Gin and Kin

by Materia-Blade

After the final battle with Beryl, Usagi is left alone, her friends dead beyond recall. Her identity revealed, she hides as a phychiatrist. For a time, there was peace. The pain, ebbing. Then, a lonely redhaired girl stumbled into her office... Ra/SM, AU

2. Senshi

Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma ½ or Sailor Moon.

---

-Chapter One-
-Senshi-

---

"Okay, Ranma-chan. Will you start from where we left off last time? Tell me what happened right when you came home from China up till now. Okay? This… trying to find a way to help you with your problem will be… unusual at best." Sighed the overstressed psychologist.

Ranma chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah… I guess it will. Sorry doc."

It was their second session together. Doctor Tofu had said that he'd pay for her first three sessions and, after the first one three days ago, Ranma felt incredibly grateful. She'd never known how good it felt to just… get it all off her chest.

She just hoped that wasn't still another side-effect of her feminization, to coin Nabiki's phrase.

"That's alright, Ranma. Heh. I am getting paid for this pretty well, ya know!" Winked the unorthodox doctor.

Ranma blinked. 'This girl is so weird!' She thought, but even so, she found herself smiling.

"Alright. Well… When I got home… everything was… great actually. It was almost. Well… I'll start at the beginning I guess…

---

Ranma's heart was racing with every step she took. Every step bringing her that much closer to home. Every step brining her that much closer to… to a different life. A different Ranma and Akane.

The dojo came into view. It had only been two weeks or so, as she'd been traveling quite hard, but it felt like months. Nostalgia swept over her once more and, despite the problems and her fears of her new… condition… she wanted to be there! She wanted more than anything to be with her… her family.

Pops, and the Tendo's and her mother. God. Her mother. She surely knew by now… Would she… how would she react?

Ranma thought back to her battle with Saffron. A shiver mixed with a giddy feeling swept over her. If there was one way to die manly, that would've been it. Surely her mother wouldn't think her… weak for surviving... like this. Not after that. No one could ever think of her as weak after that.

Could they?

It was a strange dilemma that she had realized as she began the journey home after leaving Herb's abode. She wasn't weak. Never had been, even as a youth. But for ages now she'd had a subconscious thought in the back of her mind that as a girl she was weak. Now, that had been brought to the forefront, and she'd finally recognized the feeling as a conscious thought.

It infuriated her but… how could she stop what she believed in her subconscious beyond even a shadow of doubt? It didn't help that she had no proof to the contrary. She was the only girl she'd ever known that was truly powerful. She and Herb. Both conveniently, actually males. Shampoo, Ukyo, Akane? None of them were even really decent when compared with her.

Even Cologne. True the old bag was a fair bit better then herself but if she had the old ghoul's age, she knew she'd be… better. Much better.

The whole thing… saddened her.

She moved to the gate, hoping over it without a second thought and approached the door with a million thoughts. Just walk in and shout 'Taidama!?' or… knock? She wasn't fiancé material anymore so… was she welcome? Did Akane still…

"Dammit." She murmured to herself.

She opened the door and stepped in. "Taidama!" She exclaimed.

"Ranma! You're back!" Kasumi exclaimed, first as always to accept visitors and guests.

"Ranma, son!" Soun exclaimed happily. Curiously, it was he that made it to the redhead first and enveloped her in a hug, much like the very first time she had arrived. This time much less shocked by her feminine form. Much more helpful as well that Ranma returned the hug, if a bit awkwardly.

"It's good to have you back." Soun intoned in the heavy accent he always carried that suddenly Ranma felt a great blast of envy for. Not his voice in particular. Just a male one.

"H-hey everyone." She said, trying to force the slight bit of nervousness out of her voice. "It's good to be back!"

It was a very usual welcome which was why Ranma was so surprised when a fist suddenly impacted itself into her abdomen.

She doubled over, completely thrown off as she staggered back from the sudden form of Akane there with her fist implanted into Ranma's stomach. A sign flashed out of the mute girl's hands, eerily similar to a certain panda's signs, and she turned to Nabiki. "Haha! You owe me ten thousand yen!" It read.

"A-Akane?" She questioned, looking at the girl before her, amazed yet partially perturbed.

Akane had hit her! The girl had actually managed to get close enough to her, fast enough to hit her! Talk about surreal…

Then she noticed the enormous amount of welts and stings all over the girl's body. Ranma gave a grin as she recovered from having the wind knocked out of her. That wasn't difficult. She might be faster but, even unprepared, Ranma's skin was pretty much titanium when compared to anything with the obvious exception of Ryoga. "Pops trainin' ya, ain't he Akane…-chan?" Ranma faltered on giving Akane such a familiar title, worried about her reaction. To her great relief that reaction was a beam.

She nodded enthusiastically and whipped out a sign. "Started with the sign technique. We got to talking and" Flip "he offered to train me so I said yes! I can't believe I actually hit you!"

Ranma couldn't help but grin. In hindsight, she'd been careless, not to mention a nervous wreck upon entering the house. If she'd been at her norm she'd have sensed the attack miles away but…

"Great job, Akane-chan. I didn't even see it coming!" She said happily.

It was quite entertaining, Ranma decided, to see Kasumi with a dropped jaw. Nabiki too for that matter. Akane simply danced on her feet giddily and then ran to Ranma and began dragging her towards the dojo.

'Yeah. I think this could work.' Ranma thought with a smile. 'Really work.'

She crossed her fingers and gave a short look up to the sky. Then, she let herself be dragged away to the dojo.

Once there both of them stood facing off against one another. Ranma looked at Akane seriously and decided something. She didn't understand why she did. Why she could. But knowing that she would be a girl from now on had given her a different perspective. And she'd realized that she was pretty damn thickheaded when it came to some things. So when Akane attacked, faster than Ranma had ever seen the girl move, though still nothing beyond belief, Ranma did not hesitate in a fast dodge and punch straight through the girl's opening left on her lower abdomen.

The pigtailed girl backed up in an instant and stared at Akane, now similarly doubled over as she had been before.

"R-Ranma?" She her eyes asked, silent words she mouthed, looking up, holding her stomach, a strange, unreadable expression on her face.

Ranma looked down at her and shifted nervously on her feet. "W-Well… I c-can't really use the 'I don't fight girls' excuse anymore. So… I… Well… uhm…"

If the blue haired girl had beamed before, her face simply radiated joy now.

Ranma's nervousness evaporated with that smile. Honestly, in hindsight, she wished she'd stayed nervous. "Plus! It's about time I let you know that since you're such a tomboy an' all, you can take a punch from me!" She exclaimed.

The ensuing eye-twitch that followed served to easily give Ranma a sweat drop. No mallet appeared though. Instead, Akane strode forward to the red-head, death radiating in her eyes.

"Joke!?" Ranma exclaimed, desperately.

Akane merely produced a sign and handed it too him in anger. He took it, in a moment of confusion and to his consternation, read it.

"Ranma no baka!"

Ranma looked at the girl she loved and gave a grin. "What? No hammer? Lose your edge tom—!"

It was only then that she noticed the wick…

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

BOOM

The sign exploded in a perfect rendition of both the sign technique, Happo-daikarin, and the Anything Goes adaptability.

It appeared the hammer required the words to summon. Ranma missed it profusely, as she tore herself out of the wall.

---

"She blew you up!?" The horrified psychologist exclaimed.

Ranma shrugged. "Hey, it happens. It's not like they are dangerous bombs! Even Happosai's biggest one won't kill anybody. At least the ones he's used on people. I'm pretty sure he could though…"

Doctor Mizuruna shivered. 'No wonder this girl is in here. How in the hell am I supposed to help her? Even the silver millennium info doesn't have any cases like this! The casual way she talks about being blown up… And I'm not even sure what her problem is yet! But Doctor Tofu told me her story was the real deal…' She contemplated.

History, via the pen, told her that all this, all the story she was being told was nothing more than lead in to what her problem was. Incredible and unbelievable lead in it was, but still lead in. She felt lucky that Ranma had come to her. No one else would believe this mess. They'd look at her and act like they understood while signing her up for the insanity ward. And throw Tofu in too for believing it!

Even the pen's knowledge from years past was telling her to sign the girl up for the psycho-ward.

But she knew better. Things like this were real. They could and did happen.

Even she had a bit of incredulousness about this one, though.

"Ranma… are you… from the way you speak you act like this is… practically a daily occurrence?" Dr. Mizuruna said, but tipped it off to make it a question.

Ranma looked contemplative for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Every other day, I'd say. Well. Not so often anymore. We don't see each other much."

Despite the pang of pity she felt for the downtrodden words of the redhead Aiko went straight to the point. "R-Ranma… it's… you know that's not normal. You do know that. Right?" She asked, obviously worried at what the answer would be. 'Like I'm one to talk…'

Ranma blinked in obvious and unfeigned surprised. "It's not?"

The doctor sighed. She had a long way to go. "Continue please… We'll get back to that later."

"O-okay. Um but first… Mizuruna-san…" Ranma said, in a stuttering voice.

"Hmm?" Aiko asked cheerily.

"Could I have another one of those mint-cakes?" Ranma asked her most affectionate feminine voice.

Aiko smiled. "Of course. But you do understand my incredulousness towards your claim of being male once if you keep doing things like that."

Ranma's cheeks flushed and her feminine tone evaporated. "I'll go on now…"

Aiko's smile widened as she continued. "C'mon! I have yet to define the problem you have but I think I'm startin' to get the idea. All the books I've ever had, classes I've ever taken, everything, tell me that you are a gender confused individual with an overactive imagination but I see something more."

Ranma was surprised by the sudden pang of betrayal she felt at the doctor's words, and then uplifted in hopeful thought as the doctor displayed confidence in her story.

"Dr. Tofu told me that everything you say is utterly believable being my first reasoning. I must admit, without that I'd still be… doubting. Not completely though. The second being I think I believe you myself."

Ranma's eyes widened. "I… Thanks… I think. Uhm. Why though? The… It is kind of… far fetched when I think about it. I've got some proof but…"

The doctor gave another winning grin. "You're the first person I've ever met who's liked my mint cakes."

Ranma gave a grin of her own back.

It wasn't Aiko's real reason of course. But it was just cryptic enough to give Ranma the impression that it was possible. "Please continue with your story. I think I'm getting an idea of what your problem is already."

Ranma almost retorted that the fool doctor had no idea about her problems but she restrained herself. It was her job to figure out people's problems as they told their stories. It only made sense. Hell… she wasn't even sure what her problem was, with any definable… words to it.

'Hiroshi…' thought her weary mind abysmally. 'Dammit… what should I do…?'

Giving up on thinking about it again, that was what the doctor was for, she decided she'd just continue. "Alright." She murmured as a mint cake was handed to her and she gobbled in glee

---

"H-Hey, Akane." Ranma muttered, getting the girl's attention. Ranma was nervous again but that was a good thing, she'd decided. Being nervous had gotten her smiles and radiant beams earlier this day while when she'd become comfortable she'd been blown up.

Even so…

Akane turned to look at her fiancée, a slight yet not so angry glare on her face. Ranma's warning sense went off an alert level two. Max being five. So she was safe, for the moment.

As long as she didn't say anything stupid.

"H-heya," She said as she sat down next to the girl.

It had been three hours. Ranma had returned to her own house to meet her father and mother and they'd been surprisingly accommodating. Her mother had some strange ideas but she just wrote them off as oddities of the Saotome family. The panda… he didn't say much. He kept giving her these unnerving looks that, frankly, freaked her out. Soun had been there too. Something about Nabiki, and children needing time alone. Quite strange really. She'd left and gone back to the Tendo's about half an hour ago and only just arrived to find Akane sitting on the roof, watching a beautiful sunset.

"So… where is everyone?" Ranma asked.

Akane, still angry, answered with a finger, pointing out towards the sunset.

"Oh… kay? Are… well…"

Akane sighed. She didn't like using signs... they sucked when compared to actual words... but it was all she had at the moment. "Nabiki seemed to think it would be a good idea." Flip "to get everyone to leave me alone for when you came back." Flip "They'll be gone till tomorrow apparently…"

"So that's why Soun was at mom's house…" Ranma murmured speculatively.

Akane ignored him.

"Oh. I… well… I'm sorry about earlier." She drawled.

The girl simply turned and looked back to the sunset.

"I really didn't mean it. You've always been good enough… I just…" Ranma tried to say.

Akane didn't react.

Ranma wished she could speak. This was a permanent case of cold shoulder whenever the girl was angry. It had been like this a few times between Akane's release from the hospital and when Ranma had left for china. It wasn't as bad now at least. Akane hadn't had signs then.

"Please sign me something, Akane-chan…" Ranma asked.

Akane turned around again and instantly produced a sign.

"Baka."

"Tomboy!" Ranma shouted instantly, and of course regretted it. "I… Uh… Look I…"

Akane only glared. After a moment, the glare faded into a sigh. Another sign appeared.

"I thought that when we admitted we loved each other…" Flip "Things would work out. Things would be better."

Ranma wasn't sure how Akane carried emotion through the words on the sign. She didn't really understand it at all but she definitely felt it.

"I… nobody can change in a day, Tomboy. But… I don't want to… hurt you. I know that now. So… I'm sorry." Ranma said somberly as she gazed at the blue haired girl. The welts on her face and arms from the bees Genma had surely been arraying at her, were fading already. He'd started developing her ability to heal quickly as well.

Despite his methods, she had to hand it to her old man. He was a good teacher, even if he didn't explain a damn thing that he was doing and just told you it was for your own good. Ranma thought she could do a bit better. Hoped she could. But Genma's results were… well… her. Honestly, she didn't know.

Akane looked at her fiancé, unfathomably surprised. She'd called her a tomboy but… done so… affectionately? "I know." Her sign read. "I just—"

Ranma lowered the sign. "Hey. We both get that we aren't any older or smarter or better. Right? I'm still a baka and you're still kawaiikune. But… I love you that way. And… well… I don't know about you but—"

Akane's breath caught. She looked from her lowered sign to the Saotome prodigy.

And glomped her.

The kiss lasted for ages. The one they'd had before Ranma left had been nothing next to this. No one disturbed them and nothing came between them… well… except for the two sets of breasts problem, which they somehow got around. Even though the sensation was pleasant, it was a mutual reminder of all they had lost to come this far.

By the time they parted from their kisses and touches for a moment, the sun had completely fallen, but moonlight left the world illuminated.

"Akane. I got something for you. I… well. Herb told me I should give it to you when we were alone. I… I don't really know what it does but he told me that… well…"

Ranma looked at the now illegible sign that had appeared in her fiancée's hand and sighed.

"L-lets go inside okay? I… I can't see your sign." Ranma said with a slight chuckle. Akane found no humor in it but she nodded, her eyes beaming in the moonlight.

"Kawaii bishoujo…" Ranma breathed, and Akane's heart skipped another beat.

Why had this never happened before? Why did it take all this for them to… to…?

Akane had never felt so warm before in her life.

Ranma took the girl into her arms and swung down, straight through the open window and into her room in one swift motion, and Akane felt swept off her feet.

She blushed from head to toe but still found the energy to produce a sign.

"Do you mean that? What you said… Up there?" Her sign read, face leaned forward fervently awaiting the red-head's answer, eyes pleading.

Ranma gulped and nodded. They were alone in his room. Scratch that. Her room, now. She was so vulnerable, but… beautiful. Why had she never realized it before? "Yeah… I always thought you were… ever since the day we met. But… I wasn't ready to get married… sooner or later it just… became habit… ya know? The name-callin' I mean."

Akane looked down into her lap. Smiling like she never had before. A terrible thought entered her mind. It was strange how quickly this relationship was progressing now that she couldn't speak.

No. It wasn't that.

It was that… that they'd finally admitted how much they cared about the other. God she hoped it was that.

She produced a simple sign. Its message was simple as any other sign was. But… it meant so much more. Because she'd never been able to say the words she so desperately wanted to, it was the only way for her to do so.

"I love you." Was that simple message.

Ranma felt her face heat up, her heart race and melt, her eyes brim over, her tongue grow wet, her palms sweaty as well as her brow...

How such simple words, written on a sign no less, had such a profound effect on her, she didn't know. She didn't care.

Then another sign appeared that repeated the phrase somewhere between ten and twenty seven times, causing Ranma to laugh out loud before she was glomped for the second time that day by the girl she loved, accentuated by the hollow thud of the sign on the floor.

They kissed once more but this time it didn't stop there.

Neither was competent but neither cared. Both were more embarrassed then they had ever been, but for once that did not hinder them. The light was silenced and the room became dark, once more illuminated by moonlight.

Both only grew more embarrassed as more clothing came off but neither could find it in them to stop. Red cheeks hidden by darkness, and tiny insecurities evaporated with a touch or, in Ranma's part at least, a simple word.

There were tears of joy, and of sorrow, mixed with kisses of the same. Grief for the lost opportunities, and happiness for a future that was to come.

But above all was love above and beyond everything, drowning out their malice, petty grievances, and embarrassments.

…

And, of course, that distinct lack of clothing, punctuating everything!

It was some time later that either of them found a semblance of normality again. Not much of a semblance really.

Ranma squirmed to bend her head up and around the girl atop her, feeling strange, fluttery, sensations from the breast pressed into the valley between her own, and looked at the clock.

Half past midnight.

It had been almost three to four hours. Ranma just sighed, in utter elation and lay her head back, feeling the taller girl atop her. She laughed at her. Her eyes were still rolled into the back of her head a bit, lulling in afterglow.

Then she rolled the girl over, blanket going with them and landed atop the girl in the same position reversed; she kissed the girl again. It must have been the three thousandth one that night but it didn't matter anymore.

"Y-you know, tomboy… B-bein' a girl… might not be so bad after all." She said, her cheeks turning red as she admitted something she'd realized nigh on four hours ago.

Akane giggled.

Ranma pushed herself off the girl, the blanket sliding off. Even though they couldn't see much, the moon had moved to light even more of the room then it had before, leaving her embarrassed once again.

"Uhm… well… So… you want it? The gift I got you? It… it didn't cost anything. Herb told me it was for you so I guess it's sorta from him but I think you'll like it. Might be a bit late now though…" Ranma said as she subconsciously moved to hide her exposed nakedness from the tomboy below her.

Akane nodded vigorously, now that she'd been thrown back to reality.

Ranma moved to the wall and flipped the light switch, illuminating the room completely, and subsequently causing herself to turn yet another shade of red deeper.

"E-eheh… it's uh… in my pocket there. Hehe!" She said, sweat-dropping. Akane had hidden herself under the sheet but she kept looking at Ranma's body, her own cheeks flushed. She produced a sign.

"You're amazing, Ranma." It read.

Another shade. Was she glowing yet? Surely she was. "Y-y-y-a a-ain't so… uhm… so bad… yerself! Hehe!" She could just die, right there...

Ranma knelt down and grabbed her pants, throwing them over her kneeling legs, she began fishing in the pockets.

"H-here it is!"

Another sign. "Your tongue!"

Seven more shades, Ranma looked up and away from the girl, unable to stand the embarrassment of eye contact. "C-come on Akane! Open it already!" She insisted.

Akane's face brimmed over in a smile of mirth and she looked down towards Ranma's hand and gasped.

A small box. A jewelry box.

"L-like I said," Ranma began, allowing her eyes to fall on her fiancée again, lingering on the single breast that had been exposed by Akane's gasp and subsequent dropping of the hand holding half the blanket to her neck. "H-herb gave it to me to give to you. It's… it's not a wedding ring! Don't go getting ideas! I still don't think… well… you know… but…"

Deciding to just stop with the words, they were superficial anyways, Ranma just moved closer to her tomboy and opened the box in the other girl's hands, revealing the golden chained locket.

Akane stared in awe at the jewelry. It was beautiful beyond reason and she hadn't even seen the inside yet. Far more than Ranma's un-educated eyes could ever comprehend. She took the box and unraveled the necklace, small gold chain falling free in her hand. She opened the locket and almost had a heart attack. A custom carved diamond, blue as the sky itself lay imbedded within one half, while the other held room for a small photo. Within' Ranma had placed the picture of the two, him male, together that she had taken with her. The picture had been cut to fit into the locket.

"D-do you like it? I thought it looked pretty good myself so I hoped that you would." Ranma stuttered.

'Words.' Akane thought as she stared at the stunning necklace. 'It would have been so much better if it'd been him who lost the ability to speak! The baka never says anything useful! Just blabbers!'

She looked at her sheepishly-grinning fiancée and smiled. 'My blabbering idiot.'

She pulled the locket around her neck and let it fall to hang between her breasts, now both exposed.

"It's gorgeous, Ranma." Came the sign, along with Ranma's sigh of relief.

"I hoped you'd… you'd… A-Akane…?" Ranma said, backing up.

The locket, now closed, began to glow, a faint golden aura spreading around the golden casing it was made of.

A shocked expression crossed Akane's face for merely a moment before she suddenly began to… change.

"Oh my… Akane!" Ranma exclaimed.

Her breasts plunged in on themselves, hair altered just slightly, while taking on the most unusual white color. Between her legs… she shivered and looked away. Best to avoid looking there. Her arms elongated and grew more defined and her legs did the same.

Akane flushed. By the look of surprise on Ranma's face it was obvious that she was not at fault, though she realized that normally she'd be in a towering rage with the red-head right now whether or not it was her fault.

It appeared normal needed a new definition these days.

A sign appeared, though for some strange reason, it was cracked and ruined, made of rotting wood. The words were still legible but barely. "Ranma… I'm… I'm a guy!"

Ranma had never thought Akane idiotically redundant before but that…

"Ya think!?" She exclaimed as she backed away. "T-take it off, dumb tomboy! Do you wanna get cursed too!?"

Angered for a moment, Akane realized the implications that this could mean and she yanked the chain off her neck, as her heart began to race in a way entirely different from the last four hours.

Instantly the change began to reverse. Her chest became soft and expanded. Hair faded back to its usual dark blue, muscles reverted from their powerful bulky state to their common, lithe, feminine, form.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, staring at the locket on the floor.

"Th-that… that… JERK! I can't believe I trusted him! I… I'm sorry… Akane. I…" Ranma began in angry rage and faltered as she finally worked up the courage to look at her restored female fiancée.

Akane didn't really understand it. She knew she should be angry but somehow she was not. In hindsight, the reason for her lack of anger could have something to do with the three to four hours of repeated orgasms she'd just had. Or perhaps a more simple reason was that getting angry produced much less satisfaction with her current sound impediment. At the time though the only thing she could do, was think.

And the results she came to were astounding.

"Ranma. Hang on." Came the next sign, now pristine and beautiful oak wood again.

She stood, completely forgetting that she should be embarrassed and walked to the door, picking up the locket on the way. She opened it and glanced left, then right, making sure no one was there. She dashed into the hall.

Ranma was left stunned, twiddling her fingers. She hadn't been angry? Or… anything?

"That necklace didn't do anything to me and I wore it the whole way home!" She heard the water taps begin running from the bathroom and sighed. A few minutes passed and she listened to the taps turn on and off.

…

"She was huge…"

…

"GOD DAMMIT, Herb! I swear if you cursed her I'll—!"

The door slid open, reveal Akane's still naked, female, but this time extremely embarrassed form.

"S-so? Are you okay, Tomboy?" Ranma asked fearfully.

Akane gave a grin and nodded.

In three signs Ranma learned, "It just changes my gender! I can become a guy whenever I wear it. If I open the locket while it's on I turn back into a girl too! Nothing to do with water!"

Ranma stared at the golden chain and locket dangling in her fiancée's palm.

"So… what did he want you to have it for, Akane? Why would Herb wanna turn you into a guy?" Ranma asked trying to puzzle it out. "I bet he's trying to kidnap you! That sick pervert!"

A rather large sweat drop trailed down her brow. She tapped the side of her head as if to say 'Think about it, Ranma.'

Ranma did. For about a minute. "I don't get it."

Akane fell on her face. Sign. "Ranma… do you want kids someday? An heir to the dojo?"

"Of course!" Ranma replied smartly.

Akane's eye almost twitched. Another sign. "And… how would you get those kids?"

God, this was an embarrassing night. "I'm pretty sure you know how that works Akane… Me an… uhm… well I'd always thought you… would uhm… well and you'd have a baby and…"

"How would that work now, though, Ranma?" Read the final sign. "If you're a girl, and I'm a girl…"

Ranma's eyes widened.

Oh yes. Ranma's eyes widened veeerrry much.

So much, in fact, that the girl simply passed out from eye-widenage.

Akane sighed. "Baka…"

Taking a look down at the necklace, she… grinned. A Jusenkyo curse, she'd decided long ago, would be hell. A controlled Jusenkyo curse however…

It made her giggle. Well. Not quite giggle but as close to giggle as she could get now. Ranma's form, passed out on the floor completely shocked expression still etched across her face though, made her laugh out loud. Or try to. That made her sad again when the laugh she should have made produced a dry hiss.

She looked down at the redhead.

'You're staying with me tonight.' She told her.

With that, she tossed the naked girl, said girl's clothes and her own clothes all over her shoulders.

Then she left the room and entered her own quickly and quietly, tossing the clothes to the floor, and everything else, adding to a total of one small girl, onto her bed.

She looked down at the girl. She'd already taken up the entirety of the bed-space, arms and legs flailing everywhere.

'You're such an idiot, Ranma Saotome.' She thought, as a bubble popped out of the sleeping girl's nose and began inflating and deflating, causing a slight tint of disgust mixed with a bit of humor. She did that, too, she knew. 'I love you!'

So, so, liberating to finally say it. And so… easy.

And with that, the blue haired girl plopped down into her bed, half in the arms of the red-head, and enveloped herself in the warmth of the body beside her.

---

"You… You fainted!" The psychologist did her level best to not break out laughing.

"H-hey! Your fiancée changes gender and you see if you do better!" Ranma retorted angrily.

Mirth not nearly erased from her voice, the black haired woman said, "I'm sure I would've figured it out a bit before all that! That doesn't really take a genius to get, you know!"

Aiko could have sworn she heard the words, "Sarcastic, Flat-chested..." mumbled under the redhead's breath and it made her chuckle all the more.

"Why, Ranma-chan! I do believe you have a crush on me!" Aiko laughed uproariously.

Ranma's face flared. "Wh-what! N-no way! You're my shrink! How could—!"

"Ah, but you did tell me you'd called miss Akane-san 'flat-chested' for ages before you'd finally gotten together with her. And I do believe those were the exact words I heard you mumble." Aiko said, with a sly grin.

"Cuz you are!" The red-head exclaimed. "She was different, though."

Aiko's eyes widened at the not-quite-hidden insult, this time actually feeling a bit put down. Sure! In her real body she was flat-chested! But not as Aiko!

"Oh Ranma, I was just teasing you." She said, hastily. This prompted a strange, and speculative look from the red-headed enigma.

"You're… nothing like what I thought a shrink would be, Miss Mizuruna. An… um… I was jus' kiddin' too. Ya ain't flat-chested." Said Ranma with a chuckle.

Aiko beamed.

"Ain't as big as mine, though."

Aiko glared murder.

At least until she saw the smirk on her patient's face, and realized it was all in good fun. But it gave her a speculative look into a past version of the girl before her. A version who joked like that without comprehending the repercussions. At least the girl before her now had grown. It was obvious why it had taken her so long to get together with Akane.

"Heh. Well. You still have twenty minutes left, Ranma-chan. Would you like to keep going?" She asked.

Ranma didn't think she'd ever felt so comfortable with someone. Much as it was all in good fun, strange as that, in and of itself alone, was, Ranma thought she might actually have a crush on the elder woman. She couldn't be what? Four, Five, years older?

Blinking hastily at the line of thought her mind was taking her down, she cast her stray thoughts aside and answered, confidently for the first time to her shrink. "Hai!"

---

A long, heavy, utterly satisfied yawn left the lips of an early rising Ranma Saotome. She stretched and pleasantly absorbed the shift it caused to the body lying against hers.

At first she was confused. She looked around to find an unfamiliar room. Not to mention finding herself abnormally 'high' within said room before she comprehended that she was on a bed.

The memories of last night fluttered through her mind in a hazy dreamy like joy. She shuddered with delight, looking down at the girl lying atop her.

"H-hey… Akane-chan. It's almost dawn." She sighed dreamily.

Akane moaned, soundlessly, using only airflow to convey her annoyance.

It was then that, to Ranma's annoyance, came the realization that she had no idea when anyone would be getting home today. If anyone would be getting home today. It also came to her that there was school today.

"Ugh…"

Ranma subtly decided to wake her by grabbing her eyelid and pulling it wide. "We need to get up before everyone get's home… They might already be home!"

Swish. Click.

"Ranma, Akane! It might be best if you wake up before everyone else gets home!" Came Kasumi's delighted voice. "Oh! Congratulations, by the way!"

Then the door shut, leaving a wide awake Ranma and a very much speedily wakening Akane, blushing yet again.

'God, if all relationships are like this I'm never going to be able to get all the blood outta' my head! It's worse than fighting the damn bird!' Ranma thought angrily.

Wearily, she lifted the taller girl, gently, and was annoyed when the mass of flesh shifted and plopped back down right on top of her.

"Tomboy! Wake up!" She exclaimed.

That finally woke up the half dead girl, but she made no move to respond and only lifted herself, still glaring, off the weary redhead.

Then she lay down beside her, both still beneath the blankets. Both still feeling the warmth and touch of the other.

It was then that the situation came to them.

They were naked. In a bed. Together.

"Uh… well… you gonna get dressed, tomboy?" Ranma asked with a gulp.

"Uh… you go ahead, Ranma!" came her ever-present sign. Ranma speculated how it was she did that without any clothes. She supposed her father didn't have any but still, it was impressive.

It became apparent that whoever dressed first would have no choice but to expose herself completely to the eyes of the other.

For some strange reason that was quite difficult.

Ranma took a gulp and threw her legs over the bed and sat up flushing head to toe as she grabbed her clothes off the floor and dressed, feeling Akane's eyes on her like twin cackling rays of amusement.

The girl herself, pulled her blanket off the bed and moved to her drawers, not taking her eyes off Ranma, who only now had a pair of pants on.

"This is weird…" She said.

Akane's hand moved to cover her lips in a typical soundless laugh.

They got dressed, sooner or later, Ranma in the old clothes from yesterday, Akane in a cleanly washed Furinkan uniform.

Then they sat back on the bed, looking at one another. "Some night, Akane-chan." Ranma exclaimed. The girl nodded profusely.

Rays of sunlight began to filter through the window as the sun began to rise.

"So… I feel like crap!" Ranma exclaimed. "How'd I get in here? I don't remember coming to your room last night."

Akane's face brimmed with mirth, albeit tired, morning mirth. Sign. "You fainted when you figured out what the locket was for!"

"Did not." Ranma said plainly. "Guys don't faint."

Thus prompting Akane to forcefully poke Ranma in the boob.

"Ow! Fine!" The redhead exclaimed, now rubbing the tender apendage having turned away from her cruel fiancee.

Akane could only laugh silently again.

Ranma joined her. This was probably the single most unusual wake-up experience she'd ever dealt with. And she'd had quite the unusual waking-up circumstances before.

But…

She didn't think she could feel happier.

"I'm gonna go take a bath, okay Akane? It… uhm… it's probably best if we didn't… tell about this, ya think? The locket and all. If they knew they'd still probably try to shove us down the aisle." Ranma said as she stood from the newly remade bed.

Akane nodded thoughtfully.

Ranma began to walk out of the room but as she made it to the door, she found her eyes on the tomboy once more. "I… l-love you… Akane-chan!" The girl gulped out nervously.

Akane, even with her weariness in the mornings, gave a beam that outshined the sun, producing the same sign as last night, with the reply.

At that, Ranma mimicked her. The intense burning feeling she'd felt when she'd seen that sign last night had quieted somewhat, though was no less potent, and was now simply a simple burning… desire and heartfelt care for her.

'I hope this lasts forever…' She thought, as she left the room and entered the hallway, only to find herself sighing in disappointment that she would be without the girl for even so short a time as a bath would take.

'I guess this is what love feels like.' She thought.

…

"She's still an un-cute tomboy!" She exclaimed as she made her way to the bath.

It was some time later. Kasumi had made breakfast for the two new lovers and herself but Soun had called telling them he would be staying with the Saotome's till later that day, while Nabiki had said she was just going straight to school the previous night.

Neither of them were quite certain where Kasumi had stayed. Strange.

"So… you two finally managed to get together last night?" Kasumi asked, utterly unsubtly, even for her rather blunt manner.

They blushed roses. "M-maybe…" Ranma murmured.

"Was it good?"

The two girls spat out the food they were chewing in utter surprise.

"K-K-Kasumi!?"

The eldest Tendo cackled in mirth. "Oh, I'm just teasing. Now you two take care of each other. I've fancied Ranma a little brother for quite some time. Wouldn't mind seeing it happen. Sister at least. Right Ranma-chan?"

'It was going to permanent from now on. Wasn't it?' thought Ranma's speculative mind as she contemplated the ever-present blush on her cheeks since she'd returned yesterday. She nodded, shyly, with a bit of dismal sadness.

Books ready, Ranma and Akane began what Ranma had been dreading. The trip back to school, and subsequently, informing the student body that she was now female.

"Oh come on, Ranma! It won't be that bad!" came a particularly impatient sign as they realized how much the tension was increasing on their walk to school.

Ranma was dressed in a newer, tighter, version of her regular Chinese outfit, made to fit her female form, grumbling at the incessant need for panties and bras that existed for her now.

"Yeah! For you! You ain't the one who's gonna have to flip restrooms!" Ranma exclaimed impatiently. "Or gym sides, or friends. Or have to deal with all the girls lookin' at me like I'm a pervert, no thanks to a certain someone!" Ranma shouted to the blue haired girl as they passed the ladle lady, thankfully not being splashed for once.

"You are a pervert!" Akane signed giddily.

"Am not!" Came the quick reply.

Akane's eyes suddenly rolled up into the back of her head, and her mouth lulled partly open in an over exaggerated attempt to imitate herself from the previous night, as another sign, surprisingly familiar to the redhead, made its way shakily up. "Your tongue!"

"T-T-Tomboy! Put that away!" Ranma exclaimed looking anxiously left and right to see if anyone was around.

Akane could only chuckle. Still silent as ever as she dropped the playful act she'd pulled.

"This is so… weird…" Ranma sighed under her breath as she and Akane continued walking, side-by-side.

Sign. "I know. Surreal. But we'll get used to it. Right, Ranma?"

Ranma looked to her Akane-chan, and gave her most confident, winning grin. "I could get used to anything for you."

Akane spluttered as she gaped at Ranma, embarrassed yet again.

"Uncute, flat-chested, tomboy!" The red-head exclaimed and dashed off at high speeds towards the school, beginning a rather prompt game of tag.

Akane fumed. She'd completely ruined it!

Producing a huge sign blatantly reading "That's not what you said last night!" she dashed off after the laughing redhead swinging madly.

The future, all in all, was looking quite bright.

---

"Why don't we stop there for today, okay, Ranma-chan. It's about time for you to go anyways." Aiko said fondly.

Ranma nodded. She'd found that it helped talking about everything. Last week she'd skimmed through her regular life and the Saffron fight to the upbeat doctor in her first two hour session.

This week she'd felt even more relaxed inside this small, cozy office.

"So, I'll be seeing you next Thursday right?" Aiko asked speculatively.

Ranma nodded again.

She stood and walked to the doorway, her mood pleasant in the extreme. Good times she had relived this day. Very good times. It made her happy to remember, and sad at the same time, but still… beyond all of that it simply felt good to get it all off her shoulders.

"Doctor Mizuruna?" She asked as she reached for the door, merely acquiring the doctor's attention.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

The doctor smiled at the girl. "Don't thank me. I haven't done anything yet!"

'Yeah, you have.' Ranma thought. She wasn't sure what the doctor had done but… she'd done something in these short two meetings.

Ranma gulped. Maybe she did have a crush on the doctor. Wouldn't that be a problem.

She had enough of those at the moment.

'Dammit.' She thought wryly. 'We need to pick up the pace, so I can figure out what to do about Hiroshi…'

It shouldn't have been a problem. She should have just told him off like she always did but…

If there was anyone she could trust not to… well… take advantage of her, difficult as that would be for anyone, it was her best friend, she'd figure. And she…

Could she hold off her answer until next Thursday?

"Whatta mess…" She murmured as she exited the building. Walking towards her home, the Saotome home, not the Tendo's, she remained engrossed in deep mental hysteria, desperately trying to figure out what she should do.

It was in that intense state of mental exertion that she found herself suddenly under siege.

Literally.

A sudden boom exploded ahead of her and wind picked up as a result blowing her hair back as if a bomb had gone off in the distance.

A few less sturdy people nearby were completely swept off their feet as Ranma looked ahead.

Finally witnessing the cause of the sharp wind, Ranma shivered in nigh on nostalgia. A minotaur-like beast stood there, with a deadly looking metal ring, about a foot in diameter, in its hands, charging straight towards her.

"Agrapheron!" The beastly thing cried, halting in its charge before Ranma was able to react and crying towards the sky.

"Looks just like Taro. Bit smaller though." Ranma thought absentmindedly. She grinned. A good fight was just what she needed. They'd been particularly… lacking as of late. 'Stupid Ryoga… stupid chivalry.' Ranma thought angrily, completely unaware of the utter irony involved in her thinking that.

She charged forward at the beast, about seven feet tall with a mane of hair trailing down it's back, and let out a grunt of her own as her foot impacted with it's hastily countering muscled right arm.

She rebounded back and found that the people around her were gaping! Whether at her or the beast she didn't know but she bounded on them.

"Run, you idiots!"

They complied instantly, as if snapping out of a daze. Too late.

Instead of using the musculature the humanoid-beast creature contained, it waved its free hand and a hazy mist spread out from it, as if the being were throwing a net.

In an instant, Ranma realized what was happening. To her horror, she felt the very draw of her own life seeping away from her.

'It steals ki! But… so MUCH!' She thought as she began to feel her own massive ki reserves draining.

Well versed in taking ki from her surroundings, Ranma realized the incredible nature of this technique… and felt almost afraid as her reserves reached about eighty percent, while the people around her began dropping like flies.

"Sh-shimatta!" Ranma exclaimed, her body glowing pink, energy seeping away from her, and took the first course of action necessary.

She felt the other effect too but tore through it as fast as she could; she felt like a slug slithering through mire as she desperately tried to make herself move.

But move she did, and each step made it easier.

A good ole' patented shooting star kick. She flew at the beastly creature and slammed her foot into the ghastly pug nose and rebounded back, once again, to where the group of people were. The beast flew back a good five or six feet before landing in a skidding pile, raking up concrete road with the pressure of her kick.

The mist evaporated in an instant as she felt the drain on her ki give way, and her mobility return to her.

Those not caught by the ki draining technique had already began to run, screaming mad, though a slim few had gone back to reach into the group who had been drained. None of them were unconscious but all of them were feeling the effects. Even Ranma felt weak. It was so fast and powerful! To absorb enough ki from an enemy, even a non hostile one like these people, to make them weak enough to fall unconscious, which is what surely would have happened had she not intervened, … it was… terrifying.

Demonic.

She grabbed two people, both middle-aged women and jumped far from the battle, landed and dropped the two, and went back to repeat. Sixteen people left. She couldn't do it two at a time! Not fast enough.

"C-come on you guys! You gotta go! Get outta here! Stand up! Hurry!" She prodded.

Slowly, the straggling people began to pull to their knees. Those few who hadn't been affected helping those who were. "Come on. Just keep going!" Ranma exclaimed as she hefted three people and limped with them.

It was then that she saw the beast back on its feet again.

"Agrapheron!" It cried its name angrily as it swayed its hand again, this time in an intricate pattern before throwing out the mist once more.

They were almost half way to where she'd dropped off the two women. It would have to do. In an instant she let go of the three, two girls and a boy, that she was holding up, and threw their arms together so they could lean on each other instead of falling.

She blasted over the crowd and into the line of fire that the mist spread out in again.

Without warning she felt herself turned into a deer caught in headlights. Still more nostalgia. 'Happosai…' She thought.

The beast was moving! She tried desperately to force her jello-legs into motion as she felt her very life slipping away from her. Sweat rolled down her cheeks and she fell to one knee.

Much more of this and she knew she would probably fall unconscious. Maybe even die.

She gasped as the beast plundered the depths of her soul. "God… he's… killing me!"

"Agraphere!" It shouted angrily.

And then Ranma knew pain. Electricity blazed through the mist and she let out a salvo to wake the damned as current was blasted through her body.

Her mind worked overtime as she embraced soul of ice, using the very last of her ki to blot out the pain. The ki! Agra, as she decided to call the damn bastard, wasn't using it! Where was it going!?

She discarded the thought. Not now. No use figuring that out now. She had to kill it. She was aware of her body screaming but she didn't feel it. She HAD to end it. That attack was lethal. And she would not let people die. Nor herself. She had too much to live for now.

'I do, don't I?' She thought to herself as she charged forward, finally mobile once more to meet the now grinning youma, plowing through the mist abysmally.

It halted the electricity and beyond the soul of ice, she felt her skin weep in joy at the loss of the damnable lightning. Draining… draining… she felt herself weakening even more as she finally reached the monster! Buffering her right hand with what ki she could spare, she caught the heavy swing of the bladed ring, slicing through her reinforcements to cut straight into the palm of her hand as her fist was caught by the beast's, completely ruining her charge.

She winced eyes closing of their own accord, feeling the blade slide further into her skin. That was nothing next to the electric barrage. Within the Soul of Ice she could barely feel it. The beast pushed and more blood spewed from her burning right palm; outwardly she knew she let out a yelp, but she still didn't feel it.

It was another's pain. Not her own. All she had to do was push the pain aside. This beast would die. Because she would not die here.

She grit her teeth and suddenly dropped all momentum with her left hand causing him to fall forward, further impaling the bladed ring into her palm.

Even the Soul of Ice couldn't stop the wave of pain that brought. Her hand was going to be severed!

Her left fist moved faster than the eye could see blazing into the creature's abdomen. A hundred times? Two hundred. The beast's eyes opened in shock and the mist faded once again, to Ranma's relief.

And suddenly a glowing golden flash blazed right between them.

"AAAAGRAAA!" The beast screamed hideously as it now stubbed hand back, blood spewing from where it had once been.

Ranma fell to the ground instantly, doing her level best not to let out her own scream, Soul of Ice falling apart as she watched the ring ripped from the flesh in her hand that had become it's scabbard, still attached to the severed hand of the beast. The ring flew away spewing her own blood across the concrete below while the creature roared its malice.

She held her tender right hand in her left as she glared up at Agra. "I won't die here!" She screamed. With that she held up her left hand, letting go of her now numb and limp right.

"Moko Takabisha!" She screamed.

A ball the size of small car erupted from her palm and blasted towards the mewling beast.

The blue ball of light, different from her normal attack in that this one aimed to kill, impacted and exploded, vaporizing the bastard.

Ranma fell to her back, her muscles screaming in fury, her eyes wet, her hand spewing blood, body falling completely limp everywhere as she breathed.

"G-got ya…" She murmured.

The last thing she remembered seeing before consciousness left her was a pair of bright blue eyes, that exuded more power than she'd ever felt in her life.

---

A small white cat walked down a narrow alleyway in the back areas of the Nerima ward of Tokyo Japan, intent on her mission.

"Apollo. Please tell me you have a lead! I know I don't." The white cat asked her charcoal-black companion wearily as it approached her from the other direction.

The black cat sighed sadly, his eyes shining in the dawn's pale light. "I'm sorry, Circe. I wish I did. We've been at this for almost two weeks now but we've found little more than traces of the Auric Era. My guess is that about three of the Senshi are here, none revived of course. And we know the princess is. I just wish I knew where we could… could…

Steps echoed throughout the alleyway as a stranger approached, darkness clouding a decidedly female form.

"Meow!" Circe uttered fervently, and Apollo followed suit.

The girl came into view and had a puzzled look on her face. She held a hand to her ear but appeared to hear nothing. She shook her head.

'Must be imagining things,' Akane thought, curiously. 'Still… coulda sworn I heard voices.'

Then she looked down and saw the two cats. Seconds ago they'd been meowing happily. Now for some strange reason they were… quivering in fear.

She beamed. 'So cute!'

She bent down and began to pet them, wishing she could speak to them. She noticed both of them were beautiful specimens of cats, both with a strange bald spot on their foreheads in the shape of an upward pointing crescent moon. The spots were… silver though. Very strange.

Unbeknownst to her, a symbol appeared on her own forehead. A straight line crossing through a musical note.

The two cats openly gaped, causing Akane to back up on shock at the open hanging mouths of two cats.

They looked so… human!

After finally recovering from the shock of having one of the Senshi they'd been diligently searching for, for the past two weeks literally stumble onto them, they turned to each other and nodded, even as they quaked in slight fear.

So the first Senshi to be revived after twenty thousand years of sleep would be Aoide. It made them both shiver at the implications, of her being the first to awaken. The Senshi of Song. Terror of the Auric Era. The Senshi so powerful she was feared by all the people of the Era.

The Senshi who could destroy a planet.

But they'd found her. If she was to be the first then that was the way it was.

"Sailor Senshi Aoide." Circe said in a straight, punctuated voice, shocking the girl out of her wits.

"Don't worry about it. We know you can't speak…" Apollo added kindly, and Akane's eyes widened.

'Senshi?' Akane thought. 'No way…'

"You are the Senshi of Song, Sailor Aoide." Said the female white cat.

Akane wasn't sure if it was really worth it but she held up a sign. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?" It said plainly.

The cats looked questioningly at the sign before shrugging it off.

Circe did a spinning twirl and then, there within her teeth, lay a scroll, tied together with an incredibly bright yellow ribbon. "Take this, and say, Aoide Power Make-up! You'll find yourself able to speak when you try to."

Akane stared at the cat and the paper. Then the other cat. Then the paper. Then the other cat again.

Then she pinched herself. Pain. Okay…

A really realistic dream then.

She shrugged. Might as well go along with it.

She picked up the scroll, and found within her the urge to say those very words. She tried and… to her amazement…

"Aoide Power, Make Up!"

In that instant, all thoughts of this being a dream evaporated in a swirl of color. The words flew off her tongue and in seconds the world was arrayed in a dazzling display of… sound, seeming both new and familiar. She didn't understand it. Her entire conception of reality became that of music! The two cats before her each had a song of their own. The stone beneath her, the earth itself far below exuding a deep sounding hum. The buildings, mewling in their metallic ring. Trees, rich and lyrical, the cat's songs sang in a pianissimo alto.

She barely noticed the lights flashing around her body as she watched the world. The black bodysuit mixed with a bright yellow fuku, boots, and gloves, all trimmed with the same black. The great ribbon of the same brilliant yellow, one on her front and back. The tiara flaring silver on her forehead, with a small yellow gem in the middle.

But she did feel the power. Power beyond even her wildest belief roared within her. God…! Ryoga wouldn't stand a chance! E-even Ranma!

She breathed heavily. In and out… in and out… She pulled at muscles that had been missing for ages and a hum appeared. A hum in an extremely flat C Sharp, the music translated into her mind. This was… amazing… too incredible to be a dream or not incredible enough.

"I… I don't believe it." She breathed, speaking for the first time in what seemed forever.

There were no words to describe her joy. No way to fully tell how good it felt to hear sound produced by herself. Simple words, taken for granted by everyone else, restored to her once more!

It felt like a little piece of heaven.

"I can… I can… You… wonderful, beautiful, little cats!" She exclaimed, her eyes glistening with pure joy.

She swept the cats into an embrace before they could even think about moving and hugged them to her black fuku-ed form.

Tears trailed down her eyes as she nuzzled the cats as affectionately as she'd once done to her ex-fiancée. "Thank you… so much…"

"Wh-what is your name, Miss?" The male cat, the black one, asked, when the girl finally managed to let them go. The fear they'd felt before, an ingrained thought since they'd had little contact with the Senshi of Song back in the days of the Auric era, had evaporated at the hug and tears the girl exuded. This girl would not destroy a planet.

"I-I'm Akane!" She exclaimed.

The cat beamed, still quaking at the thought of being held by the most destructive Senshi in existence. "Well then Akane. Welcome to the ranks of the Sailor Senshi! You're the first to awaken!"

"R-really!?" Akane exclaimed giddily.

"I'm Apollo, Miss Akane-chan." The black cat said, his masculine tone leaving no question to his gender.

"And I am Circe. It's good to see you again, Princess Aoide." Circe continued, similarly confirming hers.

The fear the cats had projected earlier had gone right over the blue-haired girl's head. 'Just as it had back then.' Circe thought. 'She'd never known people were afraid of her.'

Akane looked over her suit. "It's… black…" She murmured. "I love it! Will I get to meet Sailor Moon!? I heard she left from her home and everything when people found out her identity… Do you know where she is?"

The cats looked back, uncomprehending. "Sailor Moon? Moon, did you say?"

Akane stared at the cats, incredulously. "Are you kidding? You're looking for Senshi and you haven't heard of Sailor Moon!?" It felt so strange to talk again. Her voice was… strangled and strange… not lilty like it once was but it was a voice. God. She could speak!

Twin head shakes greeted the girl. "Sailor Moon. Warrior of love and Justice?" Akane asked, trying to raise a memory.

The two cats put their heads together. "If this 'sailor moon' is actually from the moon…" Apollo began, "then she might be who we're looking for." Circe finished.

Akane blinked. "Looking for? What's going on?"

The cat turned back to Akane, suddenly extremely serious. "Our goal, Akane… Senshi Aoide, our mission, is to find the Moon Princess and protect her at all costs. If we don't, she'll surely be killed."

Akane's eyes widened. "Wh-what!? Then we have to find Usagi! That's her name. Sailor Moon's name I mean. I can protect her! It must be her!"

The two cats looked speculative for a moment. "It seems too easy. She shouldn't already be revived. Has any who held the moon's power ever come into it without the aid of another?" Circe asked.

Apollo grimaced. "I don't know… I can't remember much of anything past thirty or forty years before the long sleep. All I remember is an evil man… who wanted to kill the princess."

"Uhm… what are you guys talking about? Talking about? About? Guys?" Akane said, repeating words for the sheer joy of repeating them.

Circe sighed and turned to the first senshi they had found. "Aoide. There is something you must know. And something we must determine."

"Y-yes?" Akane asked, almost afraid at the level of seriousness the white cat was directing at her.

"Sailor Aoide. Akane. I know the world seems bright; from what I've been told, the world seen through the eyes of song is a magnificent sight to behold. You will be able to manipulate that world from now on in your human form even, though to a lesser degree." The cat said seriously.

Akane nodded. "O-Okay…"

"Akane." Apollo continued. "Within you is enough power to destroy an entire planet… The Senshi of Song, who could sing a planet to sleep. That is your legacy, Aoide."

A moment passed as Akane drank the words in.

Then she burst out laughing. "Sure, sure! Well anyways, anyways, I don't think I'll be… beeee… singing any lullabies to planets anytime soon!" She said with a giddy smirk. "I can't wait to tell Ryoga! Ryoga!" She exclaimed.

"NO!" Both the cats shouted simultaneously.

Akane 'eeped' at their intensity. Then glared. "Why not?! You restore my voice and then won't let me use it?"

The cats sighed… "The Senshi of Song's voice is… a strange thing, Akane-chan. When you leave your transformed state, you will once again, no longer have vocal chords… you won't be able to talk unless you are in your Senshi form." Circe replied.

"Oh…" Akane sighed. "And… I have to keep my identity secret right?"

"Yes." Came the tart reply.

Akane pondered for a moment. The news of Sailor Moon being Usagi Tsukino, a girl perhaps a year or less younger than herself, had been a shock to the entire country. The girl's disappearance, and the fact that she still hadn't been found and had only been seen once during a youma attack which she promptly dispatched of, were an even bigger shock.

It was common knowledge that Sailor Moon had finally ended the upsurge in youma attacks, in a final battle with some monstrous being at the North Pole. Apparently not completely ended but the girl was definitely around, even if her Senshi had died.

But, the point was, the attacks were pretty much over. It was assumed that the only youma attacking these days were leftovers from that epic battle. Honestly, Akane couldn't believe half the rumors she heard about that battle. People sure did like stories.

If the attacks were finished though, what was she needed for? "Who is trying to kill the Moon Princess?" She asked.

The cats gave a simultaneous sigh once again. "We don't know. We were sent by Sailor Liopolis, the sixth and final Senshi. She told us this exactly." Apollo said solemnly. Then the male cat began to recite. "The Moon Princess has followed her heart to the other side. Look for the last world of life. Find her, Find her Senshi, and protect her with everything you have. Otherwise, great death approaches. My gates will overflow with the sorrow of unlived life, if the Moon Princess is not found. The budding crystal kingdom will never come to fruition and life's last bastion in this galaxy shall perish."

Liopolis? Aiode? These weren't any planets she'd ever heard of but all the Senshi so far had been named after planets. Celestial bodies at least.

"Her… gates?" Akane asked. "I'm confused. Basically we need to protect the Moon Princess or else people are going to die, right?" She said, shrugging off the gates thing.

The cats blinked. The summation was rather blunt but it got the job done. Circe nodded.

"So…" Akane drawled, "What do I do now?"

Two twin pairs of googly, cuddly, eyes greeted the girl. "You… wouldn't give two starving cats… a place to stay… would you…? Miss Akane-chan?" Circe asked pitifully.

Akane couldn't help but chuckle. "Sure! I don't think anyone will mind… now that Ranma's moved out at least." Her tone faltered to a sad grimace as she finished that sentence. Ranma. God she missed her but… it was for the best. She would always love the baka; it just simply wasn't meant to be.

The cats gave twin beams to the girl. "Thank you! Akane-chan!"

"Okay. I can do that." Akane said happily. She sighed realizing that she was going to be late for school if she waited much longer. She turned and began to walk out of the alleyway. Then stopped. "Uhm… how do I change out of this?"

The cats sighed. New Senshi was always such a bother!

---

Shampoo flew like the wind, gliding along the fence as fast as she could. Three deliveries! Fifteen Minutes! Three ends of town!

No one but Shampoo could do something like that! No one!

Well… except for Baka-Mousse she reluctantly admitted. And Ranma probably could if her great grandmother had ever trusted her erstwhile ex-husband with the tedious task of delivery.

No. Her Great-grandmother found it much more entertaining to keep Ranma at the restaurant those few times she'd worked with them.

Shampoo sighed. She still loved Ranma. Which was strange. She'd loved him as a man. As the strongest man known to exist in centuries. In the privacy of her heart she'd finally conceded the fact that Ranma was more than better than her. Something that she had only recently admitted to herself.

Far better.

Now that she was a full woman, she was in her rightful position as the strongest of her era. Strongest of her age of any era, or so her Great-grandmother told her.

She felt she might have been content with that. But… why was it that she still felt love for her?

Despite the lucid rumors that fluctuated around this backwater world that was Japan, the proud Amazon's had never engaged in lesbianism. It was just unheard of! Almost sickening when she really thought about it.

Yet when Ranma came to her mind… She saw herself with the red-head… happy. It wasn't the picture perfect image she'd kept in her mind of her and her husband training together, he teaching her to become a greater warrior, defying nature itself! She gave herself a little smile every time she thought of that particular image. Oh wouldn't the council have a hayday at that!? The greatest of their village second only to man! Hah! Served them right!

'Baka Council. Is too too stupid old traditions! Need update!' She thought absentmindedly as she carried out a delivery, speaking without even thinking of the words, collecting yen and returning less, like a robot, dashing off and bounding her bicycle onto the nearest fence, then directly onto the highway that swept around the outside of the city.

But that was an old dream now. A sad dream now. The type of dream that made her cry when no one was watching. Ranma… She wished…

Aw, who was she kidding? She'd been there at Mount Phoenix. She'd seen the fury in the raven haired boy's eyes, spawned by the violent girl's peril.

She knew she would never invoke such passion in Ranma. But still… she wished she could have had a chance. Now it seemed no one would get him. Unless they had no problems with just the red-head.

And despite how much she loved Ranma, she knew that she DID have a problem with that.

She sighed, putting the thoughts in the back of her mind and a happy grin on her face as she picked up the pace. Speed! God how she loved speed!

She raced along happily, flashing by faster than any bicyclist in recorded history.

That's when she suddenly heard a sound.

She looked to her left, rising for the first time in a while from her thoughts, to see a boy.

"Ha ha! Shampoo love this!" She exclaimed as she saw the foolish boy riding beside her, well past the speed limit himself, revving the engine of the motorcycle.

Boys were terrified little chickens by nature. Most of them anyway. Oh how she loved putting them to shame! Their metal and their engines! Pathetic!

She upped the pace. He kept up of course. She hadn't even begun!

Eighty Miles per hour was nothing.

"Shampoo think pretty boy, too too stuuupiid!" She exclaimed, waving to the boy on the motorcycle cheerfully. "She think pretty boy can't keep up! Will see!!"

And then she began. Blasting away, her legs moving like lightning made flesh she boosted ahead of the motorcycle, going at least a hundred miles per hour across the highway on the outskirts of the town.

Unsurprisingly, the boy tried to keep up. Surprisingly, he did so.

Shampoo smirked. "Brave one! Stupid. But brave. Shampoo give that!"

The boy, to her almost astonishment, let one hand go from the handlebars and threw off his sturdy helmet letting it fly behind them into the wind. "Come on! This the best you got!?" The boy taunted, his hair flapping in the wind. Short and blond, he radiated confidence. Speed was nothing.

Shampoo had never seen a motorcyclist lift his hand from the bars at over eighty. Let alone a hundred.

She still wasn't impressed as she watched him speed past her.

"Okay pretty boy!" She screamed.

Her legs burst into overdrive. A hundred twenty miles per hour? A hundred thirty? Hmph.

She didn't know past that but what she did know was that she had passed the place where she was supposed to deliver her food. And the boy was still breaking even with her!

She grit her teeth. This boy was brave! "You not so bad!" She exclaimed to the boy break-necking beside her.

The boy turned to her and grinned. "Aw come on! This is just warm up!"

Shampoo's legs having reached the maximum human capacity strained with just keeping up, as the blonde sped up again.

"Okay. Shampoo impressed. Boy brave! Shampoo see if stupid boy have skill to follow bravery!" She shouted, wind drowning out her words, but not so much that he couldn't hear her.

She blasted her bike into the air, curving it at a ninety degree angle and stopped in an instant, landing on a fence post aligned to an off-turning road, then in the same fluid motion, blasted off in the direction of the center of town, towards her next delivery point.

The cyclist, obviously unable to turn at such a degree sped right on by.

Shampoo smirked. "Baaaaka." She murmured. She had to admit. The insult had its merits.

She continued on her way, moving at about half the pace she had maxed out at on the highway.

Quite fast all in all.

So she was quite surprised to see a motorcycle fly through the air, appearing to have jumped over a house! And land right on the street three paces affront her!

Okay. NOW Shampoo was impressed. She grit her teeth. She would not lose!

"Stupid boy! You good! Shampoo better! You see if you keep up!" She exclaimed.

She turned again, blasting off towards they way they had been coming, preparing to take the scenic route to her delivery point. She rode on the fence for another two blocks, perhaps three and then made the real challenge for the wayward cyclist below.

"Let's see stupid boy catch Shampoo on roofs!"

And she did just that! Bounding her bike to the roofs she blasted away towards the delivery point.

She looked down. Left. Right. Nothing!

"Ha Ha! Shampoo win!"

A loud roaring of an engine ahead of her, though admittedly NOT on the rooftops sent her into a raging fury, as the blonde boy looked back and flashed a grin of confidence so palpable Shampoo began to think that it was Ranma in disguise.

"Rrrrrr! Shampoo show you!"

Blast! Jump. Jump. Jump. Blast!

Sonic cracks began forming in her wake as she jumped two and three buildings with every kick of the pedals.

Still the cyclist kept up, weaving between the small number of cars and people dotting the road like a madman.

"Boy is crazy!" She screamed.

And suddenly, without warning, something unexpected happened.

"Pfft!" her tire exclaimed hatefully.

Shampoo only had a precious few seconds to realize what happened as she was flung face first from the bicycle and sent flying.

'Oh… Shampoo hope Great-grandmother not get too angry.' She thought as she flew towards the concrete bracing herself for impact.

'Baka Shampoo.' She thought as she closed her eyes seconds before impact.

Thud!

"Jeezus Christ! Are you insane! I'm all for a good race but not if you're gonna kill yourself! You're on a bike for god's sake! You shouldn't expect to beat a cycle!" Phased in words as Shampoo's head wrung.

Surprisingly she didn't hurt. She rolled over and looked up to find herself in a quite unusual positon.

"Stupid boy?" She asked, cradled within the biker's arms.

"You're one to talk!" The boy exclaimed, staring down into her eyes.

"You… You catch Shampoo?" She asked.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Of course I caught ya! You didn't think I'd just let you fall did you?" She asked. "What kinda man would I be?"

At that moment, Shampoo felt herself swept away in a way only Ranma had ever done. "Sh-Shampoo… Impressed. Stup.. ah… boy is good."

The man grinned. "All in the wrist." He said, exuding that same confidence.

Shampoo flushed. "Shampoo… uhm… Shampoo grateful! Many thanks to boy for catching Shampoo!"

The boy looked at her curiously. "Jap not your first language is it?"

Shampoo's eyes widened, still more impressed. "No. Most stupid people think Shampoo just stupid. Shampoo speak Amazon mandarin!" She exclaimed happily.

The man smiled. "Thought so. So… I guess your name is Shampoo?" He asked, prompting a nod.

He grinned. "Well then Shampoo, you are most definitely psychotic!"

Shampoo felt her face flush. "Uhm… Shampoo… sorry. Not be so crazy… next time." She muttured, twidling her fingers nervously.

It was then that she realized the boy was actually holding her cradled in his hands, his bike thrown across the ground and skidded into a building.

The boy had leapt from the bike and landed catching her! Going almost a hundred miles per hour!

"S-Sugoi!" She murmured staring at the bike, leaning fully on it's side, skid marks following all the way to the wall it had crashed into. She wasn't even certain if she could leap from her bicycle and catch a falling body whilst moving at a hundred miles an hour and land on her feet! Without landing on her feet sure she could, but that last one took skill!

The man grinned. "Yeah. It's probably trashed but damn that was worth it! Best race I've ever had I tell ya! Even the end!"

He shook his head, blonde locks waving. "Think you can stand, beautiful?" He asked with a grin.

"Mmm!" Shampoo nodded. "That nothing! Shampoo win if stupid tire not pop! Uhm… What… uhm… name?" She asked quakily. She'd always hated asking people for their names, preferring to give them her own names instead.

But… she owed this one. He probably wouldn't like 'stupid boy.'

"Haruka. Haruka Tenoh. Pleased to meet ya, Miss Shampoo!" He exclaimed as he placed her on her feet and gave a flourish, hair waving in the wind.

Shampoo giggled at his antics, and flushed as the felt a rush of attraction that paralleled the feelings she got around Ranma.

"So. Would you mind granting me the privilege of helping you find your bike, M'lady?" He asked astutely.

Still flushed, she nodded. "Thank you." She murmured, still twiddling her fingers.

She realized with sudden alarm that what she was thinking was betrayal to both her tribal laws and Ranma. But… but…

She gave a guilty smile at his goofy grin. 'Shampoo want to be happy…' She thought. With that she beamed at him. 'Maybe… Maybe it fate?'

He offered his hand of all things and, without another thought, she took it, finding it quite firm. She couldn't help but compare to Ranma's own gentle touch. All in all he came quite close if in a completely different way.

'Fate…' She wondered.

---

She hated it. She hated it, she hated it, she hated it! Why!? Why was it all that anyone ever cared about!? Why couldn't anyone just! JUST…!

Go without it!?

Sex! It's all anyone ever talked about any more. 'Did you hear? Binaka had sex with Kaza!' Couldn't they just figure out that she didn't care? That she didn't want anything to do with it!?

…

That was a lie…

…

'Uhhhn… Why me…?' She sighed, mentally, even as thoughts that made cold flow right up her spine drenched her mind.

"I… I'm sorry… Kashi… I'm… I'm saving myself for marriage! I've told you that…" A lie. Nothing but a big, stupid lie!

The boy looked downtrodden and gave a sigh, and then a sad smile. "I love you… you know that, Right Setsuna?"

Setsuna nodded and looked into his eyes, happy that they did appear to exhibit quite a profound example of love for her.

That made her feel warm, yet guilty. She tipped her head down to the floor, losing the contact with his loving eyes. "I… I know… I'm sorry… I want to… really I do but…"

He reached out to her and caressed her chin with his hand. "Hey… I understand, Set. I love you." He said. "You've got no reason to look all guilty like that. Sides… that's one of the things about you I love most."

He winked causing her to smile. He always knew the best words to use…

"I-I… thanks Kashi…" She let go. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be. See ya tonight, kay? Ja!" He exclaimed, then dashed off.

She let out a sigh… "I'm such an idiot…" She thought to herself, trying to decide whether to tell her boyfriend or not. To tell him she had genophobia and just get it over with or hang on in the hope that he would stay with her despite the fact that she didn't think she'd ever be capable of 'putting out' for him.

She turned and slammed her fist into the locker, and instantly regretted it as she hopped up and down, desperately clutching her blaring knuckles.

"Itai! That was really stupid!" She shouted once she'd calmed down.

She left the school building. She loved walking home. It was always so relaxing… sun at its sixty degree angle from the horizon, brightly blaring freedom to all sixteen year old students such as herself.

It always made her feel good. Not as good as the moonlight. Nothing couldn't compare to the emotions the moon gave her. She never really understood why either.

A sinking feeling greeted her. One she was more than familiar with. She'd always felt something was missing. She'd used to think that it was love until she'd met Kashi. They'd dated and she was quite certain she'd fallen in love with him.

Yet that something was still missing.

So lately she'd begun think that it was sex. Her largest fear… She shivered every time she thought about it and had decided that it couldn't be it. How could sex be the thing to fill the empty hole that she had always hidden in her heart?

No. It wasn't sex.

But what could it be? She felt lonely and sad. And old, though she was most definitely not old at the youthful age of sixteen.

"Jeez… Today was a terrible da—!"

Suddenly, a black hole appeared below her and before she even knew what was happening, the green-haired beauty fell in.

In an instant she was falling, faster and farther then she'd ever fallen off of anything. Her stomach was fluttering in utter panic and she screamed.

"Wh-what's happening!!?" She shouted to the darkness surrounding her.

And, as fast as it had begun, she stopped. She didn't hit the ground. Didn't impact. Just stopped, floating.

The darkness around her poured in as her vision cleared and she opened her eyes. The weightlessness she felt was surreal and she quaked in terror.

"Wh-where am I…?" She asked the darkness.

"Home, Setsuna. You are home." Came a deep masculine voice in a seductive manner.

Setsuna gulped. "Wh-who are you?" She begged fitfully.

She could feel the man smirk at her! Smirk! She couldn't help the indignant anger that rose as his chuckle filled the air. "Oh don't be surprised Setsuna. You did the same thing to me last time. I'm just repaying the favor!"

Suddenly a hollow glow filled the world and she touched ground, and gasped in relief. Mist, grey and wafting floated about her everywhere, and despite her feet finally being on solid ground, she still felt weightless. "Wh-where am I?" She repeated.

A man appeared, giving a face to the darkness. "Home, as I told you."

He stood, wreathed in a cloak made entirely from billowing black smoke that was only a visible against the grey mist of the floor. He was tall, more-so than herself, which was strange. Caucasian, with unruly blonde hair that stretched down to his neckline. Muscles seemed outlined within the smoke, giving the impression that just beneath that strange wafting cloak he was naked.

It made Setsuna blush a bit but she was more thank capable of keeping her mind focused. "Why'd you bring me here!?" She demanded. "Who are you, and where the hell am I?" She exclaimed.

"Touchy touchy!" He replied, playfully, the dark and deep voice now gone. "I was just playing with you Suna-chan!"

"I don't find this-" she exclaimed pointing the world of pure darkness and hazy mist, "Funny!"

He shrugged. "It's not like you wouldn't have come into it on your own in the next two years or so anyway. I was just helping you along. I've waited for… a long time… Suna-chan."

"Who the heck ARE you!?" She screamed, her voice now squealing in fury.

Dammit! She just wanted to be like everyone else! But no! Now she'd been kidnapped and even THAT wasn't normal!

It made her want to cry!

"Come on. I bet you know who I am. Say the first name to come to mind." He said with a smirk. Suddenly he shrugged, brought a hand up and rubbed his eyes, as if wiping away tears.

'Lio.' Her mind thought instantly. 'This is Lio.'

She blinked. "Th-that's ridiculous! I've never seen you before in my life!"

The man hesitated. "You remember… nothing?" He asked, now almost pitifully.

"Never in my life!" She repeated angrily. 'Lio. You know him! Lio!'

"Ah, but in your last one…" He said and trailed off. "You… really don't remember anything…? I'd hoped…"

Setsuna shivered. "M-my last life?"

'This is Lio!' Her mind screamed at her again blazing madly at the back of her skull.

He smiled as an epiphany seemed to wash over him. "Perhaps you will recognize me better like this."

He brought his arm forward and it fell out from under the misty cloak revealing a normal muscular arm with a scroll of paper in it. Tied to that paper was a small white ribbon.

"Liopolis Planet Power Makeup." He said quietly.

The cloak of smoke blasted away from him and his face became less narrow. Adams apple disappeared and he… shrunk. Feminine curves accentuating a black suit with a white fuku boots, gloves and a silver tiara with a white gem in the middle all appeared on her as if brought there by magic.

Setsuna's jaw dropped. "Y-your one of the Sailor Senshi! But… I've never seen a black one before!"

The girl smiled. "So are you. My opposite. You are my chain as I am yours. Do you remember nothing, Setsuna?"

Setsuna gulped. It would be fine if this were all freaking her out beyond all reason, but it was striking a chord in her that made her heart beat. A chord that beat eerily close to the emptiness. To the feeling of something she was missing that she'd always felt. "Lio…" She murmured. "L-Lio?" Then she questioned.

The Senshi had already been smiling. But at those words tears began falling down her cheeks. S-Setsuna… I knew… I knew you would remember… T-Time is your playground! But I was so afraid, you wouldn't remember anything."

Setsuna backed up. "D-did I… say something wrong?" She asked concerned. Then she smacked herself mentally.

'Great Setsuna! Fall for your kidnapper acting mushy! Real smart!' She said thought to herself sarcastically.

Then another voice. A memory. A long forgotten part of her soul told her something else. 'It is Rebirth! You can trust him with your life. You know this. Time.'

She shivered with the conflicting emotions.

"R-Rebirth?" She asked. The woman in the Senshi uniform gave an even louder sob and sunk to her knees, hugging herself.

With that an impulse, so strong that Setsuna couldn't possibly resist, swept over her. Like standing on the side of a cliff, the small urge to just throw oneself over, magnified a hundred fold. Setsuna rushed forward and embraced the girl, holding her tighter than anyone she'd ever held.

"Lio!"

"Time… Oh Time… I missed you…"

Weeping into the other girl's shoulder she could only nod, trying to understand why she was crying. "Rebirth… Lio. I don't understand… who you are… But…"

"I'll never let you go again, Setsuna. Never again." The girl moaned, sending a jolt of excitement and joy up Setsuna's spine.

"I know you won't Lio. I know…" She murmured. And for that one moment, the thing that she'd always been missing… the thing she'd always longed for… had finally been found.

"Lio…"

---

End Chapter

---

Author's Notes:

It has come to my attention, after watching the first two seasons of the Sailor Moon anime (god forgive me.) That In all honesty, and despite many fanatically hating fanon's (or perhaps fan-offs), "Tuxedo Kamen-Sama" Is not NEARLY the weakling they make him out to be.

The only times he leaves the fights that Moon and the others are in is when he is sure they can win. When he does fight, he nigh on ALWAYS kicks the ass of enemy youma, and he DOES fight. The only problem is that his signature entrance is that rose and people seem to lose sight of the fact that he engages in the enemy as often or even MORE often the senshi (excluding Usagi) do! During the First season there was about one time near the end that he actually took a single hit(excluding his subsequent death shortly thereafter).

Gotta admit I'm slightly annoyed at just how much he's been butchered by fanon. Oh well.

Now to the real Author's notes.

Oh well. I hope this chapter was enjoyed! I get the feeling that I've struck gold with this idea. Personally giving myself props on the Shampoo/Haruka scene! . I feel the sheer comedy I hope that scene produced is of a level akin to about three lower then girl days! I would be content with that.

This is an 'angst' fic after all. Can't get TOO funny, though I realize this first chapter was mostly fluff.

Other random Muses.

Heh. Weebee… come on… you KNOW I've always been an astute fan of the locked fics. I know you know that. Of course it was only a matter of time before an original idea struck me with all the force of a hammer. Seriously. Has anyone ever seen me write fourteen thousand words in under two weeks? Anyone? Come on.

Well. Smiles is coming, slowly. Mark is on hold for the first time ever. Sorry all. With RJ's death bumming me out I'm not in the mood for WoT.

Damn bastard.

After writing this story it has also come to my attention that the word 'aisle' is probably one of the most confusing words in the English language. A S I L E. Someone tell me why? It could be spelled Ile, or Eyal or Aial but NOOO. Webster had to be a dick and confuse us all. Seriously. It must have taken me fifteen minutes to figure out how to write the damn word because I refused to spell check or to figure it out! And that's not even mentioning the other word form which is just as confusing! ISLE! OMG WTFH?

Random like I said… sorry.

As to Liopolis. He's sorta taking the place of Setsuna in this fic. Setsuna was the 'know all be all' of the Second season. The 'behind the scenes' coordinator. Lio is gonna be quite like that. More for that match-up will be explained as well as I continue.

Lets see… One more thing before my chaptual beg for reviews.

Aoide is shamelessly stolen from greek mythology and is the goddess of Song. A cookie goes to whoever figures out where I got Liopolis from, and the reasoning behind it. It should be a bit more difficult. Two cookies to someone who knows the answer without the net!

Alrighty, that's all the meaningless stuff. Now the important thing! "Pwease Review?" I DID spend the past two weeks plugging away at this fic in nigh on CONSTANT effort. While honestly I would continue this piece of brilliance (to me anyway) if I didn't even conjure a single review, they do so make writing all the more enjoyable!

Till Next!

MB