Quote from Dr. Pharmon Morris,
Boston Massachusetts,
February 2, 1998.
The year 0010 B.M. (Before Merge)
Chapter Eight: Tryst
Pluto watched the gates anxiously. It had been like this for another two months. Two months since the birth of Akane's child. Ranma Saotome should return soon… Saidar proved it. She had hardly slept or eaten at all within the past two months, due to her constant watch over the gates of time.
"Why… why won't you just come and get it over with?" She begged needlessly. She knew that Ranma would come soon but the anticipation of a great battle… possibly her own death, these things and more were all driving her anxiety into a state of overload.
She watched as the scouts fought with Akane, who had again stood up against them demanding to know why she had a memory block. Akane was so much stronger… Pluto wanted to help her fellow scouts but she could not. She HAD to remain vigilant. Akane at worst would beat the Senshi into tar but they would live.
If Ranma appeared and hunted her down she would most likely die.
All due to her horrible and pathetic planning. She was such a fool! Twenty thousand years she had been waiting. She would not die before Crystal Tokyo reigned over the Earth! She would see Crystal Tokyo brought to it's prime if it was the last thing she did!
Pluto hated to admit it but she was afraid. She had been afraid when she had lost the power of the gates of time seventeen thousand years ago… Saidar had appeared then as well. And again she was afraid now.
Suddenly it happened.
The seven or eight possible timelines were shattered. Instantly they spread into hundreds, thousands of different possibilities. All due to the return of one person.
Pluto looked at the possible timelines and found that a precious few involved world wide chaos. Even better, over eighty percent of them held Crystal Tokyo!
Just as Pluto almost let loosed a sigh of relief she found something…
She
was not Sailor Pluto. Not in any of them! Not in a single timeline. She
had been replaced! In EVERY timeline! By Sailor Moon herself! Her
princess! Sailor Moon had chosen someone to replace her! That
ungrateful little brat! She had done everything for her! Sailor Pluto…
Not her! NOT HER! NO! It wasn't fair!
All her effort… and now Crystal Tokyo was assured…
And she would not even exist… All thanks to her foolish mistakes. All thanks to Ranma.
It barely registered to her that the American Viceroy who had disappeared had now returned.
She would lose her position as Sailor Pluto in every timeline because of her actions. Every… timeline… Wait. One… one timeline. Just one… she existed as Sailor Pluto in one timeline.
After what seemed like hours of lonely grim silence. After what seemed like hours of viewing her own inner horrors come to life in the screens she had watched for twenty thousand plus years, she realized that there was only one way…
"I will not lose my place. It is mine! Damn Crystal Tokyo! It's mine!" She screamed. "Ranma will pay! I MUST Kill him!"
A portal opened and she vanished leaving only echoes and whispers…
"The Wheel"
"The Time… Tarmon Gai'don to Tetra Ode… the patterns… two patterns both spun from"
"The Wheel…"
Ranma pried his nose away from his book momentarily to get a better look at the woman who was called the "Amyrlin Seat."
"The Amyrlin Seat," Moiraine had said, "Is the leader of the Aes Sedai. Siuan Sanche, formerly of the Blue Ajah, like myself."
There were seven Ajahs within the White Tower of Tar Valon.
Green was the Battle Ajah. They stood ready for what was to come and held steadfast for Tarmon Gai'don.
White was the Ajah of logic. All things to the whites were based on logic, philosophy and truth.
Yellow was the Healing Ajah. They did their best to learn how to heal anything.
Members of the Blue Ajah devoted themselves to seeking justice and righteousness.
The Brown Ajah forsakes the things of the world in order to further their search for knowledge.
The Grey Ajah are mediators, neutral in most aspects, who seek peace and harmony.
The Red Ajah devoted themselves to the finding, capturing, and gentling, of men who could channel.
There were also rumors, Moiraine had said, that a Black Ajah existed. Black Ajah was an Ajah in service to the dark one himself. She said that Black Ajah did exist, but he should not speak of them. If he said something to the wrong person he could "lose his head." Ranma had a chuckle at that. He wasn't certain if anyone could remove his head from his body, no matter how strong they were. Then again… it had been difficult to place enough ki into his arm to block the sword that had hit him the first time he had returned to his male form. However much, or little, Moiraine spoke about it, it didn't mean anything to Ranma. He just wanted to go home.
The Amyrlin seat was stern looking person. A hard woman with cold blue eyes and a stare that could bore holes through stone. The youngest Amyrlin ever, however, that made her no less powerful. Her medium height and fair skin made her ever more angry looking to the socially in-adept Ranma.
Siuan Sanche, Watcher of the Seals, The Flame of Tar Valon, The Amyrlin Seat. This was the full title of the leader of the Aes Sedai. She was most commonly considered the most powerful woman in the world.
Rand had disappeared upon the Amyrlin's arrival. Ranma was told, by the man who's sword she had shattered, that she would likely not see him again.
It was a shame too.
The boy was a good friend. Funny when he wanted to be. Astronomically tall, however still a good friend. Ranma recalled how he had reacted to the first time she had shown him the book.
"Oh! This is that book that Mat and Egwene were afraid of… it's a book with moving pictures in it!" He cried excitedly.
"I… guess you could put it like that." Ranma had replied.
"Amazing!" He cried as Setuma looked up at one of the many sky-scrapers in the Tokyo area.
"This…" Ranma replied, "Is my home. This is where I came from. Where I want to return to…" Ranma had told him.
Rand looked at Ranma, confused. "Then… why can't you just go back the way you came?" Rand asked cautiously.
"Because," Ranma replied. "I, well, I don't know where I got here from. I know it was in the Ways… but other then that…"
"I see." He panned.
"Yeah. So now I have to find a way home… the good thing is that I have almost infinite time. But… who knows how long it's been since anyone from my era has been alive."
"That's horrible… twenty thousand years… I… I couldn't imagine it." He said sheepishly.
"No," Ranma replied, "No you couldn't."
Now Ranma sat atop the North Tower, again with Ryoga, as the Amyrlin seat moved into the grounds of Fal Dara.
"She puts me on edge. I don't like her Ryoga." Ranma said calmly. "She is… strong."
Ryoga glance at her passively. "Why? You've never even spoken with her. What makes her so strong?" He asked.
"She… she reminds me of someone… very old, wise, and strong. And… for some reason with I think of that person my head starts hurting, as if someone slammed something into it." Ranma said somberly.
Ryoga glance at her for a moment in surprised indignation.
"Cologne by chance?" He asked.
"I… don't know." Ranma replied somberly.
Ryoga didn't know why but in the past month he had been more happy than he had ever previously been in his life. When he began to think about it, the results were unpleasant, so he put them in the back of his mind. Unfortunately, they kept lurking out between the cracks of his train of thought. He was happy… while he was in a random place with mostly only Ranma to talk to. Now it wasn't often but he had been alone with Akane once for almost two weeks, more then once. Neither time had he felt the same level of happiness.
The implications of THAT were… startling at best.
"Hmm, either way… that woman frightens me." Ranma said.
Ryoga chuckled a few more times about Ranma choice of words. Frightens? This Ranma truly had spent twenty millenniums forgetting. No Ranma that Ryoga knew would be caught dead saying that.
Nabiki was confused. Money, or sister. Money or sister! She didn't know which side to take. Her sister now officially believed that it had been Sailor Moon who had "Blocked" her memory. Nabiki was too afraid to believe it. Sailor Pluto had told her that with her she would go on to become the most powerful and rich woman in the world!
But… it was her sister!
What if Akane was right? What if… what if…
She was being a fool. She dealt in numbers. Numbers were easy. Numbers didn't change on you or surprise you… ever. Just how she wanted it to be.
She recalled two weeks previous when Pluto had spoken with her about revealing the identities of the scouts.
"Nabiki… it's time." She had said.
"Time… for what?" Nabiki asked. The woman had appeared directly in front of her through one of those odd gateways she used to get around. To kidnap Ranma… Fortunately, Nabiki had seen weirder things so this didn't scare her much, and fear didn't show on her face at all.
"Time to reveal the identities of the Senshi. They will be revealed early, so as to become a friend of the people. Then the great freeze shall come, and the Senshi shall be there to protect the people. It will help if the people know who the Senshi are underneath there guises."
"O.. Ok. Um… can you tell me? What's the "Great Freeze?"" Nabiki asked cautiously.
"In the year 2008, a gigantic meteor is destined to slam into the earth. We will fortify the earth so that it rebounds off the meteor, knocking the earth into a different, a further, solar orbit around the sun. It should be somewhere closer to Mars's orbit. This , in turn, will make the planet freeze, thus creating the paradise of Crystal Tokyo." Pluto finished.
"But… but why can't you just knock the meteor off course? I… I don't want the world to be frozen…" Nabiki said.
"It's not possible child. The entire Imperium Crystal couldn't change the trajectory of this meteor. It's the size of a planet and, it will, in fact, "become" a planet once it knocks our Earth into a farther orbit." Pluto said.
"… I know someone who could." Nabiki muttered.
"What did you say child?" Pluto asked curiously.
"Nothing. Nothing, so how am I supposed to announce the revealing of Sailor Moon's identity? You already said that we would be doing each Senshi, one week at a time. Moving up the planets from the inners to the outers. But starting with Moon."
Pluto nodded.
"So that would be Usagi, Amy, Minako, Rei, Makoto, Hotaru, Haruka, Michiru, and you, Setsuna." Nabiki asked.
"Yes." Pluto replied quickly.
"When should I do it? On Friday's? And how?" Nabiki had asked.
Pluto had continued to give her all the ways she would be able to advertise that the Senshi were, "coming out of the closet". Television, (by satellite or cable) newspaper advertising all over Tokyo, flyers, even one commercial and some merchandise.
Nabiki was proud to say that due to all of this advertising, Moon's identity had actually MADE her money. The sailor moon toy wearing the question mark on it's face had been a great marketing investment.
Over the past two weeks she and Setsuna had become fast friends. Setsuna was… lonely. She confided in Nabiki. Stories of the sailor scouts adventures. Of her own long life and of her loss of power seventeen thousand years previous. Over time she had begun to make money and now Sailor Pluto had become what was currently just about the most rich person in the world.
And Nabiki planned to follow and surpass her. But now she wondered, was it worth it?
"Ranma… if anyone could knock a meteor off course then it would be you." She thought. Even though she was certain there would be no possible way to knock said meteor off course, if anyone COULD do it, it would definitely be Ranma.
But Nabiki still dealt in numbers. Numbers said to follow Pluto.
So she threw the dice and hoped they turned up a seven.
Rand's horse moved at full gallop. He would not be caught and gentled… caught and killed. Any man who was gentled would inevitably die.
It was fact, as much as fact could be.
Gentling. The male half of the true source was tainted so that men who channeled Saidin, would eventually go insane.
Gentling was severing a man from his connection with Saidin, the male half of the true source.
If
Rand stayed in the presence of the Amyrlin seat he would be gentled,
and since the age of legends, every man gentled had died soon after, as
if the life of them had been stripped away. All that was left was a
cold outer shell.
Oh some men had lasted a few years after
gentling. Ten was the most, he had heard. But apparently life would be
so different that he would die from the lack of that wonderful and
powerful touch of Saidin that burned him from within.
He would not be one. He wouldn't go insane, because he wouldn't TOUCH the source! And he would not die by being gentled either.
He rode from Fal Dara as quickly as he could and was miles away without a goodbye or a glimpse of his old friends. Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Loial. He left them all without a even a goodbye. He hoped, inwardly, that he wouldn't see them again. "All men who can channel will go insane." He thought to himself. "The Dragon Reborn killed all of his kinsman… I won't be another Lews Therin!"
As Rand rode, his thoughts drifted to that of the man named Ranma Saotome. She who Dances the Flames. It was a fitting title for the woman, man. Or… whatever, as she usually said.
Rand thought of Ranma as a girl due to the fact that he saw her as a girl the most. But she recently had learned to walk like a proper man, in her male form and had practiced a few "simple katas" as he had called them.
They were the most complex things Rand had ever seen, flowing from a kick to a punch in the span of milliseconds. When the man accidentally smashed down one of the trees, he meekly apologized with his hand on the back of his head and an awkward smile on his face.
The most odd thing about the man, or woman as the weather went, was that he would randomly begin laughing. Or sometimes he would whisper to himself in a way that sounded uncannily similar to Machin Shin.
When she recovered and noticed what she was doing she would simply admit that she had gone insane and was working to get out of it. Rand felt sorry for the poor… she, he. But he would not turn out the same way. He WOULD NOT go mad.
Ranma was not completely mad fortunately. Just… reminiscent of horrible days of loneliness. Ranma usually kept herself sane though somehow Rand thought that it took great concentration for her to not remember past events aloud all the time in that… insane way.
Ryoga, Ranma's companion, was much the same as far as the peoples' awe of him went. The "Builder's Bane" as it had been called, was catastrophic. Buildings and barns and towers lay in rubble everywhere due to the charge of Ryoga. He wanted a fight with Ranma who had been unwilling to fight. Fortunately again, no one had been hurt and Ryoga had met Lan from this.
But their strength was not what worried Rand. It was what they could do.
He didn't know how he knew, but he was sure. "Both of them can channel." He thought to himself.
He continued westward and thought of happier things such as his destination.
He road on.
Usagi walked slowly down the narrow road before her. It wasn't often that she got the chance as she was usually astronomically late. Fortunately today she was not. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly early either.
"Well, Five minutes is better then the fifty seconds I usually have." She thought to herself.
"Hey Usagi!" Usagi heard Rei call out.
"Rei? What in the world are you doing here?" Usagi replied, surprised. Rei would usually be at her own school at this time. Would have been at her own school for twenty minutes studying or something similar.
"Usagi… it's time." Rei deadpanned.
Usagi looked on curiously wondering what the girl meant. "It's time for what?" she asked.
Rei placed her arm around Usagi. "It's time us to reveal who we are. Pluto recruited that Nabiki girl to be our official spokeswoman. So… it's time."
"Bu.. But but! I'm almost early to school this morning!" She cried. Usagi stamped her feet and simmered a moment before calming down.
"It's really already time to introduce ourselves? But… why so soon. I'm not supposed to be crowned for another ten years!" Usagi said quietly as she followed Rei. "Where are we going anyways?"
"To the school. Remember how Pluto told us Nabiki was trustworthy? She set everything up. She's been advertising that today would be the day she would have Sailor Moon reveal her true identity. She told us it's supposed to be broadcast on national television." Rei said.
"Oh yeah." Usagi muttered. "I forgot Pluto said we would show ourselves one at a time… why do I have to go first?" She whined.
"Because you're the leader, Meatball Head!" Rei stated angrily.
Usagi just frowned. As quickly as she turned her mood sour, it became bright again. "Well, I guess I should be happy. I have been really sick of the secrets. It'll be nice to have everyone know… though I hope no one is jealous... Or angry that I kept it all a secret."
"Don't worry so much, Usagi." Rei said cheerfully. "Or should I say Princess?"
Rei left her and ran on ahead.
"Usagi! Wow! Your up on time!" another person shouted. Usagi identified the girl as Kiyane. A girl who was only slightly older then herself. A few other girls were with her as they approached. These were some of Usagi's friends who knew nothing about her secret.
"Heh. How's it going?" She panned. "Somethin' wrong Usagi? You don't seem as… well, happy as usual today." One of them asked, though Usagi was not looking up to see who.
"I… well, something important is coming up today. I'm not sure I'm ready to face it." Usagi said mournfully as she stared at her feet.
"Oh? Like what?" Riko asked, her curiosity peaked.
"I… well. If I told you guys that I'd been keeping a really important secret, and hadn't told any of you, in order to protect your lives, would you believe me?" Usagi asked.
Her friends blinked…
And blinked again.
"Usagi… I…"
"Because," Usagi interrupted, "I have been."
Kiyane stepped forward. "Usagi, are you ok?"
"The secret I've been keeping, since I'm finally able to tell you." Usagi said serenely.
"Is…?" Balara asked anxiously, leaning forward to hear due to Usagi's drop in tone.
"I'm Sailor Moon." Usagi said.
Her friends only blinked once this time before they fell on the ground in a heap laughing like hyena's.
"Usagi! If your going to play a joke like that! At least make it a reasonably possible one!" Riko stuttered through her giggles.
With grim determination, Usagi continued towards the school without a word. They'd know soon enough. She turned a corner and there in front of her, in the main school yard was an enormous, stage surrounded by hundreds of people.
"Oh boy…" She thought.
"Step right up people! Just wait, at exactly eight A. M. On this stage the one and only Sailor Moon will reveal her true identity on live television for viewers all around the globe!
"Why!" One of the excited audience members shouted. "Why now"
"It
has become apparent that Sailor Moon no longer has any enemies. She
hopes for protection from the federal government as long as she is not
transformed, just in case, however, the world is no longer in danger so
the time seemed right for her to reveal her true identity." Nabiki
replied casually through the enormous loudspeaker.
"What are Sailor Moon's plans for the future?" Another member shouted above the rest.
"To live in peace." Nabiki answered simply. "From what she's told me, Sailor Moon is done with fighting. She's seen enough of it in her young life…"
It was true. Nabiki was certain it was true. Pluto had told her all of the stories that the scouts had gone through since they had been reborn. Pluto confided everything in her. The woman was quickly becoming the best "friend" she'd ever had. Nabiki had never felt so… welcomed by anyone. Setsuna Meiou was among the most kind and gentle hearted people she'd ever met. Yet the woman still schemed even better then Nabiki herself. Nabiki hoped Setsuna wasn't planning anything drastic…
"Did Sailor Pluto truly kidnap that boy a few months ago?" Someone asked.
"Sailor Pluto kidnapped a man named Ranma Saotome because he was starting a dark revolution and intended on taking over the planet. She simply stopped it before it happened." Nabiki lied. That story was made up. The truth was that the story was made up to hide hers and Akane's guilt.
"How old is Sailor Moon?" Another member of the crowd shouted.
A blood vessel popped on Usagi's forehead as Nabiki shouted, "Sixteen!"
The numerous murmurs about her young age only fueled her anger.
"Did she have tell my AGE?" Usagi shouted. Then she instantly calmed down. "Ugh… they would've known anyways. I know almost everyone in this crowd!"
She approached the crowd, which was mostly full of her own classmates and a few college students. She pulled out a cellular phone and looked at the time. Seven fifty six. "Still have time." She thought. "A little time." Time until she was forever locked as a celebrity, and later, ruler.
"Usagi dear! I'm so excited! Aren't you? You know Sailor Moon saved me from one of those youma once!" Said the excited voice of her mother, Ikuko, as she materialized from thin air. "I can't wait to find out who it was who really saved my life that day…"
"Heh! Well then ladies and gentlemen. It's time. Sailor Moon is here. As a matter of fact, she's in the crowd right now. Would the girl who is known as Sailor Moon please step onto the stage and prove it?" Nabiki said through the loudspeaker.
"Suspense… suspense!" Ikuko muttered as the entire crowd quieted.
Usagi looked at her cell phone again. Seven fifty eight. "I have two minutes left! I don't wanna go yet!" She began biting her nails nervously.
"Oh come on Bunny of the Moon. What are you so nervous about?" Rei said appearing behind her. "I can't wait till I get to reveal my identity. The secrets are killing me."
Usagi looked at Rei sternly and nodded.
At Rei's smile she strode forward. "It's time." She thought to herself.
"U… Usagi?" Her mother said as she moved away from her towards the stage.
Usagi turned around quickly, glancing at her mother, happily.
"I'm Sailor Moon mom." She said. Then with her favorite grin she strode through the crowd towards the stage and climbed up.
Among the crowd was the utter silence of pure shock.
"Usagi get down from there!" Her mother cried, snapping out of her shock.
"Moon Eternal Make-Up!" She shouted.
And her dazzling transformation blazed through her. The power, exhilaration, the rush of the change from her normal form to that of Sailor moon, swam through her veins flooding them with power and magic.
"A.. Amazing!" Her mother shouted. "My… my daughter… that's my daughter! So… this.. This is why you could never finish your studies… why you're so tired all the time!"
"All the time, mom." Usagi replied gleefully.
Her mother giggled. "I can't believe it… after all this time…"
Inwardly, Usagi was relieved her mother wasn't angry at her for not telling. Relieved her mother was proud of her.
"Us… Usagi! But… Sailor moon save me once too! That was you?" Kiyane exclaimed.
"Yeah. That was me. I remember it vaguely… you were attacked by one of Nephrite's minions on top of that building. You almost fell over the side but I caught you and took the hit of the attack for you… yeah. My side still aches a little from that one!" Usagi said.
Just about all of the rest of the crowd, whom about ninety percent of said crowd were students who knew Usagi well and had most likely been saved by Sailor Moon numerous times, stood in complete and total shock.
"I… hope you all can forgive me for keeping it a secret. It was for your own protection, not to mention the protection of my own identity." Usagi said bowing. "I am the reborn daughter of the leader of the ancient Moon Kingdom. I humbly ask to be accepted by any who are willing to have me here on Earth."
Usagi as Sailor Moon was one thing. Usagi as a FORMAL Sailor Moon was that same one thing multiplied by one hundred.
Ninety percent of the crowd fainted. The other ten percent who did not know Usagi, continued with their questions until something… different happened.
"Sailor Moon! In the name of the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, I Akane Tendo, demand that you give me my memories back!" Said a blue haired girl from the top of the school building.
"I… Akane! Your… You!" Sailor Moon stuttered. "I KNOW you stole my memories! I want them back!" She cried. She jumped from the rooftop and landed perfectly atop the stage a few moments later.
"I would NEVER steal someone's memories! Especially not yours! I don't even know you!" Moon cried angrily.
"Don't play dumb! It happened when you cast that healing spell on me. You didn't give me my memories back! You blocked them! There was no monk who I made to block my memories! I want to know what TRULY happened!" Akane demanded.
Moon, relapsing into her younger attitude and tactics, tried desperately to sooth the storm of anger that was Akane Tendo. "But.. But I really didn't do it!" She said anxiously. "Honest!"
"Enough with the lies! If you didn't do it then who made me forget how I became pregnant! The truth is that you are the only people powerful enough to do it, and my daughter is proof!"
Nabiki stood in mute shock as her sister moved jumped off the building. She also took note of the quick glance, or glare, Akane had given her and shuddered.
"Lucky seven…" she thought to herself.
It had been two months since Akane's baby was born. And now Akane looked exactly as she had before Keika's birth. Thin, lithe, beautiful, and angry as hell.
"You.. You had a daughter?" Moon whispered.
"Yes… and I want to know how Ranma is the father when I have no memories of it!" Akane demanded.
"I swear to you in the name of the moon that I have never touched your memories!" Usagi shouted.
"Dry up and die!" Akane cried. She bounded forward and slammed her fist directly into where Sailor Moon's stomach SHOULD have been.
Akane twisted around and threw another punch at her solar plexus but Moon dodged again.
"Calm down, Please!" Moon shouted. But Akane did not let up. She punched in righteous fury at the girl who had stolen her memory.
'She's just like Ranma,' Akane thought as Moon dodged yet another of her attacks. Neither ever laid a finger on the other.
"Moon!" came the cry.
Six sailor scouts appeared. Mars, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Mercury.
Sailor Moon, who was temporarily distracted, did not see the punch that slammed into her jaw, sending her flying back over the crowd and into the Juuban School building.
Moaning, Moon pulled herself out of the wall to be greeted by the sight of her mother standing between her and the advancing Akane.
"Don't you lay a finger on my daughter!" Ikuko cried as she stood with her hands outstretched. "I raised my daughter! She's the most honest person you'll ever meet! She couldn't tell a lie if her life depended on it! Please! I KNOW my daughter! She isn't lying to you!"
"I…" Akane muttered as she tried to hang on to her anger.
This wasn't right! Sailor scouts were evil, kidnapping, memory stealing thieves! She wasn't supposed to have a caring and innocent mother!
"Mars Flare Sniper!" Came the cry. A red beam of fiery light slammed into Akane's back, scorching her shirt, and the area between her shoulder blades.
Her rage returned in full as she twisted around. She could deal with Usagi later. She had enemies to fight again.
Ranma landed on the ground. Ryoga had finally convinced him to fight. He would only fight in his, less balanced, weaker male form, but he would fight.
Ryoga smiled as he stood ready. "Alright Ranma! Let's see what twenty thousand years without a training partner can do!"
Ryoga knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that he would lose. It would be truly a sad fight if Ranma were to go all out. All that raw ki that Ranma had displayed destroying the army. It had been incredible. Ryoga didn't think he would ever match Ranma again but, spending the rest of his life trying didn't seem like too bad of a life. At least he would always have a goal. Unlike back when Ranma was… well. Beatable.
Ranma, on the other hand, also knew he could win before Ryoga even moved his first finger. He was so afraid, though. The image of Aron's neck snapping in front of him flashed through his mind for a moment, jolting him out of his thought.
"Don't lose concentration! Don't lose focus! Don't… hurt him too much." Ranma thought to himself.
Ryoga charged. "Gyaaaaah!" He cried bringing his fist towards Ranma's head.
In an instant Ranma jumped, flashing above Ryoga and landing a good ten paces away.
"Shi Shi Hokodan!" Ryoga yelled, seeing a good opportunity to bring the battle up a notch early. A tiny pathetic green ball of ki leapt from his outstretched palm and dissipated before it reached Ranma. Leaving a bewildered and confused Ryoga standing in it's wake.
"Your not depressed, Ryoga." Ranma said simply. "That attack was based on depression which, at the moment, is useless because your not depressed. You have to use one that fits your mood, or find a way to generate pure ki that uses no emotion."
Ryoga looked at Ranma, blankly for a moment before suddenly smiling.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" Ryoga shouted. An enormous blue ball of energy sprung forth this time moving to slam into Ranma and explode. Unfortunately for Ryoga, Ranma was ready.
"Ki Yamitsuki Kagami!" Ranma shouted.
Ryoga watched as his ki blast melded into the mirror of swirling blue ki that Ranma created.
"You… you absorbed it!" Ryoga exclaimed.
"That's not all!" Ranma returned. "Touei Raishuu!"
The blast that had been originally Ryoga's erupted forth from the mirror of swirling ki and slammed into the surprised Ryoga.
Ranma smiled. She could fight Ryoga this way. Fight him with illusion to make him hit himself! Ranma knew she had fought someone who had done something similar to him once who used a sword light to create illusions that reflected his attacks back at himself.
"Perfect!" Ranma thought.
Behind him, Patrailia whined and huffed angrily. The horse always seemed to recognize when it's master was in danger. It had done the same thing when Lan had hit Ryoga on the head with a rock during the Builder's Bane.
"Alright! I've learned some new tricks since you've been gone Ranma! Take this!" Ryoga cried. He smashed forward with a round house kicked, followed by a series of punches and kicks which Ranma blocked with ease.
Suddenly however, something slammed into the back of Ranma's head. It was his bandana. Ryoga had taken his bandana and thrown it around, like a boomerang making it hit Ranma in the back of his head. Distracting him long enough for Ryoga to get a direct punch in!
"Brilliant!" Ranma thought. Ranma's earlier opinion of Ryoga's skills upped a little.
Ryoga's eyes lit up as Ranma's face collided with his fist. Ranma skyrocketed backwards into a tree. He stood in seconds, having felt almost no pain whatsoever.
"You," Ranma said quietly, "Are a lot better then I thought. I didn't see that coming at all!" He exclaimed.
Ryoga growled. Ranma didn't even look like he had taken a scratch!
And come to think of it! His fist hurt! "Damn you Ranma"
Ryoga
flew forward yet again, though this time, Ranma dodged his attacks with
practiced ease and boredom. Suddenly, he outstretched his hand and
caught the taller man's fists, in each of his hands and crushed them
tightly.
"AH!" Ryoga squeaked.
Ranma flung him backwards and over his head to slam him bodily into the ground, creating a small crater around his body in the dirt.
"Ryoga… I really don't like fighting all that much anymore… can't I just train you and we'll call it even? Please?" Ranma practically begged.
"I hate you." Ryoga muttered through a few groans as he moved to his feet slowly. Ryoga looked at Ranma. There was genuine worry on his face. Ranma, worried about Ryoga. Imagine that.
Suddenly Ranma looked down. "Machin… hate… blood… light… don't hate me Akane… Don't hate me Machin…! eeehh… AHHH!" Ranma screamed and suddenly came back to himself.
"I… I'm sorry… hate… the word brought back memories… I… sorry. Gomen Nasai." Ranma muttered.
'Killing someone on accident must have really screwed with his brain.' Ryoga thought.
It didn't happen too often, but every now and then Ranma would flip out into a horror filled memory. For a time it would reign and then Ranma would recover his sanity.
Ryoga had been glad to find that the awkward attraction he had had to Ranma, when he was female, completely and utterly shattered upon his change in gender. Finding out that the attraction was only a physical hormone thing, he felt much more comfortable around his rival.
Also, finding out that Ranma could still be his hated rival was a great boost to Ryoga's confidence and happiness drive. Unfortunately Ryoga had found that he felt a certain pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach.
Ryoga felt, "gulp" sorry for Ranma. Twenty thousand years and Ryoga assumed he would be a little whacky too. And, all in all, Ranma wasn't too bad off. Certain words or actions would bring back some of his… worse memories and he would relapse quickly… usually it would only last a few seconds but sometimes the man would scream for hours about how he didn't want to be alone.
"Poor guy…" Ryoga muttered as he stared at the turned back of Ranma.
Ranma never let Ryoga know that he had heard his muttering.
The Amyrlin seat had been shown to her resting quarters. It had been a long days travel and she could wait until the next day to meet with Moiraine and the Legendary "Lady of the Flames."
Unfortunately for her, Ranma, and Ryoga had both decided that now was the best time to leave. Ranma's not-quite-fear of Siuan Sanche had spurred them to decide that it was now time to leave Fal Dara. Time to find a way home.
"Once again, we of Fal Dara, thank you from the bottom of our souls. We can never repay all that you have done for us. You will always be welcome here."
"Thank you lord Agelmar, master of Fal Dara. May you forever hold your ground against the blight." Ranma replied formally.
"Take care. May peace favor your sword." Ingtar said.
Ingtar was a strong man and soldier. His hair, like Agelmar's, was tied back in a topknot. His recklessness seemed to be the dominate trait in him but he was definitely a good man, skilled and resourceful fighter, and an even better strategist. A little to blood thirsty for Ranma's taste but Ryoga had become friends with the man. Unfortunately he assumed that Ingtar was somewhat afraid of him. He stuttered slightly and seemed to be a little twitchy around the two people who could shatter stone barehanded.
Fortunately he had not witnessed the destruction of the dark army, so he was not completely afraid as a few were. Ranma's carefree attitude usually made people able to look past the random madness in him. And his unimaginable power.
In truth, Ranma was much like a child.
"Goodbye Lord Ingtar! Lord Agelmar! Goodbye Lan. You were great sensei! Thank you very lot!" Ryoga shouted as he turned back to wave. Ranma sighed at Ryoga's still pathetic language. It was, however, getting better.
Ranma's speech was much more simple. "Goodbye… I… I will miss Fal Dara but I must find a way home…"
"Aye. You must. You must. The Amyrlin seat will be disappointed that she did not get to meet you." Agelmar said.
"Yes she will, I assure you. But… it's for the best." Moiraine said quickly. "If you met the Amyrlin, she would most likely want to take you back to the tower… and I have my own reasons for wanting you to stay free of that place."
Moiraine did have reasons. She didn't want the tower destroyed like the east tower of Fal Dara had been. No builder's banes would occur at Tar Valon. The two scared her. But now she would have to find Rand. Where would that boy be? He was the important one.
Moiraine turned and left quickly without a word.
"Well. Perhaps we will meet again one day, Ryoga." Ingtar said. "Until then, as my Lord said, may peace favor your sword."
"Same to you." Ryoga said, for once, perfectly.
They turned and walked on foot from the main gate of Fal Dara.
They had been offered horses but they had turned them down. Both of them knew they could move faster than any horse.
After about five minutes of walking, Ryoga turned Ran- his… sensei.
"So.. Sen… sei. You want to leave them a goodbye firework?" He asked anxiously.
Ranma lifted his hand into the air, muttered a quick, "Sure," and then, blasted a vortex of blue ki from one hand, and red ki from the other, creating two perfectly straight pillars of light.
After rising far into the sky, they exploded in a dazzling array of spectacular lights.
"Amazing," Ryoga muttered.
"Stop gawking. It's time to train." Ranma replied angrily.
And suddenly, faster than Ryoga could see, Ranma spun around. Ryoga heard a quick zziiip! And then there was silence. Within Ranma's hand was an arrow.
Ranma looked up the walls of Fal Dara… where he saw Tio… Aron's child… Ranma turned and fled as fast as she could. Fled from the tear stained eyes of the boy who's father she stole. Ranma from the young boy who tried to kill her.
Ryoga followed quickly.
Patrailia was an old horse. Almost two thousand years old though no one knew it. He had been a man once named Karugan but a ter'angreal had malfunctioned and mutated him until had had actually BECOME a ter'angreal himself.
Karugan had been bitter about it for the upper side of five hundred years but he had learned since the Age of Legends that past was past.
Ryoga, the odd man from another world, had become his new master.
And now the boy had left him behind. "He would begin "Need Traveling" again soon." Karugan thought. Karugan was a ter'angreal that did one thing. Due to the fact that the ter'angreal he had experimented on had malfunctioned within an Ogier Stedding, his little ability had become that of a True Source dampener. He could choose who and when to cut off from the True Source whenever he chose.
An Ogier Stedding was a dwelling place of Ogier. A place where the True Source could not be touched by anyone. So, in meddling with a Ter'angreal for transfiguring people, he accidentally turned himself into a horse, destroyed the angreal and gave himself the ability to sever anyone he chose from Saidar or Saidin, instantly.
As a ter'angreal, as long as the source was alive with in him, he assumed that he would not die lest he was killed.
Ryoga, his new master who could use Saidin, had a problem with "Need Traveling." Ryoga would accidentally enter Tel'aran'rhiod, the world of dreams, while he was awake, seeking what he needed, and then use Traveling to accidentally take him to any place he seemed to think he needed to be.
During Ryoga's stay here, Karugan had instantly identified this problem, as he had dealt with it a few times before during his human life.
And now Ryoga was leaving him. The poor boy would be lost again…
"Farewell, Master Ryoga. Perhaps we, too, shall meet again." Karugan muttered.
Using his tail, he flicked a fly off his back.
It was night time and Ryoga and Ranma were walking through a dense forest to the west. They weren't certain where they were going but it didn't matter. Ranma was a girl at the moment due to a brief rain a few hours back. When offered a kettle a little later, before they trained, she declined.
"I'm sick of tripping," She had said moodily.
Ryoga on the other hand was human, thanks to his umbrella.
"Ryoga… I have a question." Ranma asked suddenly.
She shifted her pants around and retied her leather strap belt. The thing kept coming undone and no matter how tight she tied it, it just wouldn't stay together.
"Uuh.. Ye.. Yeah?" Ryoga replied through his moans. He had been severely beaten by Ranma, who had not really even been trying to hit him in the first place during the last hour..
"Why don't you get lost like you used to? I remember… I remember you were lost all the time. I've wanted to ask you for a while now but I never thought you would… like me asking."
"I… I don't know, Ranma. Ever since I've been here, I've been able to find my way almost perfectly. It's amazing." Ryoga said happily.
They stopped walking momentarily.
"This'll be a good spot to stay at for the night." Ryoga muttered.
Ranma smiled. She loved sleeping on hard ground. It was so much like the stone floor she had become used to over the years. The beds made her uncomfortable… they were simply too comfortable.
Ryoga spent about five to six minutes setting up a tent. Then after that he taught Ranma how to set hers up, since she couldn't really remember well. After that, Ranma removed one of her embers and lit it in her hand. She then moved it to light the pile of wood that had been placed in between the two tents.
It lit quickly, even thought it was a little wet. It was becoming warm with the advance of the spring recently.
Ryoga pulled out a large pot and poured some water and rice into it.
Levering it above the fire he let the rice cook, and then turned to Ranma.
"Ranma?" he questioned quickly.
"Yeah?" she replied.
Ryoga moved to scratch the back of his head. "I've been wondering something about you too." He stated. A cool breeze swept by the both of them, chilling them slightly. The moon shimmered brightly above them, it was almost full, as it had been a month before, but not quite. It illuminated their small camp, reflecting off the water from the tiny river not far away.
"What?" Ranma asked.
"I wanted to know," Ryoga asked, "If, well… I want to know… what you will do when you get home?"
"I will find Akane. I'll… I'll. I don't know what I'll do. I just… I'll find Akane first. And then… I'll kill Pluto." Ranma said grimly.
"Ranma… but… that's not the way of a Martial Artist!" Ryoga said firmly. Ryoga had known Ranma had revenge plans but, murder? Ryoga, at one time, hadn't been certain if he would ever see such anger from Ranma.
"She stole my life Ryoga. My sanity. I… I… She deserves worse. I want her to have worse. I want to make her scream, make her blood flow…" Ranma muttered. A red aura brimmed around the outer edges of her body.
"I want her to feel the same thing I felt. I want her to know what it's like to be alone for eighteen thousand years… But I won't. I'll kill her quickly. I at least have that much honor as a martial artist in me. Revenge was not my way she must be brought down."
Ranma embraced her ki, letting it bathe her. Out of the corner of her mind, she noticed the black veil, wall with the hole in the middle. The light on the other side, Saidin, stood beckoning to her. Why, she could not understand. It had never made her want to touch it so much before.
"Ranma!" She suddenly heard Ryoga shouting. Looking up she noticed that her aura had flared out, blasting to a three foot radius around her, burning the trees above her and scorching the ground. Fortunately nothing important was nearby enough to be hurt by her outburst.
"I… sorry Ryoga."
Ryoga smiled haphazardly with a quick "It's ok!"
Ranma couldn't help but notice that Ryoga edged around her for the rest of the night as they ate.
The next morning was a good one. The sun was out and the weather was becoming warmer by the day. Flowers were blooming and leaves were growing like wildfire all over the trees of the dense woods.
Ranma felt better than she had in ages. For the first time in a very long time, her dreams had not been plague with images of Machin going insane or images of Aron's snapped neck.
She ate in silence, listening to things she had once dreamed about seeing in real life. Rabbits zooming by afraid, birds chirping, wind blowing. All of it was still so foreign and amazing to her.
Ryoga stood suddenly, lifting the pan of warm water away from the fire. "Here, Ranma. You're a guy today."
Ryoga desperately tried to hide the reason that he wanted Ranma to be a guy. That, when Ranma was a guy, Ryoga didn't feel so much pain at the end of a training session.
"Arigato," Ranma replied unknowingly, taking the pan and upending it over her head. Ranma flipped forms quickly and stood to repack his tent. Ryoga had already done so, so he helped Ranma get the tent off the ground and in his back pack faster.
The walked along for about an hour, hoping to find the village that supposedly lay in this direction when suddenly something happened.
"I'll be right back Ranma. I need to use the bathroom." Ryoga said quickly.
Ranma nodded, sat, and waited as Ryoga ran into the woods quickly. After a time, Ranma began to become impatient. Ten minutes after Ryoga had left, Ranma became afraid and followed after Ryoga.
And suddenly, she saw it. Ryoga was walking directly into a hole in the air about the size of a regular door.
"Ryoga!" She cried.
But the back of Ryoga disappeared as he walked into the door-sized gateway. Suddenly the hole began closing.
Ranma zoomed forward as fast as she could easily bursting through the gateway, before it shut, after Ryoga.
Flying out of the gateway, he slammed into the back of Ryoga, and ended up actually standing on his back as Ryoga's face pounded into the concrete.
"Wait… concrete?" Ranma thought.
He looked up and then saw the most horrible site he had ever seen. The buildings and roads didn't matter. The fact that he was now home… it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered… was her.
"Die!" He screamed.
Akane stood firm. Sailor Neptune and Venus lay unconscious and she had four more currently present to defeat. Akane didn't know where Moon was.
She leaped backwards in an amazing arc landing far behind the un-prepared Sailor Mars. Unfortunately, Jupiter had been prepared.
"Back for more eh! I'll win this time!" Jupiter cried.
"Not a chance!" Akane taunted back. "I want my memories and Ranma back! I KNOW you took him!"
Akane darted to the left, slamming the girl with the slowest reflexes, Mercury she thought, in the side with her fist before continuing on to the left.
It was a wide stage and the people who had been watching Sailor Moon's unmasking had fled in horror at the scene, leaving ample room to fight.
A few people recognized Akane as the girl from the news broadcast a few months previous but even those who were for Akane still ran from fear of being caught in the crossfire.
The four remaining whirled around her launching punches and kicks everywhere. They were not well trained in fist fighting. They relied too much on their magic. Unfortunately, Akane was tiring. Even without proper training the Senshi were incredibly strong and fast.
She launched a kick towards the short one, who looked to be only about twelve, and ducked a fast array of punches and kicks from the short-haired Uranus.
"Alright that does it!" Uranus cried suddenly.
And instantly the other three scouts, that is Jupiter, Mars and Saturn, blasted away from her, leaving only Uranus and her in the middle of the clearing.
"WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus cried. She lifted her hand into the air. In her hand formed a circular ball of yellow light. With that she flung the ball into the ground where it blasted around the surface leaving carnage and destruction in it's wake.
It followed Akane like a missile as she ran away as fast as she could. Suddenly as she ran directly toward the small girl, she jumped up and backwards. Just as she suspected. The homing magical ball slammed into the unprepared Saturn.
Looking around she noticed that Uranus's attack appeared to have done more damage Saturn than she had expected! Sailor Saturn was down for the count!
"Three left." She thought to herself. She could take on three. She was a brawler… she dealt in battles with multiple enemies. She'd win.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" She heard Mars call out again. This time, however, she was ready for the arrow of red flame jetting towards her.
She dodged to the left. And slammed a surprised Sailor Uranus with a hard blow to the stomach. One more down! Only two left!
"Oak Evolution!" Sailor Jupiter suddenly cried.
And Akane met her match. Jupiter's raise hands created yet another light above them, and as she spun around, the green lights blasted out everywhere laying waste to the ground and everything between.
One of the green balls of energy exploded on Akane's abdomen. She flopped down onto the crater covered ground in a heap.
"Damn!" She thought to herself, as she moved. She still had energy. She could still fight! She didn't want to use her secrets yet.
"Are you ready to give up!" Jupiter shouted to the limping Akane.
Akane
limped to her feet. "I'll never give up," She muttered. And with that,
she was back in action. She darted straight forward towards Jupiter,
who had become ready to intercept. But she feigned and jumped backward,
twisting in midair, to land right in front of Mars, who had been
preparing another attack.
"Ah!" Mars yelped, before Akane's right hook dislocated her jaw. A hard knee into Mars's stomach and she was as unconscious as an bat at noon.
"One left." She thought.
"Just you and me…" Jupiter said. "I'll beat you this time."
Akane just smirked with a wince. They both darted forward expertly, just as they were about to collide both fighters instantly changed direction, each swirling around the other trying to make each other dizzy with impressive footwork.
"That won't work on me!" Jupiter cried.
"Too bad your so fat and slow hitting you would be like hitting the broad side of a barn!" Akane yelled. She had been trained by Genma. As such, she picked a few of his… better techniques. Taunting.
Sailor Jupiter's rage knew no bounds. She changed her direction of travel to move directly towards Akane.
Akane smiled at her genius. Dodging the angry girl was cakewalk.
"Hit
me!" Akane taunted, making the girl as angry as possible. Jupiter
became more and more frustrated by the minute at Akane's apparent lack
of tiredness or weakness. All that the other scouts had done had been
nothing. This girl would win!
And suddenly, as Akane was about to deal the final blow, Jupiter heard it.
"Venus Love me Chain!" Cried the now awakened Sailor Venus.
Akane became trapped in a lasso of magical energy for one brief moment. Just long enough for Jupiter to get the best possible hit she could muster, in.
As the punch blasted her solar plexus with pain, Akane keeled over at the powerful blow from Sailor Jupiter. Suddenly, Jupiter grasped her collar and lifted her.
"Stop trying to hurt us! We've done nothing to you!" Jupiter cried into the face she had lifted to the same eye level as her own.
Akane only glared in mute agony. "Ranma…"
And suddenly… Jupiter heard one word.
"Die!"
And Jupiter and Venus were unconscious. Twin beams of pure red anger ki, had been driven right through their stomachs.
As they slouched to the ground, Akane saw through the hold in Jupiter's stomach and rolled away as fast as she could. "That was Ranma!" She thought suddenly realizing who had shouted the word that had save her life.
She looked up… and there he was.
"A… A… Akane? Akane!" He cried.
"Ranma! I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Akane cried.
Suddenly Ranma disappeared.
And just as suddenly, Akane felt herself lifted and carried suddenly the world was flying by so fast she couldn't see what she was doing or where she was going at all. The entire ground, the buildings, the trees, everything became blurred by the immense speed her captor wielded. "AAAAHHHHHH!" Akane screamed as she noticed that suddenly she was thousands of feet into the air.
"Akane." Ranma whispered. "It's ok… I have you."
"Ranma…?" Akane asked as the sat, suddenly still, in midair.
"Akane… I love you. Don't believe anything else! Not ever again! It's been so long… so long without you. Akane. The enemy is Pluto! Pluto stole your memories! I saw it happen! I watched everything!" Ranma said.
Suddenly they began their decent. Akane felt the butterflies in her stomach wiggling, along with her fatigue from fighting. She was so happy… she had been right. She HAD been right.
And Ranma… he DID love her! He… he really DID!
"Ranma…
I… thank god your back… I knew you'd come… I always knew you'd come
back. I knew I couldn't have killed you." Ranma didn't answer. As they
suddenly landed, he bounded again into the sky. With that, he stood her
up and hugged his face to her ear. "Stay with me… I never want to be
alone again… never again. Stay…" He whispered.
"Ra… Ranma?" Akane questioned, surprised at her perverted fiancée's words.
"I was alone Akane… Pluto imprisoned me alone… she gave me immortality and left me to rot in a prison." Ranma muttered.
"Ranma…?" She asked again. So much information… all of it was happening so fast. She was fighting the scouts, trying desperately to win Ranma back and then, suddenly, she was miles into the air talking to the person she had been fighting for not twenty seconds previous.
"It took me so long… so long I've had to hold on. To keep others away… for you. So long…" Ranma whispered again.
"Ranma are you alright?" Akane asked, a little afraid.
Suddenly they again began to descend. But this time, they stopped. Ranma landed, again holding Akane, delicately. He place her on… the air. "Ahhh! What's, what's going on?" She screamed. She stood on absolutely nothing! She was thousands of feet in the air with Ranma standing on absolutely NOTHING!
"I had so much time… So much time alone… I dreamed every night and day about you. Always wanted to return to you…" Ranma said, louder as he walked towards her slowly. He, too, stood on nothing.
"Ho… how long were you alone?" Akane asked, now genuinely afraid and backing up, along the nothing ness through clouds.
"Eighteen… eighteen thousand… eighteen thousand years!" He shouted. Suddenly his aura flared bright red around him raging in ghastly fury. His hair blazed up and his old fashioned wool jacket flew back. He leggings twitched around about his legs and volts of what appeared to be electricity burned through his cold, dead, blue eyes.
Akane gasped. "Ra… Ranma!" She backed away from him scared to death of this devilish version of her fiancée.
"I'm…
I'm sorry… I… I probably sound… insane to you. I am. I've gone mad…"
Ranma said, as his aura dissipated instantly. "I don't mean to scare
you.. I couldn't help it… eighteen thousand years… I had to think about
something… I had too! I'm sorry… I obsessed.. I obsessed over you. I… I
want you Akane… please… so please… still…" Ranma trailed off.
Akane stood shakily on the invisible ground, which she had now discerned was a ground truly crafted out of ki. "Still what… Ranma?" She asked.
"Still love me." He asked. "I didn't think there was any hope of seeing you ever again… but then Ryoga showed up and he "
Akane
cut Ranma off. Her mouth attached itself to his in the most powerful
embrace Ranma had ever felt. As they kissed, they spun and danced with
the clouds on the invisible ki platform in the sky.
As they kissed. Tears trailed down both of their cheeks. Fortunately, neither noticed. Each was too absorbed in the other to care.
Kasumi smiled happily. "Oh my! I KNEW that boy would come back! Ranma never loses!" She thought to herself.
The last thing the television had shown before technical difficulties had occurred had been the boy appearing and firing some sort of straight, light, beam from his hand. Sailor's Venus and Jupiter slumped to the ground, and Ranma, along with Akane, disappeared. Then the live camera feed was lost.
Keika blurbled a little. A small bit of drool left her lips and dribbled over her chin.
Kasumi smiled again. It was turning out to be a very good day indeed. She was aloud to baby-sit her niece, Keika, which Akane was all to protective of most of the time. Akane had Ranma back.
The Sailor Scouts, who apparently HAD kidnapped Ranma, unlike the whispers she had heard whispers from Akane's room at night told her, had gotten what they had coming.
The food was almost done, and Keika, apparently smelled it. She kept nodding her head up as if putting her nose towards the smell. After only two months the girl was holding up her neck on her own. Amazing. Definitely Ranma's child… or Akane's come to think of it. She could get her unnatural strength from either of them.
Suddenly, a black hole appeared right in the middle of the kitchen and a green haired woman, formally known as Sailor Pluto exited.
"Oh my! Miss Pluto!" Kasumi exclaimed.
"Get out of the way wench!" Pluto demanded. She placed a hand on Kasumi's shoulder and threw her into the wall. Poor Kasumi's shoulder burst through the wall and she screamed in agony.
"Heh heh… you'll make perfect bait…" Pluto muttered.
Keika began to cry as Pluto lifted her and opened a portal.
"NO! NO PLEASE! Please! Take me but leave the poor child!" Kasumi screamed.
Pluto looked back and laughed. "What does it matter? Bait is bait, and I plan to kill everyone in this wretched, life wrecking family!"
"You… ahh! Your horrible!" Kasumi screamed.
"What's going-! Kasumi! What happened? Are you all-!"
"Forget me father! Get Keika!"
"KEIKA!" Soun shouted spinning around to see the one and only Sailor Pluto standing in a rapidly closing portal.. "Another time perhaps." Pluto said as the portal closed.
"No… no No NO NO! KEIKA Come back with my grand-daughter! KEIKA! KEEEIIIIKAAAAA!" Soun shouted in almost as much agony as Kasumi.
Soun's tears fortunately didn't keep him from tending to his daughters wounds… but Soun didn't think he had ever felt so dead inside. Two months old and Keika was already dragged into madness that was Ranma's life.
"Damn you son… get home and save your daughter!" Soun thought desperately.
"I'm… sorry father… I.. I'm very sorry.." Kasumi muttered as Soun applied the bandage and gauze wrapping to the slice in her shoulder from the wooden door.
"It's not your fault Kasumi… I.. I should have been here… I should have…" Soun said.
Whilst watching her father work, Kasumi didn't think she had ever seen her father act so mature during crisis.
"Akane… I'm sorry." She thought to herself.
Moon limped slowly. Her aching back had kept her from entering the battle and now she could only barely walk, with her mother supporting her.
"Ranma had come back. Ranma was alive!" She thought to herself. "And that means… that means that Pluto must have LIED to us… she LIED to us again!"
And then she saw Venus. Nothing else mattered. Directly through where her heart should be was a hole… a small hole, with a radius of about an inch, traveling straight through the corpse of Sailor Venus.
"No.. no… Venus.. I"
"Ugh!" Someone spluttered from a ways away. "Help, me. Princess." The voice gurgled.
"Oh no! Not you too. No Jupiter!" Moon cried. She limped faster. Her own pain could wait. She wouldn't watch her friends die again. She wouldn't let Jupiter die like Venus! She would let any of them die! She couldn't! She WOULDN'T!
People had wandered out of their hiding places back to the once clean school ground, that was now a giant dirt mound. They had watched as Venus's formed shifted.
"No! No! It can't be! Minako! Your Sailor Venus! Minako!" Someone shouted. Glancing away from Jupiter for a moment, moon noticed that it was a friend of Minako's. Salura, she thought her name was.
"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" Moon cried.
The blood cleared from the wound in Jupiter's stomach but it didn't appear to heal.
"No.. no NO! MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" She cried again.
Nothing. "No…" And suddenly, Jupiter's eyes closed. Her form shifted… Makoto. Dead.
"Makoto!" Someone moon didn't know cried. "I can't believe it… no! Ma.. Makoto!" The girl ran out to Makoto and fell to her knees in front of the dead girl.
"This… can't be happening." Usagi thought. "This isn't happening!" She shouted. "No! NO NO!"
Suddenly Moon's Silver Imperium Crystal lit up. "I won't let it happen!" She shouted. Her voice resounded as if it were through a microphone, amazing all the onlookers.
"Moon Reversion Amelioration!" Sailor moon cried. An enormous vortex of white light lanced through the clouds. And in an instant it was gone.
Moon fell to the ground in a heap. But all around her, white sheets of light, fell over the ground. The tattered dirt covered ground moved itself into place. The broken fences repaired themselves. The sidewalks which had been crumbled and demolished, rebuilt themselves.
Finally, the wounds inside Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Mars, and Saturn, were healed.
Mars wobbled to her feet along with Jupiter and Venus. All of them got up slowly.
"She… she did it again." Jupiter said. "I was dead… and she did it again!"
"Please wake up!" Ikuko murmured as she hovered over the now dormant body of Usagi.
"She's fine Mrs. Tsukino. She's done this before… we've… we've died before. She's just resting." Venus said.
Suddenly Mercury appeared with Luna and Artemis in toe. "I… I'm… late aren't I?"
"Mrs. Tsukino… please allow me?" Saturn said suddenly.
"Miss… Saturn is it?" Ikuko asked. "Are… are you going to help my daughter?"
Saturn just smiled and sat down next to Usagi.
Placing her hands on Usagi's body, the bruises and scrapes that still resided on her were washed clean. Everything was back to normal.
Ryoga Hibiki suddenly made his appearance. "Uh.. Eh.. Hi… Sailor Mars, right?" He asked sheepishly.
"EEK!" Mars exclaimed suddenly and instantly hid behind Jupiter.
"I..
uh.. Yeah about that… I… I wanted to… um. Apologize. I found out… it..
Well you don't have anything to do with Ranma's kidnapping. It was all
Pluto.. She's been manipulating everyone from the start… so I was
wondering if we could… start over and forget that fight a while back?"
Ryoga held out his hand hopefully. He had promised that he would
apologize and apologize he would.
Rei gulped and moved forward cautiously. "I… um… Yeah." She said.
She
took his hand and shook it firmly, with much more confidence then she
actually had. "I.. yeah. I'm Sailor Mars. Rei Hino since Moon already
told you.
"Ryoga Hibiki. It's… um.. Nice to meet you!" He said awkwardly.
They shook hands for far longer than was necessary but it was worth it. "Friends then?" She asked.
"I… yeah… yeah! Friends! Of course!" He said nervously.
Rei giggled. Ryoga wasn't all that bad of a guy when he was nervous.
Somewhere in the now clean field, Nabiki, sat in the grass weeping. "Akane… I'm so… sorry. I should have believe you. Pluto manipulated all of us like pawns… I should have believed you."
End Chapter
OH MY GOD THIS IS SO HARD! I finally got them to meet! But anyways. For the first book, only one chapter and an epilogue left. I think this entire story will span two books. (review) Because my gigantic master plan is… well. To put it simply… quite large. But fortunately… all the errors that I said I'd correct in certain replies, will be done as soon as I finish the first book. Then I will continue with the second. Now I have questions. First off.
PLEASE REVIEW! MY LAST CHAPTER ONLY GOT A PIDLY TWENTY(ish) REVIEWS! So pretty please? (I want fifty!)
even though it's not truly important, the more reviews, the happier I feel. Sorry. I like to fish for criticism. No other way to become a great writer in my (professional) oppinion.
Secondly, if any perverted writer/fans out there feel like writing a short side story about what goes on during Ranma and Akane's "time in the clouds" feel free to (review) write and send me. (For those of you who don't understand this I'm talking about a lemon if anyone feels up to writing about mid-air intercourse. I sure as hell don't. I think it would be too hard... plus I'm pretty well a PG13 writer.)But anyways. If someone were to send one, I'd A: be surprised, and B: be more surprised.
For all you Ranma/Akane fans out there…(review) Have fun with this chapter!
Caution, ahead are personal reasons as to why this chapter took so long to come out. And a few bits and pieces of my personal life if you feel the urge to find out more about me.
So my fic is soon going to come to a close… after that I think I will try my hand at actual writing (you know like… for a publisher?) But that's still a ways off and you people still want (to review) to see my last chapter!
I'm sorry about the long wait on this one. Life has been a real pain in the ass lately. I have to work all day, every day now and when I don't get work done (and start writing) I feel this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I'm not being responsible enough.
I did finally get a job for my grandpa but it still feels like I'm doing no work for money… and no work + money fired which I REALLY don't want.
(The best days of my life are when my beautiful girlfriend can come over! Love you Chels!)
So… I guess that's my authors notes. Thank you to all who reviewed (and all who didn't too! Thanks for taking the time to read!) I can't wait to read your responses and I hope you (review) enjoy the Eight chapter of So Be It.
Till next!
(On a perverted side note. With the last chapter I upped the number of people who have me in my favorites list from 67 to 69... YES!)