SMST: Earth. Wind and Fire! By DS Wynne

Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon", "Ranma ½", "Star Trek", "Dragonball", "Avatar" and other properties belong to their respective owners.

Note: This is a multi-genre story.

Special note: This story takes place shortly after the defeat on Piccolo Daimao on Chikyuu.

Part 3

The village that Sokka and Katara belonged to was similar to many ice-based communities that Ranma and Usagi were already familiar with. What were not familiar were the polar bear-dog and the otter-penguin. It was as if some god or alien intelligence got bored one day and began to "smoosh" the more familiar Earth creatures at random. Still, this was not as strange as the talking anthropomorphic creatures that exist along side humans…and dinosaurs back on Chikyuu.

In the meantime, Ranma was trying to get the planets position using the astrocompass that Dr. Briefs had given him. It was not powerful enough to give him a spot-on location of this planet the inhabitants call "Jeegoo" (translate as "Earth" in the Korean dialect), but Ranma can use his skill as a navigator to pinpoint how far off course "The Dragon's Way" went.

"Hmmm," Ranma says, as he looks into the sky with his compass. Ranma was wearing a "gortex" parka that kept him quite warm.

"WEEEEEEEE!" Aang yells, as he slides by on the back of an otter-penguin. "This is fun, Katara!"

"I know, isn't?" Katara replied, as she tried to keep up on the back of HER penguin.

Sokka had exited one of the huts to do a quick errand, when Aang and Katara slide by, causing an embankment of snow to cover the boy in the process.

SKEEEEEE-!

WHISH!

"Gah!" Sokka yelled, as he fell back covered with ice. "KATARA!"

Ranma merely chuckled-

"Son, how are things going?" says an older voice.

Ranma turns to face an older woman.

"Oh, nothing," Ranma says. "I'm just trying to determine where this planet is located in the heavens."

"I'm sorry that my village is of any use to you," the woman known as "Gran-Gran" says. "But I am sure that you will find the way home-"

"WEEEEEEEE!" Goku yells, as he slides by on the back of another otter-penguin.

"Well, as long as my family is safe, I'm not in a hurry-"

"WEEEEEEEE!" Usagi yells, as she slides by Ranma on the back of yet another otter-penguin.

"And it seems as if your friends are enjoying themselves here, too…"

Ranma nods his head in reply. After what has happened during the past year, it was nice to have a chance to relax for once…especially after surviving the wraith of the sinister Namek known as Piccolo Daimao. In spite of wanting to take on Piccolo, Ranma knew that Goku had to be the one to confront the evil half of Kattasuu-sama, the Kami of Chikyuu. He might not have agreed with Kami's assessment, but even he knew that Goku had to face his destiny.

'Kattasuu…' Ranma thought to himself. 'You've certainly earned your title of 'Kami', even if you aren't one…'

Ranma, being as experienced as he was about the ways of the Universe, understood that Kattasuu was really a powerful alien, and not a god…though that made very little difference if one was about to face death. If it hadn't been for his use of the Sharingan during his fight against Kattasuu's servant Mr. Popo, an immortal jinni, he and the rest of his family would have been turned away at Kami's Palace. He was glad that Kattasuu was nice enough to train him and his family for a little while before embarking on the trip back to Earth. Still, in spite of being an alien, the guardian of Chikyuu was a better 'man' than most gods Ranma was familiar with. Heck, technically, he and Usagi were 'godlings', due to the fact that their respective souls were 'harmonized' with the very Source of all Creation, a key prerequisite for ANY god or alien intelligence. Even so, being a godling only conveyed immortality and the proverbial "bonus roll" (to use a role-playing game term).

Other than that, a godling has to develop his or her personal power, and still have to worry about being killed in battle…not that Ranma and his young family are defenseless in this regard. Being the 'training junkie' that Ranma was, he took to the various training techniques like a fish to water, as did his son Goku. It did take some coaxing to get Usagi to train, due to the fact that she was depressed a lot for not being able to be intimate with Ranma after the two got married (in order to legally adopt Goku). Nevertheless, Ranma learned the methods of the Kame Senin ("Turtle Hermit") Ryu from that pervert Master Roshi, which includes the Kame-Hame-Ha (which allowed Ranma to forgo the need to generate energy attacks based on emotion), the "Distructo Disc", and a more advanced version of the Splitting Cat-Hairs technique called the "After-Image Technique". Learning these techniques, in addition to wearing "weighted training" clothes increased his overall strength and speed, though not by much (due to knowing the "Big Dipper Fist" years before). And to think Usagi and Ranma (in his female form) had to show off their bodies just to get Roshi to teach them and their son. Jerk.

Besides the Kame Senin Ryu, the Saotomes as a whole adopted the Tsuru Senin ("Crane Hermit") Ryu, after its chief practitioner, the talented three-eyed Tenshinhan broke with his master, after his master proved to be dishonorable at Goku's last martial arts tournament. It was its more graceful style that attracted Usagi to the Art, which is probably why Usagi, unlike himself, is a master of the technique. Tsuru Senin Ryu consists of the "Air Dance Technique" (the ability to fly), the precise energy emitting "Dodon-Pa", the more-familiar Kiai Technique (a psychokinetic attack using one's "chi"), the Tri-Beam Canon, and the Taiyouken Technique ("blinding flash").

To be sure, the Saotomes are familiar with both "Hermit Arts", but the skill levels between Ranma and Usagi were not consistent. Ranma focused on those techniques that complimented his own Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu (which was used as a means of trading for different techniques), while Goku simply wanted to train with his new father. Usagi, on the other hand, simply learn as a way of tempering the alien predator that lurked within her. Having gotten sick of Roshi's perverted ways, Usagi found another training master: the Crane Hermit. Unknown to her at the time, the Crane Hermit had merely wanted to use her in a scheme against his rival the Turtle Hermit. In the end, Usagi was not turned against her husband and son, though she did enjoy beating the holy heck out of Roshi. United once again, the Saotome family exchanged what they knew as a sign of solidarity. So while Ranma (and Goku) was a master of the Turtle Hermit Arts, he was only an adept in the Crane Hermit Arts; and while Usagi was an adept of the Turtle Arts, she became a master of the Crane Hermit Arts.

Later on, the family moved to Kami's Palace for additional training, but cut their stay short in order to go on a nice family vacation…or so they thought.

"Ranma, may I ask you a favor?"

Ranma turns to Gran-gran.

"Sorry, but I'm taken," Ranma says with a smile.

"Cute. No, it's about my grand-daughter Katara."

"Whoa, whoa. You're not asking me to-"

"Of course not," Gran-gran says. "Beside being too young, I do not like the idea of a betrothal."

"Okay, but then…?"

"With the Avatar here, I have a feeling that my granddaughter will play an important in his life. And I would not be surprised if she and her brother Sokka will be accompanying the Avatar to his…destiny."

"Personally, I believe one should make their own destiny-"

BOOM!

"What the heck was that?" Ranma says, as he and Gran-Gran exits the family hut.

"That…sound came from the Fire Nation ship," Gran-Gran says.

Ranma nods his head, and runs to the direction of the sound. He stops, and sees his family and their friends standing in front of the old ship that was propped up by ice. From what he was told, this was a result of a counter-attack by water benders…

"What's going on?" Ranma asked.

"Heh," Goku says, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Aang and I were exploring the ship, and well-"

"I'm sorry about this, Ranma," Usagi says. "I kind of let them do that…"

"Aang and I got stuck in a trap on board the ship," Katara says.

"I just wanted to know what was happening," Aang says with worry. "But now…"

"Guys, look!" Sokka yelled, as he points to the burning stack of a fire nation vessel.

"Oh, no!" Katara says fearfully. "Now…now I might go away, too…"

Everyone seemed pensive, until-

"Neat, we get to meet more people!" Goku says enthusiastically, which warranted a collective sweatdrop.

"…"

"Well, I better get ready to meet them," Sokka says grimly, as he heads back the village.

"Sokka, don't-!" Katara called out.

"What's Sokka doing?" Usagi asks.

Katara looks down dejectedly.

"Ever since Father and the other tribesmen went off to war, Sokka has been trying to be the man of village," Katara says. "But…I don't want him to get hurt…"

"Well, with us around, NO ONE will be," Usagi says with a smile.

"Oh?"

A short time later, Prince Zuko and his entourage steps down from the gangplank. Meanwhile, Sokka, dressed in traditional war garb, gets ready to attack the lead man: Zuko.

"Okay, I'm ready," Sokka says, as he crouches.

"Um, Sokka, you REALLY shouldn't do this," Ranma says. From the mannerism of the approaching men, these guys were professional soldiers…

"Shut up!" Sokka says. "It's MY responsibility to protect the Southern Water Tribe."

Ranma sighs, as he steps back.

"Ranma…?" Usagi began to ask.

"No, we agreed to NOT show anyone what we can do…unless necessary," Ranma says. He then turns to his son. "And that means YOU, too, Goku."

"Ah, man," Goku says.

"Maybe these people are not bad," Aang says.

"Don't be so naïve, Aang," Katara says.

"Well, maybe they just need to know that there is a better way than fighting…"

As Zuko crossed the plank, Sokka charged.

"Ahhhhhhh-!"

Without a misstep, Zuko performs "round-house" kick on Sokka, knocking the boy off the plank.

"Oh, boy," Ranma says, as he shakes his head.

"Okay, you PEASANTS!" Zuko yelled. "Where is the Avatar?"

Before Aang could answer-

"Hi, I'm the 'Avatar'!" Goku says. "You want to be friends?"

"Goku?" Usagi asked quietly.

Tbc.