Ranma was in the dojo, sitting cross-legged as he closed his eyes
I do not own Kamen Rider Den-O nor do I own Ranma. I am only writing this for fun. I am not getting paid for this…which sucks since writing would be my dream job.
Kamen Rider Ran-O
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 13: Beginning of Unity
Ranma was in the dojo, sitting cross-legged as he closed his eyes. A few days ago he had encountered his future children. Also, his mother had discovered his secret as Den-O and, fortunately, swore to keep that information a secret. Nodoka was one of the few people he trusted, aside from Kasumi and, ironically, Nabiki. There was no way he could trust his dad or Mr. Tendo who would definitely manipulate the DenLiner to their own ends, demanding Ranma use it to help them in the name of honor. There was also the issue of the information getting to the rivals who would definitely use it to eliminate Ranma, which was a moot point since Ranma, being a singularity point, could not be erased from time despite the interference of others. Also, there was Akane and she fell under the same category. It was also dangerous for the fiancées to find out about this secret since they would try to use the DenLiner to make him theirs, regardless of the consequences. Finally, Ranma had to be wary of Cologne and Happosai. Cologne was already aware of the Imagin possessing Ranma and Happosai may take advantage of the DenLiner, doing irreparable damage on the timeline if he was allowed to. Thank goodness there was Naomi, Hana and Owner aboard.
Currently, Ranma was trying to practice a technique he'd discovered when he had fought side by side with Tenma. It was known as Full Synchro and it allowed both the host and Imagin to fight as one person. It was different from the usual possession with the Imagin being primarily in control. Instead, the consciousness of both parties would be fully synchronised, mixed together, and balanced to create a powerful warrior. The reason? Ranma wanted to take a more active role in fighting the evil Imagin and relying too much on the Taros' help may just impair his fighting skills if he didn't exercise once in a while.
Ranma mentally summoned them, 'Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, come here.' In an instant, sand began to fall out of his clothes and pile up around him before the sands shifted, collecting into four different piles which then formed humanoid features.
"Ore Sanjou!"
"May I string you along?"
"My strength will make you cry!"
"Are we going to play now? I don't hear an answer!"
Opening his eyes, Ranma smiled at the collective Imagin, in their sand bodies. The upper half of their bodies rose up from the floor while their lower halves and legs hung above them. This was okay since now Ranma could speak with them eye-to-eye.
"OK, guys," Ranma said. "Remember when Tenma used that Full Synchro thing of his?"
"Oh, yeah! That kid can sure show off his climax!" Momotaros said excitedly. Tenma could kick butt and that made him okay in the red Imagin's book.
"Yes, I believe that it was also quite impressive," Urataros said, tapping his forehead.
"His strength almost made me cry!" Kintaros commented, crossing his arms.
"He became very strong, onii-chan!" Ryutatos said with chuckles. "Yeah!"
"OK, guys, here's the plan," Ranma said as he explained to them what he was going to do.
The Full Synchro technique seemed pretty basic in concept, but a whole lot more in execution. It called for harmony between the host and the Imagin that they were hoping to fuse with. Tenma wasn't exactly forward with the technique, but had dropped a hint about how being friends with his Imagin partner Deneb had been instrumental in his being able to pull it off. Despite his academic shortcomings, Ranma could think fast and deeply when it came to martial arts. With this mind, he figured out that he and his Imagin needed to have a deep link
Ranma's plan was to work with meditation along with his Imagin. Since they already had a connection, Ranma hoped is meditation would be able to strengthen it to the point of a Full Synchro. It was a hasty plan, but Ranma wanted to learn this technique and Tenma was still being tight-lipped about how the technique actually worked.
"Okay," Ranma nodded. "Are we clear about this?"
"Sure,"
"Of course,"
"Hai!"
"Yeah!"
"Great," Ranma grinned. He returned to his lotus position, and closed his eyes. "Then let's show everyone we can do this too."
Inside the Tendo home, the Tendo family was enjoying their lunch. Nabiki and Kasumi were both eating as normal and Akane was out with her friends again. Soun was reading his newspaper again while Genma was trying to eat without making his wounds worse. Nodoka had been very displeased when she found out all the things he had done with Ranma AND ignored the end of the contract on what she considered manly. Of course, Genma claimed that part was torn off in an accident and he had to try and go by memory. Nabiki personally didn't believe him. She thought it was more likely he got rid of that part so he could raise Ranma the way he wanted, which was probably so he would do whatever he was told. Apparently Genma failed at that like he did at matchmaking and trying to get rid of Happosai.
"Does anyone know where Ranma is?" asked Kasumi. "It isn't like him to miss lunch."
'He took the other four with him,' Sieg commented off-handedly from DenLiner. 'I think the red one mentioned training before he vanished.'
"I think he's in the dojo," Nabiki answered. "He's probably training again."
"That boy. Always thinking about the art," Soun smiled. "The schools will be good hands once he and Akane get married."
Nabiki rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her father was as gung-ho about the schools as ever. Even with the behavior changes that the Taros were showing through Ranma, Soun seemed to be ignorant of what was happening. The only time he ever took notice was when Momotaros had blown up on the fiancées, Kintaros hurt Akane by letting her hit his nigh invulnerable body, and when Ryutaros slugged Akane.
--DenLiner--
While the residents of the Tendo Dojo were settling in, the DenLiner was about to receive a special guest at it suddenly stopped moving. Hana looked perplexed while Owner calmly ate his fried rice with his signature flag in it. He was trying to eat it without the flag tipping over. So far, he had only gotten to more than half the rice before it did. Unfortunately, the sudden stop caused the flag to tip over and Owner gasped.
"Not again," Owner let out, the back of his palms against his cheeks. He was one strange man yet Ranma had sensed a powerful aura within him.
"Owner, what's going on?" Hana asked.
Owner seemed thoughtful for a second and spoke, "It would appear that we are about to have guests aboard. Very special guests indeed."
Hana quirked an eyebrow but then heard a steam whistle blow. Looking outside the window, she let out a surprised gasp as she was looking at the ZeroLiner. The door into the dining car opened and, lo and behold, there stood Tenma, his Imagin partner Deneb, his sister Ranko and Ranko's own Imagin Tamamos.
"Yay, we're on the DenLiner!" Ranko cheered happily as she ran in.
"Hime, please be careful," Tamamos advised her host. "You may trip and fall." Thankfully, Ranko did not trip and fall and sat down at one of the tables. Naomi smiled and decided to make some coffee as well as something sweet for the little girl.
"Just like the stories Pop used to tell us," Tenma said as he entered. He noticed Hana and waved. "Yo."
Hana had wanted answers and now was her chance. Of course, Deneb suddenly approached her with a basket of candy and held up a lollipop.
"Here, have some Deneb-Candy!" Deneb said pleasantly before going around the dining car. "For you, and for you," he said again, passing candy to Owner and Naomi. He then bowed, "Please, make Tenma feel welcomed."
"Deneb!!" Tenma exploded as he tackled Deneb and then put him into a head-lock. "Stop embarrassing me, already!"
"But, Tenma!" Deneb struggled, "We need to make a good impression!"
"You idiot!" Tenma shouted as he smashed his fist onto Deneb's head. Feeling that justice had been served, Tenma then calmed down. "OK, now on to business."
"That's just what I was thinking," Hana said. "The ZeroLiner, and yourselves…you all came from the future, right? Is it…my time?"
"Yes…and no," Tenma answered, mysteriously. Hana didn't like that answer.
"Can you at least give a clear answer!?" Hana yelled, ready to punch Tenma.
"Listen," Tenma said calmly. Despite being Ranma's son, he was not quick to violence unless it involved Deneb embarrassing him or if someone was hurting his sister. "The thing is, I can't reveal much, but my job is to save the future, just like Pops."
Ranko nodded in agreement as she had some strawberry ice cream Naomi had gotten her since she was too young for coffee. Tamamos had no such age restriction as she was herself having a cup of coffee.
"OK, so, how did you get the ZeroLiner?" Hana asked.
"The ZeroLiner…it came to us," Tenma told her. "It saved us."
"From the Imagin?"
Tenma gave a silent nod. Hana had to remember that Tenma must've come from the future, meaning he had lost it as she had. The memories…knowing there were people you'd left behind…they were painful.
Deneb sighed sadly as did Tamamos.
"Now, I have to get going," Tenma said. "Ranko, let's go."
"OK, nii-chan!" Ranko chirped before hopping off her seat. Tamamos was immediately standing by her side as was Deneb who was waving goodbye at them as the ZeroLiner crew all stepped off the DenLiner.
Tenma Saotome…Kamen Rider Zeronos…he was a mystery.
--Tendo Dojo--
In the dojo, the Taros and Ranma were meditating and it seemed to be paying off as auras in their colors started to glow around them, with Ranma in the centre. It looked like they were close…but then the auras flickered up.
"DAMN IT!" Momotaros roared. "WHY CAN'T WE GET IT RIGHT!"
"I believe it's due to your anger, Sempai," Urataros pointed out. "You need to be calm, cool and collected."
"Oh yeah, you perverted turtle!? I think it's 'cause you're too soft!" Momotaros snapped.
"I am a gentleman, unlike a brute like yourself."
"Say that again!?"
"Yay! Fight! Fight!" Ryutaros cheered.
Kintaros didn't say a word. He was fast asleep.
Ranma groaned and lay on his back. Why couldn't he get this right? He was missing lunch but his determination to get the Full Synchro right was overpowering his hunger. So far things weren't going as well as he'd hoped. They could get some kind of reaction before Momotaros would lose his patience, Kintaros would fall asleep, or Ryutaros would get bored. Urataros would be the only one who could meditate strongly enough. Still, this was the only lead he had on the Full Synchro until he figured out the next step or got Tenma to tell him.
Still, there had to be something that he was missing, a piece of the puzzle that he had yet to find. It still eluded Ranma at the moment, but he was sure that he could find it. After al, he was Ranma Saotome and he never lost. He just had setbacks.
--Somewhere In Nerima--
Out in the more popular location in Nerima for teens, Yuka, Akane, and Sayuri were out shopping like girls their age usually did. Akane often set up these outings so they could be normal for a while. They didn't have to deal with crazy martial artists or weird monsters with odd habits. Here they were just normal teenagers with some time on their hands.
Sayuri watched as Yuka and Akane chatted about some of the things that were happening at school, while taking care to avoid mention of Ranma or Kuno. Akane never liked talking about them during this time. It just reminded her of the craziness that she wanted to escape from.
While Sayuri admitted that she didn't know all the details about Ranma's relationship with Akane, but she wouldn't mind having a guy like Ranma who wanted to protect her when she needed it. Sure, Ranma could be a little sexist, chauvinistic, uncouth, rude, and really rough around the edges, but that didn't mean he was a bad person. He always tried to do the right thing despite his shortcomings. He always went the extra mile to try and keep her safe from guys like Kuno and the odd crazy prince that would kidnap her.
Sayuri didn't like to admit it, but she was jealous that Akane got so much attention from everyone. Ranma lived with her and tried his best to please her, a portion of the male marital artists in Nerima desired her and fought Ranma for her. The biggest example was the Hentai Horde and their daily battles for Akane. It really left the girls of Furinkan lonely on the date nights. While she couldn't blame Akane for her views on boys, she could at least appreciate the kind of attention she got. Instead she took it for granted and seemed to almost expect it.
'Why does she have to have so much attention?' she thought to herself. 'If boys paid attention to me like they do Akane, I would at least let them know I appreciate it, despite the methods.'
Yuka and Akane saw something they liked in a store and quickly stepped inside to look. Sayuri decided to stay outside since she didn't see anything she liked in the window. She let her eyes wander to see if anything interesting was going on.
As she let her mind wander, she didn't see a glowing yellow orb slowly come from beside a building. It caught Sayuri in its sights and shivered in delight. It quickly soared over the cars and people before hovering above the high school girl. It shivered again before plunging down and entering her body.
"Huh?" Sayuri blinked as she felt something hit her. Her confusion grew even more as sand began falling from her sleeves.
The sand began piling up before a humanoid image rose from it. This one looked a lot like a humanoid toad. It had the head right and on a muscled body which was covered with leather and bits of steel. Its arms looked a little longer than a normal persons and a crossbow was mounted on its back. Its webbed feet apparently weren't attached to its body since they were hovering over its head.
"I have a wish for you today,' the creature spoke pleasantly. 'And I wish to give it to you. Can you tell me what you desire?"
Sayuri's wish was obvious.
--Tendo Dojo--
The Tendo home was quiet (relatively) as normal. Kasumi was cleaning up, Nabiki was busy with her calculations with her money, and the fathers were busy with their shogi game. From all appearances, it looked like the usual weirdness was going to take a break for the day.
Of course, it also has a way of appearing when they least expected it.
Today, the weirdness began with a blast of red energy emanating from the dojo. It was normally not the kind of thing normal people were used to, but this was Nerima and the people had gotten used to it after Ranma and Ryoga learned how to use their ki in attacks. Of course, the words shouted out were something new.
"Full Synchro!"
When the words were shouted out, the light seemed to be sucked into the dojo and everything went silent again. However, there was some smoke that was emenating through the cracks in the doors.
"-hack- Oh man!" a new voice coughed from inside. It sounded like the mix between two voices. One was Ranma and the other was a more familiar gruff voice. "I did it though! Full Synchro!"
The door to the dojo opened and Ranma stepped out. He was noticeable different though. His shirt was a deep red and it was covered in black markings that were the same as the ones that Momotaros had on his body. Ranma's hair was the same style, but there were numerous red streaks in it rather than the one normal one. His eyes were also red like his normal possession. However, this wasn't a normal possession. Ranma and Momotaros had fused together.
"Hmm," Ranmotaros observed as he checked himself out. "Not bad. Can't wait to test this out at my climax!"
Urataros, Kintaros and Ryutaros all followed after their fused host and Ryutaros looked impressed. Actually, he was practically jumping everywhere in excitement.
"Yay, Momo-chan and onii-chan have combined!" Ryutaros cheered. "I wanna go next! I wanna go next!"
"It seems quite surprising that sempai was able to accomplish it with Ranma so quickly," Urataros said, calmly showing his own surprise.
Kintaros cracked his neck and spoke up, "This is the true strength of men! It almost wants to make me cry!"
The sound of people approaching was heard and immediately the three other Taros vanished into Ranma's clothes and back to the DenLiner. They didn't need Genma and Soun to see this.
"Hey, boy!" Genma shouted out gruffly. "There was a red flash of ki! What were you doing in there?"
"Oh, shut it, you lazy panda!" Ranmotaros snapped at his father, well, Ranma's father, but well since it was still Ranma's body…anyway, he didn't want to see his dad. "I was just practicing a new technique I just made up! None of your business, really!"
Genma didn't like the sound of defiance coming from his son. He'd heard it far too much. Why couldn't Ranma be the obedient son he wanted that would just listen to him without question? Why did he have to be such a rebel? It wasn't bad enough that he constantly disobeyed and disrespected Genma, but to flirt with other girls, injuring Akane, and dancing like a child was not what Genma saw as being 'manly'. Of course, with Nodoka breathing down his neck about the contract and the fact that she'd nearly neutered him the other day, he didn't have much leverage anymore. However, he was still impressed that Ranma was able to create a new technique.
Nabiki's eyes were narrowed. Being the most observant member of the Tendo house whole had its perks. From what she could see, Ranma was being possessed by Momotaros, but judging by the markings on his shirt and the numerous red streaks in his hair, she knew that this was no normal possession. Wonder if she could make money out of this?
Kasumi let out her usual, "Oh my!" and gasped at Ranma's change. She heard a snort inside her mind, which was Sieg's voice.
"Hmph, now the brute has become even more unrefined," Sieg spoke disdainfully. Of course, he was also wondering if he could change Kasumi in such a way. Since he was an Imagin, he'd be able to possess her and maybe influence her personality. She was far too submissive and a princess, in his mind, should not be a submissive woman.
The fathers seemed satisfied with the answer. So long as it was a martial art or a means of getting closer to Akane then they seemed satisfied with it. Kasumi saw the situation was resolved and went on with her duties. Nabiki on the other hand, went straight up to Ranmotaros and stared him in the eyes.
"What?" the human/Imagin hybrid asked, unnerved by the look in her eyes.
"What did you do to Ranma, Momotaros?" she asked bluntly. "This isn't the usual kind of possession that you do."
"Heh," Ranmotaros smirked. "Yeah, you're right. It's called Full Synchro. With this, I can be at my climax from start to finish and beyond!"
"Full Synchro?" asked Nabiki. She hadn't heard of that before. Usually if Ranma learned or was trying to learn a new technique she would find out where he got it from.
"Got it from that brat Tenma," Ranmotaros explained. "Figured it out just now. Heh. Let's see those dips try and handle me now!"
Nabiki listened to how Ranmotaros was talking and she was getting crossed signals. His choice of words was definitely coming from Momotaros, but there was something else. Usually Momotaros talked about fighting like it was a hobby and never really cared about who he fought. This new version seemed to know exactly who he was going to fight next. It was almost like he was expecting someone to attack him. That little aspect was definitely Ranma's.
"So you two fused together?" she asked inrediously.
"Yeah," Ranmotaros nodded. "I'm gonna love pounding those rivals to see how well this works."
With that, Ranmotaros began walking away. Nabiki seriously considered trying to keep him on the property since they didn't now anything about this new technique. Of course, she probably wouldn't succeed with Ranma and Momotaros fused into one being. The ego alone might engulf her.
Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about it. The fused being only got a few steps before he suddenly lurched over. He was groaning loudly and red energy began rising from his body.
"Ranma? Momotaros?" Nabiki asked uncertainly.
"Ugh!" Ranmotaros groaned loudly. He began to stumble around as the markings on his shirt began to fade right before her eyes.
Finally, in a single blast of red energy, the markings and the red streaks vanished. Nabiki shielded her eyes from the blast. When she dared to peek, she saw Ranma kneeling on the ground, trying to catch his breath.
"Hey, Ranma," she called out to the pigtailed martial artist. "Are you okay?"
"Heh. Better than okay," Ranma snickered as he stood up. "Ore sanjou!"
He spun around and smirked at Nabiki with a familiar grin. His hair was slicked back, but there were no red streaks. His eyes were also their original shade. He looked like he was possessed by Momotaros normally, but something was off.
"Momotaros, get out of Ranma will you?" Nabiki sighed.
"Hey, Ogre-boy ain't here," Ranma frowned. "He's back on DenLiner with Turtle-boy, Bear-boy, and the kid.
"He is?" Nabiki blnked. "Then…why are you acting like him?"
"I am?" Ranma blinked. He then smirked. "No way. I'm just still in my climax! It sucks that the Full Synchro didn't last, but I'm getting closer!"
Nabiki looked a little concerned. It seemed that whatever this Full Synchro thing was, it had left some bits of Momotaros' personality in Ranma even after separation. If that was the case, could it happen with the other Taros Imagin?
--Somewhere in Nerima--
The Toad Imagin was hunched over a rooftop. Normally it would be trying to complete the wish of the one who had contracted him, but he had hit a snag. His contractor had made a wish that was going to be difficult to grant. That was the reason he was currently pondering the situation.
"What to do?" the Toad Imagin pondered. "Why couldn't have I gotten an easy one?"
The Toad Imagin had changed slightly from his sandy form that had appeared in front of Sayuri. His skin was now a deep green and the leather that made up for clothing had turned to a deep brown while the steel parts were now a deep gray.
The Toad Imagin's eye wandered around the scenery that made up Nerima. Everything looked pretty bland and there was nothing that it could really use to make the wish come true. The only things that looked promising were a bunch of signs. The bright colors made his head hurt. In fact the only one that didn't annoy him was the blank one.
"Wait," the Toad Imagin grinned as a though hit him. "That's perfect!"
The Toad Imagin was on its webbed feet in a flash before leaping off the roof and onto another. This was going to be perfect!
--Tendo Dojo--
Ranma was still exhibiting Momotaros' personality, despite an hour of being separated from the Imagin. He didn't seem to show signs of turning back to normal. Could this be permanent?
Right now, Ranma and Genma were sparing. Despite the taunts Genma was using to get Ranma to lose his concentration, Ranma didn't lose focus. Instead, he used the anger he had to precisely pound the panda-man to submission.
"You're weak, old man," Ranma grinned. "Not like me. I'm always at my Climax!" He chuckled as he walked away from the heap who was his father. As soon as he left the dojo, his hair slowly returned to normal from it slicked back position.
"Woah, what a rush," Ranma said, feeling the energy drain away. "OK, I did Momotaros okay, so now…" Suddenly, a red haze of energy fused with him and his hair stood up with a red streak. His eyes also flashed red. Ranma Red shouted, "Ore sanjou!"
'Momotaros?' Ranma asked. 'What's going on?'
"There's an Imagin, Ranma! Let's go!"
--Somewhere In Nerima--
Tenma Green/Deneb was currently skipping as he went on his errands, shopping for the ZeroLiner crew. He had a shopping bag in hand. He would stop at shops who were selling things at a bargain. Of course, they were also selling Shitake mushrooms.
Tenma hated Shitake mushrooms, despite Deneb telling him that they were good for him. Ranko seemed to like them so why not Tenma?
Tenma Green's hair went past his shoulders and there was a long neon green streak running through it. His eyes were also green and unlike Tenma, Deneb was jolly and kindhearted. This usually embarrassed Tenma who wanted to keep his reputation.
Tenma Green's attention was then drawn towards a huge crowd who were looking up at a sign.
"What's going on?" Tenma Green asked.
'We should check it out,' spoke Tenma.
"Roger," Tenma Green nodded before approaching the crowd. "Excuse me, what's going on?"
He then looked up and gasped at what was written on the sign now.
Hello. My name is Sayuri Funabishi. I am a second-year student at Furinkan High School. I am seventeen years old and my favorite subjects are history and phys-ed. I am currently single and am looking for a boyfriend. I find myself being ignored by most men and am terribly lonely some nights. I'm a good listener and I like to think of myself as a good friend if given a chance. My hobbies are…
The description went on. It was a detailed profile of everything that made up this Sayuri girl's personality and personal life. Tenma Green blushed horribly when it actually told what her sizes were.
'What the hell is this?!' Tenma cried.
"It looks like a personal ad," Tenma Green answered with some amazement. "She is a very brave person to leave a message like this."
All through the crowds, the younger boys were furiously taking notes about the ad that they were looking at. It didn't escape the possessed boy's notice that some older men were making notes as well.
"What's that?!" a new voice cried out.
A green and brown blur could be seen jumping across the rooftops over all the crowds. Wherever it went, sheets of paper were falling. Tenma Green managed to catch one and discovered that it had a copy of Sayuri's information on it with a map to Furinkan on the back.
"Here you go!" the blur laughed. "Find her and she's yours! Show her how much you love her! Make her the most popular girl in the district!"
"Imagin!" Tenma Green cried in shock.
'You think?!' Tenma cried. 'Let me out! We need to hunt him down!'
Deneb felt himself forced out of Tenma's body before his host dropped the shopping bag and ran to chase after the Toad Imagin. Deneb picked up the dropped shopping bag and checked to see if its contents were safe before chasing after Tenma. "Tenma, wait!" He watched as Tenma took a mighty leap into the air and started roof-hopping. Deneb, unfortunately, did not possess the agility of his host, forcing him to chase on foot.
The Toad Imagin was on top of a building and chuckled as all the flyers had been distributed. "Now, all I need to do is find that girl and the contract is complete."
"I don't think so, Imagin!" shouted a voice. The Toad Imagin turned around to see Tenma standing in defiance.
"And who are you supposed to be?" the Toad Imagin asked. He didn't like it when a human spoke like that to him.
Tenma's only reply was to whip out his belt and with a swing of his arm wrapped it around his waist before it locked into place. He drew out his Zeronos card and flipped the switch on his belt buckle.
"Henshin!" Tenma cried out.
"Altair Form!"
The shards bonded onto his body, forming his basic suit before the torso armor formed and snapped on. A pair of bull's heads slid over his helmet and reconfigured as they locked into place to form his visor. A bolt of lighting struck the space between the Imagin and Rider.
"Den-O?" the Toad Imagin questioned.
Zeronos AF drew out his handle and connected it to the blade before drawing his weapon. He swung it over his head before resting it on his shoulder, its size now tripled.
"Let me tell you this from the start: I am very strong!" Zeronos AF said.
"Who are you!?" the Toad Imagin spoke fearfully.
"I am…Kamen Rider Zeronos!"
As soon as Ranma arrived at the spot, he could see a lot of flyers littering the ground. He picked one up and examined it.
"Hey, this is about Sayuri!" Ranma realized. He suddenly felt a presence overtake him as glasses appeared over his face and a blue streak appeared in his hair.
"Maybe I should give this lovely girl a call," Ranma Blue said, smiling at the information. He then saw a flash of lighting. "Huh?"
'The Imagin's over there!' Ranma shouted.
"Maybe he's responsible for giving out this information," Ranma Blue spoke. "Maybe it's time we thank him."
Zeronos AF was not having an easy time against this Imagin, who kept dodging his strikes. It was always leaping back from the assaults with the same stupid grin on its face. It was really getting him mad.
"Just hold still!" Zeronos AF cried as he tried another attack.
"Don't think so!" the Toad Imagin laughed as it leaped again.
"Fine!" Zeronos AF growled. He gripped the blade of the ZeroGasher and tugged. The blade shrunk again and detached from the handle. He quickly flipped the handle and reattached them together. The sides of the blades opened to create the second form of the ZeroGasher. "I'll just shoot you down!"
"Uh-oh," the Toad Imagin gulped.
Zeronos AF took aim and started sending energy bolts through the air at his target. The Toad Imagin dodged the bolts by jumping high into the air. Zeronos AF figured he had his target now and aimed to take him down.
"Gotcha!" the Toad Imagin grinned. In a flurry of movement, the Toad Imagin's tongue whipped out of his mouth. The long pink appendage shot at Zeronos AF with the speed of a bullet. The green Rider didn't have much time to react before it grabbed his weapon. With a tug, it was torn from his hands, leaving him with only his two fists. The Zerogasher AF landed on the floor behind the Toad Imagin as he landed on the floor.
"Now the litter Rider can't fight at all," the Toad Imagin laughed.
Zeronos AF didn't bother to reply. If this Imagin thought he couldn't fight without a weapon that he was seriously mistaken. He quickly slipped into one of the stances of Anything Goes that his father had taught him. Tenma may have had a better social education than his father, but it didn't mean that he didn't train any less than his father did.
Before he could use any of those skills though, a song began. It sounded like drums going in a quick pace. It was easily recognizable since it was the same music that went with a certain Rider.
"Huh?" the Toad Imagin blinked as he searched for the source.
"You know, there are easier ways to advertise a girl who is looking for a boyfriend," a suave voice spoke.
Both Imagin and Rider turned to the source which was behind them. What they found was Ranma Blue walking towards them. The Den-O belt was wrapped around his waist and the centre was blue.
"Still, I appreciate the hint," Ranma Blue smiled. He gripped the Rider Pass and swiped in over his belt "Henshin"
"Rod Form!" the belt cried out. The basic Rider outfit emerged over Ranam before the blue pieces which identified his form appeared and combined with him. The blue turtle slide over his face before revealing the orange eye pieces and sliding to the sides.
"Won't you let me string you along?" Den-O RF asked in his usual calm manner. He picked up the DenGasher pieces before assembling them into Rod Form. The weapon extended before he charged at the enemy Imagin.
"Den-O," the Toad Imagin frowned. He recognized this blue Rider.
Den-O RF swung wide at his opponent to try and get him. The Toad Imagin continued to leap around like the animal his form was based off of. Unlike Zeronos AF, Den-O RF kept his cool as he attempted to do battle with his foe.
"Hmm," Den-O RF pondered as he watched the Toad Imagin leap back. "It seems this toad is proving to be a slippery one."
"Stay out of my way, Den-O!" the Toad Imagin growled. "I already did what I have to do to grant the wish. I just need to get back to the contractor!"
"Then I really can't let you go then," Den-O RF shrugged as he prepared to attack again. "So sorry."
"Ha!" the Toad Imagin laughed. "You'll have to catch me first!"
"It's only a matter of time, Toad-boy!" Zeronos AF frowned behind his mask.
'I think we'll need something extra,' Ranma suggested from inside his head. 'We should try Full Synchro!'
'Yeah yeah!' Ryutaros agreed. 'That would be really cool!'
Den-O RF was a little apprehensive about the idea. So far Ranma had only been able to use the technique with Momotaros. He hadn't even tested to see if he, Kintaros, or Ryutaros were compatible. There were a lot of risks that were involved and best not to chance in the middle of the fight.
Sadly, Ranma didn't see it that way.
'Here goes!' Ranma called within Den-O RF's head. 'Full Synchro!
Den-O RF's body was engulfed in a bright blue aura. The blue sections of armor began to shine like beacons. Zeronos AF shielded his eyes, likewise did the Toad Imagin. The glowing Rider himself was breathing hard from the exertions from the strain on his body. He was trembling with each pulse that ran through.
"Gnnnnn," Den-O RF groaned. The pulsing from his armor became quicker, as did the trembling. "Can't hold it…."
BOOM!!
--DenLiner--
"Uwah!" Ryutaros cried out as he leaped from his seat. "Wow! That was so cool!"
"Huh?" Hana blinked at the excitable purple Imagin. "What is it, Ryutaros?"
"It's Nii-chan and Kame-chan!" Ryutaros laughed. "They just tried to go Full Synchro and went boom!"
Momotaros stiffened from his coffee as Kintaros was snapped awake from his nap, "EHHHHHHHH?!"
"What did you say?!" Momotaros roared as he leaped over seats to get to Ryutaros. "You'd better not be joking!"
"Nee-chan doesn't like fibbers!" Ryutaros answered. "Nii-chan and Kame-chan went boom boom! It sounded really cool!"
Over at the counter, Hana and Naomi were both pondering what this meant for Ranma.
"If the technique failed," Naomi pondered. "Then how come Ura-chan isn't back yet?"
"I'm not sure," Hana sighed.
--Nerima--
The smoke wafted in all directions from the sudden explosion that had engulfed Den-O RF. It had looked like he had been swallowed by a giant blue fireball.
"Pop!" Zeronos AF cried as he tried to search through the smoke. "Where are you, Pop?!"
The Toad Imagin was long gone. It had had vanished somewhere in the explosion. Either it had run off on its own or the force of the explosion had blown it off the building like it almost did to Zeronos AF. The Green Rider had promptly forgotten about the Imagin as he searched for his father and fellow Rider.
"Ow…," a voice groaned in the middle of the smoke.
"Pop!" Zeronos AF cried out. He dashed towards the source of the noise as the smoke finally cleared.
He found himself looking at the prone form of his father laying on his back. However, his appearance was definitely new. He was wearing a sky blue shirt which had several black lines running across it in a rigid patter. It looked almost like the shell pattern Urataros had on his own body. Grey hexagons were on his shoulders, which only reinforced that view. His face hadn't changed. The only things that did were the pair of glasses and the new shade of blue eyes he sported. Of course, the streaks of blue running through his hair was also something new.
Tenma recognized the look. He himself had it when he was learning how to use Full Synchro. His shirts would turn green with black markings while his eyes would turn green. It didn't help when it ended he felt the urge to smile all the time and hand out candy to people he wanted to meet.
"So you pulled it off with Ura-nii of all people," Zeronos AF snickered. He removed the card from his belt and threw it away before removing the belt itself. As he changed back to normal, he bent down to try and wake Ranma up.
"Wake up Pops, Ura-nii, whichever you are," he sighed. "The Imagin got away."
"Ugh…" Ranurataros groaned as he sat back up. "My word, that was something else."
"Let me help you up," Tenma said as he offered his hand to his fused future father. Ranurataros accepted the help. "You tried to go Full Synchro, huh?"
"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Ranurataros stated. "So, the toad got away?"
Tenma shrugged, "Pretty much. I bet he's on his way to go after his contract holder."
"I deduce that the answer is clear as to whom the contract holder is," Ranurataros said as he took out a flyer from his pocket. "We need to rescue this girl."
"Right," Tenma nodded in agreement.
Sayuri was walking alone down the street. Yuka had to go home and Akane wanted to look around for a little while longer. The high school girl herself didn't feel like going home just yet. Her mind was in a small amount of turmoil. Had she really seen the weird toad creature appear in front of her? Strange enough for Nerima, but when it asked for a wish, things felt as if the weirdness meter was going over the limit.
Her journey took her towards Furinkan, where a lot of the weirdness from Nerima happened to the teenage population.
It was no different for Sayuri today.
Even though it was a day off and there was no school that day, there were a fair amount of boys waiting at the front gates. They were milling about and talking to each other about something. Now thoroughly confused about what was going on. She walked a little bit closer to see if she could hear what was going on.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked one boy. "The map said she was here but I dunno."
"Positive," another boy nodded. "I hope it will be worth it."
"A cute girl like her?" asked a third. "Definitely!"
"Do you know what her name was again?" pondered a fourth.
"Dummy!" scolded another. "The ad said her name was Sayuri Funabishi. We got her picture and everything."
Sayuri gasped and ducked behind one of the walls surrounding her school. What was going on? Those boys were looking for her? They didn't even go to Furinkan. How would they know her? Did someone tell them to go looking for her or something?
"Do you like it?" a voice whispered in her ear.
"Ahh!" Sayuri cried as she turned to the owner. Her eyes widened when her eyes landed on the toad-like creature that she had spoken to earlier.
"He he he!" the Toad Imagin laughed. It was leaning on the wall next to her and had a huge grin on its face. "Those boys are all here for you! Just like they were for that Akane girl."
"But…what did you do?" Sayuri squeaked. "Boys don't come running like that unless they see something they really want!"
"Like the Hentai Horde?" the Toad Imagin asked. "Well, I just told a little about you and really got their engines running. I came through though, didn't I? You're popular like Akane now."
"But…but…," Sayuri gulped. "No, this isn't like how Akane was popular!"
"Oh?" the Toad Imagin blinked. "Hmm. Akane had a bunch of boys crowding for a date with her. What else made her popular?"
Sayuri fidgeted over the fact that several boys were getting together trying to ask her out on a date. She prayed that a stupid one would say they have to fight her for a date. She wasn't a martial artist and there was no way she would win in a fight against any of the boys.
"I know!" the Toad Imagin grinned. "Akane has martial artists swooning over her! She's even involved with one! How could I forget?"
"Huh?" Sayuri blinked. "No! That's not it!"
"I don't see what else it could be," the Toad Imagin shrugged. "Akane isn't popular because of anything else. I've seen it in your thoughts. She acts like a spoiled brat and throws tantrums. She treats Ranma like a piece of property and never trusts him. She was only popular because lots of boys were chasing her."
Sayuri thought her breath was caught in her throat. Was that really her opinion of Akane? Someone who is spoiled and doesn't seem to appreciate what she has no matter how precious they are shown to be? It couldn't be. She was Akane's friend!
"Well, looks like all I need to do is to get a martial artist interested in you!" the Toad Imagin said gleefully. "Sounds easy enough. I might have to beat him up but the wish has to be granted." With a mighty leap, the Toad Imagin hopped away.
"Wait! This isn't what I want! Hey!" Sayuri shouted. Unfortunately, her shouting had caught the attention of the boys. "Oh…no…"
"There she is!"
"Wow, what a cutie!"
"Hey, I saw her first!"
The high school girl squeaked in fear and made a run for it. The boys were all riled up now and ready for anything. They quickly gave chase after her, hoping to impress her enough to get a date for themselves. Sayuri on the other hand was prepared to run as far as she was able to go to get away from the boys.
--Not Too Far Away--
Ranurataros and Tenma were running down streets in the direction towards Furinkan. That was where the Imagin's map said Sayuri would be se it was as good as start as any. Of course, they couldn't be sure how much of a lead the Toad Imagin had on them.
"What do you think Sayuri wished for?" asked Tenma.
"I am unsure," Ranurataros answered as he adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps it has something to do with getting a boyfriend."
"Maybe," Tenma shrugged. "Can't be sure until we actually ask her. The question is, where the heck will we find her?"
The sounds of people running quickly invaded their ears. Both boys turned to see where the noise was coming from and their eyes widened in shock. Sayuri was running away from what seemed to be a large mob of boys all carrying the flyers that the Toad Imagin had passed around.
"Now that is no way to treat a lady," Ranurataros frowned. He glanced at Tenma. "Follow my lead."
Sayuri dashed as fast as she could. She didn't want to deal with the boys and was a little afraid of what they might try if they managed to catch her.
'Someone help!' she mentally cried.
She raced around a corner and was about to keep running when she felt someone grip her arm. For a split second she was about to scream, afraid that one of the boys had managed to catch up to her. The owner of the hand yanked her into a secluded spot and covering her mouth with his hand. She watched the space she was yanked from and saw the boys running past, still cheering about the girl they were going to date.
Sayuri trembled as she felt the boy's arms hold her still, waiting to see if any of the boys were still coming or if they were going to double back. It was a few tense moments before the person holding her seemed to calm down.
"Whew," the person holding her sighed. "It seems we gave them the slip, Sayuri-chan."
The arms holding the scared high school student suddenly let her go, letting her get away from the one who was holding her. She looked to see her captor and visibly relaxed when she saw that she was looking at Ranma.
"Ranma," she sighed. "Don't scare me like that!"
"My apologies, Sayuri-chan," Ranurataros smiled as he tipped his glasses. "I had to quickly remove you from the scene or else those bottom feeders would have kept chasing you."
"Enough of the smooth talk already," a new voice grumbled. "We're on the job if you recall."
Sayuri looked past Ranma and thought for a moment that Ranma had gotten caught by the mirror that made copies of people. That was before she saw the differences that this new person had between himself and Ranma. He had short bluish-black hair and was wearing ordinary clothes. He had an air of confidence, but it was tempered by experience in life, rather than just martial arts. He definitely resembled Ranma though, and if his body shape and posture said anything, he was a martial artists too.
'Yummy!' Sayuri giggled in thought as a small flush came to her cheeks. "Um…my name's Sayuri Funabishi. Can I know your name?"
"Huh?" Tenma blinked. He was caught a little off guard since he hadn't been expecting anyone to ask who he was. Since it was Nerima, he had been more prepared for people to attack him. Now he had to think up of a last name on the fly. "Uh…name's Tenma….uh, Mizuno." There. That was a good name.
"Oh dear," Ranurataros sighed. "It seems I have been cast off for another fisherman. How sad." Suddenly, a blue haze of energy left his body and soon Ranma was back to normal. Well, as normal as he could be. Though his clothes had returned to normal and the markings had gone, along with the blue streaks in his hair, the glasses still remained. Hopefully, Sayuri wouldn't notice the sudden change. Well, she wasn't exactly paying attention to Ranma anymore since her eyes were on Tenma instead.
"So, Mizuno-san," Sayuri spoke, "You new around here?"
"Well…" Tenma tried to say. He was a native of Nerima in the future, so he could answer that he'd been around, but since this was the past, he decided to answer differently. "Oh, I just moved here. Oh, and call me Tenma, ok?"
"Tenma," Sayuri smiled. First name basis already. "So, are you related to Ranma? You look a little bit like him. Cousins, perhaps?"
"Well, you can say we're related," Tenma said, not exactly lying. He just wasn't saying how he was related to the pigtailed martial artist.
"Wow, we didn't think Ranma had any relatives beyond his mother and father," Sayuri smiled. She was making every attempt to look as cute as she could. "So, would you like a tour of Nerima or have you already gotten one?"
Tenma blinked. The girl was being incredibly forward with her intentions. Still, it didn't seem like the Toad Imagin had managed to get back to her. Most people who were used as portals by Imagin were drowsy or oblivious to the world. Sayuri was being perky and energetic. No way the Imagin managed to get a hold of her.
"Sure," Tenma smiled. "I think a tour would be fine."
"Great!" Sayuri giggled. "I know some awesome spots. Let's go!"
The happy high school girl grabbed Tenma's arm and began dragging him out of the alley and in the direction of some of the places that she knew that he might like. As they were passing by, Tenma managed to mutter something to his future father that Sayuri didn't catch.
"I'll keep watch. You try to find the Imagin," were his words.
Ranma nodded and tipped his glasses. Since the Imagin wasn't in the past, then obviously the contract hadn't been fulfilled. There was a missing piece to this lovely puzzle that surrounded Sayuri and he was going to solve it.
And he did so love puzzles, especially the kind which involved a pretty lady like Sayuri.
To Be Continued.
A/N: well, another chapter in the wraps. Ranma begins trying to use Full Synchro but he's dealing with some problems with it. Tenma likewise is beginning to have girl problems. He is definitely Ranma's son. Thanks to ZK Chromedragozoid fro helping out when I needed it.