keys."

---

"So that 's all of it…" Ryoga commented in a hushed voice, and Ranma nodded. Across from the pair, Akane held her silence.

"I almost didn't even come back…" Ranma explained in low voice. "So much has changed. Almost too much." She looked over at Akane, whose eyes were boring a hole into the roof they sat atop. "I was hoping you would understand more than anybody."

The youngest Tendo opened her mouth and closed it, gathering her thoughts. It was another minute before she made the next attempt. "I just don't know… I lost something at the funeral, and now here you are… Part of me wants to grab hold of that missing part of me tight and never let go… The other just wants to move on." She took a deep breath, collecting herself before continuing. "To know you don't even want to be a guy again… Not simply can't but won't… it feels like a rejection from the one person…"

Ranma put a soft hand onto Akane's shoulder as tears threatened to overtake the girl. "Not rejection, Akane, just the way of things." Then she paused with a smile. "Besides, you don't know what perverted is until you've met Setsuna Meiou…"

Akane tried her best to stifle her own smile, but failed miserably. "You mean all three thousand years her?"

"Up close and personal." Ranma chuckled. "Hell, it's probably your fault I'm like this now, with all that name calling…"

"MY FAULT?" Akane blustered with mock indignation. "You were a pervert long before me."

"Oh, please." Ranma rolled her eyes. "You were the one who wanted to see me nude in the tub." An evil grin cross spread across her face. "Of course, I'd be happy to arrange--"

Smack!

Bonk!

"Pervert." Akane and Ryoga managed simultaneously, leaving Ranma to clutch her head in pain.

"Hmmf." Ranma sniffed indignantly. "You violent maniacs still can't take a joke. Besides, it's not as if I'm not already taken."

"Not already…?"

"…Taken?"

Akane and Ryoga finished their own thoughts, and stared at Ranma as if she had grown a second, third and forth head. It was a look Ranma was getting quite used to. Akane shook her head, rubbing her temples while Ryoga twitched a couple of times. "Do we even want to know?"

Ranma considered Akane and her question for a moment before smiling mischievously. "Probably not. I'll save that one for later on this after noon."

"So you can lay waste to your parent's reality as they know it?" Ryoga commented, to which Ranma smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Something caught Ranma's attention and she peered down the roof and over to the Tendo gates as they swung open, revealing a middle aged woman with chestnut hair, cradling a katana. "Speaking of which, Mom's here…"

Akane sighed. "Daddy will be back soon too."

Ryoga shook his head, knowing the inevitable conclusion to all the trouble that was being stirred up. "Let the games begin," he muttered as they all hopped off the rooftop together.

---

"Gack!" Many would have mistaken that sound for a migratory water fowl or some small, rodent, though they would have been wrong. It was, in fact, the sound of Ranma Saotome, Senshi of Pluto and Guardian of Time being crushed yet again by a well meaning, but potentially lethal welcome back from the dead hug. This one had been delivered at the hands of Nodoka Saotome, who was throttling her son with every bit the enthusiasm as her husband, if not more.

The scene was witnessed by Genma and Soun, who were now whispering quietly in the corner. Ranma noted them casting conspiratorial looks her way and mentally smiled, even as her skeletal structure was brutally crushed yet again. It was so pathetically obvious, that she couldn't help but to smile.

"Oh, my manly son is alive!" Nodoka gushed. "Where have you been! We were so worried about you! Are you hurt? OOhhh, it's so good to see you!"

Ranma smiled warmly, finally able to extract herself from her mother's embrace. "I'm fine, Mom, just fine."

"So it would appear, Son in law." The gravelly female voice didn't even surprise Ranma, and she turned around to find Cologne in the hallway, Shampoo and Mousse in tow. Shampoo was dressed in her finest lavender silks and practically jumping out of her skin while Mousse was all white robe and coke bottle glasses. With Ranma returned from the dead, his grumpy expression was, well, understandable.

"Shampoo too-too happy to see Ranma!" The purple haired girl bounded forward, illiciting yet and other "gack!" from the redhead, who had only just recovered from the last. "Shampoo finally be rid of stupid lost boy engagement!"

Ranma's eyes widened, and she homed in on Ryoga, who was now glowering in the corner and Akane was once again snickering. "Engagement, Ryoga?"

"Uh… Um…" The Lost Boy floundered.

"Kiss of Marrige?" Ranma smiled as well, and he visibly deflated.

"Yah."

"BWAHAHAHHahahahhAHAHAh!" The redhead doubled over in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Usa and Ukyo had been right… She wouldn't have missed this for the world.

"Oh, that isn't the best part," Akane pointed out from the side lines, snickering. "Somehow- and I'm still not sure how -he managed to inherit nearly every one of your old fiancées. Nuka. Makato. Heck, even Arisa is chasing him these days."

"Damn you, Saotome…" Ryoga grumbled, grinding his fangs down. "I've--"

"--seen hell because of you, yeah yeah." Ranma rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'll make it up to you by taking you to lunch at the Poisson Rokusaburo."

"The Poisson…?" Nabiki breathed from her post on the stairwell. "That's about out of your price range Saotome." Of course it was. Had to be. The Poisson Rokusaburo was only the home to one of the most expensive five star restaurants in Tokyo. Rokusaburo Michiba was only one of the best chef in Japan. Only.

"I don't want lunch!" Ryoga bolted upright, lerching forward. "I want you to take your damn fiancées back!"

"And I already told you, I'm already taken." Ranma replied in a matter of fact tone, waving Ryoga's desperate plea aside. All eyes came to bear on the redhead with that statement, and Nodoka Saotome positively glowed.

"I knew my honorable son wouldn't neglect his manly duties to Akane." She smiled with absolute pride, and the Tendo in question watched the neutral mask fall once again over Ranma's features. While this wasn't going to be pretty, it was going to be memorable, of that Akane was certain.

Soun and Genma high-fived one another and cheered for the joining of the schools while Shampoo protest vehemently from Ranma's arm. Cologne's piercing stare provided back up and the cloak of distant mysticism only thicken around Ranma in response. Akane watched as whatever was left of her former fiancée melt away while the group continued to celebrate and argue, and it was only then were the full effects of Ranma's changes revealed to her. The difference was literally night and day.

"The schools may be joined, but not through me." Ranma's quiet voice cut through the din, halting all conversation instantly.

"Aiyaaah! Ranma choose Shampoo!" The Amazon squealed, reestablishing her glomp on the redhead. Her grip closed in and garnered nothing but empty air. Shampoo blinked, finding Ranma repositioned in an empty corner of the room, peaceful amusement trickling from her aura. "Amazon glomp never miss. How Ranma do that?"

"Never mind that!" Genma blustered and step toward the redhead. "The only person you're taken by--"

"--Is me." Ranma smiled. It was an absolutely wicked smile. Akane was sure Ranma had left the body that now stood patiently in the corner. She followed her gaze to the hallway where Kasumi stood with the room's newest guest. She was tall, had long streamers of pink hair and wore a long black evening dress. If not for her slight figure and facial features, she would have easily called her Kodachi's sister, given the attire. Then another thought pierced her observations… Ranma… and her! The... the… PERVERT!

The woman strode confidently through the crowd of family and friends to Ranma's side, where the two flowed into a suggestive embrace that prompted Kasumi to whisper a low "Oh my."

"Son, I am waiting for an explanation." Nodoka's tone chilled to sub zero temperatures, and she begand to thumb the hilt of the family blade like a nervous twitch… or a rattle snake.

"The explanation is simple, and I'm only going to explain it once." Ranma strode forward, glaring at each of the offending parties. "My manhood died six months ago. Born in its place is me."

"Your honor--!" Soun reached for the biggest emotional lever he could grasp, even as Genma attempted to do the same.

"--No, your honor!" Ranma spun around hissing at the Tendo Patriarch. "Which one of my father's engagements am I honor bound to fulfill, hmmmm? Shall I fulfill his pledge to you and stain my own honor by breaking the others?" Soun opened his mouth to speak, only to have his words cut down once more. "No. My honor is my own now and your family promises died six months ago with me." Usa found a seat and sat back, watching the confrontation with a bemused expression on her face. Even as she did, her hand remained in contact with Ranma's at all times. The gesture was obvious.

"There's still hope, old friend," he glanced at Soun, who nodded. "The curse isn't locked yet… NOW!"

Splash!

SpAloosh!

SPliioosh!

Three kettles of hot water hit Ranma simultaneously, causing Genma, Nabiki and Cologne to look at one another and shrug. Akane stood aghast as Ranma took his male form and stood deathly still in it. Whatever emotion wasn't showing on the long, black haired martial artist's face, played across his pink haired partner's easily. She wasn't happy. At all.

After a minute of stillness, Ranma took a deep breath yet maintained eye contact with the ground. "Kasumi…?" The eldest Tendo nodded and disappeared quickly into the kitchen. Ranma took another breath. "I am not pleased." The crack of static electricity accompanied his words, and the occupants of the house looked on in horror as Usa rose to her full height, black lightening crackling in her hands. "I am not comfortable in this body anymore and the next person who does that again will more than likely take a black lightning bolt where the sun doesn't shine."

Nodoka pulled herself together from the shock, retutning to her domineering matricarch persona. "That's not a very manly thing to say. Now you'll stay a boy until--"

Kasumi returned and handed the glass to Ranma without question, and he nodded his thanks before promptly upturning it over his head. The boy vanished, replaced by the curvy readhead who was now re adjusting her sports bra. She cast a questioning look at her mother, cocking her head. "You were saying?" Nodoka's frown turned downright chilling. "Three thousand years of memories and several millennia of sexual conquest as a woman will do that to you, Mom."

Nodoka Saotome's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She tried again. "Three thousand…?"

"Yeah. I keep telling you, it's all changed." Ranma explained softly as his mother's expression cracked. "I have an obligation now and the world isn't going to save itself. This is what I've been given to finish the task I started six months ago."

"But I thought… You already saved…" Her mother stuttered through the explanation, trying to make sense of her son's words, who merely shook her head.

"No. That was just the tip of the iceberg." Ranma frowned. "There's a big storm coming, Mom and I-- we," She pulled Usa close to her, who had sense settled down. "Either stand against the apocalypse or nearly everybody dies. I can't allow that, even if it means not being your manly---"

"MY SON IS SO MANLY!"

"Gack!" The redhead instantly found herself in the tight embrace of her mother once more as she attempted to squeeze the life out of Ranma. "Even as a woman my son is going to save the world again!" She withdrew and considered the prospect in more detail. "And with three thousand years of intimate experience, that makes my daughter a woman among women too!"

Ranma blinked and Usa leaned into Ranma's ear. "That's exactly what I was thinking last night…"

"I don't care if the world is going to fall apart!" Genma stepped forward, another teapot in hand. 'You can do it as our son and join the schools at the same time!" With that proclamation, the kettle was airborn.

It never reached its target.

"Dead Scream."

The room flashed pink and a magical pink burst of power consumed the kettle, flying up at a forty five degree angle where it disappeared into the blue sky. The attendees stared at the perfect circular hole carved through the ceiling as the tiny pink dot faded from sight. Their eyes then fell, finding Ranma in a white on black fuku wielding the modified staff of ascension.

BZZZZZzzzzAAAP!

"YowwwWW!"

Everybody turned to Usa who was once again crackling with black lightining… and now so was Genma Saotome, who lay on the ground in a smoldering heap, twitching. Ranma smiled mischievously at Usa, who curtsied for Ranma in turn. The redhead then turned her attention to Cologne.

"I trust I've made myself perfectly clear?" She leaned forward with menace and Cologne simply smiled. The elder could only suspect which Senshi Ranma had become, but suspecting was enough. There was no way she was about to tangle with the persona that had broken her tribe over a millennia ago.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to take Mousse?" The Amazon boy sputtered and backed against the far wall. "Since it would seem your gender preference is quite clear."

"She'll have her hands full with me." Usa replied for Ranma, snuggling closer to the Senshi of Pluto.

"I… see…" Cologne blinked. Such relations within the Amazon were not unfamiliar, but coming from the young Saotome was…

"I must say, as manly as you are, this particular development is quite disturbing." Nodoka commented, fingering her lip.

"Tell me about it," Akane agreed, staring at the pair in disbelief. It was a sentiment mirrored by the remaining family members.

Half an hour found Usa and Ranma on the Tendo rooftop, staring at the bright orange sunset. All in all, it had gone much better for Ranma Saotome, Guardian of Time and the Last Princess of Pluto… After all, any event that ended with her father getting zapped three more times by angry black lightning was a success in her book. She would be sure to visit them all every now and then, but for now, destiny called her, and demanded her undivided attention.

Usa stood up and into the rays of orange-red light, pulling Ranma up with her entwined hand. "Shall we save the world, my love?" Ranma smiled, totally at peace with her decision. This was why she had sacrificed so much and she had long since known there was no turning back. She nodded.

"This time, we will." She gave Usa's hand a squeeze. "After all, we can't leave the world in the hands of fuck-ups like NERV again."

End.

---

Omake by Yarrow--

"But Crystal Tokyo looked like such a beautiful place," mourned Usagi, "are you sure there's no way to bring it about without people dying?"

Ranma thought for a moment, then smiled at the sad girl. "Don't worry. I'll see to it that there is a Crystal Tokyo in the future, and no one will have to die."

--- 100 years later---

Usagi stared at the towering crystal structures before her and listened to the gleeful laughter of children. It was so beautiful, and everyone was so happy.

"So, what do you think?" asked Ranma.

"It's not what I was expecting at all," gasped Usagi, "but it looks like an incredible place!"

"It is. Would you like to go in?"

"Can we?" asked an excited Usagi.

Ranma nodded and placed a scintillating crystal disk on a cord around the other woman's "You can go in now."

That was all Usagi needed, and grabbing Ranma by the hand, cheered and ran through the turnstile to join the crowds of excited people filling the crystal streets. "I want to go on all the rides! And get Crystal Candy! And get my picture taken with ... Queen Serenity!"

Ranma smirked and said, "Hey, it's part of the 'magic'. Now, stop standing there with your mouth open; if you want to do all that today, you'll have to hurry. Crystal Tokyo closes at midnight, you know."

---

Author's Notes;

This epilogue is an alternate timeline. Why? Because I liked the idea so darn much that I had to do it, simple :P Which one, therefore, is considered the real ending? You pick. I'm just having fun writing for all yas.

More details in the series ANs.