Ranma took another slice of pizza before handing the box back to A-ko. Nabiki gave the couple a resigned smile as she worked on her own piece. She could see how much they were already in love with each other, even if they hadn't realized it yet, and briefly regretted messing up her chance with the pigtailed boy.
Nabiki looked away to survey the scenery stretching out below Mount Rushmore from where they sat on Washington's head. It was dark considering the difference in time zones but the near full moon really brought the area into stark relief. With her help, Ranma had used his ring to make a phone and called the Megami's to let A-ko know he was all right. He also invited her to come with them, hence the two girls were now getting to know each other.
"So Ranma, what are you planning to do now that you're an actual superhero?" Nabiki asked as she wiped her hands off on a napkin.
Ranma sat chewing silently for a while as he actually thought about it. Swallowing then taking a drink of his soda, he responded, "I'm not really sure. I hadn't thought of anything past finding A-chan really. I guess I'll take mom up on her idea and take Uncle Kyle's last name so I'm not ronin. Then I suppose I'll finish school. As for this," he held up the ring, "I don't know. It's too much to take in all at once."
"You should at least practice with it to learn its limits. I remember reading about it a few years back. If I remember rightly, it's powered by your willpower. Maybe you should take a training trip during the school break." Nabiki suggested.
"Ranma's been training me so I don't need to wear my strength restraining bracers so Mom mentioned the old JLA watchtower on the moon while I was waiting for you two. There was a special training room they used to use to practice their powers. It was made specifically to deal with my dad's level of strength."
"It's still there?" Nabiki asked in awe.
A-ko nodded while chewing. "Mom and Dad were telling me while you were on your way over here that the whole place had just been shut down except for the security system. They were hoping that someone would find a way to reverse everything to the way it was before everyone's powers disappeared. Until then, they decided to keep everyone out of the Watchtower so no one would steal any of the technology running the place. Batman shut down the teleporters over ten years ago when it become obvious that there was no cure."
Yen signs seemed to appear in Nabiki's eyes and Ranma could imagine the 'ching' sound of a cash register that accompanied the look on her face.
"I don't suppose we could go check it out sometime?" Nabiki asked.
"The Watchtower is not for sale," Ranma said with a frown.
Nabiki shrugged. Even without making money off the place it would be an experience she wouldn't pass up if she could visit.
A-ko yawned and rubbed her now full stomach. Nabiki had almost busted up laughing at how similar Ranma and A-ko's eating habits were. When A-ko rubbed her eyes tiredly Nabiki realized what the problem was. It was beginning to get light in the East. Checking her watch she swore softly.
"Time to go guys, we're up way past bedtime and I have school tomorrow."
The other two teens took a moment to register what Nabiki said before quickly cleaning up their mess and flying off towards the west encompassed in an emerald glow.
In a dark room somewhere in the Juuban ward of Tokyo lay a small frightened girl. Staring at the ceiling, tears fell from her eyes as she listened to the sounds of heavy lovemaking from her foster parents down the hall, the same parents that had been directly or indirectly responsible for her death at least twice.
Hotaru sat up and hugged her knees tightly. She didn't know what to do. How much longer could she continue to pretend nothing was wrong, that she didn't resent being looked after by the same people who used her, would use her again if they thought it was necessary? She couldn't run away, they would find her. Tracking her down via the time gates would be a snap for the senshi of Pluto. Then there was the whole mess about Crystal Tokyo. Even at fourteen, Hotaru could see what a flawed vision it was. Still and unchanging, the future the other sailor scouts fought for was so much like the silence that they had fought so hard against that Hotaru was amazed that they didn't see it. The smartest of them all, Ami, had even been seduced by the idea of a utopian future. Hotaru could do nothing about it, they would never listen to her and if she spoke up, they might just kill her again.
So Hotaru sat in the dark room, surrounded by her collection of strange lamps and wished for a way to be strong enough to change things.
The flash of white light took her completely by surprise, leaving afterimages on her retinas. She blinked rapidly, letting her eyes adjust, until she noticed she was now sitting on a stone bench in what looked like an ancient Greek temple. Panic rose in her chest as she began to look around frantically for whoever was responsible for her abduction. Was this the work of a new enemy? Had Setsuna found out about her thoughts and decided to permanently deal with the Senshi of Death?
"Calm yourself child. You will come to no harm here," a voice called out to her, gentle and fatherly. Unconsciously, Hotaru's panic faded to replaced by curiosity. She looked towards the voice and saw what appeared to be a throne flanked by smaller chairs. To her surprise seated figures slowly faded into view.
"Rise and come forth child," the central figure spoke. He was a white haired gentleman with a full beard that curled into individual locks. On his head was a simple crown and he was clothed in white and blue robes that matched the stormy blue of his eyes. Hotaru felt drawn to do as he requested and approached the thrones. The other figures smiled and nodded as if in agreement to some unspoken question save one who had a scowl on his face.
As Hotaru approached, she quickly realized that these people were easily twice the height of a normal human and she gulped nervously. She stopped short about fifteen feet from the throne.
"We have heard your pleas for help and have decided to aid you in your plight. We are very aware of your fellow teammates and their plans. We cannot allow such a world to exist for without chaos there is no growth, no change, only stagnation and death. Will you help us stop them?"
"I-i can't do anything! I'm not strong and I tire easily. My only real attacks would destroy the whole world and kill everyone!"
"I agree, she is too weak to be our champion. Why do we waste out time?" the dark haired man who had been scowling earlier spoke angrily.
"Silence Ares. You should know how meaningless appearance is when one has the gifts of the gods. Besides, once she has been cured of the affliction Serenity place upon her, she will grow whole and strong," the woman seated to the right of the man with the crown said. Hotaru was confused, Serenity had made her sick?
"Her suffering has made her stronger. She refuses to break even when all seems hopeless," the woman with gray eyes and an owl perched on her shoulder spoke.
Hotaru slowly began to make the connections. All the signs were there of just whom these people were. They had covered the Greek gods briefly in her school when they compared Japanese myths to those of other places.
The man seated at the large throne smiled as he saw the look of comprehension appear on the slight girl's face. "Yes child. I am Zeus. This is my wife and these are the rest of our pantheon."
"But..." Hotaru was stunned, "how? Why?"
Zeus grinned. "There was once upon a time when the gods decided to remove their influence from the works of man. Humans had grown beyond our need for direct guidance and would have begun to resent us, so we left. But that does not mean we didn't keep an eye on you. But I am off the subject. We have called you here to offer you the chance to change things, to make a difference. You perhaps have heard of the hero Wonder Woman?"
Hotaru nodded. Wonder Woman had been covered in history class along with the rest of the heroes from long before her birth.
"Wonder Woman was our champion in the mortal world before the so called 'Act of God'. Heh, as if we had anything to do with that. But that is a subject for another time. There are forces gathering, some good, some evil, and we desire a champion to go forth and represent our will in the mortal world. You will be given gifts of strength, speed, invulnerability, and flight. You will be free of the bindings that hold you to Serenity and her ilk, yet still keep your connection to Saturn."
"But what about Pluto?" Hotaru asked hesitantly.
"What about me? Oh, you mean the time bitch. I prefer the name Hades anyway," snorted the man sitting at the end of the line of gods, "She will be unable to track you. Such is the will of the gods. When Serenity bound you to my domain she unwittingly gave me the power to cloud your presence. Even though you will no longer have the taint of the silver millennium crystal binding you, you will forever be tied to my realm. Do not fear child, death is not a thing to afraid of for it is as much a part of life as birth."
Zeus cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Are you ready child? Will you accept our gifts?"
"I won't have to kill anyone will I? Some of the senshi are friends even if I don't agree with them."
Zeus shook his head negative. "How you deal with the Senshi I leave up to you. They are after all, with the exception of the other outer scouts, a force for good, no matter how misguided."
Hotaru gulped and strengthened her resolve. With clenched fists, she stood proud and nodded once. "I accept."
There was a flash of light and Hotaru gasped as energy seemed to fill her. She felt as if she could run forever or lift a house! As the light died down, she realized she was no longer in her pajamas but a variation of her scout uniform. Instead of the dark purples and blacks, she was now decked out in red, white, and blue, with gold trim. Her tiara was gold with a red star, on her wrists were a pair of silver bracers, and at her hip was a golden lasso. Hotaru did a small pirouette, flashing her skirt out. Her shoes were red but had no heels, a definite improvement over her old high-heeled boots. It was still a pervert's dream come true though, no matter how you looked at it.
Hera coughed lightly while giving Zeus a dirty look getting his attention.
Zeus chuckled nervously then cleared his throat. "It is done. Seek out the Megami family in Graviton city or the Tendo family in Nerima. Ask for a Ranma Rayner, he will help you. Good luck to you my child."
There was another flash of light and Hotaru reappeared back in her room and in her pajamas but not before hearing a cry of 'Pervert! Zeus No Baka!' followed by the unmistakable sound of mallet meeting skull. Shrugging, Hotaru grabbed a suitcase from her closet and began quickly packing her clothes and personal belongings. She quickly changed her clothes for something warm. Taking a sad look at her lamps, she hefted the suitcase, surprised at the total lack of effort needed to lift it and moved towards the window. A shriek pierced the silence as Michiru climaxed down the hall and Hotaru shook her head. Opening the window, Hotaru took a deep breath and flew off into the night sky.
"To defeat owner in savage combat, please use rear entrance."
The young lady tilted her head as she read the stilted kanji on the sign outside the Tendo dojo.
"Heh, I'm tempted. Maybe they'd just call the whole thing off if I challenge them for their sign," she mused.
She pushed a lock of dark hair from her brown eyes as her lips pushed into a cute pout. She was of Asian descent, yet looked mostly Caucasian. She was wearing snug jeans with a black long sleeved shirt complete with cowboy hat and boots. Over her shoulder was a large pack with a bumper sticker on it that said, 'I'm from Gotham so back off!'
"Well, I'd better get this over with. I can't believe Mom and Grandpa talked me into this. Maybe I should just go back home and beat them both up," The girl said to herself as she opened the gates and headed towards the front door.
Inside, Nabiki was sitting at the table, half asleep. She had gotten in late from hanging out with Ranma and his new girlfriend and had been accosted as soon as she entered the house by both fathers and Akane. Having had only four hours of sleep only exacerbated her normal morning condition. She wasn't even aware when knocking could be heard from the front door.
Kasumi however was always bright and cheerful in the mornings so she answered the door with a smile and a good morning.
"Hello, My name is Stephanie Drake. Is this the residence of Tendo Soun?"
Kasumi was a little shocked. Most girls that age were usually looking for Ranma not her father. She didn't let it show however and answered in her usual manner.
"Oh my, yes. Please come in. It's so rare that we get visitors who use the door."
Stephanie blinked, trying to decipher what the taller girl could possibly mean by that as she entered the house. She barely remembered to take off her boots before stepping into the hallway.
Soun looked up from his paper as Kasumi came in with Stephanie.
"Father, someone is here to see you."
Stephanie stepped forward and bowed. "My Name is Stephanie Drake. I'm here at the request of my mother and grandfather."
Soun put the paper down and looked thoughtful. "Drake, where have I heard that name before?"
"I believe it was nearly twenty years ago. When you fought Shiva with my father and grandfather."
Soun gasped as his face paled. Then he seemed to realize something and calmed down.
"Yes, I remember now. It was my honor to help the famous Batman and Robin."
Nabiki mildly perked at this. The caffeine in her coffee was slowly beginning to affect her. She watched the conversation through bleary eyes and noted that Kasumi had excused herself to go back to the kitchen. Someone showing up at the dojo who had a connection to the Justice League so soon after Ranma joining up with the daughter of Superman and inheriting the Green Lantern's ring was too convenient for it to be a coincidence.
Stephanie coughed lightly at the mention of her legacy being spoken of so openly.
"Ah yes, anyway, I'm here to fulfill the pact you made with my family back then," she said evenly.
Soun coughed nervously as Nabiki's faced slipped out of her hand and impacted the table. Nabiki sat up while rubbing her sore forehead. Did she just say what she thought?
"Ah, well, you see... there's a slight problem there," Soun stuttered.
Stephanie raised an eyebrow while Nabiki leaned forward to see how her father was going to get himself out of this one. She shook her head sadly, apparently her father really was just as bad as Genma. She'd hoped that the Charadin family had been a one time mistake.
"You must understand, I've only got three daughters," Soun said lamely.
"No sons?" Stephanie asked, "What about the boy who had been living here? Ranma?"
"His name was Saotome until almost a week ago. He's no relation to the Tendo clan," Nabiki supplied. Normally she would have charged for this information but the situation was just too fascinating to tie up with money.
"Oh thank goodness!" Stephanie exclaimed with a sigh of relief.
"So as you can see, there's no way we can join the clans. Maybe we could put this off until the next..."
"No need to be so hasty," Stephanie interrupted, "While I'm glad you have no male heir, there's no reason we can't join the clans."
"Huh?" Nabiki said, her mind slipping gears as she tried to keep up with the change in the conversation.
Stephanie turned to Nabiki. "My name is Stephanie Drake. Pleased to meet you."
"Uh, Nabiki Tendo, likewise."
"You're so cute! I'm sure we'll be great fiancés!"
Not surprisingly, Nabiki had no trouble losing consciousness.
Shinobu sighed as she pushed aside another box for the garbage. She really hoped Keitaro would come back soon from wherever Naru had punched him this time. It was hard cleaning all by yourself, especially when there was so much to do. She looked at the huge pile of boxes and trunks scattered about the room. When Keitaro had told everyone that he was going to clean up and fix the disused wing of the inn, Shinobu had been all too eager to volunteer to help.
She had envision them working together and growing closer. Him tripping and knocking them both down, their lips just centimeters from touching...
She shook her head again. Keitaro had tripped all right, into Naru, and got knocked across town for his trouble leaving Shinobu to clean by herself.
Still, it was interesting looking through all the cool stuff people had left behind over the years. This room had been the lost and found back when the inn was a profitable hot springs hotel.
Pulling out another old trunk, Shinobu brushed the dust off the top of it. She noticed a faded brass nameplate with the initials H.H. inscribed on it. She wondered who would have put romaji letters on their luggage as she flipped the latches. Happily it was unlocked. Opening the lid she looked over the collection of folded clothes and souvenirs, obviously this had been some American's luggage that had been forgotten at the end of a vacation.
She was about to close the lid again when she saw a flash of golden light through the clothing. Curiosity getting the better of her, Shinobu moved the old fashioned men's shirts out of the way and gasped at what she saw.
A golden helm, at least that's what she thought it was. There were no eye slits or other sign that it was actually meant to be worn. Picking it up she was surprised at how light it was for being made of metal. She turned it over in her hands admiring the way it reflected everything.
"I wonder if Keitaro would let me keep it?" she mused. She wondered briefly why she would want to keep such a thing but brushed it off. She stopped briefly to listen if anyone was coming before she giggled to herself and slipped the helmet on.
There was a sudden flash of light and she found herself elsewhere. She spun around, suddenly scared. Reaching for her head she found the helm gone. Then she began to take in her surroundings. There was white for as far as she could see, there was no sky or ground or walls in any direction. She felt tears in her eyes and began to call out.
"Keitaro! Naru! Anybody! Help!"
"Calm yourself child. You are in no danger here."
Shinobu turned and fell on her butt upon seeing a man behind her. He looked to be in his late thirties. He had a full yet trimmed beard that was as white as his hair. Currently he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a red plaid flannel shirt.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Shinobu said fearfully.
"My name is Hector, Hector Hall. And this is part of your mind. When you put the helm on, it enabled me to speak to you."
"What?" Shinobu asked calming down slightly, "Why me?"
Hector laughed gently. "It was no accident that you found the helm. You could say it was fate. You have been chosen my child. Although I was expecting someone a little taller, older too..."
"Chosen? For what?"
"Why to be a superhero of course. You've been chosen to become the new Dr. Fate like I was years ago by Nabu."
Shinobu felt faint. A superhero? Her? The idea was laughable. She said as much to hector.
"I can't be a superhero! I have chores and cooking... I have school! What will sempai say?"
Hector knelt down in front of Shinobu and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't be here if the powers that be didn't think you were capable. You have a strong, pure heart and there is a darkness coming that only you can help fight. You would be able to protect your friends and loved ones from harm."
Shinobu looked up at that last part. Protect friends? Keitaro? She envisioned herself in a skimpy supergirl-like outfit beating up Naru for attempting to punch her sempai. Lost in fantasy, it took a moment to realize that Hector was staring at her slightly concerned.
Blushing for being caught daydreaming, Shinobu realized he was waiting for an answer.
"Um, if you think I can... Then I'll do it!" she said with as much authority as she could muster.
"Excellent!" Hector said while hiding a sweatdrop, "First thing is to get the gauntlets and cape out of the chest. Then we'll find a place to practice your new powers. At night, I'll train you in the use of magic."
The world faded back to normal and Shinobu realized she was back in the storage room. She was also surprised to be able to see with the helmet on as if she wasn't wearing it. Reaching into the trunk, she moved more clothes aside and found the yellow gauntlets and blue cape. Hector instructed her on how to put them on and in a flash, Shinobu was wearing a tight blue uniform that left little to the imagination. Luckily there was some sort of yellow loincloth/skirt attached with a chain around her waist to hide her lower half.
'Your first lesson will be to teleport to the forest behind the inn here where we will begin training,' Hector's voice echoed in her head.
Following the mental images he supplied, Shinobu teleported out of the inn in a flash of light shaped like an ankh.
"Shinobu? I'm sorry I left like... Huh, I wonder where she went? Not that I blame her," Keitaro said to himself as he entered the room.
Outside the Hinata Inn, Hal Jordan, The Specter, had a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Well that wasn't how things were supposed to go. Better luck next time Keitaro."
"Amazing! I thought I'd never see the day," Dr. Theodore Diggers said watching his daughter zip around the yard.
Gina stood next to her father trying to take readings on her little sister while Brianna watched with envy from her seat on the steps. Brittany Diggers was currently moving around the yard so fast that she seemed to be in several places at once. She was juggling, performing martial arts kata, and doing aerobics.
"You know, we were lucky. I had taken you and Brittany to Jade when the Act of God happened. It was only by sheer coincidence that we weren't affected. We came back to find that all the non-technological superpowers no longer worked. It was obvious that someone had done it on purpose so I remained quiet and tried not to attract too much attention. Either we've gone unnoticed or we are no threat to whoever was responsible."
"So why did Cheetah get super-speed? And why now?" Gina asked.
Theo shook his head. "I don't know. I've felt things moving about in the spirit world for months now. Things are in motion. Big things. Whether it will bode for good or for evil I have no idea."
Gina looked towards her other sister Brianna. Noting the look and understanding the reasons behind it, she decided to try to cheer her up before they had another Gravedigger episode.
"Well no matter what happens. Brianna and I will be there to help. After all no one knows guns and armor like my little sister. And if it involves ancient evils or aliens then I'm your archeologist. Combined with Cheetah's speed, we'll be unstoppable!"
Brianna was surprised to hear her sister say that. She was even more surprised to be embraced in a hug by both her older sisters.
Theo watched his daughters with a smile and saw his wife come through the door to the backyard. She came over and watched as their three daughters degraded from hugs to a tickle war.
"They'll still be our little girls for a while longer won't they?" Theo said.
"They always be our little girls dear."
Nabiki was currently trying to talk her way out of an engagement. She had faltered briefly when she realized this girl would someday inherit the Wayne fortune but firmed up again. She wasn't a lesbian, no matter how much she might have fantasized about Ranma in his girl form. Especially since she usually fantasized about his guy form.
There was a soft knock at the door that almost went unnoticed. Kasumi got up to answer it from where she had been watching, with great enjoyment, someone dealing with chaos that wasn't Ranma.
She answered the door to see a slight dark, almost purple, haired girl. "Hello, how can I help you?"
The girl seemed almost terminally shy and it was a few seconds before she replied. "Um, how do you do? My name is Tomoe Hotaru. I was told I could find a Ranma Rayner here."
"Oh dear. I'm afraid Ranma doesn't live here anymore," she saw the girl visibly wilt as if she had nowhere left to go, "If it's important though, I'm sure my sister Nabiki could get a message to him. Please come in."
Hotaru nodded meekly and stepped in, remembering to take off her shoes and leave them next a pair of cowboy boots.
As they entered the living room, all conversation stopped as they noticed their visitor.
"This young lady is looking for Ranma," Kasumi said.
"Are you another fiancé?" a voice came from outside. The door slid open to reveal Akane Tendo in her workout gi.
"Ranma will marry Akane!" Soun said with authority.
Nabiki sighed as things began to disintegrate into chaos.
Hotaru couldn't believe what was going on. The person she'd been sent to find wasn't here and everyone else seemed crazy.
"Quiet!" Nabiki shouted.
Stephanie was impressed by the way Nabiki seemed to take command. Too bad the Tendo girl didn't swing that way, at least not completely. The best detective in the world had trained her after all. She was pretty sure that Nabiki was open to certain ideas, it was just that she wanted to save face in front of her family. She'd try again later in private.
"If you would all shut up and let the poor girl speak, we could settle things. Look at her, she's terrified of you!"
Akane noticed the look on the girl's face and backed off feeling a little guilty. After all, it probably wasn't her fault if she was engaged to that perverted baka.
"That's better," Nabiki said once everyone was seated again, "Now miss..."
"Tomoe Hotaru."
"Tomoe-san. Why are you looking for Ranma?"
Hotaru looked around the group. There was no way she could reveal that Zeus himself had sent her to find Ranma.
"Ah, I was told by someone really important that I needed to find him. That he would help me with things that had come up recently" It was all true if a little vague.
Nabiki frowned and thought for a moment. "Would you say it was a super-powerful person who sent you?"
Stephanie's eyes narrowed at the way Nabiki stressed super-power. Hotaru nodded, looking a little relieved.
Well, I think we need to have a little talk then. Kasumi, this is important, could you call the school and tell them an emergency came up and I won't be there today? I'll have my contacts bring me my schoolwork."
Kasumi nodded as Nabiki got up. Stephanie stood up as well and after a brief look from Nabiki, was accepted to come along as well.
When Akane started to get up, Nabiki gave her a glare that told her to sit back down. When that didn't work she said, "Where do you think you're going sis?"
"It's about Ranma and that ring he has isn't it?"
Stephanie's eyebrow went up as she took in the conversation.
"Ranma is no longer your fiancé Akane so it doesn't concern you."
"Yes he is!" Akane yelled, "His father gave him to me!"
"Akane, just shut up and go to school! Don't make me get out the baby pictures for Kuno."
Akane glared at her sister but relented and sat back down.
"Come along Tomoe-san. I'm sure we have a lot to discuss."
"This I have to hear," Stephanie said as they left the house.
Ranma was walking with A-ko towards the school. They had actually gotten up early enough to walk and had met C-ko on the way. Ranma was on his way to enroll as well as keep A-ko company. C-ko wouldn't shut up about how cool it was to have Ranma back and while it irritated the hell out of him, he couldn't stay mad at the blonde.
They were about halfway there when an old lady washing down her sidewalk splashed Ranma with water.
"I swear it's some sort of Jusenkyou cult," Ranma said as she wrung out her shirt.
C-ko then began a long rant about how cool it was that Ranma and A-ko looked like twins.
A-ko noticed the crowds around the front of the school before Ranma did. Stopping, she looked at the assembled mecha arrayed at the front gates. That was when Ranma noticed as well. A-ko had told him about B-ko's daily attacks. She smiled an evil smile as an idea occurred to her.
"How about you let me deal with this today so you can get to school on time. You go around the side and I'll play kick the can with these robots."
A-ko looked at her with worry until she held up the hand with the ring. "I may not be a strong as you but I have this and my martial arts. It would be funny to see the rich bitch have to stand in the hall by herself for being late wouldn't it?"
A-ko agreed after some thought and took off with C-ko towards the trees surrounding the school to circle around while Ranma continued on to the front gates.
Soon she was standing before B-ko and was almost yawning from listening to the Kunoesque speech.
"Are you done? Or are you just planning on boring me into defeat?" Ranma asked.
"You dare mock me! You shall rue the day you crossed me! For I have discovered your secret! These robots are from an old lexcorp surplus warehouse that my daddy happened to purchase not long ago."
"Yeah, so?"
B-ko growled at the redhead's irritating manner. She was even more rude today than usual! "These robots all have something that will take you down once and for all Supergirl!"
Ranma's eyes widened. How the hell did she know A-ko's secret? There was little time for contemplation as the first robot began to attack by firing a green laser at the redhead.
"Kryptonite lasers! I have found your weakness!" B-ko laughed.
Ranma tuned out the laughter while reminding herself that she needed to call Kodachi at some point as she dodged another volley of green fire. How could she get out of this while maintaining her and A-ko's secrets? The battle supercomputer that was Ranma's mind went to work on the problem while the cursed girl easily evaded the slow robots. An idea formed but Ranma needed to know if it would work.
"Ring?" She said softly, "Can I shield myself from the lasers without being hurt?"
'Power amplitude of kryptonite lasers is well within standard tolerances. Affirmative,' the ring replied in Ranma's ear.
Ranma smiled and made a show of tripping over a rock and falling prone. The robots all attacked, pelting Ranma with green laser fire. B-ko began laughing again at having finally destroyed her rival only to stop dead as Ranma casually got up and brushed herself off.
"Was that supposed to do anything? I hardly felt it," she said before methodically dismantling the robots with precise strikes to limb joints and head sensors. Clapping her hands to clear the dust Ranma turned and walked past B-ko, who stood there with her mouth open. As Ranma stepped onto the school grounds, the bell rang and the gate slid shut trapping the dark haired girl outside.
It was several minutes later that B-ko began cursing under her breath. "I don't know how you did it A-ko, but I will prove who you are, right before you die."
Nabiki and Stephanie were sitting across from Hotaru in a small café. Stephanie had surprised everyone by buying them something to drink as well as a snack.
"Ok, I'll get straight to the point. Somehow you just recently found out you have superpowers or were given superpowers and the person responsible told you to find Ranma. Am I correct?"
Hotaru's eyes widened before nodding slowly.
"So the rumors daddy was hearing are true. Superpowers are returning," Stephanie said softly.
Nabiki nodded. "This whole mess reeks of manipulation. I'll give Ranma a call after school is out and we can all sit down and compare notes. So Tomoe-san what superpowers did you get?"
Hotaru was still a little scared, but not of Nabiki. In fact she seemed to know this Ranma person very well. That was when she remembered one of the powers the original Wonder Woman had, an intuitive sense of the truth. She decided she could trust Nabiki.
"I was contacted last night by the Greek gods. They told me they wanted me to be their champion in the mortal world..."
"You're Wonder Woman?" Nabiki exclaimed, barely keeping her voice down.
Hotaru nodded.
"Hell, let's see then. We have Supergirl, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman," Nabiki turned towards Stephanie, "and Batgirl." The knowing smirk on Nabiki's face told Stephanie that her cover was blown. She was liking Nabiki more and more.
"We're still missing three then," Nabiki finished.
"There's reports in America of a Speedster. We don't have any reliable witnesses yet," Stephanie replied.
"So there's the Flash. Two more and you have the League."
"League?" Hotaru asked.
"The Justice League. Someone's trying to bring it back," Stephanie said.
"But who?" asked Nabiki.
"We don't know."
"We? Your dad and Grandfather?"
Stephanie nodded. "We need to talk to Ranma and his girlfriend. Soon."
"In the meantime, you're welcome to stay with us Hotaru," Nabiki said switching to the informal use of Hotaru's name.
"I'd like that very much. Thank you!" Hotaru tried to bow only to get whipped cream on her nose from almost hitting her pie.
There was laughter all around as the three girls began the bonding process of friendship.
Author's Rants:
Well, it's been almost a year since I last updated this story. Bet you thought I was done with it didn't you? Unfortunately I have been uber busy with work and school the last long while. And what little time I actually had was spent being lazy. But I'm back in the swing of writing again, at least for a little while. Thanks to everyone who has been patient with me as well as all the support from the people on Shinji's forums.