DISCLAIMER: Relatively standard stuff. Existing characters are properties of the people who made them up. Mitsuki, and several other characters are mine, and so's the story, hence ownership and copyright of them belongs to me. Contact me at misato_98@yahoo.com if you want permission to use anything I've written for whatnot purposes.
LOVE
By
Raymond Cooper
Chapter 10
** Sometimes, That's All That's Needed **
"So, you feel better now? That's good. Here... I think it's mostly clean. Wipe your eyes... that's better."
"Danks."
"You sure you're feeling better?"
"Yes. I... I think I'm okay."
"So... why you do it?"
"Please... I'd rather not talk right now. I just want your arms around me."
"You know that's a given. I mean, I really should have -"
"Shush."
"But -"
"Not now. Maybe not ever... they're things that..."
"... don't need to be talked about right now?"
"Maybe... maybe not ever. ... You ever just look at the sky?"
"Yeah. Sometimes. Whaddya think I do on the roof all day?"
"I thought you were looking to avoid Usagi."
"Well... she's got that whole 'idiot' air about her, you know."
"She's not all that bad. She's one of the most caring people I know... one of the friendliest people, and just... so nice to people. She's not the sort of person who'll say no to someone if she can."
"That doesn't sound so good."
"She's also fairly... mmm... chaste doesn't quite fit there. Committed, though, yeah."
"I see her in the kitchen and think she SHOULD be committed, sometimes."
"Hee hee... you really did try her cooking, didn't you?"
"I'm not sure if she's worse than Akane, really."
"She's a good person."
"I'm not disputin' that. Really, I'm not! Just she can be too much ta take at times. You know? And ya gotta get away from that sometimes."
"Mmmm. But the sky..."
"The view from the roof of the dorm's good. Great, too. So blue... so big... yet seeming so small."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember I told you about the training trips my pop and I took? We went to some places where there were really big spaces. Flat fields, no hills or mountains in sight. Just huge flat regions. And man... the skies you'd see out there... really huge. Like, so much bigger, ya know? Because there was nothing to put them in... scale...?"
"Perspective?"
"Mmm. Just nothin' to give it perspective. Nothing to say, this hill's bigger than the sky! This tree's huge! Nothing. The sky went from the flat ground on one side of the horizon to the flat ground on the other side. And there was nothing in between. Really brilliant blues. And storms in those places were somethin' ta see... huge black and purple and grey clouds... big bursts of lightning and rolls of thunder... the skies here are nothing, really."
"You're taking away my enjoyment of this moment."
"You ever seen anything like that?"
"Once, I guess. When I was sick all the time, when I was younger. And my father... took me to America so a research team there could study me, maybe cure me. At least, that was what I thought. Who knows, now? And up in the plane... the sky was a really light blue, almost white at the edges, where it met the clouds and seas, deepening to a dark purple... almost a black, directly above the plane. I was ill at the time, and didn't feel like watching all that much. But I did look outside once, really looked. And thought, wow, that's just so beautiful. I forgot I was sick for a while, just gazed out at this sight... couldn't believe it."
"So, why are ya asking about the sky?"
"It's something to talk about. And I can see it up there, and it looks so beautiful right now. I... I didn't think I'd be seeing anything like that ever again... not like this. So you've got no idea how beautiful this looks right now."
"You're, uh, looking down my shirt."
"Hee hee... I didn't think I'd ever see this again... like this... oh, that was -"
"Ssshhh... you said not to talk about it."
"Yeah. But -"
"No buts. You mentioned the sky?"
"Yes. It's... just seeming very special to me right now."
"Mmmm. And it reminded you of Usagi."
"No, it reminded YOU of Usagi."
"You want me ta go find her or -"
"No!"
"Okay..."
"No, it's not that... she's special. Very special. And I'm going to have to spend some time with her, sort my head out, just figure out what went... on... and why... well, why I let that happen. I... we... please..."
"Ssshhh. What are you going to do for school now?"
"I hadn't thought of that... I... I haven't thought of a lot of things. I can't really go back to Furinkan, can I? We... well, we levelled it."
"Construction companies in this ward are really good at fixing stuff like that. I should know; I've caused lots of that kinda damage myself."
"You sound so proud!"
"Sometimes. Other times... when I'm by myself, thinking, with no one trying to kill me... I wonder if being able to smash concrete with a single finger is something to be proud of."
"How do you mean?"
"Well... it gets me into stupid fights. Even now, when I'm trying ta be all grown up. Mature."
"You ARE mature."
"Not really. If I was, I'd have seen what was happening here and -"
"That's not something you can say. I mean it! No, let me finish. You and I... we're very alike. It's... as you said, it's a matter of scale. On a good day, I can destroy planets. I'm a really big gun. Like... field artillery, I guess you'd say. I can kill a lot of people with one shot. But I'm not accurate. I'm very much overkill for nearly any situation, used like that, using my powers like that. You... you could barely level a city by yourself, in a short amount of time. Maybe you could, I'm not belittling you here, so just listen. You're like a combat knife. Something to be used effectively by the highly skilled. You can kill just as many people as the artillery piece, just not as fast. But you're a much harder to hit target, you move faster between kills, and you can... so easily... defeat the crew on the artillery. Which makes me... the piece... useless. You BEAT me, and that's not easy."
"I didn't beat you, I just got lucky."
"You believe that as much as I do. Had that fight continued, ... I'd have given out before you. What makes you so special there is your feelings for your friends and your family and yourself. Before... before, I had none of that. I.. existed for the pleasure of the act of destruction. A gun that was able to fire itself. Something that's very dangerous."
"I think you'd have stopped before you seriously hurt anyone innocent."
"You sound almost like you believe that. But I know otherwise. Those people at the school - you - the Tendos..."
"Sssshhh... come on, stop sobbing. Please? Come on, talk to me some more. Your hair feels so beautiful... thought I was going to never tough this again..."
"You're lying. It's all messy."
"A little matted with sweat, yeah, but hey, I'm a martial artist! I'm used ta sweat-soaked women."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I mean, Ukyou, you know, she'd just get worked up over something and her hair - why are you laugh- Ah. Yeah, okay, that's nothing dirty, Ukyou's just a friend. A long-time friend."
"And a fiance."
"I'm past that, you know that."
"I know... I just feel the need to tease you at the moment. You know, distance you a little. This is too scary. I just tried to kill -"
"Now stop right there! I don't wanna be hearing any of that kinda stuff from you! You weren't trying to kill me. You weren't trying to kill anything, except that wall. So don't you be feeling guilty over that, okay?"
"I can't help it! We're sitting here, talking so normally, me curled up against your chest! Like nothing's happened. The trees here are so beautiful, everything's so peaceful, and I'm wearing the uniform I was wearing when I broke your heart! How can you even begin to look at me? How can you stand to be near me? How -"
"Just be quiet, okay? Okay? Calm down, settle down. We'll talk. Not now. Later."
"But -"
"No buts. Come on, settle down again. That's it. Mmmm... this is so nice, you know. Holding you, lying on the grass, under some trees... man... your hair just smells really nice. Reminds me of Makoto after a workout in the morning."
"Doesn't she just make breakfasts for everyone? I haven't seen her out with us... well, very occasionally she's out there training with us, but not that often."
"We're up before dawn, the two of us. We spar a little then... she's a good fighter, for someone relatively untrained. She knows where her strengths and weaknesses lie... have you noticed what everyone's like when fighting now? There's more of an element of co-ordination between you all since you've all been training. If only I could find Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury... then I might be able to try teaching you guys some serious team tactics..."
"Us senshi aren't enough for you? You want MORE?"
"I always want more! Heh... seriously, it'd be much better if I could train you all to a minimum standard. But Sailor Moon might take some training... she's a klutz."
"She's not as bad now as she once was."
"Maybe not, but Usagi's the only other person I know that clumsy. What? What are you grinning at?"
"Nothing."
"No, what?"
"Nothing. Forget I smiled. It's just like you said, they ARE so similar. You'd think they're the same person."
"Almost. Usagi just doesn't have that snobbish regal air about her. Except when she's done some crimes against humanity."
"What?"
"Cooked. Then you'd think they were twins."
"Yessss... you might think that. But it'd get no further than that, right? You'd start thinking about something else?"
"Mmm."
"Like what's on television?"
"Nahh... more like how can I get this foulness out of my mouth without spitting it through a window. Cause, you know, I'd only be having to fix it later in the day. And Usagi's cooking isn't worth that kinda bother."
"Do you like... Makoto?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, do you find her attractive?"
"Weird question."
"Well, she's got those legs under her skirt... you know... and I can't match them."
"You might as well as if I have a thing for Mitsuki. Her legs are much more my type."
"Ouch."
"I mean, they're more muscular. Still soft and smooth looking, but also fairly deadly. Powerful."
"My legs don't come into it with you?"
"Can I answer this in a way that's not gonna get me slapped?"
"I'd be glad if you... yes. Yes. I won't hit you. Not again. God, why'd you have to -"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be! It's not your fault -"
"Yes it is! Why can't you see that? I could have -"
"You couldn't have done anything because I wanted it to -"
"That's where you're wrong."
"What, because you were stuck in your female body, you think I wasn't as attracted to you? Is that it? I felt more of you during those weeks than I had in the months prior to that! Those first few days after you woke up, I felt your chest. It felt like mine. Well, bigger than mine. Softer. But like mine. And I enjoyed it! I enjoyed feeling your legs when you were like that, the hugs, the light, special, secret kisses, the glances, the talks. So if you think I wasn't into that scene, forget it! I LIKED YOU BEING A WOMAN! That had nothing to do with what happened."
"I didn't say it did."
"It was -"
"My turn. You know, it's hard for me to hear that. I got brought up, ya know, to be a man among men. And so in that situation, being a girl can sometimes be really confusing. Hurtful, too. But I live with that, keep that inside. Try to, anyway, 'cause hey, it's still me and it's still you and we're both adult enough to know that. I KNOW what happened had nothin' ta do with that. Hey, it was all HIM. You know it. I felt it. I felt HIM just as much as you did. Maybe I was stronger up here, in my head, or maybe it's something ta do with the fact that I'm really a guy and hate thinking of myself as a girl, even when I AM one... and maybe that was why I got away, could control what my body did in response to him and his power. Or maybe... just maybe... he was always interested in you. Put you against me."
"Why?"
"I dunno. It's not like I could fight the guy to a standstill like I could you. He might not be as strong as you, but I'm willing to bet he's plenty strong and really skilled. His monsters, if they're supposed to be weaker than him, then he's stronger than you, me, and the rest of your senshi friends put together. That really scares me. What if he starts taking a personal interest in us used to be a nightmare I had. Earlier today, he started taking an interest in us. I am so close to needing my pants changed right now you wouldn't believe it."
"You're not that scared. I'd feel it here otherwise."
"Hey! I'm ticklish there! Stop! Stop! Phew... okay. I hide my fear. It don't do nothing except make me weaker than I am. If I stop and think, hey, I can't beat this guy, then I've already lost. I need to be able to say I CAN win this fight, I CAN beat this creep, if I'm going to have any chance. There's no shame in losing a fight... if you continued to fight. And hey, you continued to fight. I could feel it. You were so hurt inside, but you fought. Your friends knew that, too. Everyone did. Even that creep Yoshihiro did, too. You fought long and hard, and you've nothing to be ashamed of."
"I hurt you."
"And I hurt you, too. I didn't know what was going on inside you, or perhaps, like a couple of months ago, I was thinking it would be better for ya to forget about me. Or somethin'. I don't know myself, really. All I know is I let it happen and that's got to hurt you, you knowing that I knew what was going on and not trying to stop it."
"What hurt more was hurting you. I saw your face. All the time. When I was saying those things. He didn't really -"
"I know."
"I've got to say it. He didn't really... KNOW me like that. He... he does know me in ways you never could... I didn't lie... but he knows me like that because of him controlling me, insinuating himself throughout my mind. I hated that, hated his touch - and yet... yet..."
"There was something about him. An aura. That attracted you so strongly. Made you... uh..."
"You're so cute when you blush, you know that? Aroused? See? I can say it, nothing to be ashamed of."
"Then why'd your voice drop down to a whisper?"
"Uuuhhh..."
"Heh. Yeah. Aroused. Physically. I saw what he did to you. And I felt those things, too. I like girls. I like girls a lot! Uh..."
"There's nothing wrong with admitting that, you know."
"It sounds weird to have to say it out loud. Ya know, I've had to date boys sometimes... back here in Nerima. Not had, exactly, but usually I wanted something they had. Cure for my curse, jewel I've needed to beat some bad guy, as a means to escape from one or another of my... fiances or suitors. But anyway. I like girls. I only like girls. And he was making me... excited."
"How would you know how a girl reacts like when she's... aroused?"
"Can you speak up a bit? I didn't hear that last word.."
"AROUSED! I SAID AROUSED!"
"Ouch! Didn't hav'ta yell. But hey, I've been a woman for a few years, ya know, and you start realising somethings sometimes. Even if you don't live in a house with three very frustrated girls in... how did pops put it that time? In the prime of their lives. Or something. Never know half the time what he's talking about."
"So... you felt it, too?"
"My legs turning to jelly? Fire in my stomach? Clothes that feel too tight? Lungs that don't seem to be able to suck as much breath as usual in?"
"Before I met you, and started getting more fit than I was, I felt like that all the time."
"But like that?"
"... yes..."
"Nothin' ta be ashamed of. He DOES that to you. It's not magical power, least, not as you'd think of it. It's power. Sheer physical power. If I could pump myself up like that, you'd feel like that around me, too."
"... yes..."
"Uh... you're blushing... again... uh... I am just gonna forget this after we leave here, you know that, don't you?"
"You aren't comfortable knowing I feel like that... about you... all the time? That's why... that's why I was a little hurt. You didn't fight for me, and that hurt me lots. That's... why I gave in. If you didn't want me... then why fight against it? Why fight him? He wanted me. Even if it was wrong."
"I... didn't fight, because... you've met the Tendos. You know how things go in my life. How girls go. I was always... something to be fought over. Not someone to be loved - heck, not even a something to be loved! My best friend... my rival... he got more affection from my fiance than I did. AKane and I... we... had feelings for each other. But... we couldn't... work them through. And her problems... are what led to us breaking up for the last time. She'll always be my friend. But I'm not putting myself in a position where my girlfriend is going to hit me again."
"I am so sorry about that."
"Hey, I was hitting you back. Something I never did to Akane, 'cause she couldn't handle it. If circumstances with her had been the same as with you... maybe... I dunno. I don't feel right hitting girls."
"I know. And I see how it affects you whenever we fight a woman monster. But when you're a girl - like you are when fighting with us - you don't seem to have much the same restriction on yourself. Is that because you see yourself as a girl then?"
"Uh-uh. Nothing like that. Just... I'm that bit weaker. I don't feel so bad then, y'know?"
"Uh-huh."
"What are you doing?"
"... I... I've got to ask... how can we make things normal between us again? I don't want to forget this Mistress Saturn problem... it may yet crop up again... and it may end up helping us at some time in the future. But... I want things to be normal between us again."
"Things are never normal between us. I change sex when splashed with water. You can crack planets like I can crack walnuts and have hosted two evil entities now, by my count. How can any relationship between two such people be considered normal?"
"I -"
"I'm kidding. Kinda. How normal is this? We're sitting in a park, you leaning into me... my arms around you... yours around me... our lips barely apart, although we're not really looking at each other... the park around is quiet... the sky above is darkening... the full moon that's rising now... is making you look even more beautiful that I can ever remember seeing you before. Not even that first time I caught you when you fell from the roof... that moment we shared in the fountain, when these monsters first showed up... our date... and right now, this feels no different."
"I love you, you know."
"Yeah. I think I did. For some time. That kiss... that first one... I think that said it all."
"I want this to work."
"I still remember that nervous young woman standing at my door, trying to act brave, holding up a condom."
"I'm so embarrassed... I'm sorry..."
"I know you are. And that's the point. We can apologise to each other for years yet. And what will it achieve? Nothing. We'll move further and further apart, until all that's left between us is just empty words, us being puppets going through the motions of trying to make it up to one another. So, we give each other another apology, and we move on. We build on this. Our first fight! We should celebrate this."
"With Usagi's cooking?"
"If I wanted to commit suicide, I'd ask Akane to pave the way. At least she'd do the job right. Ow!"
"All right. Ranma Saotome, I am so very sorry for causing you the pain I did. There's no excuse -"
"Just the apology. Excuses... they're not needed. We KNOW, deep down, why it happened. And it had nothing to do with either of us. So likewise, Hotaru Tomoe, I am so deeply, truly sorry for hurting you."
"Ranma...?"
"Yes?"
"I liked calling you sempai... would... would you mind...?"
"Not at all."
"Okay. Sempai... can we go... somewhere a little more... private? The grass is getting wet and I'm not wearing anything that'll keep me dry for long..."
"Yeah, sure."
"Thanks, sempai."
"Uh, Hotaru-chan? While we're on the subject of wanting things... would you mind keeping that Mistress Saturn uniform around? It was kinda sexOW!"
"Sure thing, sempai. Give you something to look forward to."
"... that is just so much an evil giggle..."
SAILOR MOON SAYS:
Watch Saikano. I cannot stress how much that show rocks.
Ahem. Chapter 10: The Apology is released. Rejoice muchly in the streets with boutiful baskets of something or other. Gonna go and finish coughing my lungs out now... and continue with Saikano... and try and NOT start something Saikano based ;)
Next chapter: Ranma finds out about the internet. 'Nuff said; see you then!
LOVE
By
Raymond Cooper
Chapter 10
** Sometimes, That's All That's Needed **
"So, you feel better now? That's good. Here... I think it's mostly clean. Wipe your eyes... that's better."
"Danks."
"You sure you're feeling better?"
"Yes. I... I think I'm okay."
"So... why you do it?"
"Please... I'd rather not talk right now. I just want your arms around me."
"You know that's a given. I mean, I really should have -"
"Shush."
"But -"
"Not now. Maybe not ever... they're things that..."
"... don't need to be talked about right now?"
"Maybe... maybe not ever. ... You ever just look at the sky?"
"Yeah. Sometimes. Whaddya think I do on the roof all day?"
"I thought you were looking to avoid Usagi."
"Well... she's got that whole 'idiot' air about her, you know."
"She's not all that bad. She's one of the most caring people I know... one of the friendliest people, and just... so nice to people. She's not the sort of person who'll say no to someone if she can."
"That doesn't sound so good."
"She's also fairly... mmm... chaste doesn't quite fit there. Committed, though, yeah."
"I see her in the kitchen and think she SHOULD be committed, sometimes."
"Hee hee... you really did try her cooking, didn't you?"
"I'm not sure if she's worse than Akane, really."
"She's a good person."
"I'm not disputin' that. Really, I'm not! Just she can be too much ta take at times. You know? And ya gotta get away from that sometimes."
"Mmmm. But the sky..."
"The view from the roof of the dorm's good. Great, too. So blue... so big... yet seeming so small."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember I told you about the training trips my pop and I took? We went to some places where there were really big spaces. Flat fields, no hills or mountains in sight. Just huge flat regions. And man... the skies you'd see out there... really huge. Like, so much bigger, ya know? Because there was nothing to put them in... scale...?"
"Perspective?"
"Mmm. Just nothin' to give it perspective. Nothing to say, this hill's bigger than the sky! This tree's huge! Nothing. The sky went from the flat ground on one side of the horizon to the flat ground on the other side. And there was nothing in between. Really brilliant blues. And storms in those places were somethin' ta see... huge black and purple and grey clouds... big bursts of lightning and rolls of thunder... the skies here are nothing, really."
"You're taking away my enjoyment of this moment."
"You ever seen anything like that?"
"Once, I guess. When I was sick all the time, when I was younger. And my father... took me to America so a research team there could study me, maybe cure me. At least, that was what I thought. Who knows, now? And up in the plane... the sky was a really light blue, almost white at the edges, where it met the clouds and seas, deepening to a dark purple... almost a black, directly above the plane. I was ill at the time, and didn't feel like watching all that much. But I did look outside once, really looked. And thought, wow, that's just so beautiful. I forgot I was sick for a while, just gazed out at this sight... couldn't believe it."
"So, why are ya asking about the sky?"
"It's something to talk about. And I can see it up there, and it looks so beautiful right now. I... I didn't think I'd be seeing anything like that ever again... not like this. So you've got no idea how beautiful this looks right now."
"You're, uh, looking down my shirt."
"Hee hee... I didn't think I'd ever see this again... like this... oh, that was -"
"Ssshhh... you said not to talk about it."
"Yeah. But -"
"No buts. You mentioned the sky?"
"Yes. It's... just seeming very special to me right now."
"Mmmm. And it reminded you of Usagi."
"No, it reminded YOU of Usagi."
"You want me ta go find her or -"
"No!"
"Okay..."
"No, it's not that... she's special. Very special. And I'm going to have to spend some time with her, sort my head out, just figure out what went... on... and why... well, why I let that happen. I... we... please..."
"Ssshhh. What are you going to do for school now?"
"I hadn't thought of that... I... I haven't thought of a lot of things. I can't really go back to Furinkan, can I? We... well, we levelled it."
"Construction companies in this ward are really good at fixing stuff like that. I should know; I've caused lots of that kinda damage myself."
"You sound so proud!"
"Sometimes. Other times... when I'm by myself, thinking, with no one trying to kill me... I wonder if being able to smash concrete with a single finger is something to be proud of."
"How do you mean?"
"Well... it gets me into stupid fights. Even now, when I'm trying ta be all grown up. Mature."
"You ARE mature."
"Not really. If I was, I'd have seen what was happening here and -"
"That's not something you can say. I mean it! No, let me finish. You and I... we're very alike. It's... as you said, it's a matter of scale. On a good day, I can destroy planets. I'm a really big gun. Like... field artillery, I guess you'd say. I can kill a lot of people with one shot. But I'm not accurate. I'm very much overkill for nearly any situation, used like that, using my powers like that. You... you could barely level a city by yourself, in a short amount of time. Maybe you could, I'm not belittling you here, so just listen. You're like a combat knife. Something to be used effectively by the highly skilled. You can kill just as many people as the artillery piece, just not as fast. But you're a much harder to hit target, you move faster between kills, and you can... so easily... defeat the crew on the artillery. Which makes me... the piece... useless. You BEAT me, and that's not easy."
"I didn't beat you, I just got lucky."
"You believe that as much as I do. Had that fight continued, ... I'd have given out before you. What makes you so special there is your feelings for your friends and your family and yourself. Before... before, I had none of that. I.. existed for the pleasure of the act of destruction. A gun that was able to fire itself. Something that's very dangerous."
"I think you'd have stopped before you seriously hurt anyone innocent."
"You sound almost like you believe that. But I know otherwise. Those people at the school - you - the Tendos..."
"Sssshhh... come on, stop sobbing. Please? Come on, talk to me some more. Your hair feels so beautiful... thought I was going to never tough this again..."
"You're lying. It's all messy."
"A little matted with sweat, yeah, but hey, I'm a martial artist! I'm used ta sweat-soaked women."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I mean, Ukyou, you know, she'd just get worked up over something and her hair - why are you laugh- Ah. Yeah, okay, that's nothing dirty, Ukyou's just a friend. A long-time friend."
"And a fiance."
"I'm past that, you know that."
"I know... I just feel the need to tease you at the moment. You know, distance you a little. This is too scary. I just tried to kill -"
"Now stop right there! I don't wanna be hearing any of that kinda stuff from you! You weren't trying to kill me. You weren't trying to kill anything, except that wall. So don't you be feeling guilty over that, okay?"
"I can't help it! We're sitting here, talking so normally, me curled up against your chest! Like nothing's happened. The trees here are so beautiful, everything's so peaceful, and I'm wearing the uniform I was wearing when I broke your heart! How can you even begin to look at me? How can you stand to be near me? How -"
"Just be quiet, okay? Okay? Calm down, settle down. We'll talk. Not now. Later."
"But -"
"No buts. Come on, settle down again. That's it. Mmmm... this is so nice, you know. Holding you, lying on the grass, under some trees... man... your hair just smells really nice. Reminds me of Makoto after a workout in the morning."
"Doesn't she just make breakfasts for everyone? I haven't seen her out with us... well, very occasionally she's out there training with us, but not that often."
"We're up before dawn, the two of us. We spar a little then... she's a good fighter, for someone relatively untrained. She knows where her strengths and weaknesses lie... have you noticed what everyone's like when fighting now? There's more of an element of co-ordination between you all since you've all been training. If only I could find Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury... then I might be able to try teaching you guys some serious team tactics..."
"Us senshi aren't enough for you? You want MORE?"
"I always want more! Heh... seriously, it'd be much better if I could train you all to a minimum standard. But Sailor Moon might take some training... she's a klutz."
"She's not as bad now as she once was."
"Maybe not, but Usagi's the only other person I know that clumsy. What? What are you grinning at?"
"Nothing."
"No, what?"
"Nothing. Forget I smiled. It's just like you said, they ARE so similar. You'd think they're the same person."
"Almost. Usagi just doesn't have that snobbish regal air about her. Except when she's done some crimes against humanity."
"What?"
"Cooked. Then you'd think they were twins."
"Yessss... you might think that. But it'd get no further than that, right? You'd start thinking about something else?"
"Mmm."
"Like what's on television?"
"Nahh... more like how can I get this foulness out of my mouth without spitting it through a window. Cause, you know, I'd only be having to fix it later in the day. And Usagi's cooking isn't worth that kinda bother."
"Do you like... Makoto?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, do you find her attractive?"
"Weird question."
"Well, she's got those legs under her skirt... you know... and I can't match them."
"You might as well as if I have a thing for Mitsuki. Her legs are much more my type."
"Ouch."
"I mean, they're more muscular. Still soft and smooth looking, but also fairly deadly. Powerful."
"My legs don't come into it with you?"
"Can I answer this in a way that's not gonna get me slapped?"
"I'd be glad if you... yes. Yes. I won't hit you. Not again. God, why'd you have to -"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be! It's not your fault -"
"Yes it is! Why can't you see that? I could have -"
"You couldn't have done anything because I wanted it to -"
"That's where you're wrong."
"What, because you were stuck in your female body, you think I wasn't as attracted to you? Is that it? I felt more of you during those weeks than I had in the months prior to that! Those first few days after you woke up, I felt your chest. It felt like mine. Well, bigger than mine. Softer. But like mine. And I enjoyed it! I enjoyed feeling your legs when you were like that, the hugs, the light, special, secret kisses, the glances, the talks. So if you think I wasn't into that scene, forget it! I LIKED YOU BEING A WOMAN! That had nothing to do with what happened."
"I didn't say it did."
"It was -"
"My turn. You know, it's hard for me to hear that. I got brought up, ya know, to be a man among men. And so in that situation, being a girl can sometimes be really confusing. Hurtful, too. But I live with that, keep that inside. Try to, anyway, 'cause hey, it's still me and it's still you and we're both adult enough to know that. I KNOW what happened had nothin' ta do with that. Hey, it was all HIM. You know it. I felt it. I felt HIM just as much as you did. Maybe I was stronger up here, in my head, or maybe it's something ta do with the fact that I'm really a guy and hate thinking of myself as a girl, even when I AM one... and maybe that was why I got away, could control what my body did in response to him and his power. Or maybe... just maybe... he was always interested in you. Put you against me."
"Why?"
"I dunno. It's not like I could fight the guy to a standstill like I could you. He might not be as strong as you, but I'm willing to bet he's plenty strong and really skilled. His monsters, if they're supposed to be weaker than him, then he's stronger than you, me, and the rest of your senshi friends put together. That really scares me. What if he starts taking a personal interest in us used to be a nightmare I had. Earlier today, he started taking an interest in us. I am so close to needing my pants changed right now you wouldn't believe it."
"You're not that scared. I'd feel it here otherwise."
"Hey! I'm ticklish there! Stop! Stop! Phew... okay. I hide my fear. It don't do nothing except make me weaker than I am. If I stop and think, hey, I can't beat this guy, then I've already lost. I need to be able to say I CAN win this fight, I CAN beat this creep, if I'm going to have any chance. There's no shame in losing a fight... if you continued to fight. And hey, you continued to fight. I could feel it. You were so hurt inside, but you fought. Your friends knew that, too. Everyone did. Even that creep Yoshihiro did, too. You fought long and hard, and you've nothing to be ashamed of."
"I hurt you."
"And I hurt you, too. I didn't know what was going on inside you, or perhaps, like a couple of months ago, I was thinking it would be better for ya to forget about me. Or somethin'. I don't know myself, really. All I know is I let it happen and that's got to hurt you, you knowing that I knew what was going on and not trying to stop it."
"What hurt more was hurting you. I saw your face. All the time. When I was saying those things. He didn't really -"
"I know."
"I've got to say it. He didn't really... KNOW me like that. He... he does know me in ways you never could... I didn't lie... but he knows me like that because of him controlling me, insinuating himself throughout my mind. I hated that, hated his touch - and yet... yet..."
"There was something about him. An aura. That attracted you so strongly. Made you... uh..."
"You're so cute when you blush, you know that? Aroused? See? I can say it, nothing to be ashamed of."
"Then why'd your voice drop down to a whisper?"
"Uuuhhh..."
"Heh. Yeah. Aroused. Physically. I saw what he did to you. And I felt those things, too. I like girls. I like girls a lot! Uh..."
"There's nothing wrong with admitting that, you know."
"It sounds weird to have to say it out loud. Ya know, I've had to date boys sometimes... back here in Nerima. Not had, exactly, but usually I wanted something they had. Cure for my curse, jewel I've needed to beat some bad guy, as a means to escape from one or another of my... fiances or suitors. But anyway. I like girls. I only like girls. And he was making me... excited."
"How would you know how a girl reacts like when she's... aroused?"
"Can you speak up a bit? I didn't hear that last word.."
"AROUSED! I SAID AROUSED!"
"Ouch! Didn't hav'ta yell. But hey, I've been a woman for a few years, ya know, and you start realising somethings sometimes. Even if you don't live in a house with three very frustrated girls in... how did pops put it that time? In the prime of their lives. Or something. Never know half the time what he's talking about."
"So... you felt it, too?"
"My legs turning to jelly? Fire in my stomach? Clothes that feel too tight? Lungs that don't seem to be able to suck as much breath as usual in?"
"Before I met you, and started getting more fit than I was, I felt like that all the time."
"But like that?"
"... yes..."
"Nothin' ta be ashamed of. He DOES that to you. It's not magical power, least, not as you'd think of it. It's power. Sheer physical power. If I could pump myself up like that, you'd feel like that around me, too."
"... yes..."
"Uh... you're blushing... again... uh... I am just gonna forget this after we leave here, you know that, don't you?"
"You aren't comfortable knowing I feel like that... about you... all the time? That's why... that's why I was a little hurt. You didn't fight for me, and that hurt me lots. That's... why I gave in. If you didn't want me... then why fight against it? Why fight him? He wanted me. Even if it was wrong."
"I... didn't fight, because... you've met the Tendos. You know how things go in my life. How girls go. I was always... something to be fought over. Not someone to be loved - heck, not even a something to be loved! My best friend... my rival... he got more affection from my fiance than I did. AKane and I... we... had feelings for each other. But... we couldn't... work them through. And her problems... are what led to us breaking up for the last time. She'll always be my friend. But I'm not putting myself in a position where my girlfriend is going to hit me again."
"I am so sorry about that."
"Hey, I was hitting you back. Something I never did to Akane, 'cause she couldn't handle it. If circumstances with her had been the same as with you... maybe... I dunno. I don't feel right hitting girls."
"I know. And I see how it affects you whenever we fight a woman monster. But when you're a girl - like you are when fighting with us - you don't seem to have much the same restriction on yourself. Is that because you see yourself as a girl then?"
"Uh-uh. Nothing like that. Just... I'm that bit weaker. I don't feel so bad then, y'know?"
"Uh-huh."
"What are you doing?"
"... I... I've got to ask... how can we make things normal between us again? I don't want to forget this Mistress Saturn problem... it may yet crop up again... and it may end up helping us at some time in the future. But... I want things to be normal between us again."
"Things are never normal between us. I change sex when splashed with water. You can crack planets like I can crack walnuts and have hosted two evil entities now, by my count. How can any relationship between two such people be considered normal?"
"I -"
"I'm kidding. Kinda. How normal is this? We're sitting in a park, you leaning into me... my arms around you... yours around me... our lips barely apart, although we're not really looking at each other... the park around is quiet... the sky above is darkening... the full moon that's rising now... is making you look even more beautiful that I can ever remember seeing you before. Not even that first time I caught you when you fell from the roof... that moment we shared in the fountain, when these monsters first showed up... our date... and right now, this feels no different."
"I love you, you know."
"Yeah. I think I did. For some time. That kiss... that first one... I think that said it all."
"I want this to work."
"I still remember that nervous young woman standing at my door, trying to act brave, holding up a condom."
"I'm so embarrassed... I'm sorry..."
"I know you are. And that's the point. We can apologise to each other for years yet. And what will it achieve? Nothing. We'll move further and further apart, until all that's left between us is just empty words, us being puppets going through the motions of trying to make it up to one another. So, we give each other another apology, and we move on. We build on this. Our first fight! We should celebrate this."
"With Usagi's cooking?"
"If I wanted to commit suicide, I'd ask Akane to pave the way. At least she'd do the job right. Ow!"
"All right. Ranma Saotome, I am so very sorry for causing you the pain I did. There's no excuse -"
"Just the apology. Excuses... they're not needed. We KNOW, deep down, why it happened. And it had nothing to do with either of us. So likewise, Hotaru Tomoe, I am so deeply, truly sorry for hurting you."
"Ranma...?"
"Yes?"
"I liked calling you sempai... would... would you mind...?"
"Not at all."
"Okay. Sempai... can we go... somewhere a little more... private? The grass is getting wet and I'm not wearing anything that'll keep me dry for long..."
"Yeah, sure."
"Thanks, sempai."
"Uh, Hotaru-chan? While we're on the subject of wanting things... would you mind keeping that Mistress Saturn uniform around? It was kinda sexOW!"
"Sure thing, sempai. Give you something to look forward to."
"... that is just so much an evil giggle..."
SAILOR MOON SAYS:
Watch Saikano. I cannot stress how much that show rocks.
Ahem. Chapter 10: The Apology is released. Rejoice muchly in the streets with boutiful baskets of something or other. Gonna go and finish coughing my lungs out now... and continue with Saikano... and try and NOT start something Saikano based ;)
Next chapter: Ranma finds out about the internet. 'Nuff said; see you then!