I do not own Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, or Kamen Rider Ryuki. Those all belong to their respective creators and not me. The Advent Knights belong to ZK Chromedragozoid and anyone who wants to know about them can read his story called Advent Knights of Legend. I highly recommend it.
-Ten-Faced Paladin
KSM: The Advent
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 4: Fights All Around
Kat rode her motorbike to Nerima. Though she was a bit upset with not being able to be in Juuban with her brother on his mission, this mission seemed a lot better to her in her hindsight. Maybe she could challenge Ranma and Lunar after all.
Kat Hasuma had always been eager for a good fight, a reason why she became an Advent Knight in the first place. Because her opponents would be the Beast Spirits, she could go all out without any regrets. When it came to humans she would have to hold back since the skills she had acquired would be fatal to normal people.
Riding through town, she spotted Ucchan's again. Enjoying the taste of the okonomiyaki the last time, she pulled up in front of the restaurant and removed her helmet before walking inside. She did have her brother's lunch but this okonomiyaki could just be considered a light snack. Her brother was well against snacking between meals like he was against fast food and junk food, so she would not tell him she had snacked. She couldn't help it. The food in Ucchan's was great!
"Welcome!" came Ukyo's voice as Kat stepped in. "Oh, hey, sugar. I didn't think I'd see you around here again."
"Well, I decided to come back to explore a little more," Kat replied as she sat down. "Besides, your food is too good to pass up!"
"Ain't that the truth," Ukyo giggled as she prepared an okonomiyaki for her newest customer. "So what really brings you back here?"
"Ahhh, my otouto-chan wanted me to keep an eye out here for strange things while he went to Juuban," Kat sighed.
"Strange?" Ukyo snickered.
"Well, stranger than usual," Kat shrugged. "You know, like those gray monsters that started showing up."
"Ugh," Ukyo shivered. "Those things give me the creeps. It's kind of scary thinking about how one of them was so close to my shop."
"It must be," Kat nodded. "Hey, I got interrupted last time but you mentioned that this Ranma guy had several fiancées. Just how does that happen?"
"You can blame that on his stupid and worthless father," Ukyo growled. "It's all his fault."
"I'm, sensing a story behind this," Kat frowned. "Care to tell it?"
"If you've got the time then sure," Ukyo shrugged. "From what I've heard, Ranchan's father Genma and a guy named Soun Tendo trained together under this ancient pervert named Happosai. While the two were training, they got this idea in their heads to unite the schools of Anything Goes."
"Anything Goes?" asked Kat.
"Yeah, it's the school Ranchan uses," Ukyo explained. "They say he's the best in this generation."
This got Kat's interest. If Anything Goes was taken literally then this Ranma guy might just accept her challenge after all. She then turned her attention back to Ukyo, "Let me guess, they pledged to get their kids married and Ranma is promised to one of this Tendo guy's daughters?"
"Bingo, sugar," Ukyo nodded. "Anyway, from what I've managed to figure out, the fat moron couldn't keep a promise to save his life. When Ranchan was only five, his father took him out on a ten year training journey."
"What about his mother?" Kat blinked. Who would be stupid enough to take his own child away from their mother? Wait, she just answered her own question.
"Well, she forced the moron to sign a contract that would force him and Ranma to commit seppuku if Ranma didn't become a 'man amongst men.' Personally I think she made it up to keep the fool in line," Ukyo explained. "The idiot managed to trick Ranma into signing it by saying it was finger-painting. I swear that guy doesn't care about anyone but himself."
Kat was now getting pissed. She had been away from her mama most of her life. She missed her a lot but her father made sure she felt loved. Ranma's father on the other hand didn't seem to have that.
"Anyway," Ukyo continued. "Remember when I said that Genma couldn't keep a promise to save his life? Well, when we were about six, Ranchan and I met and became best friends. My father saw this and decided to get me engaged to Ranchan using our okonomiyaki cart as a dowry. I was also supposed to go along with him and Ranchan during their training."
"What about the pledge with his best friend?" Kat gaped.
"Conveniently forgotten," Ukyo frowned. "Of course, the first second he got it he ditched me and ran off with it and Ranchan."
"WHAT?!" Kat cried.
"Yep," Ukyo nodded. "I'm kinda glad I was left behind though. After hearing about Jusenkyo, brrr."
"Jusen-what?" Kat blinked.
"Cursed springs," Ukyo shrugged. "If you fall into one then you change into whatever drowned in there last. You can change back with warm water but you change again when you get hit by cold water."
"Did he get cursed?" Kat asked. Normally she would have disregarded this stuff as lunacy, but after dealing with things like Beast Spirits, one had a healthy appreciation for the supernatural.
"Ranchan fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl," Ukyo replied. "He turns into a red-headed girl when hit with cold water. It's real interesting to see happen. His father turns into a panda. Fits his lazy and greedy personality easily."
"Wow," Kat blinked. "I take it you caught up with Ranma?"
"About a year ago," Ukyo nodded as she flipped the okonomiyaki over. "I thought he had run out on purpose but it turns out that he thought I was a boy. He didn't even know about the engagement. I shouldn't be surprised though. Genma's good at lying. I always dressed as a boy then and Ranchan's a little thick so I shouldn't be surprised that he was fooled.
"So you're still hooked on him?" Kat asked.
"He was my first love," Ukyo smiled. "I never really stopped loving him, but I was pretty steamed at him."
"What about the other girls? What are they like?" Kat wondered.
"Ugh," Ukyo sighed. "There's three right now. The first is Akane Tendo. She's the one Genma seems so desperate for Ran-chan to marry. She's friendly sometimes but she's a spoiled princess if there ever was one. Ranchan and his dad live at the Tendo dojo and she has got the worst temper out there. She thinks she's a great martial artist and her family never tells her otherwise even though almost everyone with proper training can put her down. Every time she's in trouble it's usually Ran-chan who has to bail her out. She never says 'thank you' though. All she does is get mad at him when he doesn't eat her awful cooking or when she thinks he's being a pervert when he obviously isn't. I don't think Ranchan knows how to be a pervert really. Then she bashes him over the head with a mallet or sends him into the sky."
"How can he stand that?" Kat gaped. This was spousal abuse before the marriage even happened!
"I don't know," Ukyo sighed. "But it's been getting worse. Especially after those Knights showed up and everyone is talking about them. She seems to hate the fact that they can fight monsters that even Ranchan would probably have a hard time with. I don't know how much more Ranchan can take before he snaps."
"Are the other girls that bad?" Kat blinked.
"Shampoo isn't that bad," Ukyo admitted. "She's a waitress at the cafe that your brother went to. She's only engaged to Ranma because he beat her in a fight and her laws say that she has to marry him since he's a male. She really does like him though. I've seen it when she tries to get his attention. I wouldn't mind if I lost to her as much since she's at least wife material. She's a good cook and really nice, even if she's a little too forward for my tastes. Well, that and she tries tricks and potions to try and win him over."
"Hmm," Kat nodded as she got served her order. "At least it's not just you who's not trying to kill him."
"The last one is the worst. Kodachi Kuno," Ukyo shivered. "She is a self-proclaimed fiancée. She seems to think that she is the only one worthy enough to be with him. That and she thinks that his girl form is someone who has Ranchan enslaved to her will and preventing him from proclaiming his love for her. She actually tries to kill Ranchan's girl side even though she's seen the curse activate."
Kat shook her head as she listened while eating. What was with the Ranma guy anyway? Was he like a freaking god or something?
"A while back he and some others had to go to China for some reason and when he came back his and Akane's fathers jumped him and tried to force him to get married to her," Ukyo frowned. "I had gotten an invitation for the wedding as a caterer so I kinda went ballistic. I knew that Ranma didn't want to marry her so I sorta went commando."
"You bombed the place?" Kat snickered. Oh, she could like this girl.
"Shampoo helped," Ukyo shrugged. "Kodachi came trying to take Akane's place at the altar while Ranchan's rivals who seem to think he's enslaved us came. We almost leveled the dojo. It was not a moment I'm proud of. Ranchan wasn't happy about it either. We haven't really been talking that much since."
"Maybe you should," Kat commented as she swallowed the last piece of food and brought out some money to pay for it. "You two were friends right? Shouldn't be that hard to apologize. My otouto-chan is way better at this advice thing than I am."
"I want to," Ukyo frowned. "But I don't know how."
"Well, you'd better hurry," Kat sighed as she stood up. "You want to at least stay friends before trying to be a fiancée right?"
Ukyo nodded with an insecure frown. Kat just shrugged her shoulders before leaving. Her brother really was better at the advice thing than she was. She was more of a person that would give you tips on how to beat someone up or something. Ukyo could do that well enough on her own.
Heading outside, Kat aimlessly wandered down the street. She had noting else better to do and there weren't any of these Star Beasts or Beast Spirits to worry about at the moment. She idly wondered if she should try to find Ranma and see if he was willing to have a match. If he was a good as she had been hearing then she might be able to go all out. Looking ahead, she noticed to people walking in the opposite direction towards her. One was a girl wit shoulder length hair who would have been pretty if not for the scowl on her face and the glares she was throwing at the boy beside her. He seemed to radiate skill, confidence, and power. He wore Chinese clothes and had his hair tied in a pigtail. The dragon design on his shirt was giving her an odd feeling though. She decided to ask them a question.
"'Excuse me!" she called while walking up to them. "Do you know where I can find Ranma Saotome?"
Unknown to her, the girl's scowl deepened and a faint aura of anger started appearing around her body. The boy blinked and scratched the back of his neck nervously.
"Uh, that's me," the boy smiled before he seemed to get a little bit afraid. "Wait, you aren't a fiancée or someone my pop swindled, are you?"
"Huh?" Kat blinked. "No, I'm-"
"RANMA NO BAKA!" the girl suddenly shrieked before pulling out a mallet from seemingly nowhere ad bashing Ranma into the ground with enough force to make even a Beast Spirit wince.
"Hey!" Kat frowned. "What the hell did you do that for? We were just talking!"
"He was being a pervert!" the girl snapped. "Going around collecting more floozies! The pervert!"
WHAP!
That one sound snapped Ranma back to consciousness. Actually he was just pretending but it was better to do so since Akane would leave so he could get some peace. Looking up, he was a little surprised to see that Akane was holding her cheek in shock as the other girl had her fist raised.
"You hit me!" Akane cried in disbelief.
"Well duh!" the girl frowned. "Do you really expect me to sit there and let you call me a floozy? Yeah right!"
"No fair! I wasn't ready!" Akane shrieked.
"Some martial artist you are then," the girl smirked. "A real martial artist is ready at all times. You on the other hand seem to expect someone to protect you at all times. Yep, you must be Akane Tendo."
"I am so a martial artist!" Akane snapped. "I challenge you right here! Right now! I'll show you what a true martial artist is like!"
"You're a spoiled princess who demands attention and everything else to be given to you constantly," the other girl snickered. "But sure, I'll humor you."
Ranma had wanted to intervene but something at the back of his mind was telling him not to. Actually, it was Draco (the dragon) who was encouraging Ranma to stay out of this.
'You can't protect her forever,' he advised. 'She has to grow up sometime.'
"You ready?" the girl asked Akane. "I don't want you whining that you weren't ready."
Akane just let off a battle cry and charged straight at Kat with both fists ready to pummel her into the ground. Ranma could already spot several holes in her defense, ones that Kat instantly picked up on.
'Who taught this girl? She's awful!' Kat asked herself as she dodged several blows. 'I've fought Beast Spirits with more skill than this and they were like wild animals! She's not even an amateur! She's a wannabe!'
Akane was getting even angrier when she couldn't hit Kat. Finally, she threw all her strength into her fist and tried to punch her in the face. Kat instantly ducked before planting a solid blow into her abdomen. Ranma winced as Akane dropped to the ground gasping for air. Kat waited for a moment before shaking her head and beginning to walk towards Ranma.
"No fair!" she gasped. "That was a low blow!"
"I don't believe it," Kat sighed. "This just proves that you are a spoiled princess wannabe! You don't know the first thing about the principles of martial arts! You don't even know what parts are considered valid targets, do you? You have no defense and your speed is a joke. It's like you just expect people to sit there and let you hit them!"
"I used to beat up fifty boys every day before school!" Akane screeched. "That proves I'm a martial artist!"
"No, that proves you're a bully with flashy moves!" Kat frowned. Heck, anyone with enough brute force could defeat 50 opponents but it took skill to beat one person sometimes. Like her brother for instance. Leo was skillful and knew the basics of martial arts. Well, at least his own principles of 'strength of mind, body and soul'.
'Ouch,' Draco and Ranma winced internally. Akane was not going to like that.
"I don't care if you attacked those boys or if they attacked you but it's obvious to me that they had no combat skills whatsoever!'" Kat continued. "The only way you could ever beat a skilled martial artist is because they would let you! Face it, princess, you are without a doubt the worst fighter I have ever seen!"
Akane growled angrily at the proclamation. She was so a skilled fighter! She was not a bully! She was the best fighter in Nerima! She could put Ranma down all the time! But...did he really let her do that? No! It was because she did have skills. The battle dogi said she had the potential! She was a martial artist! She was! With a 'humph', she turned her back to Kat and walked away, not caring that Ranma was still there.
"I'm not going to hear the end of this," Ranma sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Her father and mine are going to harp about how I should have protected her. Then they're going to say in order to apologize I'll have to marry her. Bakas."
"I don't know how you can stay with the girl," Kat frowned. "I challenged and defeated her and then you get harped on for protecting her. What's the problem with that?"
"Ah, Pop forced his habit of thinking women are weak onto me," Ranma sighed. "I've been trying to break it. I don't like to fight girls, but if there's a good enough reason then I will. He on the other hand believes it entirely. So he's going to harp on me for letting a girl get hurt even though it was in a formal challenge."
Kat frowned slightly as she heard Ranma say this. It wasn't about what he said that bugged her. It was the tone that he said it in. She recognized it and she had a pretty good guess from where.
"So," Ranma sighed. "If you aren't a fiancée and my pop didn't cheat you, then why are you looking for me anyway?"
"I was hoping to challenge you to a match," Kat replied. "Maybe now I'll even help break you out of that habit your idiotic father planted in you."
"So you've heard my life story, eh?" Ranma smirked.
"Ukyo was very informative," Kat replied. "You know, she's sorry about the wedding."
"That's good," Ranma nodded. "Now if she can apologize to me in person for it then I can actually forgive her. So, where do you want to have this match?"
"Anywhere is good enough. I've been on the road a lot so I can pretty much adapt to any environment," she said. That was true and was one of her reasons for being chosen as the Knight of Suzaku. She could use the terrain to her own advantage.
"Say, why don't you come to the Tendo Dojo?" Ranma suggested.
"Sure," Kat said with a smirk. She could show that spoiled princess how a real warrior fought. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Neko Katherine Hasuma. Friends call me Kat."
Ranma shuddered when she said 'Neko' but forced himself to calm down. The bow in her hair did make her look like a cat though. "So, now that you've heard my life story, what's yours?"
"Let see…well, my parents are divorced."
Ranma frowned sadly, "I'm sorry."
"Geez, why does everyone have to be so sympathetic! It's cool! Anyway, my papa is an archeologist and my mama is a fashion designer. Through some glitch in the custody contract, my otouto-chan went to my mama while I went to my papa."
"You have a brother?" Ranma said, blinking.
"Yeah, he practices kendo."
"Is he anyway like Kuno?"
"Kodachi Kuno?" Kat asked.
"No, I mean her brother. The Kuno I know is, well…you gotta see what he's like to believe it."
"Well, my otouto-chan is philosophical and likes to quote advice from our mama."
As the two continued to walk, Kat told Ranma about her life up until now, save the part about the Beast Spirits and Advent Knights. Draco, on the other hand, kept sensing a weird aura around Kat. He wasn't sure what it was but it wasn't a threat. Ranma just enjoyed the fact that there was someone who was looking for him and wasn't out to kill or marry him. The two continued to make small talk until the reached the Tendo Dojo. Before Ranma could even reach the front door, two men came right out of it. One was a fat man with glasses and wearing a bandanna on his head to hide his obvious baldness. The other was a man with a moustache in a black gi and his head seemed to be in an overgrown demon form. Kat might have been afraid but she had seen scarier things than that.
"RANMA!" the demon head Kat assumed to be Mr. Tendo roared. "How dare you let my baby girl get hurt!? Why didn't you protect her?!"
"Quite right boy!" Genma snapped. "As an apology you must marry Akane right away!"
Ranma sighed before casting an 'I told you so' look to Kat. he was about to open his mouth to try to attempt a reply when Kat decided that she had better give these two morons the story straight since she was the cause of it.
"HOLD IT!" she shouted loudly, causing all three men to look at her in surprise. Her fiery glare helped keep them in place. "That's better. Mr. Tendo, I'm not sure what Akane told you but she was the one who challenged me. To interrupt would mean dishonoring both me and her. Besides, Akane kept saying that she's a martial artist so she should be at least able to take a couple of punches. I only hit her once."
"Well, but Ranma and Akane are engaged," Soun sputtered. "He should always protect her."
"The Akane Tendo I met today seems pretty confident that she can take care of herself," Kat pointed out. "I say let her...unless you don't hold any confidence in her abilities. Is that why you demand Ranma should always protect her?"
Soun was somewhat trapped in his own words by now and wasn't sure what to say. Genma on the other hand seemed more than willing to open his big mouth, "It is a martial artist's duty to protect the weak! Something I'm sure you don't understand."
"Are you calling me weak because I'm a girl?" Kat growled. By now Ranma was backing away slightly. No way was he going to get caught in the crossfire with this. He had learned fast that Kat's temper was not something to mess with if the stories she told about herself were of any indication. "Let me show you what this girl knows about martial arts!"
Kat the managed to grab Genma by the arm in a way that he did not see and judo tossed him out onto the street. As he was flying through the air, a man who was delivering some archer fish biked past and the fish could not ignore the target. They shot out water and Genma hit the ground as a soggy panda. Ranma nodded in acknowledgement. Anyone who could hurt the panda in some way must be talented on some level. Soun just blinked at what he saw.
"Now I need to work off my stress," Kat sighed. "How about that match?" she asked Ranam.
"Sure," Ranma nodded. "Dojo's this way."
The two teens went around the back and entered the dojo. Kat glanced around and found it to be satisfactory for what they needed for a sparring match. She did notice that there were no students though. That was a little odd.
"No students?" Kat asked while looking at the blank wall. "A little odd for a dojo."
"It's been that way since I got here," Ranma replied. "I personally think that my pop is planning me on running the dojo while he freeloads for the rest of his life. It's like he expects students to flock here if I take over."
"You do realize that you need a diploma to be a sensei, right?" Kat asked with an even stare.
"So I've heard," Ranma sighed. "After Saffron I haven't had much else but time so I'm able to get my homework done and actually do well."
"Saffron?" asked Kat.
"Uh!" Ranma blinked, realizing that someone was in the room "Never mind. Let's just get to the match. Single round?"
"You bet," Kat smirked, filing the name Saffrom away for later.
The two martial artists took a ready stance on opposite sides of the dojo. Neither of them moved, trying to figure out the best way to win by assessing their opponents' stance. Ranma had to admit that Kat had some experience under her belt. She also had some strength with her too. He wasn't sure who she had been fighting but Ranma knew this was going to be good. Kat almost felt a little intimidated when she felt out Ranma's stance. He didn't waver or show anything in his eyes. This was a guy who was in a form of combat almost all his life.
As if by unspoken signal, they both began. Kat dashed forward and began hurling punches at Ranma who easily dodged them. Kat now knew that his reflexes were good if he could move like that. His speed must be pretty good too. There wasn't any kind of pattern to his dodging so she couldn't predict where he was going to go next. Sending a roundhouse kick, Ranma leaped straight up, but Kat used her reflexes that had been enhanced by her Category Ace to quickly recover and hurl a punch into Ranma's chest. The boy stumbled back a bit and rubbed the spot. That girl could hit hard!
"Are you not taking me seriously because I'm a girl?" Kat asked with a frown.
"Nah," Ranma smirked. "I needed a little time to feel out your fighting style. Now comes the fun part."
Ranma dashed forward with his impressive speed again and started throwing blows at her. Kat noticed that he was using open palm strikes rather than fists but one did have to walk before they could run. Kat also felt her reflexes being taxed. Ranma was fast, incredibly so. Kat started to grin. Now this was a fight! She actually felt her limits being reached. She tried some counterattacks but while she managed to score some glancing blows, Ranma's reflexes and defense were proving to be amazingly good. Kat tried to get some space but she soon realized that she made a misstep. Ranma took advantage of this and using a sweep kick, he tripped her and caused her to land on her back .He then stood over her with a victorious grin on his face.
"Do you yield?" he asked.
"I yield," Kat reluctantly sighed before Ranma helped her up. "How did you get this good? I've rarely seen skill like yours. I only wish I could've seen your techniques."
"Well, ten years of training will do that to a guy," Ranma shrugged. "Maybe with a little more training I'll have to use my techniques on you."
"Looking forward to it," Kat smirked.
"AHEM!" someone coughed from the entrance. Ranma and Kat turned to see that it was Akane staring at them accusingly and like she had swallowed a lemon. "If you two are done FLIRTING, dinner is ready. Kasumi said that your friend could stay too."
Without waiting for an answer, she stomped off. Kat just sighed and shook her head, "How do you deal with this? It's not healthy."
"I got nowhere else to go," Ranma sighed. "If I tried to live with mom then the fiancées would just go berserk and tear the place down trying to impress her, claim me, and get rid of the others. Then Pop would come harping me about honor and the uniting the schools. What I don't get is if Akane doesn't want to marry me, then why is she so determined to keep me away from other girls?"
"Status symbol," Kat sighed. "She hates losing and if by judging how you look, I'd say that the local ladies like you a fair amount."
"I dunno," Ranma shrugged. "They really don't talk to me save for the fiancées."
"Well, from a girls' perspective I'd say you'd make nice eye candy," Kat snickered. "My guess is that Akane figures that if she can't get attention by being a martial artist, then she'll get attention by being your fiancée. When that got blown out of the water by the others, she'll get attention by being the one who lives with you."
"Wow," Ranma blinked. "That's kinda deep."
"I get it from hanging around my otouto-chan," Kat grinned. "You learn a few things from him."
"I wish I get to meet him someday," Ranma said.
"You might," Kat shrugged. "He's coming over to Nerima later. He had some business to take care of in Juuban. If you think fighting me was a workout, try fighting him. He's good with a sword and just as good at hand-to-hand combat."
Ranma smiled at his new friend, "That would be a good match then."
Dinner was quickly served and Kasumi introduced herself to Kat. The eldest Tendo girl mentioned that they had a middle sister but she had been laid up for the last few days after a monster had attacked her. She also mentioned that it was Ranma who had saved her. This just Kat thinking that either Ranma was way better than she thought or he had a little 'help' when he was fighting the monsters. That is, until she got a taste of Kasumi's food.
"Oh, wow!" she gasped. "This is good! I don't know which is better though. Yours or my otouto-chan's?"
"Oh my," Kasumi smiled. "Thank you. Does your brother do all the cooking?"
"Yeah," Kat nodded. "My cooking is awful. I could make a pot of rice into a lethal weapon without trying."
From his own private war with his father who was trying to steal from his plate, Ranma bit back the comment about how Kat could at least admit that her cooking was bad unlike one uncute tomboy he knew. Genma on the other hand had his own opinion on the matter.
"Humph!" he snorted. "A man cooking for a woman. Shameful. Doesn't he know that it's a woman's job to cook?"
There was a brief silence before Genma found himself on the receiving end of a punch that sent him flying out the open door and into the wall surrounding the yard. Everyone looked at Kat who was taking a few calming breaths before she opened her eyes.
"Sorry," she apologized. "There are only two things that really get me mad," she explained. "One is someone who makes sexist remarks like that. The other, and the one that is like instant death for some, is someone who would dare say those kinds of things about my otouto-chan that the stupid panda just did."
"He never changes," Ranma sighed.
"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped. "You must really love your brother, don't you?"
"Very much," Kat nodded. "We are all we have at the moment."
Akane frowned sadly at the moment. Kat didn't have even one parent right now while she had her father at the least. She couldn't comprehend living by herself like that.
--
Dinner wore on and Genma had yet to regain consciousness so Ranma had to drag him inside. Eventually Kat had to leave because she did have school tomorrow and she had already picked a place to meet her brother at. Ranma volunteered to walk her there. It wasn't because she was a girl or some other reason that Soun and Akane tried to make him look guilty for. It was just because it was good manners, just like Kasumi said to back him up.
"Now you see why I stay out a lot of the time," Ranma sighed.
"I've noticed," Kat nodded.
While they were walking, a pillar of smoke rose into the sky along with several screams of terror. Ranma immediately recognized the direction that they were coming in.
"Ucchan!" he cried before taking off. Kat quickly followed so she could assess the situation. It could have been a broken gas main after all, but knowing this town's reputation, probably not.
The scene that Ranma and Kat had arrived at was not a pleasant one. There were flames littering the ground and it seemed that whatever did it had explosives on hand if the craters were of any indication. Up ahead they saw what was no doubt another Star Beast as it started cornering Ukyo.
This Star Beast was something resembling a phoenix. Its arms were wings with armored talons at the end. The feathers were made of gray steel. The torso looked like it was made of metal crafted to look like fire. It was gray as well. The feet were armored boots which resembled talons and the armored legs showed an affinity for flying. Finally the creature's head looked bird-like with razor plumage sticking out to the sides like a crest. Its eyes were a sick green. It had Ukyo in a corner and she was apparently unconscious from a blow to the head.
"Ucchan!" Ranma cried as he dashed forward. Kat wanted to stop him before she saw him pull a white object out of his pocket.
"Lunar Knight Power!" he called as a belt appeared around his waist. "Henshin!" He slid the deck into the belt. In a flash of blinding white light, Ranma had transformed into Lunar.
Kat gasped. Ranma was Lunar! This got her a bit mad at his comment for being an 'uncute tomboy' but then remembered how Ranma was treated to see how he could make such an assumption. She would get back at Lunar for that comment but now was not the time. Narrowing her eyes, she took out both her Category Ace card and Suzaku Buckle and dashed after him. She placed her buckle on her waist, allowing the belt to wrap around her, before sliding in her card.
"Henshin!" Her buckle split open and the phoenix imprinted energy field shot out before she ran though it, changing into Advent Knight Mimic.
"CHANGE SUZAKU!"
Lunar turned his gaze to what he just heard and saw Mimic running towards the battle with her weapon, the Suzaku Arrow, ready. He was slightly stunned by this. Kat was that 'uncute tomboy' Mimic. Well, maybe he had been a little premature in his observation on her when they first met. He'd deal with that later though. Right now they had a Star Beast to deal with. Drawing his rapier, Lunar began the attack. He slashed at the Star Beast back, causing it to screech in pain and turn around.
"Who dares attack Pheora?!" it demanded in a female voice.
"Celestial Knight Lunar of course," Lunar replied.
"And Advent Knight Mimic!" Mimic added.
"Humph!" Pheora remarked. "I'll just destroy the two of you before continuing on my mission!"
Flapping her wings, Pheora released several feathers which shot like blades towards the two Knights. Both of them leapt out of the way to avoid getting hit. Lunar recovered first before he drew a card and slid it into his sword.
"Strike Vent!" was heard before Lunar's boots changed into a heavy looking pair that resembled a horse's hooves.
Leaping into the air, Lunar came back down before delivering a deadly scissor kick. Pheora took it hard and staggered back but she didn't look much worse for wear. Mimic decided to take her shot before releasing several ice arrows on the Star Beast. These were a little more effective since they were the opposing element of the Phoenix Star Beast. Pheora squawked in pain and soon was getting angry.
"That's it!" she growled. "Since you won't let me get you on the ground, I'll go to the air!"
By flapping her wings, Pheora took to the air. Lunar and Mimic both watched her go up. Lunar was just thinking about how much this Star Beast was reminding him of Kiima. Mimic had a slightly different reaction. Gripping her scanner, she put it on her belt buckle before sliding one of her cards through it.
"TORNADO HAWK!" it called before a large pair of brown wings erupted from Mimic's back.
"What the-?" Lunar gaped. "How did you do that?"
"I can copy the abilities if the cards I have," Mimic shrugged. "Why do you think they call me Mimic?"
Turning her attention back to Pheora, Mimic flapped her wings and took to the skies. Pheora didn't waste time with words before she started hurling her razor sharp feathers again. Mimic easily dodged them before readying her bow for another attack.
"Hey, bird-brain! Eat this!" she shouted before unleashing a volley of ice arrows.
Pheora shrieked and tried to get out of the way but Mimic had already put her scanner back into her bow before drawing another card.
"CHOP!" it called before the image appeared above her and was absorbed.
Mimic flew above Pheora before coming back down at a blinding speed and landing a devastating chop on Pheora's head.
"Gyaaahh!" the Star Beast cried as the force of the blow sent her colliding into the ground with extreme force. Enough to leave a crater anyway, which was oddly enough the average when it came to fights in Nerima.
"Your turn, Horsie-Knight!" Mimic called.
Lunar's eye twitched but he continued to draw a new card from his belt. Keeping his eye on Pheora, he slid it into his sword and activated it.
"Final Vent!" the blade announced before Stallionstar could be seen racing towards the scene. Lunar raised his hand before his lance appeared in it in a flash of white light. He didn't even turn to look before he leapt up and landed on Stallionstar's back. The two kept going while Lunar raised his lance to strike. They were soon engulfed in white light as they got closer to Pheora.
"Meteor Joust!" he called before the two of them barreled through Pheora and caused her to explode with a terrible shriek and a fiery explosion.
Lunar brought Stallionstar to a halt and turned him around. Peering through the flames her saw the orb of energy that was the essence of a Star Beast. Knowing that he had to act quickly, lest it regenerated into a Star Beast even stronger than before, Lunar drew his Seal Vent card. Before he could put it into his sword though, a card fell from the sky and hit the orb. There was a blinding flash for a few seconds before Lunar blinked and found the orb to be gone. Looking up, he saw Mimic coming down for a landing.
"Sorry, Horsie-Knight, I got first dibs," she remarked as she held up a card with Pheora's image on it wrapped in chains.
"As long as it's gone," Lunar shrugged. Things were silent for a few moments before he deactivated his armor and withdrew his deck case. Mimic did the same with her field of energy after snapping her buckle close and ejecting her Category Ace. "I got a few questions but I'll ask them after I make sure Ucchan's okay."
Kat nodded before the two of them went to see if the okonomiyaki chef was alright. They brought her inside and put her to bed. Ranma lamented about all the days that Ukyo finally convinced Konatsu to take a day off and go enjoy himself.
"So you're that Mimic that I met yesterday," Ranma sighed as he sat at a table in the restaurant.
"And you're that jerk Lunar who called me an 'uncute tomboy'." Kat replied, making sure that her face was even. "Then again, seeing how you live your life, I'm not surprised you made that kind of assumption."
"Yeah," Ranma sighed. "Sorry about that. I didn't really mean it. My mouth just runs faster than my brain sometimes."
"I can tell," Kat shrugged. She then decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since she met Ranma. "Answer me this; ever since I first saw you that dragon mark on your shirt it has been giving me weird vibes, care to explain?"
Ranma was going to open his mouth to explain but the dragon mark on his shirt decided to explain for him. Kat's eyes widened when she actually witnessed it moving. It swirled for a minute before it came off his shirt and became an actual dragon that sat coiled on the table. It coughed a little to prepare itself.
"You were probably sensing me," the dragon explained. "My name's Draco. I'm the official advisor to the Royal Order of Celestial Knights."
"Royal Ord-," Kat blinked before it hit her. "Then that means you ARE a REAL Knight!"
"That's why I said it last time we met," Ranma shrugged. "Maybe I could have used a little more tact but, what can ya do about it now?"
"You have that problem now and then," Draco snickered.
"Wow," Kat blinked. "You said a Royal Order. Just how many knights are out there?"
"We have five so far," Ranma replied. "Me, Kronos, Zeus, Aries, and Poseidon."
"There are supposed to be twelve," Draco finished.
"Well, there are only 3 Advent Knights now. There might be a 4th one if the last suit and buckle gets finished but I doubt they'll find a user for those yet. Trying to find people compatible enough isn't easy," Kat said. "So, tell me your story and I might tell you mine."
"Might?" Ranma and Draco said at the same time.
"I'm a pretty secretive person and it bugs the hell out of people sometimes!" she smirked. "So, anyway, how did you get involved in this?"
"First, tell me why you smell like a Beast Spirit," Draco said to Kat. He had finally realized what he had sensed off her when she transformed and used the cards.
"Alright, fine," Kat said with a sigh. She then pulled out her Change Suzaku card. "Not only do I use one to change into my armor and as power boosts, but I fight them on a regular basis."
"You mean they're free?" Draco gaped.
"Yup," Kat nodded. "Me and my otouto-chan have been fighting and sealing them wherever they show up."
"So that other Advent Knight who was with you is your brother?" asked Ranma.
"You're a sharp one there, Horsie," Kat smirked, causing much twitching in Ranma's eye. "Okay, enough about me. What is your deal? How'd you get roped into this?"
"I keep asking myself that almost once a day," Ranma sighed.
Before he could continue though, the sounds of a motorcycle could be heard outside. There was a brief moment of silence before someone came inside. Ranma raised an eyebrow at him but Kat just waved in greeting.
"Konbanwa, otouto-chan," Kat smiled. "Ranma, meet my brother, Leo."
"Konbanwa, onee-chan," Leo nodded before he turned to Ranma and Draco. He was about to greet Ranma when he noticed Draco sitting on the table. The two blinked at each other for a moment before Leo became a blur before catching Draco in his arms and hugging him tightly. "Kawaii!"
"Urk!" Draco huffed. "Breathing...problematic!"
Leo heard the tiny dragon's words before putting him back down and bowing, "Gomen nasai Dragon-san. I sometimes have trouble controlling myself around cute things."
'Pop would hate this guy with a passion,' Ranma chuckled inwardly.
"No problem," Draco huffed. "I'm just that irresistible. Call me Draco, kid."
"What a coincidence! My name is Draco too, at least when in armor," Leo said with a smile, but then gasped when he realized what he said and turned to his sister who gave him a look that meant that they knew.
"They know, don't worry," Kat assured him. He would ask for details later.
Draco (the dragon) smiled, "Glad to know that my name is being used by such a nice kid."
"Ahem! Ranma here was just about to explain to us how he gained the role of Lunar," Kat smiled, making Ranma cringe.
"Nani?!" Leo gasped before turning to Ranma. "You're the Knight of the Moon Lunar?"
"Yep," Ranma sighed before sitting up straight. "Draco can help out with the details but I can tell you the basic story. First though, do you two believe in reincarnation and stuff like that?"
"I believe in the possibility," Leo nodded. Kat just shrugged. She had learned not to disregard anything.
"Okay," Ranma nodded. "Once upon a time there was a kingdom called the Silver Millennium which spanned over all the planets of the galaxy."
"Nani?" the twins blinked.
"Don't look at me," Ranma shrugged helplessly. "It's one of those lost civilization things. Anyhow, this kingdom was a happy place where all the worlds were at peace, more or less. These people were also in contact with creatures called Star Beasts. Those were creatures that are the manifestations of stars and watch over a specific person. They were usually above our troubles but once the queen learned about them she made an alliance. From this alliance the Royal Order of Celestial Knights was born. Each Knight hailed from a different world and each one was partnered with a Star Beast which gave them power. Anyway, one day these jerks called the Dark Kingdom attacked and basically everything was being wiped out except for Earth. So in the end, the queen cast this immense spell that sent the souls of her people into the future to be reincarnated in the future. Care to draw any conclusions just yet?"
"So in a past life you were a Real Knight?" Leo gasped. "Sugoi!"
"How can we believe that anyway?" Kat frowned.
"Ask the Sailor Senshi," Draco remarked. "They were reborn from that era just like Ranma here was."
"Wait a sec," Kat frowned as a thought came to her. "What were the names of those other four Knights again?"
"Kronos, Zeus, Aries, and Poseidon. Why?" answered Ranma.
"Weren't the planets named after the Roman gods?" Kat asked her brother.
"Hai," Leo nodded. "Kronos is Saturn, Zeus is Jupiter, Aries is Mars, and Poseidon is Neptune. Those must be the planets that the other four Knights are the champions of."
"Hey, not bad," Draco grinned. "Not many other have picked that up unless the Knights told them."
"Okay, so if the Star Beasts were so nice back then, then why are they going on rampages now?" asked Kat with a frown. "We thought they were Beast Spirits so that's why we came."
"We don't know why they have become corrupted," Draco sighed. "We just know that it takes a lot of negative energy to make them do the things they have been doing."
"Well that's a big help," Kat frowned. "You have no idea who is behind this or even if someone is behind this."
"I don't know, onee-chan," Leo frowned. "They said that Star Beasts are beyond the affairs of us here. The one I fought earlier mentioned people called the Shishin."
"You fought one?!" Kat, Ranma, and Draco cried at the announcement.
"Hai," Leo nodded. "I managed to beat it too. It won't bother anyone now."
"As long as you're okay, otouto-chan," Kat sighed while settling back into her chair.
"So, what now?" Ranma asked.
"Well, they may not be Beast Spirits, but they are still threatening innocent people. As a samurai, it is my duty to protect the innocent with the strength of my blade," Leo said. Ranma quirked an eyebrow and looked at Kat.
"He gets like that sometimes," Kat said. "You should hear him when he quotes mama."
"Might be interesting," Ranma said with a smile. He could come to like Leo since the kid wasn't anything like Kuno.
"Well, we gotta go," Kat said while getting up. "See you around, Horsie." Ranma's eye twitched.
"Must you call me that?" Ranma demanded.
"I give EVERYONE I know nicknames. By the way, tell the princess that if she wants a rematch she should train harder because I just might be coming back," Kat said with a wink. "Ja ne." She turned to her brother, "Ikuzo, otouto-chan."
"Hai, onee-chan," Leo said with a nod before bowing to Draco and Ranma. "Jane, Ranma-san, Draco-san."
The twins left and Draco said to Ranma, "Nice kids."
"Well, at least they're saner than most of the people here. Boy, would the other guys be surprised," Ranma said as he leaned back on the chair.
"Shouldn't you be going back home?"
"I'll wait till Akane cools down. Right now she should be shattering concrete blocks."
"Her head is as thick as one sometimes."
"Try all the time!" Ranma laughed.
They soon heard the sounds of two motorbike engines roaring before they sped away.
--
Within their dark prison, the Shishin were in conference. The subject: what they should do about these Advent Knights that had begun messing in their affairs?
"So there are three in total?" asked Suzaku.
"Apparently," Byakko replied. "I would strongly suggest we send another Star Beast after them."
"Are you blind?!" roared Genbu. "We just lost a third one to them!"
"He doesn't mean to destroy them, Genbu," Seiryuu spoke. "He means to steal their personal Star Beasts. Perhaps we could even take the Beast Spirits that they have claimed"
"I see," Genbu nodded, cursing his short temper. "Well then what do we know about them? Draco (the Advent Knight) is a skilled swordsman, Mimic is an archer, and Pluto is a gunman."
"Each are powerful in their own right but each of them have a weakness," Byakko added. "Even if they do not hold what we desire then their Star Beasts should be strong enough for our purposes."
"So we are in agreement," Seiryuu nodded, earning nods from his compatriots.
"Hmm," Suzaku purred. "I wonder if I could keep that Draco boy when we take his Star Beast? He looks scrumptious."
"Humph!" Genbu snorted. "Women!"
To Be Continued...
A/N: Here's chapter 4. I hope everyone likes it and I would like to thank ZK Chromedragozoid again for helping me with editing and ideas.