HistorianoftheKais- I want to thank all of my readers who have posted a review and I wanted to clear up two things that were being asked in the reviews. One person commented that the Silver Millennium would have done away with the punishment I created long ago. I can't really argue this one way or another and at this point in the story is a mute point. However, I would like to point out that there are still taxes on the books in the U.S. for taxes that were emergency measures to help pay for the Spanish-American War! Also, someone said that I was making Ranma into a 'badass'. I don't see it like that, Ranma in my story has about the same personality that he had in the latter volumes of the Manga. But he will also have a temper that will flare up whenever someone attacks Usagi whither it is verbally or physically. Now on with the story
Nodoka was deeply worried about Ranma. He had come home female and in a bad mood and without giving her a hello, proceeded up to his room. She had called him down to dinner an hour ago and he had not responded. Nodoka sat at the table debating wither or not she should start to eat the dinner she had made alone before it got cold. She then chilled herself for thinking like that while Ranma was in obvious distress.
It hurt her so to see the kind of life her son had to put up with. First there was her husband's admittedly less then stellar raising of him which she had foolishly allowed. Next, Ranma had to put up with that annoying curse. After that, Ranma was then promptly engaged to that dishonorable Akane. However, Nodoka suspected that this current trouble for her son must have something to do with the latest curve ball in his life.
Nodoka honestly didn't know what her thoughts on that aspect of her son's life. Nodoka's parents had raised her in the Buddhist and Shinto beliefs, so the idea of reincarnation was not a foreign concept to her. However, she had never expected to have that belief confirmed and confronting her like it was in Ranma's situation. Nodoka didn't know where to go to get help in helping Ranma deal with the problems connected to his past life.
However, Nodoka was not about to let that handicap stop her efforts to help her son. While she might not know what Ranma had lived through in his past life as 'Prince Nephelite,' she did know that right now she was his mother and nothing could change that. Nodoka did have a small smile at the thought that her son had been a prince as she slowly walked up the stairs.
Nodoka walked down the hall towards the closed door of Ranma's room. Nodoka softly knocked twice on the door and waited for Ranma to respond. After waiting a few minutes for Ranma to respond, Nodoka softly opened the door and stuck her head inside. It tore at Nodoka's heart to see Ranma lying on his bed crying into his pillow. Her son was a proud boy so whatever had reduced him to crying like this must have really been bad for her boy.
Nodoka softly glided over to Ranma's bed and gently scooped her son into her arms. It a while for Nodoka to calm Ranma down and get the story of what happened out of her boy. She saw how alone Ranma was feeling at that moment when he told her about how he had to explain facts about the Silver Millennium to the Sailor Scouts like they were little girls.
Nodoka could see that Ranma had used the fact that the Scouts had been reborn to help him cope with the stress of dealing with his past life. However, that incident had shattered Ranma's safety net. Nodoka saw the little prince in Ranma that wanted and needed the Sailor Scouts to be better than he was. They had obviously been Nephelite's heroines growing up who were always there for him with advice and help.
Softy Nodoka whispered into Ranma's ear, "Don't worry my son, everything will be fine." Ranma turned to look at his mother with a lost expression on his face. Nodoka smiled and said, "You've had a bad shock today. Even after living your life as my son, there is still a part of you that is a little boy. A little boy who today found out that his heroines were human. Just because the sailor scouts can't remember their past lives as well and you can, does not mean that you're alone."
At this Ranma looked down at his legs and said, "That may be true. But what kind of a person am I turning into? I lost complete control of myself and brutally attacked Uranus. I mean, yes she was disobeying the princess and needed to be brought down a peg or two; but she didn't deserve to be mangled like that."
Nodoka thought for a second about how to answer Ranma before she spoke. "Ranma, I don't know why exactly you acted like you did. However, I think I can put your mind at ease. You were very close to the princess in your last life. That closeness has turned into a very large desire to protect the princess in this life. You assumed that all of the scouts had all of their memories of their last lifetimes just like you did. When that Sailor Uranus started to disrespect Sailor Moon in front of you, you using the information that you had at the time logically assumed that she was insulting the princess with full understanding of what she was doing."
"So you see Ranma, when you acted like you did, you were trying to bring justice to a serious offence and save a life at the same time. True, you should have acted about it calmly and checked with the princess first, but you are honestly sorry about it and the princess forgave you. Put this in the past my son and learn about it. You now know how protective you are of the princess and how enraged you can be by her being attacked. I know that you can learn to control your anger and continue to help your friend."
Nodoka watched as Ranma thought about what she had said for a few minutes. Then Ranma's confident grin slowly returned to his face showing that she had gotten her message across to Ranma. After Nodoka gave Ranma another hug, she led the both of them down to the kitchen where she re-heated dinner.
Ranma and Usagi were calmly walking home from school together in comfortable silence. Both of them had once again met up on their way to school and had started walking with each other. Ranma wasn't saying anything because he still thinking about what his mom had told him last night. Usagi wasn't trying to talk to Ranma because she could see that something was eating at her acquaintance and to be honest, she was still trying to get over the shock at realizing that the Silver Millennium wasn't as rosy and glistening as she had so childishly assumed had caused.
At school during her free period, Usagi had talked to her history teacher about countries around the world and their morals. She had been slightly shocked to learn that every country it seemed had, as her old teacher put it, a 'skeleton in their closet' of some sort. On seeing how many countries had things that their people were not proud of, but were still able to move past them, Usagi had her hope in the Silver Millennium restored.
However, even though her hope was restored in her past kingdom, Usagi was now looking at it in a permanently different light. The kingdom that her past life would have inherited was a real kingdom, with all the muck and grim to go along with the marble and champagne. The people of the kingdom would have had to have been real people who could love, appreciate beauty, and had hopes and dream. However, there was a side of her people who could hate, despise, and loathed their fellows. That side might have been small and kept in check, but to pretend that it wasn't there would have been foolish.
This train of thought made Usagi wonder, what had happened in that future of Crystal Tokyo? Her future self had told her in private that Crystal Tokyo was just as great and perfect as the Silver Millennium had been at its height. What exactly was Neo-Queen Serenity referring to when the queen had told her that? Neo-Queen Serenity had called Crystal Tokyo a utopia. However, Usagi knew now that, while it might have been a splendid and generally just kingdom, the Silver Millennium was not a utopia.
Usagi racked her brains to think about what that logically said about Crystal Tokyo. This was hard for her because Usagi liked to just do whatever Ami told her was the best choice was. Finally she decided that it must have meant that Neo-Queen Serenity must not have truly understood what it was she was running. This could explain, Usagi thought, why Crystal Tokyo suffered so much during the Black Moon attack. If Neo-Queen Serenity was living a fantasy life, then she must not have prepared for the possibility of attack.
Usagi then made a promise to herself then there silently as she walked next to Ranma. Usagi vowed that she would look at each situation that came up as clearly as she could. That didn't mean that she couldn't strive towards her goals, but that she wouldn't just ignore the facts that she didn't want to hear about. As much as Usagi didn't want to do it, she knew that she would have to get some books on warfare. Also, some books on political history would be needed if she was to become the leader the scouts needed and possibly a queen.
Usagi and Ranma were approaching a large park when Ranma noticed a person walking down a cross street towards them. Ranma then stopped walking and shouted out, "Hey Ryoga, how you doing?!" Usagi stopped walking and turned her head to see who Ranma was yelling at. She saw a boy about Ranma's age carrying a backpack and a red umbrella.
Usagi thought that the boy who she assumed must be Ryoga was cute. Not as cute as Ranma, but still cute. Usagi's mind suddenly came to a halt as she went over her thoughts. Ranma? Cute? Usagi turned to look at her pigtailed friend on the fence who was smiling like he was without a care in the world. A faint blush appeared on Usagi's face as she realized that her friend was indeed a very handsome young boy her age. Usagi stopped thinking about that immediately. She had only lost Mamoru about two weeks ago and Ranma still was quite sore about the loss of his fiancé. Dating anyone wasn't in the cards for either of them at the moment.
Usagi pulled herself out of her thoughts and watched as Ranma flipped off the fence and landed a few feet in front of Ryoga with his arms across his chest and a smirk on his face. "Hey Ryoga, where are you going?" Ranma said in a friendly voice that also seemed to carry a challenge to Ryoga as well. Ryoga lifted his umbrella off of his shoulders and put one end on the ground while keeping the other end in his hand. Ryoga answered Ranma, to Ranma's surprise and delight, in a cheerier tone than was the lost boy's normal. "I was just looking for you Ranma. After all, we have a match to settle between the two of us."
Ranma's eyes lighted up when he heard Ryoga say that to him, a good old fashion martial arts no holds match was just what the doctor ordered in his mind. Ranma then said while pointing his thumb behind himself at the park. "Let's take the fight in the park where there'll be less property damage. Usagi, if she wants, can tell us when to begin." At this Ryoga noticed Usagi who was standing behind Ranma and said, "Hey Ranma, who's Usagi?"
At this Ranma said, "She's the daughter of my mom's closet friend. Our parents live near each other and we go to the same school." Ryoga nodded his head at what Ranma was saying and didn't get mad like he used to before he had spent time with the monks. Ranma then turned to face Usagi and, unknowingly on Ranma's part, used his lady-killer smile as he said, "So what do you say Usagi? Can you be a friend and give the starting signal for Ryoga and my match?"
Although not a big fan of violence, Usagi was happy to oblige Ranma and cheerfully nodded her head in agreement. To be honest with herself, ever since that night with the robbers, she had been curious as to how skilled her cursed friend was. The thought of seeing to very fit young men getting sweaty from working out in the hot afternoon sun had nothing to do with her agreement. Usagi led the two boys into the center of the park where they stood about twenty paces from her on opposite sides. Usagi raised her hand and with laughter in her voice said, "Ready, Set, GO!" she then got out of the way and sat down to watch what looked to be a good show.
Ryoga and Ranma rushed at each other to start the match. Ryoga attacked with a strong punch and Ranma with a strait kick to the side. Both boys' attacks were almost effortlessly blocked by the other, and looking into their friend/rival's eyes they smiled. This matched promised to be a good one between the two of them without any outside interference. Just a match between two friends who liked to see how they stood against the other.
Usagi watched as the two started trading punches and kicks at an extreme pace. While not a skilled martial artist or a rabid watcher of martial arts matches, Usagi soon noticed some facts about Ranma and his friend's fighting styles. Ranma, she noted, was more prone to trying to attack from a kick or a punch after a jump. Also, her friend liked to move around and attack at odd angles using his speed. Ryoga however, used a different style of attack. The boy was a tank just soaking up all of Ranma's hits. Ryoga would attack with his fists and apparently used his feet to keep himself firmly planted on the ground.
Usagi knew that Ranma was powerful, but when she started looking at where both he and Ryoga had missed a punch she was shocked. There were punch indents with cracks surrounding them in solid concrete! When Ranma or Ryoga would slow down for just a second and give her a clear look at their hands, Usagi saw that there wasn't any blood or any broken bones. Usagi honestly doubted that any of the scouts could take the kind of damage the boys were dishing out and still be conscious let alone smiling like Ranma and Ryoga were.
After about ten minutes of wire-fu like fighting between Ranma and Ryoga, Ranma back flipped a few times away from Ryoga and said smiling. "It's great to see that you've improved Ryoga! How about I show you my latest technique." Ranma closed his right fist and started to collect energy into the fist. When the hand was starting to glow with energy seconds later, Ranma made a punching motion with the fist and opened his fingers shouting, "Moko Dan Ha!"
A ball of white energy erupted from Ranma's fist about three feet in diameter and hurtled towards Ryoga. Ryoga just stood there and let the Chi attack come closer to him. Ranma was starting to get worried for his friend. Breaking point technique training or not, being directly hit by the Moko Dan Ha at that range would send Ryoga to lala land for the rest of the day at least.
Ranma was just about to yell at Ryoga to get out of the way when he saw Ryoga smirk and pull back his right fist. Ryoga then shouted out as he sent his fist flying towards the Chi attack, "Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken!" (Lion's breaking point fist technique) Ryoga's fist hit Ranma's Moko Dan Ha and caused the Chi attack to explode. However, the explosion of the Moko Dan Ha was funneled away from Ryoga and back the way the attack came.
Luckily for Ranma, who was shocked still at what he saw Ryoga do, the Chi blast completely dissipated less then two feet away from Ryoga leaving only scorched earth to show what had happened. Ryoga grinned and, while holding up his fist, said, "What do you think of my new attack Ranma? I may not be able to project pure Chi like I can do emotional Chi, but with the Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken I don't have to."
Usagi, who was safely away from the immediate action, was shocked at what she was witnessing. Where on Earth did Ranma and his friend learn these abilities? Although she didn't have Ami with the mercury computer with her, Usagi was sure that both of the boys hadn't used magic at all in their attacks. But if that was true, and she was willing bet a year's supply of ice cream on it, what were the two using for their attacks?
While Usagi was absorbing yet another attack on her view of the world, Ranma's brain was intensely analyzing Ryoga's attack try to figure out a way around it. Grudgingly Ranma had to admit that out of the two of them, Ryoga's first pure Chi attack was far more cleaver than his was. All the Moko Dan Ha was, when you got down to it, is a Moko Takabisha powered by the more potent pure Chi instead of Emotional Chi. The Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken on the other hand, took the principal behind the Bakusai Tenketsu training and took it to a whole new level.
However much Ranma admired his friend's hard work, Ranma was determined to win this match and not a rematch latter like he had when Ryoga had unveiled the Shishi Hakkodan. Ranma thought about what he had seen Ryoga do in the attack and what his rather imprecise Chi sensing, Ranma could read power levels but only on general notions, abilities told him. It would be close, but Ranma saw a glimmer of hope for victory. But first, in order for his plan to work, Ranma would have to test to see if his theory was true.
With a confident smile on his face, Ranma started moving around and shooting Moko Dan Ha's of different power levels at Ryoga. Each and every time a Chi attack approached Ryoga, Ryoga would use the Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken against the attack. However, Ranma had seen enough to know that he could win.
Ryoga watched Ranma continue his attack and the varying sizes of Chi attacks that the pig tailed boy was sending his way. Inside his mind Ryoga was ranting to himself. "What is Ranma up to? He may be proud of his skills and too stubborn to admit defeat, but Ranma wouldn't keep on wasting his energy like this. He'll never get me to admit it, but I know that Ranma's far too good of a fighter to uselessly attack me like this.
He can see that my Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken will defeat his Moko Dan Ha, so what's his game? He can't be trying to get ready for a Hiryu Shotan Ha can he? No, that can't be Ranma's game. While there is enough chi in the air for a Hiryu Shotan Ha, it's at too temperate of a temperature to be useful. Cologne could probably pull one off in these conditions, but she has far more skill in chi manipulation that Ranma had in Nermia or could have now.
Ryoga saw Ranma stand still for a moment and calmly collecting chi. Ryoga was expecting a huge attack with the way Ranma was charging up. However, when Ranma released his Moko Dan Ha, it was a rather small ball of Chi. Obviously Ranma had run out of energy but was still too stubborn to admit that Ryoga's technique could beat Ranma's.
Ryoga powered up his fist and launched it at the Chi attack, but was in for a huge surprise. Seconds after his fist had hit the chi ball, Ryoga found himself on his back looking up at a smirking Ranma. "H-how the?" Ryoga started to say, still shocked that Ranma had won. Ranma just smiled and patted Ryoga's head while Usagi was running over to them to check on Ryoga.
Ranma then said once Usagi had come closer, "You know Ryoga, that Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken of yours is really something. I never imagined taking the Bakusai Tenketsu training to such a level, but it figures that a guy like you who likes to plow through his opponents would. However Ryoga, there are two weaknesses to your attack." Ranma took a break for a second to put his hand on an outstretched finger and casually look up at the sky before listing the problems.
"Your first problem is that you can only use it with your right first and don't try to deny it. I threw several attacks that would have been easier to block with your left hand instead of your right. That is, of course, if you could use the Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken with your left hand as well as your right." At this Ryoga became embarrassed, he had been so happy to have his family curse taken care of that when he had created his attack he hadn't bothered to learn how to do it with the other fist.
Ranma then grabbed another finger of one hand into the other as he said. "The next weakness of the Shishi Bakusai Tenketsu Ken is that you have to apply at least the same amount of energy in order to completely deflect an oncoming attack. If you don't, as this match shows, you still block the attack but are caught in the aftershock. This wouldn't be so much of a problem except for the fact that you can't sense the strength of an approaching chi attack. You rely on your eyes to judge the strength of the attack. When you thought that I had unleashed a small chi attack instead of taking the time to really compress my chi, you only put a small amount into your attack."
At this point Usagi stopped standing next to the two boys, walked over to Ranma, and gave him a light bop on the head. Ranma rubbed his head and then turned to Usagi to say, "Hey! What was that for?" At this Usagi answered in a soft and friendly, but still at the same time firm, tone. "What was that for? Ranma, look around you for a second." Ranma and Ryoga looked around and saw the completely totaled section of the park that they were standing in at the moment.
Usagi put her hands on her hips and said to Ranma, "I can understand that you wanted to see how good you and your friend are. I actually enjoyed the show, when I wasn't worrying about your lives that is; but think for a moment. We're in the middle of a city. A city, might remind you, which has had to put up with attacks from various creatures every few days. Just how do you think the people of the city are going to feel when they find that one of the more popular parks has had a section renovated by you two?"
At this both Ranma and Ryoga looked sheepish and found the ground to be very interesting to look at. Usagi just couldn't chill the boys any longer; she had never really been mad at them in the first place, only worried. However, that didn't change the truth in her words. Usagi softly smiled and said, "I'm not saying that you guys can't have your matches here. I'm just asking you to stay away from the energy attacks okay?" Both Ranma and Ryoga nodded their heads and were rewarded to see a smiling Usagi.
Usagi then stood next to Ranma and said, "Why don't the three of us go out to eat? I have a little bit of my allowance left over with me and Makoto mentioned this great new restaurant that just opened up." Ranma and Ryoga both smiled at the idea of having a bite to eat, but they insisted that they pay for their meals. The three then left the area to go to the restaurant that Usagi had heard about. Apparently its name was the 'Mainland Mandarin meal stop' and was run surprisingly by a boy about their age.
Unknown to the three teens, there was another spectator to the fight. Setsuna Meioh had decided to come over to the park and do her paperwork there instead of at the high school. Setsuna was glad that she had decided to take a job in Juuban. It kept her from going crazy just standing by the Time Gates all the time, and allowed her to be close to her princess just incase Usagi needed her. It was for that reason Setsuna had taken a job at Usagi's school, and had found working with the children to be quite rewarding.
However the fight that Setsuna had just witnessed in front of her really surprised the immortal senshi of time. Setsuna couldn't read the future like the commoners of the Silver Millennium used to claim, but she could see the most probable outcome for major events at least a few days into the future. Also, ever since that future version of her had allowed chibi-Usagi to come back in time, her time scrying abilities had been on the frits. It happened every time something from a possible future came back into the now and would take a few more weeks to calm down.
But this couldn't have happened at a worst possible moment in Setsuna's opinion. She knew, generally that is, that there was a major threat on the horizon and she couldn't get any information with which to help the princess. In fact, Setsuna didn't find out about the Orochi's attack until a day after it had happened. Even now, since the Time Gates were still 'resetting' themselves, she still didn't know what happened there or who stopped the Orochi.
Could one of those boys with the princess have stopped the Orochi? Setsuna admitted that such an event was possible. She recognized that the boys were very strong and very skilled in the art of chi manipulation. But this knowledge brought about even more questions. Did information on that level of Chi manipulation somehow survive the destruction of the ancient kingdoms or did those boys rediscover the secrets on their own?
Ether way, it was obvious that the boys weren't out to harm the civilians and were at least acquaintances with the princess. From what Setsuna could see Usagi would, if she hadn't already, win the boys over to helping the Sailor Scouts. In these uncertain times, it would be wonderful to have more allies with which to protect the people of Earth. Also, the scouts could learn some things from the boys in order to become even better defenders of the city.
Setsuna had to break out of her musings to make her way to her car. Setsuna had a meeting with the other two active outer scouts in an hour and was just dreading it. Setsuna had told the two about the talismans and the need to find them before this new nefarious group did. However, knowing those two and especially Hakura, Setsuna could safely bet they had done something stupid that she would want to whack them on the head for. The two meant well and tried their hardest, but Setsuna just couldn't help but feel like she was the parole officer for them when they got going.
An hour latter Setsuna arrived at the Tenoh/ Kaioh household and went in the door. Setsuna walked into the family room and felt her eye develop a tic as she looked on the scene of an angry and banged up Hakura trying to be calmed down by a worried Micharu. After demanding to know what happened, Setsuna was told about the whole fiasco with the inner scouts and an unknown fighter.
On hearing what Dwiddledee and Dwiddledumb had done, Setsuna quickly knocked them both out with her Time Staff that she had somehow summoned without transforming. Sitting down with a bottle of Jack Daniels Setsuna said to herself, "What is with you to fools? Something must have gone wrong with your reincarnation, because you two were never, even at your worst, this dumb. I don't know what to do with the inner scouts or that new warrior, though I have to wonder where Endymion went off to.
However, I do know what I'm going to do with you to. If you to morons don't shape up, I going to take you to Las Vegas, get you knocked up, and put the kids in foster care. That way at least the royal lines of Uranus and Neptune don't die when you girls get the Darwin Award. Wait, that won't work because how can I be sure that you two will get the kids go to term? Maybe one of inners would be willing to have one of your fertilized eggs implanted into her womb?" Setsuna spent the rest of the day drinking and trying to figure out how to clean up the mess her two 'teammates' had caused.
Author's notes: There you have another chapter of Prince of Planets. Just so that people know, I don't hate Sailor Uranus and Neptune. It's just that where would you be with a Ranma crossover without some stupid humor. I've decided that Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will be filling the comedy routine that we see with Prince Herb and with Kiima and their subordinates for this story. Review please and I want you to know that the poll for this story is still open.