Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or word age mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.

A Ghost Free to Love

Chapter 1

Ranma's Transfer

By Kazuma20

Arc One: Retribution

It had been six months since Ranma left Nermia. The morning after, Ranma's departer his mother decided to pay her son a surprise visit. Nodoka got a starling information that morning. Nabiki was not one to beat around the bush. So she handed her the note that Ranma left for the family and Nodoka took the offered note. She had to read it four times before the information finally sunk in. The note fell out of her quivering hand and she broke down crying. Nodoka left the Tendo Dojo without a word to anyone and headed home.

Nodoka was devastated that her only son left and would not come back. She cried for three days during that time she didn't eat a thing. Thinking she would never see her son again and decided to do her own searching for her son. She didn't have many clues to go on. Today marked the six-month anniversary that Ranma left and she still had no clue as to where he was or where he went. But she still held a small amount of hope that she would be able to find her son once again. To get to know her lost son again.

When Ukyo heard this, she also started her own search for Ranma. Her search too didn't bear any fruit. But she never gave up hope that she one day again sees her fiancee' again. She could only close shop for a month, but whenever she got a lead she would fallow it her waiter Konatsu. He was very concerned for Ukyo. Of course he wouldn't say anything because she would just brush his worries off.

A week after Ranma's disappearance. Cologne got a message from the Counsel of Joketsuzoku. The message stated that the one named Ranma Saotome was exempted from all Amazon laws and The Kiss of Marriage was null and void. It also stated that Ranma was an Honored ally of the Amazons and that his status was of that of a Patriarch.

Cologne was surprise by the counsel's decision. Ranma is going to be the only male to ever be given a place on the Counsel. They would give him no real power more like a figure head. Cologne a heard of Ranma's disappearance. Cologne knows it was only a matter of time before Ranma reappears and all she had to do was wait for him. Because the troubles that fallow will catch up with him.

The Tendo's was doing there own search, but Nabiki got nothing from her informate's. It was like he dropped of the face of the earth. The were between a rock and a hard place. There were three things that she could think of:

1. Was that he left the country of Japan is somewhere else training his body so when he comes back to fight Ryoga he can win without trying?

2. He changed his name and was living under an assumed name one that would be hard to track. She knows he would stand out in a normal district. But if he moved to one of the nearby Districts like Juuban or Tomiki then he would just blind right in with all the craziness that happens in those districts and find one person there was like finding a needle in a haystack.

3. The stupidest on she could think of was that he moves to a Buddhist Monastery up in the mountains of Hokkaido.

Nabiki pondered number three for a while, but blow it off because Ranma was not likely to move to a Monastery at any time in his life that for shore. To her he didn't seem like the religious type to go there so she was at a lost of where to look next her information network only went so far before it was useless to her and this was on of those times.

At the moment after Ranma left he did head for a Buddhist Monastery. He knows no one would look for him here it was a good place to train to improve his control of pure ki and he figured that their methods could help him.

At the fourth month Ranma was able to generate his pure how fast as he could his old was and his skill was much better than before and created six new attacks to go with and improved on his old one. One of the most notable changes was he cut his hair and fixed so that even if someone he know met him they wouldn't be able to tell it was him.

Because off the monks, Ranma also found away to get control of his curse without the add of water. Ranma's attire also changed instead of his traditional red Chinese shirt and black kung-fu paints. He started wearing, a blue turtleneck cashmere smooth sweater making a cross with the white strips, black fingerless glove, black jeans with a black leather belt under the shirt, a chain attached to the loops of the pants and hung over the pocket, black boots, and a white leather collarless motorcycle jacket with a black strap on each side of the breast. A long black strip around the waist. A black strip around the wrist on each sleeve, and a pocket on each side of the upper sleeve.

Ranma done odd jobs around the surrounding area and made enough money to by himself a motorcycle to go with his changes he bought a black 1997 BMW R1200 C Phoenix. After his time there he left with his new skills, look, money, and a vehicle. With a new name of Hoshi Kusanagi.

Find a district similar to Nermia so no one would find him was easier then it seemed. Find an apartment within his means was a little harder then it looked. He finally found one that was cheap and in a nice location. He moved in and he knew he had neighbors, but never talked to them.

Today was the day six months ago that he lost to Ryoga. In there fight. It was also the day that he started at his new school. Juuban high schools. Hoshi got up from his seat at the table grabbed his white leather jacket and put it on. Then grabbed his helmet and school bag. With his keys in hand he closed his door and locked it and walked down the steps to his motorcycle. He pulled out a CD Player and put the ear phones in his ear put on his helmet. Then put it on.

He put the keys into the ignition. And stared the motorcycle up he reeved the engine a couple times before he took of down the road to the school.

Hoshi pulled into the school parking lot. Put out the kick stand he turned the keys to stop the engine then pulled the keys out. He detached his helmet and pulled it off. He got off the motorcycle and made his way to the saddle bag he opened it up and took out his school bag and put his helmet there. Closed the flap and walked to the entrance still listing to Bush that was playing on the CD Player.

He through the gate of the school. The people that noticed him could tell he was dangerous. The girls that say him were eying him up and down love and lust that an another handsome guy would appear just five weeks after The Starlights would come to there school.

Hoshi made his way to the school and to the Front Office. He talked to the receptionist that was a twenty-year old woman. That was blushing ever time Hoshi looked her way from where he sat. The Receptionist called for him. "Mr. Kusanagi your registration into the school is complete. Also, here is the class number."

"Thank you ma'am." said Hoshi with a smile.

Had the receptionist been standing she would have feel on her butt when he smiled at her. Hoshi left the office and headed up the stairs to the classroom he was assigned to.

Hoshi wasn't looking were he was going and accidently bumped into a girl with her hair in a ponytail. She was going to fall, but before she could Hoshi caught her from falling he also unconsciously pulled her to his chest.

"Are you okay miss?" He asked.

Both of her hands were on his chest. She could feel his muscles underneath his sweater what she felt she could tell he worked out. She blushed as she groped nonchalantly and looked him in the face and said, "Yes, I'm fine um . . . "

"Hoshi Kusanagi." he said.

"Makoto Kino." she replied. He had his arm around her waist. He brought his arm back to his side. She moved from him.

He smiled at her before he replied, "Excuse me Miss Kino. I need to get to class." He moved to the side and walked past her. Makoto turned and watched Hoshi walk away she was still blushing a little bumping into the hunk unexpectedly.

Hoshi walked down the hall to reached 3-A. He knocked on the door from inside. He heard a "Come in." from inside. He opened the door and walked in the classroom he handed the teacher a note. He read over it then looked up to the class. Hoshi was still standing there.

"Attention class it seems that we have a new student starting today his name is Hoshi Kusanagi just transferred here. I hope you make him feel welcome. They have an empty seat by the take so we can get on with class."

Hoshi didn't answer just walked to his seat. He past by some girl on his way to the seat they looked at him with love in their eyes. The guys were glaring daggers at him. A lot of the girls wanted to ask him out when they got a chance too.

Hoshi took his assigned seat as the teacher started class. He occasionally payed attention in class taken notes on the lecture the teacher was given. A lot of the girls were taking quick glances at him.

It was around lunch time and Hoshi sat under one of the oak trees in the courtyard. He leaned against it and signed realized he forgot something before he left. 'How stupid of me to forget my lunch. Man I'm starving.' he thought.

Hoshi was so deep in thought that he did not noticed Makoto as she walked his way. She was carrying a bento in her hands.

Makoto had seen that he didn't have any lunch. She was planed on given him her extra bento anyway when she made it to the tree he was siting under that was when he looked up at her.

Hoshi looked up at her, it was the girl he bumped it to this morning. He looked into her beautiful face her long brown hair and emerald colored eyes that looked perfect on her to him only enhanced her beauty to him. He smiled at Makoto in return she smiled back.

"Here Mr. Kusanagi I thought you might need this. Since I noticed, you didn't have any lunch with you." offered Makoto holding the bento box in front of him.

Hoshi accepted the bento from Makoto. "Um . . . Thank you Miss Kino."

"Please call me Makoto." she replied as she sat next to him.

"Okay then you can call me Hoshi okay?" he asked as he started to eat.

"So Hoshi were, are you from?" asked Makoto.

"Tokyo, but I moved around a lot with my pops." he replied as he started on the miso soup.

"Why did you move around a lot?" she asked.

Hoshi finished the miso soup before answering. He sighed a little. "I was trained in my families martial arts school for the last twelve years."

Makoto interest was picked and asked, "So we have something in coming. I trained in martial arts too. Can you train me?"

"I don't train in a particular style, but a combination of more than 20 different styles and over the years I have been perfecting my own style Heaven's Purification Fist or Ten Harai Ken." replied Hoshi. 'Best not to tell her the whole truth.'

"So can you train me?" she asked again hopefully. 'If I get him to train me, we can get to know each other better and be able to go out.'

"Sure if you want?" asked Hoshi after he finished eating.

"Yeah, when can we begin?" she asked happily.

"Sometime this week then." he said smiling at her. "Also thank you for the lunch."

Hoshi got up and handed her the bento back empty and started to walk away. But stopped and turned to say, "About the training talk to me after school in the parking lot I got a motorcycle a black 1997 BMW R1200 C Phoenix meet me there. And again thank you for lunch."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Walk I need to be alone for a little while that's all." he replied with his hand in his pocket and walked off.

"O..kay." she exclaimed hesitantly and a little disappointed and confused.

Hoshi walked into the school and past three guys who were walking outside. Hoshi just continued to walk he made his way up the stairs and past a girl with blue eyes and her long blond hair flowed down her back she had a red ribbon tied in it. He just past her a glance and continued walking up the stairs. Till he reached the roof where the area was fenced off. He jumped to the higher roof. Then he headed to the edge.

Minako decided to fallow him were ever he was going to. She fallowed him to the roof and stopped to stay out of sight. And watched he pull out a ring it was attached to a gold chain in his hand was a 12-karat gold slim woman's ring. The gem in it was topaz. It glinted a rich yellow color in the sunlight. 'That is a beautiful ring.' thought Minako. Then she heard him talking.

"Amia it's been years since you died by that bastard hands." The wind gently blows Hoshi jacket and blows his hair into his face. "I couldn't protect you like I said I would be I was not strong enough. As I should have been." He looked at the ring a sighed. "I was going to give this to you Amia before you died. But you will never know what you meant to me. That bastard! That bastard will pay I know he lives in this district. I feel a small trace of his energy. When I left for China, I could fell him fallow me were I traveled with pop. But since I got to Tokyo two years ago I stop filling his prescience. Did he not think of me as a threat?" Hoshi asked himself.

Minako listens to him from where she stood. Her heart went out to him lost love was always something to not forget. But to make you stronger. She wanted to help him get over the experience of his lost.

"Then I will show him how much of a treat I am. For I'm like water formless, but violent, as powerful like a Tsunami, and as destructive as a hurricane." replied Hoshi. He put the chain around his neck and tucked it into his shirt.

Minako was about to say something when she soundly found that he was in front of her. He scared her that he was know stood in front of her all she did was scream.

"I'm sorry didn't mean to scare you. I didn't know anybody else was here." stated Hoshi.

Minako was catching her breath before she replied, "It's okay. I'm Minako Aino by the way. I also heard you talking up there."

Hoshi face dropped down to the ground. He looked up at her and put on a fake smile. "Well anyway Minako my name is Hoshi Kusanagi. Do you care to walk with me?"

"Sure why not." said Minako. ' It also doesn't matter that he's a hunk. Makoto will be jealous.'

The two of us exited the roof and made our way down the stairs. We didn't talk we just walked together in the semi-deserted halls of the school together. Our foot falls made clapping sounds that echoed loudly. There was something I wanted to ask her, but didn't know how or even if I should ask it.

We made our way to her classroom and we stopped in front of the door. She went in and I just kept on walking down the hall till I reached the stairs and headed up to the classroom. Cass would start again in five minutes.

Class ended for the day. Hoshi packed up his things into his school bag and picked it up. I opened the window of the classroom. I turned and saw the teacher looking at me confused I couldn't help, but smile at that.

I brought up my index and middle finger and motioned to her. Then jumped out the window. I would have loved to see the look of mortification on her face as she made her way to the window. I landed like it was nothing and just walked away whistling and unknown tunes.

Makoto left class in a mild hurry not waiting for her friends just in case Hoshi would leave before she could talk to him. She found him by his motorcycle taking out a helmet he looked up and smiled at her.

"I see you made it Makoto." he stated.

"Yes I did."

"Okay we can start this week there's should be a park close to where I live. It's–" Hoshi was cut off by his phone ringing. "Um . . . excuse me."

He walked away and pulled out the phone. It was a flip phone he answered. "Hello Hoshi Kusanagi?"

"Yes Mr. Kusanagi My name is Dr. Ryo Kuroi. I would like to hire you to do some work for me."

"Sure. What is it?"

"It's a simple murder investigation. I can't call the police."

"Okay. Tell where you are located at." He put his right hand over the mouth piece. "Makoto do you have a piece of paper and an ink pen?"

"Yes I do."she replied as she opened the school bag a pulled out a paper and a ink pen. "Here." When she handed them to him.

He took them and said, "Thank you." to her. "Okay give me your address Dr. Kuroi."

"Okay, and the address is 2-10-15 Nishi Asakusa in the Taito-Ku. I will be waiting by the entrance for you. Bye."

"Okay bye." He hung up the phone and closed it up. He turned to Makoto who was still standing there with him.

"I'm sorry Makoto, but I must go. Something important came up. We can talk about this tomorrow right?"

"Sure, but Hoshi what do, you have to do?" asked Makoto a little confused.

Hoshi sat on his bike about to put on his helmet. He smiled at her. "Don't ask. Don't tell." was all he stated. Before he put on the helmet started it up and took off down the road.

Makoto just turned and walked to the school entrance and exited the school property and headed home.

It took Hoshi thirty minutes to reach the address. He parked his motorcycle in front and left his helmet on the gas tank of the motorcycle. He got off and headed for the entrance of the building.

Hoshi walked into the lobby where he was meet by a man who just by a look was obviously a mixed between Japanese and European decent. He had short white hair slicked back he wear a grayish suit with a white dress shirt accompanied by a red tie and small wire frame glasses with brown dress shoes. He stood over 6 feet tall. Hoshi walked up to him.

"Are you Dr. Ryo Kuroi?" he asked.

"Yes I'm then you must be Mr. Hoshi Kusanagi?" asked the Doctor extending his hand.

"Yes." stated Hoshi as he shook Dr. Kuroi hand.

"I thought you would be a little older."

"Don't judge me by how I look. I'm a lot more experienced then you think Doctor." he stated.

"Of course. Of course. Would you like to see the body?"

"That would be a start."

Hoshi fallowed him down the hall to a bank of elevators. He pushed the down button the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator the doors closed and Ryo pushed the B2 button the elevator jolted as it went down then it stopped and the doors opened again.

"The body is this way Mr. Kusanagi."

Hoshi said nothing just fallowed. He noted that it was a type of Mechanical Laboratory. He also noted that nobody else was around.

"Mr. Kusanagi are you familiar at what we do here at the Cambridge Institute?"

Hoshi Shrugged. "Um no. Would it have something to do with why this person got killed?"

"Yes you see what we do here is considered highly unlikely we are trying to build the first bipedal walking tank than can be used on any terrain."

"A bipedal walking tank isn't that almost impossible?"

"No, it's not it still in the area of science fiction in animes like Gundam and video games like the Metal Gear Series. But we took information that we found in science fiction and made it compatible with the technology we have available now. It was leaked out to other companies that we were building something like this they said that we were only setting up ourselves up for defeat. We have the blue prints and build a small scaled remote control model the size of a 30-inch model of it worked perfectly after we added balancers all over the body so that it was possible for it to stand at all and walk. That was when the government took an interest in the work we were doing on the project we dubbed "The E.S.C.A. Project." They wanted a full scale model of a prototype ready by the end of next year. In the full scale model we have up to the waist done."

"So it's possible, but how big would this thing be?" he asked.

"It would be over 18.2m tall will have a base weight of 58.2tons. Its full weight when complete will be 73.0tons."

"That's big how much power will it generate?"

"It will generate over 1,380kW to power all the suit's functions like the sensors and all the motors and computerized equipment we put into it. It's thruster capability is 52,000kg. The two engines are miniaturized versions of fighter jets. And the sensor radius is 5,900m. Witch in of it self is exquisite don't you think?"

"Yes, but back to why I'm here, who died Dr. Kuroi?"

"One of our top scientist the man who was heading this project a Dr. Kenshiro Kimura. A very dear friend of mines."

They reached the door and Dr. Kuroi opened the door and stepped in. Hoshi was hit by an arctic blast of air. He shivered a little, But stepped in anyway.

There he was the former Dr. Kimura laid out on the floor on the floor on his back stripped of his shirt only clad in purple pants and black suede shoes his skin was bluish-gray. His face was in excruciation pain his eyes were wide open and his mouth open a thin layer of blood frozen on his face a pooled down under him.

In Dues No Confido

Hoshi's eyes fixated on the chest of the victim burned into the skin was 'In dues nos confido.' The symbol was flawlessly formed in broiled flesh with perfect delineated. He bent down to get a better look at the word on the chest.

He turned his head to face Dr. Kuroi. "Does the deceased have any living relatives?"

He shook his head and stated, "No, no family what so ever as long as I know him he's never gone on a date. Like he was celibate."

"Why is it so cold in here?"

"It was to preserve the body when you came I had to call you I could not go to the government and say the head of 'Project E.S.C.A.' was dead. If I may, what do 'In dues nos confido' mean?"

"I believe it means 'In God We Thrust'."

"Why would they burn that on his chest?"

"I really do not know maybe the killer is a religious nut. That thinks your building a new type of weapon for warfare. Anyway Dr. Kuroi how many people worked on the Project with Dr. Kimura?"

"About four others a Dr. Hyoga Monou, Dr. Kasumi Ikeda, Dr. Aoi Saiyuki, and Dr. Seichiro Jigen. Why?" he asked a little confused at the question.

"Have you been able to contact them?"

No, I have not they were the first people I tried to cal first when I got in ths afternoon."

"I think the killer may have them." stated Hoshi.

"Why would you only kill one and take the other four it doesn't make any sense?"

"When has killing made any sense? But he maybe has a plan for them. Do you have any pictures of them?" asked Hoshi when started to get up from crouching next to the body.

"Yes." He pulled out four pictures from his pocket. "This is Dr. Hyoga Monou." He handed the first onto Hoshi who accepted the picture. He looked at it was a middle-aged man with shoulder length grayish hair smiling with a black dress shirt and a white lab coat over it.

"This is Kasumi Ikeda." He handed over another picture this one was of a woman in her early 30's or late 20's. She had long black hair beautiful ever man's dream. She had on ladies small eyeglasses with a gray blouse witch strained a little against her chest area and also wear a white lab coat.

"Also Dr. Seichiro Jigen." He handed over the third photo. It was a young man maybe in his mid 20's with short metallic red hair. He didn't have on a lab coat. Only wear a dark-green polo shirt.

"And Dr. Aoi Saiyuki." He handed over the final photo. This woman was gorgeous a man's dream girl that you could only get in your dreams. She was like a model with her long pale sea green hair. She wear a white blouse that you could tell was too small for her under her lab coat.

"Um . . . thank you. Here's my fee and retainer fee." replied Hoshi as he pulled out a card from the inside of his jacket pocket and handed it to Dr. Kuroi.

"Okay. Let me write you a check for your retainer." He pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check for the amount tour it and handed it to Hoshi.

He took it and fold it in the middle then put it in his pocket along with the pictures.

"I'll pay you the rest when you find them Mr. Kusanagi."

"Better not expect them alive."

"Why?"

Hoshi just pointed to Dr. Kimura's body. "He wants to send you a message about what your building. Probably an Anti-War Activist."

"Oh."

Hoshi and Dr. Kuroi exited the room and headed for the elevators. Nothing was said. It was an uncomfortable silence as they walked. The reached the elevator door opened, they rode it back up to the first floor.

When the elevator doors opened again Hoshi and Dr. Kuroi stepped out. They shocked hands.

"I'll do my best to find the murder. Dr. Kuroi."

"I'm sure you will. I'll be looking forward to the good or bad news you bring on your next visit."

Hoshi turned and left. Upon exiting the building he got on his black BMW motorcycle. He started it up put on his helmet got on the road and headed home.

He reached his apartment in good time and parked under the covered area of the cement walk way out of everybody's way. He headed up to the second floor apartment with his helmet and school bag in hand. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He put one in the lock door and turned it. He opened his door and throws his helmet and school bag on the couch that was next to the door. Hoshi was about to take off his boots when he noticed a note taped to his door the message read.

Hello Mr. Kusanagi:

It seems that the good Dr. Ryo Kuroi has hired you to find the killer and kidnaped scientists. Let me assure you that they are fine and alive. Maybe not for long anyway. So tell me Mr. Kusanagi are you intellect smart to play a little game with me or are you a coward like you father when it comes to confrontational situations? Well anyway the next murder will happen very soon maybe hours, or days. Maybe at Ueno Park. I can't wait to see your face. Hahahahaaahahaaaa. In dues nos confido.

Sincerely yours,

Ille Umbra or The Ghost

Hoshi tears the note down from his door. He shoved it into his pocket. He closed his door and locked it, and he was mad and decided to go for a walk around the area. He headed down the stairs and left.

To Be Continued . . .

Authors Note: Another Chapter done not much happen here. I'm setting up the plot and subplot.

The murder investigation is part of the plot and Ille Umbra plays a part in what happens to Ranma then and what's happening now. His real name will be told later in the story before the last two he kills and when he is confronted at the end. As for the name change from Ranma Saotome to Hoshi Kusanagi. When you don't want to be found by the past it's good to create a new identity and look so in case you run into old friends or enemies they will not recognize you. Also on the foreign language I'm using is Latin. That's it Kazuma20 signing off.