Title: Chaotic Rebirth

Author name: Trugeta

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Naoko Takeuchi and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after the failed wedding in the Ranma series and the defeat of Galaxia in the Sailor Moon Series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.


Chapter 6

Ranma was well on her way to Ryugenzawa, her new variant of the Umi-sen-ken aiding her greatly. Invisible as she was, the raven-haired girl had boarded a bullet train. Through wandering between the train cars she had no trouble finding a place, seeing that more than one compartment was empty due to the fact that the rush hour was over. All in all a very comfortable and, most of all, cheap way of travel, even though Ranma would never resort to it outside of an emergency. Her conscience simply forbade it.

The train finally reached the next big city before Ryugenzawa, seeing as the small rural town didn't have its own train station; that meant travelling via foot, but Ranma didn't mind. The baby didn't hamper her in the slightest any more; the phase during which she'd tired out very quickly was luckily over.

Ranma waited until the last passenger had exited and just slipped through the doors before they closed. Grinning to herself that her plan had worked the raven-haired neo-girl gathered her bearings. Shrugging to herself she immediately left for Ryugenzawa, following the signs. Ranma began her trek, and the path she walked on led her through forested area, much to her satisfaction. After the Saotome girl had walked for an hour—she walked at a normal pace so as not to wear herself out too quickly—she stopped to take a pit-stop.

Sitting down on the tree-trunk of a felled tree, she used the food she had stolen from the supermarket to replenish her energy; the raven-haired girl was very glad that she had stolen appropriate clothing and shoes, for hiking in her evening gown and heels would have been hell. Eternally thankful that she'd had the presence of mind to steal a Maglite, Ranma continued on her path after she had eaten; the raven-haired girl suspected that she'd need the Maglite later, seeing that October evenings didn't provide that much light, but she'd march on invisible and without light as long as she could.

Ranma made good way seeing that she was used to travelling in the wilderness, as which this path surely didn't classify; finger posts were very common, and only the most stupid of people or those with no sense of direction—Ranma briefly smiled as she thought of a certain lost boy—would get lost. She reached the small rural town of Ryugenzawa half an hour before dark, and was able to orient herself.

It had nearly been a year since her adventure in the forest surrounding the other side of Ryugenzawa, and she hoped that Shinnosuke's grandfather would remember her—Shinnosuke surely would not. Thankfully the grandfather had seen her female form before, so the chance was there that he would indeed remember her. Even if he didn't—regardless how unlikely that was—they'd hardly turn down a pregnant girl. And if they should try to hand her over to the local authorities—which was even more unlikely—she'd give them a little martial arts demonstration to show that would not be appreciated.

The raven-haired girl had to use a public restroom to relieve herself—again—and freshen up; she then made a short break in a public park for a quick meal. Once done, she started her march towards the region of the forest where Shinnosuke and his grandfather lived. She wasn't very worried that the men had moved; she had come to know them, however briefly, and knew them to be men who took their duties seriously. Besides, Shinnosuke couldn't survive without the water of life for too long anyway, and she doubted that his condition had changed.

Ranma marched on determinedly, and grumbled to herself when she finally had to resort to using the Maglite. Said usage turned out to be very much needed as the light fell upon a giant trap. "Crap," the raven-haired girl muttered, her eyes wide. "They must have moved the traps even nearer to town, which probably means they got greater trouble to contain the beasts. Hmm, maybe I can offer my help."

That said, Ranma carefully navigated her way through the trap-ridden forest, wary of both traps and giant animals. Chance was with her for a change, something that surprised the raven-haired girl to no end and put her on edge like nothing else, but she had long since learned to accept gift horses without looking them in the mouth.

Ranma finally reached the hut, and everything was as she remembered. Gathering her courage, the pregnant girl knocked on the door forcefully. For long seconds, nothing could be heard, and the raven-haired girl already suspected that the men had set out to prepare new traps. Then, finally, footsteps could be heard and the door was opened. It was Shinnosuke's grandfather.

"What can I do for… you?" the old man asked, scrutinising her closer.

Ranma smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it's me: Ranma. I just dyed my hair. Can I come in? It's damn cold outside."

The old man nodded and waved his hand to indicate that she could enter. "Come right in. Some hot water for changing back?" he offered as he led Ranma inside.

"I see you remember, sir. That's a kind offer, but it ain't necessary. And that's one of the reasons why I'm here," Ranma said with a deep sigh.

The bearded man looked intrigued. "Sit down, sit down. I'll get us some tea, I have some ready. Wait here, I'll be right back. And don't call me sir, just Gramps," he said with a smile.

The raven-haired girl nodded with a smile of her own and relaxed into the couch, but she didn't have to wait long before Gramps returned with two cups of steaming hot tea. Ranma accepted her cup gladly and used it to warm her stiff fingers as she took small sips.

Looking at Gramps she saw that he was waiting for her to begin her tale, and the raven-haired girl, never one to dissatisfy an audience, took a deep breath. "First, before I begin, where's Shinnosuke? I don't wanna tell everythin' twice."

Gramps nodded in understanding. "Well, Shinnosuke is out, setting new traps. The beasts have gotten bold lately, and we, as the last bastion, have to ensure that they pose no overt threat. But don't worry, I'll tell him everything you tell me."

The Saotome girl nodded. "Well, everythin' began three-and-a-half months ago…"

-.-

Two weeks later

Ranma had settled in with Shinnosuke and his grandfather, and the young redhead had found it surprisingly easy to get used to living with the men. They hadn't even thought about handing her over to the local authorities and had been very sympathetic. Easy going and likeable as they were Ranma found living with the two monster guards a refreshing change.

Life with them was funny as well, and Ranma, now in her fourth month, often helped Shinnosuke set new traps for the gigantic former zoo-animals. If only he wasn't so forgetful. The young woman grinned to herself as she went through a kata in front of the hut she now lived in with Shinnosuke and Gramps.

Shinnosuke almost forgot everything, and in the beginning she'd had to retell everything at least thrice a day; that had been until she had grown tired of it, had made good use of a mood-swing and had given him a tongue-lashing that convinced him to keep a journal. Ever since then things had been steadily improving.

Ranma had theorised that his forgetfulness might be related to the water of life he depended on, but it would have been far too dangerous to test this theory, which was why she kept her suspicions to herself. Better forgetful, otherwise healthy and alive, than dead.

Life with the monster guards was different indeed, and when she had told them in the initial greeting that she was pregnant and needed to get to terms with it, the two men had behaved even more like true gentlemen. She had absolutely hated it.

Ranma sighed to herself. In the time she had lived here she had come to experience what living with almost normal people in a semi-normal environment under almost normal circumstances was like. Well, as normal as living in close proximity to giant animals could be, at least.

Then there was the fact that Shinnosuke and his grandfather didn't get on her nerves like several people she could name. It did a world of good not to be yelled at and blamed for everything that went wrong, or to be constantly pressured into something or the other, or groped, fondled, insulted, and so on as she had experienced in Nerima, or to be constantly watched, controlled, and subjected to some strange test or the other as it had been at Saotome Manor.

In a nutshell, life in general had treated her pretty badly, and what her grandmother had said to her once—that Fate had destined her for great things—was a cruel joke to her. In her mind she had been screwed over by life since birth, and it never seemed to stop. Here in Ryugenzawa, life seemed to give her an improbable seeming break, and she had vowed to savour every minute—no, every second of it.

Gramps had even tried to offer her advice, and without wanting something in return! That concept had been just about alien to her, that someone did something for her because he thought he could help and not because he hoped to further himself. Nobody in Nerima, outside of Kasumi and—occasionally—Akane, had ever done so!

It had restored her faith in the human race a bit, albeit just a tiny bit. It didn't matter that Gramps' suggestion wasn't that helpful, it was the motivation behind it that counted. The old man had no knowledge of the Sailor Scouts but had gathered that they were usually fighters for the forces of good, thus he had suggested that Ranma try to talk to their leader, whom Ranma knew to be Sailor Moon.

The Saotome girl had known that Gramps had meant well, which was why she hadn't berated him for suggesting such crap. She had then explained that her word would stand against Pluto's, and she had reasoned that the Scouts would likely believe the Senshi of Time due to the fact that she was a trusted sister-in-arms, had awakened them, and had most likely been to hell and back with the other Scouts.

Besides, a millennia old Mistress of Time was simply more believable than a seemingly hysterical pregnant teenager spouting a story about a reborn Queen Serenity and how she'd stop the asteroid that would cause the Great Freeze.

Then there was the fact that she didn't trust them, and she'd be damned before she'd ever return to being her foolish, naïve, and trusting self again. Gramps had conceded the point, but they had spent many an evening discussing and planning.

Meanwhile, Ranma's pregnancy was developing nicely, but luckily it wasn't showing. Much. Her curves had rounded even more and her bust-line had grown, but her belly gave nothing away yet. Not overly much anyway. There was, however, no way that the raven-haired girl would forget about the baby that was growing in her. Especially not considering what was to happen the following night…

-.-

Ranma remembered clearly that she had gone to sleep. It had taken some time to find a comfortable position—as usual—and she had tossed and turned for a long time, but she had definitely joined the land of Nod at some point.

Yet she found herself in a strange and unfamiliar place that was nothing like the places she normally visited in her dreams. This place seemed to be a palace of some sort. Everything was held in silver and white and the palace was, in one word, breathtaking. Whistling lowly, the raven-haired girl began to explore.

Ranma was very impressed by the palace's interior. Light textures dominated the place, giving it the illusion of glowing from within. As if led by an inner voice, Ranma continued to explore and only stopped from time to time to take a look at the many photos that were hanging in different spots scattered across the various rooms. They were pictures of the various Senshi, and, remarkably, they resembled their current incarnations very much.

Her inner voice (or was it really hers?) finally led her to what seemed to be the throne room, and the young girl immediately took notice of the presence of another person. Switching into a defensive stance came as a reflex, and the red-haired girl assessed the person she had sensed.

Said person turned out to be a woman, and a remarkably beautiful one at that. She had long, silver hair that flowed down her back freely and was dressed in an exquisite silvery dress that hugged her curvy body like a second skin. Her appearance would have ensured her the envy of many.

"Hello, my descendant," she said with a smile that could outdo even Kasumi.

"Err, hello," replied Ranma uncertainly.

"I'm saddened that I can not interact with you, but I am nothing more than a pre-recorded message that has been activated due to the fulfilment of certain preset parameters."

"Err, what? Parawhatzit?" Ranma asked intelligently.

Instead of answering Ranma's questions, the recording continued. "You, my descendant, have chosen to give birth to my new incarnation. For that I am eternally grateful. I am well aware that you had to sacrifice a potential child of your own when you decided to carry my new incarnation, and I can not thank you enough for this, as well as for the other sacrifices you have probably made. The Serenity line is forever in your debt," she said with a genuine and warm smile.

"Look, lady, you dunno nuthin' 'bout my sacrifices—"

"My descendant, one of the prerequisites for my activation is that my new incarnation has begun to manifest her magical powers. Being the new Queen and my successor means that she'll have a vast magical reservoir and this, in conjunction with your own magical capacity, will allow for one very important thing: communication with your child. The development of my new incarnation has been altered and her magic has been changed so that she will be able meet you in a dreamscape of sorts."

"Meh, looks like she can't hear me," Ranma muttered. "Can't even tell her off then. But listenin' ain't gonna hurt."

"— magical connection between you and your child also allows for emergency meetings that will look like a trance to others. Cases of danger to you or the baby will be detected and be dealt with by her magic, and that is but only one example. In short, her magic has been set to detect any such dangers, so do not worry, my descendant," the recording smiled reassuringly at this point.

"Hey, I ain't afraid of nuthin'!"

"My activation means that your daughter will be able to communicate with you soon, so do not be surprised to find yourself in a dreamscape similar to this. Your daughter's appearance in the dreamscape will be determined by the genes that have been added to my own."

"Red hair for sure," Ranma muttered with a bemused shake of her head.

"Her magic will also allow her to choose her age freely within the dreamscape. Her magic ensures that she's not limited to the intellect of an infant, therefore communication will be possible."

"Neat. Betcha she'll choose an age older than mine," grumbled Ranma with a pout.

"The maturing of her magic will take place in several intervals, and it would be best if you had type nine shielding available so as not to alert hostile parties to the fact that a new queen is about to be born. Tread carefully, my descendant; the Silver Millennium has powerful enemies.

"In case you have no such shielding available, or in case something unforeseen and dangerous happens, my new incarnation knows of several safe spots within the Silver Millennium. I am truly sorry that you have been saddled with the responsibility to help rebuild our beautiful kingdom. I shall be forever in your debt for your efforts," she said with a bow.

"She's just a little bit outta date."

"I shall end this recording with the wish for you and my new incarnation to have good luck. Queen Serenity, out."

"Whoa, whoa, one sec here! I gotta lot of questions! Wait!"

However, the Queen had not waited and, as sudden as before, Ranma found herself in her bed, now wide awake. She laid awake for a long time after that, asking herself if that 'dream' had been real or not. Unbeknownst to Ranma, another party had taken notice of the manifestation of magical powers in the neo-queen…

-.-

A dimension away, a tall, green-haired woman wearing a white and black fuku nodded with satisfaction as she looked into the Gates of Time in front of her. She had been patient, and her patience was now being rewarded. The interference had sufficiently weakened, and she could at least scan the present again. Which was better than nothing and could make all the difference in this case.

"Have I finally got you… It has taken long enough," the Senshi of Time muttered after a long while of scrying.

Setsuna Meiou had managed to trace the origin of the magical outburst back to a human being this time, and the outburst had had the same magical signature as the causality wave she had detected about four months ago: the one that had thrown her onto her butt, literally.

This time around, the chaos surrounding the originator seemed less intense for some reason. It was as if the magical outburst had ripped the shrouds of chaos away, and she used the good opportunity to get a firm lock on her target.

The Gates of Time provided an image, and the fact that it was in black-and-white made her pause. Squinting her eyes so as not to miss a single detail, she stared into the Gates of Time, and got a look upon her enemy for the first time.

Not a pin sharp image as per usual, one that even discerned the person's location, no, it was an image that looked like a bad photograph. Something was blocking her here, and it was powerful enough to render the Gates of Time almost useless.

To her utter surprise it turned out to be a young woman, a quite beautiful one at that. This was her enemy, the destroyer of Crystal Tokyo and all her dreams? She could scarcely believe it, and yet it had to be true. The Time Gates had never been wrong before.

Acting quickly, she commanded the Gates of Time to show and record the life of this individual as well as the possible futures she might cause before the chaos became too strong once more. The download was completed just in time, to her immense relief. A few seconds later and all she would have gotten was static.

But the data she had gotten was far from satisfying as it didn't show more than the last two years of her target's life, and even that didn't cover more than snapshots. Nothing on her life-story, background or even parents, which was suspicious and unusual, to put it mildly.

It seemed that somehow her screening had been redirected, probably due to the culprit being a veritable chaos generator, and the only things she had been able to glean were the name of the young woman, Ranko Tendo, that she was cousin to Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane Tendo and that she was an incredible threat to Crystal Tokyo.

Add to that she couldn't lock in on her target and tell where she was currently residing, which had, to her knowledge, never happened before. Why she didn't know, but it seemed as if some kind of magical shielding redirected her screening attempts, but she hoped that a thorough analysis of the recordings would reveal more. Further screening was pointless anyway, and oddly enough, it had landed her in the bathrooms of an odd young man who sprouted the worst poetry she had ever heard.

Sitting down in front of the Gates in a cross-legged position, Setsuna began her analysis of the recordings. What she learned confirmed her worst fears. The young woman had a slightly pregnant look about her, gauging from the images, and Setsuna herself had seen more than enough pregnancies to recognise the hints.

She would have to conduct some more examinations that would hopefully shed more light, but it seemed that her enemy, which she now knew to be one Ranko Tendo, was indeed carrying a new life that could somehow endanger their carefully guarded future. Add to that, and that she had already suspected from the start, the teen was indeed the living embodiment of chaos, one that could rival the Chaos God of legend.

Killing Ranko Tendo could prove disastrous, and she didn't dare travel back in time and kill her at birth for the same self reason, provided she even could. Killing a nexus of chaos was always a tricky thing, and why should she go through that much trouble if other actions could be taken, actions that promised a far better success-rate?

She now knew about a quarter of Ranko Tendos' life, which should be more than enough to work with. But, and that was very odd, she hadn't gotten any info on her family other than on her cousins and her uncle, one Soun Tendo. This knowledge in conjunction with the conviction to know how Soun Tendo and his best friend, one Genma Saotome, would react gave her all the weak points she needed, though.

It seemed as if now was the time to reactivate one of her many identities. She would remove this nuisance from the picture before it could destroy her utopia, and she would use every method available aside from outright killing Ranko Tendo to achieve her ends.

The anomaly originating from the young woman the Gates had picked up on and which she suspected to be a baby had to be eliminated, and she would ensure that. But first off more thorough examinations were in order.

-.-

One month later

Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo were immersed in their favourite pastime (aside from playing shogi and go), namely conducting a lengthy pub crawl and amassing a tab longer than their arms. Ever since Ranma—the ungrateful boy—had gone on a training trip with Nodoka and her parents—instead of marrying Akane like he should—these pub crawls had been getting more and more frequent. Which was also not least due to the fact that Nodoka wasn't there to remind her wayward husband that amassing even more debts made Mr. Katana very unhappy and vengeful.

Luckily for the ageing martial arts masters, there were more than enough pubs in and around Tokyo so that the ones where they couldn't show their faces any longer were simply avoided. For the moment they were enjoying beer and sake in the 'Red Dragon', an old and traditional pub in the outskirts of Juuban.

The drinks were good enough but cheap, which was probably not least due to the fact that Youma attacks had been very frequent around there and still occurred from time to time. Genma and Soun were not the least bit put off by the chance that an ugly demon might pop up; they were martial artists, they didn't fear anything.

Said fearless, ageing martial artists were just about to order the next round when a strict looking woman in a dark business suit approached their table. She was clothed completely in black from head to toe, dark sunglasses included. An aura of authority surrounded the tall woman, and Genma began to sweat.

Was one of his many deals coming back to haunt him? Shit, and he had no idea where the ungrateful boy had disappeared to so that he could shift the blame on him!

"Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Agent Meiou, and I'm here on official business," the raven-haired woman said and flashed her authentic badge, which impressed Soun and Genma as much as it put fear in their hearts.

"H-How can we help you, A-Agent Meiou?" Soun asked nervously.

'Agent' Meiou kept her face impassive. "Mr. Saotome, Mr. Tendo, all that I can tell you that I'm here on very serious business and that it pertains to Mr. Tendos' niece, one Ranko Tendo."

Soun and Genma shared an incredulous look, both men thinking at the same time that Nabiki had obviously told the truth when she had said that she had had an identity for Ranma's female form created. That it could even stand up to governmental investigation was nothing short of incredibly impressive.

The men communicated silently that they wouldn't utter a squeak that could implicate Nabiki, as it just as easily could backfire on them in more than one way. If the government believed that Ranma's female form was indeed one Ranko Tendo it was better to let sleeping dogs lie, regardless of what they would learn from the Agent.

"I see," Soun said gravely, mentally reminding himself to consequently refer to Ranma as Ranko, "Ranko up and disappeared several months ago, on a training trip as she said. Has something happened?" he asked, genuine worry tingeing his voice.

Setsuna Meiou's face was an expressionless mask. "Before I tell you anything, would you mind relocating to a table that is less open to prying ears?" she asked, nodding her head towards the other patrons. "Maybe to the back-rooms this… place offers?"

"Not at all, Miss Meiou. We are happy to cooperate with the Emperor in any way we can. Right, Saotome?"

"Right, Tendo. Lead the way, Miss Meiou," he gruffed in an effort to hide his uneasiness.

Setsuna Meiou was hard-pressed not to smirk. 'This is as easy as my scrying of the Gates suggested. Those two are fools, and it will be oh so easy to manipulate them, especially the uncle of Ranko Tendo. Dyeing my hair was probably an unnecessary precaution.'

The disguised Senshi of Time led them to the back rooms of the pub, and the three sat down at a table that would make eavesdropping in on them very hard. "Okay, gentlemen, let's get down to business. I'm with the Bureau dealing with paranormal activity, and we have stumbled across something very worrying.

"We know of your history with paranormal happenings, and your file is one of the thickest and most interesting in the department. Chinese magic, oni possession, curses, to name a few. Very interesting, but it can't hold a candle to what we have come to learn lately."

Genma and Soun exchanged wary glances. She really seemed to know everything except Ranma's true gender, so playing it carefully was the chosen course of action. "And what is this worrying discovery you've made?" asked Soun.

"Mr. Tendo," Setsuna said as she focussed on Soun, her face serious, "I'm sad to be the bearer of bad news, but your niece, Ranko Tendo, has been kidnapped and impregnated by a demon," she said in an empathetic tone.

"And yes," she said at seeing their shocked faces, "we are certain. The unnatural energy the baby emits could be traced from time to time, and our department has no doubt that it is demonic in nature. We have a lot of experience in this field, trust me."

"WHAT! Ran… ko is pregnant? Never! This is an outrage!" Genma roared, spit flying from his mouth.

"That can't be!" Soun had exclaimed at the same time, complete and utter disbelief edged on his face, "That just can't be!"

Setsuna sighed deeply. "But it is. And it is a direct violation of existing treaties and—"

"It must be exorcised!" Genma and Soun roared in unison. "And we'll be happy to help, right Saotome?"

Genma bared his teeth. "You said it, Tendo! We will help! Any way we can!"

The Senshi of Pluto was hard pressed not to erupt in full-blown laughter. Those two were making it so easy for her. "Right, gentlemen. The government is unsurprisingly very interested that this unfortunate situation is rectified to our mutual satisfaction."

"What can we do to free my… niece from this devil spawn, Miss Meiou?" asked Soun Tendo eagerly.

Said 'Agent Meiou' used all her acting skills to look grave. "You might not like it, Mr. Tendo," she cautioned.

"Nonsense. This is Ran… ko we're talking about. We won't allow that she's forced to give birth to some vile devil spawn! I suspect the clan of my wife is somehow involved…" Genma growled angrily, his beady eyes narrowed.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed and she extracted a notepad and biro. "Very interesting, Mr. Saotome. What makes you say that?"

Genma thought quickly. "Well, my wife was always very interested in Ranko. Always wanted her to make her an 'aunt'. And I know my in-laws, they're just like our master, they would make dealings with demons. And they might just have brainwashed my wife into going along with it. Please, you must help!"

'Agent' Meiou finished making notes and schooled her features before gazing at Genma. "And we will. This is a very interesting lead you have given me, one I will look into as soon as possible, rest assured."

"Thank you, Agent Meiou," both men replied with a bow.

"No, thank you. Well, this is just an assumption, but the story of the training trip might just have been a cover to explain your nieces' disappearance," Setsuna continued angrily, playing her role to the hilt.

"That'd be just like 'em. Those bastards are good, very good. But how can we help?" Genma asked eagerly.

"Why would they kidnap and impregnate Ranko with a demon spawn in the first place? What do they hope to gain?" Soun asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

'Agent' Meiou's face darkened visibly. "We suspect that they want to gain the favour of an Elite Demon Lord. What for we can only speculate. Possibilities are either power, support or, most likely, immortality."

"Immortality?" asked Genma incredulous, his eyes glinting at the thought. "That is possible?"

"Oh yes. In exchange for a sacrifice far greater than any mortal man could ever fathom. Only the darkest and most evil of individuals would even think of going that far," the dark-clad woman said gravely.

"Anyway," Soun waved that away, "What can we do to help Ranko? How can we destroy this demon spawn the poor la…ss is forced to carry?"

'Agent' Meiou sighed. "You can trust me when I say that we have exorcised a lot of demons in the past. Pretty nasty business, that. The only effective tool to destroy such a demon spawn completely is a potion our bureau has at its disposal. Members of our research team stumbled upon an ancient tome filled with long-lost knowledge about fifty years ago, and we have made good use of it."

"But?" Genma pressed on. "What's the catch?"

Setsuna looked him dead in the eyes, and Genma could feel her intent stare even through her sun-glasses. "The potion has to be ingested, of course. It's virtually undetectable, either by smell or otherwise, but still, the demon victim has to ingest it. Which brings about several problems, as you can guess."

"Such as?" Soun asked, not feeling up to playing guessing games.

"Well, one problem has been taken care of, fortunately. Ranko has, according to our information, escaped whomever held her captive," she said towards Genma.

"Good b… girl!" crowed Genma, pumping a fist in the air.

"But we have no idea where he is. The energy the demon spawn gave off isn't detectable any more, and your niece might be compelled by the demon to give birth to it, Mr. Tendo," she finished with a sigh.

"That weak girl…" Genma growled, his mood taking a complete one eighty.

"Make no mistake, Mr. Saotome," Setsuna said in a grave tone that sent shivers up and down his spine, "No human being, regardless how strong, can resist a demon. Especially not if the child is that of an Elite Demon Lord."

"But still…" Genma grumbled stubbornly.

"Believe me, there are forces out there that cannot be fought off, Mr. Saotome. Do you honestly think you would be able to fight of an entity that can enslave your mind and bend it to its wishes with nary a thought?" the disguised Senshi of Pluto stated challengingly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Ranko is undoubtedly a very good martial artist, but she has no training in the mind arts that is worth mentioning, and the repeated exposure to the supernatural is bound to have weakened her, is bound to have made her prone to attacks of demonic nature. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about, I've seen it all before."

Genma sputtered and Soun laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, Saotome. The agent knows of what we've faced, what Ranko has faced, she knows what she's talking about. It's on us to help Ranko this time!" he cried and slammed his right palm on the table for emphasis.

"Right you are, Tendo. Ahem. What can we do, Agent Meiou?"

"We suspect that Ranko might wound up at your house sooner or later, Mr. Tendo," Setsuna said to Soun. "We know from her profile that Ranko is apt at disguising herself, and your home is one of the few safe havens she knows. Should she turn up, add the potion to a soup or something similar. That should take care of everything. But…"

"But?" asked Genma and Soun in unison.

"Ranko will have to undergo the most excruciating experience of her life. The potion triggers a miscarriage that will remove the demon spawn from her, and you can very well guess that it will be very traumatic," Setsuna explained, her face grave.

While Soun still looked empathising Genma's face had already scrunched up in determination. "Ranko will thank us once she's rid of that vile abomination! And pain…bah! A little pain is nothing to a true martial artist!"

Soun nodded empathically. "Too true, Saotome. And I'm sure that her cousins will be able to help her overcome the pain."

"Excellent thinking, Tendo. Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Why, thank you, Saotome. Do you have that potion on you, Agent Meiou? We want to be prepared in case Ranko turns up."

'Agent' Meiou nodded. "I had hoped that you'd ask. Here," she said and seemingly reached into her cloak while actually pulling the flask out of her stuff-space which she then handed Soun, "Add all of this to her food. And remember, you're doing your niece, as well as your country, a great service."

"We're honoured, Agent Meiou," Soun replied and bowed, Genma doing the same. "We'll exorcise this demon spawn as soon as Ranko turns up."

"That we will, Tendo. We'll save the b… girl from the demon's clutches!" Genma added.

Setsuna smiled. "It's good to know that there are still patriots in this country, gentlemen. Now I must bid you good bye. I have duties to fulfil and places to be."

Genma and Soun bowed once more, but when they returned to their upright positions to thank 'Agent' Meiou, the woman was already gone.

-.-

The same day, late evening, Ryugenzawa

It had been a very tiring day filled with helping Gramps and Shinnosuke setting new traps, training and many other things, and a now very exhausted and five months pregnant Ranma stopped in her kata and padded over to the hut. The kata the now, once again, redheaded girl regularly performed after dinner always helped her regain her equilibrium, but now she was really knackered and fit for bed. Saying good night to Shinnosuke and Gramps after she had conducted her business, Ranma went to her room, and she was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the mattress.

The only sounds that could be heard from her room were soft snores, and the young red-haired woman slept like a log for five hours straight; but then, suddenly, she began tossing and turning. The dream she'd had of fighting Vegetto and being a hairsbreadth away from defeating him suddenly changed, and Ranma found herself in a house that eerily resembled the Tendo dojo. What the hell was going on here?

Shaking her head in confusion Ranma set herself in motion and followed the sounds of combat she could hear from the dojo. Ignoring the eeriness of the situation (she didn't fear nothing after all) she entered the dojo stealthily, and face-vaulted as soon as she saw the person who was currently engaged in an intricate and fast paced kata that would even tax her. Noticing her, the blur stopped in front of her, turning into a very beautiful silvery-red-haired girl of about twenty. "Hello, Mom," she said with a smile.

Ranma, who'd still been busy with picking her jaw up from the ground face-vaulted painfully again. "M-Mom? I ain't your mom."

The girl smiled. "Sure you're not, Mom. And I don't share twenty-three of your chromosomes and you won't give birth to me in about four months. Okay, not to me per se, but to my newborn self," she corrected with a grin. "Nope, not at all, Mom."

"Err…" Ranma stuttered, fumbling for words. What did someone retort to a statement like that anyway? Ranma for her part was at a loss for words, something her daughter seemed to find very amusing.

"Cat got your tongue, Mom?" she asked impishly.

"C-C-Cat! W-Where?" Ranma cried out, looking around frantically.

Neo-Serenity sighed, her blue eyes losing the twinkle that had made them sparkle. "Sorry. I forgot you still suffer from your fear of cats, Momma," she said and stepped forward to envelope her shaking mother in a hug, something that Ranma didn't even try to fight. "That's one of the first things I'll rectify once we retrieve the Silver Crystal," she finished in a determined tone, softly stroking her mother's back.

"Y-You know? How?" Ranma managed to ask once she had calmed down. "And why ain't I havin' the urge to get outta the hug?"

"Because I'm not a certain Amazon, Momma," the teen replied with an impish grin, letting her mother out of the hug, "Yeah, I know everything, Mom, every stupid thing that ever happened to you. Especially what Grandpa did to you. Once I get to meet him, I'll help him grow a brain," she promised darkly.

Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, that's gonna take magic for sure, that miracle. But what 'bout the hug? I mean, normally I ain't letting myself get hugged by any girl if I can help it. And you—"

"It's probably because I'm your daughter, Mom, and you subconsciously know it," she said with a smile. "I really know everything, Momma, my magic showed me all of your memories. I can't thank you enough for having me," she said, tears now streaming down her face. "I love you, Momma."

The Saotome girl reared back as if she had been slapped. "Y-You what? Y-You l-love me? No . . . no one ever said they loved me… 'cept Mom lately, and I dunno if I can believe her," she muttered.

A still crying neo-queen flung herself around a surprised Ranma's neck, and slowly, awkwardly, the redhead returned the strong embrace. "I s-still can't b-believe that G-Grandpa never s-said he l-loved you, M-Momma. But I l-love you, Mom. I- I'm your d-daughter, and I love you!" she gasped out between sobs.

Ranma, who was a lot more prone to expressing her emotions due to her pregnancy began to cry herself, which was not least due to the fact that every word her daughter had said had been the honest to goodness truth. This girl really loved her. It was an overwhelming feeling. "T-Thanks, Senny-c-chan. I m-must have s-sumthin' in my eye," she muttered barely above a whisper, wiping her eyes.

"Moooom!" the so named Senny exclaimed half-laughing, half-crying, and used her right index finger to wipe away the excess tears, "I know your history, but it's okay for girls to cry! See? I do too!"

"B-But I'm a g-guy," Ranma muttered, blinking more tears away.

Senny hugged Ranma again and undid her mother's pigtail so she could play with her mother's hair. "Momma, I know of your male form, but you'll always be my mother. You'll be the one who'll give birth to my newborn form in a few months, and that makes you my mom. And you always will be."

"B-But—"

"Momma, admit it, you knew of the possibility that you might come to see yourself as my mom. I know it from your memories! Don't lie to yourself, Mom, you have even begun to accept it lately. Face it, you're my mom. A mom who'll turn into a guy with warm water once you can change back, but always my momma. I'm just a girl with two moms, one of which died a long time ago," Senny said, stroking her mother's hair. "And I love you, Mom."

Ranma gulped hard once, then her thoughtful expression slowly changed into a smile. "I love you too, Senny-chan. And I think I might be able to get used to being your mom," she mused and drew her daughter into an even tighter embrace. "Even if I'll be your dad half of the time."

Senny sighed in contentment and rested her head on her smaller mother's shoulder. "Thanks, Momma. I know you'll be a great mom. And a great dad too," she smiled.

Ranma smiled back, and the image of her smiling daughter was her last impression before she was whisked out of the dreamscape and back into her normal sleep pattern. Had someone been in Ranma's room and watched the red-haired girl they would have noticed a soft smile slowly spreading over her face as she continued to sleep peacefully, one hand resting on her belly while the other hand unconsciously undid her pigtail…

-.-

A week later

Ranma hadn't had any more contacts with her daughter, but she still remembered their first and sole encounter vividly. It had been mind-boggling for her to be able to talk to her baby-daughter, who was, by all rights, not more than a five-month-old foetus. But magic apparently went a long way in making seemingly impossible things possible. She should know, Ranma mused wryly, she had the magical curse to prove it.

The Saotome girl surmised that the lack of contact had something to do with the maturing of the magic that the recording of the Queen had mentioned, probably something to do with gathering strength for the next phases or some such. She knew everything about gathering strength herself, and Ranma could tell in her gut that her daughter was preparing for something big.

Privately, the talk with her daughter had affected her a great deal. It was true, she had considered that she would be the baby's mother even before their meeting, for it was something she couldn't ignore, something that her body was preparing her for being all the time. She had finally accepted the baby as hers—as her daughter—and it had been a very emotional moment for her when she had done so.

It wasn't just an anonymous baby she was carrying any more, this was her daughter, her flesh and blood. All the shit about being a surrogate mother had flown out of the window, and she would do her damn best to be the very best mother she could be. She'd had many examples how parenting shouldn't be done, thus she'd stick to her gut feeling and do the exact opposite of what her own parents had done and she should be fine.

Ranma grimaced as her thoughts stopped at her parents. Stupid, quixotic idiots that they were, she still loved them, for reasons she couldn't fathom, and she missed them. As much as she missed the Tendos, the only real family she'd ever had in her life. It would be so nice to taste Kasumi's cooking again, or to (try to) evade one of Nabiki's usual schemes, or trying to make Akane's head explode, heck, she even missed Ukyo and her cute fiancée act. She really enjoyed the peace and quiet in the forests of Ryugenzawa, but she missed Nerima. Very much.

Sighing the red-haired girl suppressed the feelings of homesickness and melancholia and tried to concentrate on her kata. Her morning kata were what got her started for the day, and she knew just how important training—within reason, of course—was in her precarious situation.

Ranma kept at it for a good twenty minutes until a growing feeling of discomfort slowed her down. She winced all of a sudden and had to cease her movements completely as she felt the baby give off a burst of… something. The redhead exhaled deeply and directed her focus inwards and managed to mask it with a further revised Umi she had specifically modified for those strange outbursts, but it had been a close call. This particular outburst had been the strongest yet, and if they continued to grow in intensity she would be hard pressed to conceal them. Which was bad.

Ranma was quite certain that it was only due to the fact that she didn't use more ki than her Umi could hide that she had not been detected, but these magical outbursts made detection ever more probable, and that was completely unacceptable. She wouldn't go back, even if she had as good as come to terms with what they had done. She still hadn't forgiven them, but it hurt less. But not sufficiently less to even consider going back.

Shrugging, she threw herself into her current kata yet again, driven by the fierce determination that she had to be strong enough to protect and help her child; together they would beat Fate. One Saotome didn't lose, but two Saotomes together could only win. Earth would not be turned into a dessert of ice, no, they'd laugh Fate in its face and kick its balls and their clan could go to hell for all she cared.

Maybe she shouldn't have thought so deprecatingly about Fate, for suddenly a distinct battle cry she hadn't heard in a long time rang throughout the area: "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!"

-.-

Ranma was completely and utterly flabbergasted and stared in open-mouthed and wide-eyed suprise. She had been so sure that nobody would be able to find her here as it was one of the most unlikely places to go, plus she had made sure to leave absolutely no signature or trail. Nobody should have been able to find her, but she had forgotten that Ryoga's odd sense of direction could apparently lead him almost anywhere. Shrugging her surprise off, she surveyed Ryoga. Wearing an angry scowl, check; wearing his backpack and umbrella, check; the tell-tale bandanna, check; barred fangs, check.

"Hello pig-boy. What leads ya here?" she asked in an attempt of good humour.

Something that was obviously not appreciated by Ryoga. "DON'T CALL ME THAT, RANMA! BECAUSE OF YOU I'VE SEEN HELL!"

"Hah! Can't have been worse than the hell I've been through," Ranma muttered with a dark look in her eyes.

Which was something that threw Ryoga off for some seconds. Then he was back on track. "YOU MADE AKANE CRY, RANMA! FOR THAT YOU'LL PAY!" he exclaimed and trust his umbrella at her mid-section.

Ranma carefully avoided the blow by sidestepping, something that caused Ryoga to raise a mocking brow. "Dancing outta the way like a girl, Ranma?" he taunted, his right brow cocked.

The red-haired girl scoffed, a scowl adorning her face. "What would you know, p-chan?" she spat and dodged another blow. "So Akane cried, yeah? From joy, ain't it? Betcha she's happy that the 'perverted baka' is outta her life," Ranma snorted, but her eyes revealed her sorrow. "It's better this way. I ain't blaming her for leavin' behind the insanity that some call my life. Heck, sometimes I wish I could leave it all behind…"

"Ranma?" Ryoga asked, now really thrown for a loop by his rival's words. "You're joking, right? Come on, you're having me on here. THAT'S IT, YOU'RE TRYING TO FOOL ME ONCE AGAIN!"

"Whatever," Ranma sighed. Then she looked him in the eyes. "So, what do you want?"

"WHAT DO I WANT? I WANT TO MAKE YOU PAY! YOU MADE MY LIFE HELL AND AKANE CRY!" 'Besides, Akari has her monthlies, and it's safer anywhere else but at the farm. And I've missed our matches, but I'll never admit that, heh heh,'. "SO PREPARE TO DIE!"

Ranma shook her head and gave Ryoga a look the large boy had trouble interpreting, effectively stopping the lost boy in his tracks. "Sorry, no can do. If it were just for me I'd throw myself into the fight without hesitation, but it ain't just for me. I ain't gonna fight you, Ryoga."

"WHAT?" Ryoga exclaimed in complete disbelief. "The great Ranma Saotome, forfeiting a fight? Come on, what are you, a sissy?"

"Insulting me ain't gonna change anything, Ryoga. Besides, you've got no idea what I am," Ranma replied and tried to keep her voice even.

"Hah! You look like a girl to me, Ranma! You talk like one, you walk like one, and what's that, even more bust? Did you go all girl, Ranma?" Ryoga taunted, his eyes glittering maliciously.

The insult to her—temporarily—lost male half really riled Ranma up, and her pregnancy-induced temper surged. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW, YOU JERK! I'VE SEEN THE REAL HELL, YOU STUPID IDIOT!" she bellowed in righteous—female—fury.

What she didn't notice was that silver lightning was coursing through and over her body, making her look like a miniature thundercloud. Ryoga did, and it took him aback. 'What the hell has happened to you, Ranma? Meh, if I follow our usual routine I'll surely find out.'

"Aww, it's that time of the month for you, eh? Boohoo," Ryoga taunted, trying to get his rival/friend to spill the beans.

However, Ranma reacted differently than he had thought. "Shut up, you jerk! You know nuthin', do you hear me, nuthin'! And now leave me the hell alone. Stupid jerk!" she muttered, whirled around and began to walk towards the hut she lived in with Shinnosuke and Gramps.

She had almost made it to the door when Ryoga caught up with her, and he laid his right hand on her shoulder and turned her around. Or at least he tried to do so, for as soon as Ranma felt the contact she grabbed the hand, twisted it and threw Ryoga into a nearby tree. "Don't touch me," she snarled coldly, her eyes flashing silver for a moment.

Ryoga came to his feet with a growl, his venture to find out about the details of what had happened to Ranma forgotten. "YAN YAN KO!" he yelled, and let loose his new ki-attack based on his love for Akari.

Ranma looked surprised for a moment, but her reaction-time was much too fast to be caught truly flatfooted. "Moko Takabisha!" she yelled, but instead of the normal blue ki-sphere a blue-silver orb left her palms.

The red-haired girl looked as astonished as Ryoga, but both teens' attention was soon solely fixated on the attacks that were rushing towards another. A few seconds later they met in mid-air, seconds that seemed to last a lifetime for both teens. An instinct went off in Ranma that told her to seek cover, and the red-haired girl hesitated not a second as she ran to duck behind a thick tree. She caught the look of surprise on Ryoga's face, and he probably wondered why she hid like a coward; this was until the attacks met.

For instead of the expected small explosion, something akin to a super-nova went off, which blasted everything in a thirty-metre-radius, Ryoga included. The lost boy was thrown through three trees and embedded in another, and only his extraordinary toughness saved him from grave injuries. Nevertheless, he was battered, even if not out for the count.

Long moments later Ryoga finally peeled himself out of the indention he had made and fell to the ground with a thump, exclaiming a comical "Ouch," he protested and remained motionless for another few moments, and had just propped himself up on his elbows when Ranma walked over to him. "Damn, what the hell did you hit me with? Feels like I got kicked by an elephant or ten."

Ranma kneeled by his side, her lips tilting upwards at the corner. "Sorry 'bout that, but that wasn't me. Well, not just me. Oof, kneeling is stupid," she complained and got back to her feet.

"Huh? What the hell do you mean, not just you? Who else fired that thing at me?" Ryoga growled, his dark eyes flashing in annoyance.

The red-haired girl sighed. "It's a bit complicated, buddy," she said, and chuckled humourlessly. "Heck, what in my life ain't?"

She sat down and leant back against a tree. "Ryoga, I'll put it bluntly, and I ain't gonna repeat myself. What I'll tell you is the damned bloody truth, and if you laugh, I'll kill you. I swear on my honour that I'll fuckin' kill you," she growled darkly, her tone of voice putting the fear of Kami-sama into Ryoga's heart.

"O… kay, Ranma. I swear on my honour that I won't laugh. So, what's the news? Why were you avoiding my blows instead of blocking or taking them? Your female form is tough enough to take them, I know that from experience," Ryoga said wryly.

"I ain't gonna let anyone hit me. Ever. It wouldn't hurt me, but the baby," Ranma whispered, her eyes hooded.

Ryoga, who had strained to listen, fell over to the side. "B-B-Baby?" he asked weakly, trying to recover from the most supreme face-vault in recorded history. Slowly surprise was replaced by scepticism, then by anger. "You're having me on again, Ranma!" he growled. "How dare you make jokes about… about something like that!"

From one moment to the other the clearing was basked in silver-red light, which emitted from a furious red-haired girl who had jumped to her feet. "YOU JERK!" Ranma shouted like only an angry pregnant female can, her eyes glowing silver, "HOW DARE YOU DOUBT ME! DO YOU THINK I WOULD JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IDIOT! I'M NEARLY SIX MONTHS PREGNANT, YOU ABSOLUTE ASS! I…" she suddenly trailed off and looked down at her lower abdomen when she felt a strong kick. "It's okay, little one," Ranma cooed softly, stroking her stomach, "Mommy ain't angry any more. The jerk will be good now. You will be good now, won'tcha?" she glared.

Ryoga had the distinct feeling that he had entered the twilight zone. Seeing his long-time rival like this was simply unreal. "R-Ranma? What is going on here? Why the hell are you talking to your stomach and c-calling yourself Momma? Are . . . are you really… p… pre… pregnant?"

Ranma sighed and ran her hand across her eyes. "Yeah, Ryoga, I am. Sorry 'bout the outburst, but I ain't really myself at the moment. The hormones and all that, y'know?"

The lost boy shook his head in disbelief and banged it backwards against the tree a few times, making a good-sized indention in the process. "Damn, if I tell Akari this—uh oh, bad idea. She might want to have one of her own," Ryoga muttered with a sweatdrop rolling down the back of his head.

Ranma sighed again. "Ryoga, I know that you can't keep your mouth shut," she ignored his indignant, "Hey! Not true!", "but if you gotta tell anyone, tell Nabiki. No one else. I owe her that much. Do not tell Akane, Mr. Tendo or my father. Not even Akari. Promise on your honour as a martial artist," she demanded seriously.

Seeing just how serious Ranma was Ryoga nodded in agreement. "I promise, Ranma. But how did . . . it happen? I just can't imagine you and a guy doing… that."

Ranma made a disgusted face. "Eeeeugh! I'd rather… dunno… willingly eat Akane's cooking and demand second helpings, before doing that. No, here is what happened…"

Sitting in front of a hastily made campfire, Ranma let Ryoga in on what had happened during the last five-and-a-half months. She left nothing out, and noticed just how cathartic it felt to talk about the dreadful events. "And that's what happened."

Ryoga shook his head in disbelief. "Damn . . . your clan . . . your own clan doing that to you! I can't believe it! Bastards!" he exclaimed heatedly. Then his anger was gradually replaced by worry. "Ranma, just how credible is that 'Great Freeze' bullshit?"

Ranma sighed and ran her hand across her eyes again. "Very credible, Ryoga. I've seen proof, good proof. I believe my clan that they subjected me to this 'cause they honestly believed they had no other choice, and they mentioned some nonsense that I was the only one who met all the requirements."

"Damn. I gotta warn my family, regardless of how long it takes. When will this 'Great Freeze' take place, you said? And how?"

"I hadn't said a thing," she retorted with a smirk, only to sober up at his irritated expression. "The 'Great Freeze' is gonna be caused by a gigantic asteroid named 'Doombringer', and that fucking rock can't be stopped by anything we have at our disposal. Happy now? 'Doombringer' will knock Earth of course and into an orbit closer to Mars, about three years from now on. Damn, hope I'm gettin' this right . . . 'the resulting climate-change and ecological disaster will kill over ninety percent of Earth's population," Ranma recited tonelessly.

"Holy shit! We must—we can—shit! What can we do?" Ryoga asked desperately, wringing his hands.

"There ain't nuthin' we can do, Ryoga. We can only hope and pray that my little one will indeed be able to do what my grandparents expected of her. If not . . . well, bye bye world as we know it."

"Fuck! Only three years… damn! And how long am I supposed keep this under wraps? The others deserve to know about this catastrophe," Ryoga reasoned.

Ranma sighed and barely resisted the urge to massage her aching temples. "I know. I'll tell them myself, after I've given birth to the baby."

Ryoga shook his head. "B-Birth… I can't believe it. Twilight zone," he muttered and slapped himself a few times to check if this was real. Finding that it was he exhaled deeply and looked Ranma in the eyes. "I will keep it under wraps till then. If you haven't told them within a week after the birth, I'll do it. And I'll inform my parents," he concluded in a tone that left no room for objection.

"Deal," Ranma said, holding out her hand.

Ryoga took it and gave it a firm shake. "Deal. Just out of curiosity, how can a baby save the world? I mean, the baby will be just that, an infant."

Ranma sighed once more. "Keep your hat on, you're hardly going to believe it. The docs made genetic changes to the egg-cell fifteen-thousand years ago, and that'll cause her to age rapidly. They said she'd age to about the age of twenty in two years time, and after what I've seen, I believe it."

Ryoga's first reaction was astonishment, then anger. "Fifteen-thousand years!" he shook his head, he had probably heard wrong. "Damn those bastards! They're robbing her off eighteen years of growth and experience!" he yelled. Then something caught up with him. "Daughter? You're gonna have a daughter? Damn, you… a mother! I can't believe it! Your life really is hell."

Ranma looked thoughtful. "Dunno if it's just those hormones, but it ain't so bad any more. Really," she said at seeing his doubtful look. "It was pretty bad… okay, it was really bad, but I had time to think things through, and my peace and quiet. This baby is, by all rights, my daughter. She didn't ask to come into the world like this, and I'll never blame her for what they did to me. I know it's girlish, but I love her, Ryoga. I love her," she whispered in such an honest tone that Ryoga couldn't do anything but believe her.

"Damn, that's really deep, Ranma," he muttered, a thoughtful expression on his face. Darkness had settled by now, and it was getting steadily colder; fact that made the two teens glad for the campfire they had started. Holding his hands close to the heat to warm them, Ryoga surveyed the red-haired girl. "I really dunno if I'd have the strength to cope with it like you did."

Ranma, who was warming her fingers too, grinned impishly at Ryoga. "You'd probably have levelled Tokyo with Shi Shi Hokodans 'cause of depression," she chuckled, amusement making her blue eyes glitter.

Ryoga chuckled. "Probably."

Silence stretched for a while, until Ranma glanced at Ryoga. "You know, I had really thought about doing just that after I got my abilities back. Just blowing up my grandparents' house in a fit of depression and rage. I'd have had more than enough heavy ki. You know what stopped me?"

"No idea. What?"

"Our code, Ryoga. The heavy ki would have killed the baby for sure, and as a martial artist I got a duty to protect the weak. Can't get any weaker than a baby, huh? That was the reason why I kept the baby in the beginning, not because she could potentially save the world and all that shit, nope. But I ain't puttin' it past my dear relatives that they counted on my views of honour," the red-haired girl growled.

"Bastards," Ryoga snarled, "I promise I won't tell anyone, Ranma. People like your 'dear family' mustn't find you. Heck, your own folks… Your life is officially more of a hell than mine, and my vendetta against you ends here and now. I'll help you anyway I can, my word on that."

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, then a smile blossomed on her face, the first real smile in long. "Thanks, man. I 'preciate it. Hey," she exclaimed with a giggle, "someone else seems to 'preciate it too!"

"Can I… may I…" Ryoga stuttered.

It took Ranma a few seconds to understand what Ryoga was getting at, and once she had the red-haired girl smiled as only an expecting mother can. "Sure," she said, and lifted her undershirt and pullover just far enough for her underwear to peek out.

Ryoga looked at her in astonishment. "You… You're wearing a bra!"

"Ain't we the observant one. You try dragging these things around without the proper support, its soooo much fun, I tell ya," Ranma growled.

The lost boy sweatdropped, then he tentatively reached out with a trembling hand. Ranma let him take his time, and Ryoga finally placed a warm hand on Ranma's exposed stomach. He felt a strong kick nearly instantly, and his hand jerked back. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Ranma giggled. "She seems to like it. Try again," she encouraged.

Ryoga nodded, and repeated the manoeuvre with a look of concentration. This time he didn't jerk back when the baby kicked, and an astonished look spread over his face. "Whoa," he exclaimed again, this time in wonder.

"Yeah," nodded Ranma. "She's really something else. No matter how she came about, I'll always love her. And I'll never abandon her like my mother did with me," she vowed.

"Ranma!" Ryoga exclaimed suddenly in a very alarmed tone, "What's going on here?"

Ranma, who'd had her eyes closed, looked down at herself. And stared. "What the . . ." she managed to exclaim before an enormous energy surge swept over them. "Oh shit! She just came fully into her powers, and I couldn't cloak it. Fuck!"

Ryoga, who surveyed Ranma with a worried expression knew instinctively that that wasn't a good thing…

-.-

Saotome Manor

"Sir!" one of the monitors exclaimed urgently, "we just got a huge magical outburst from the north-west region . . . closing in… around Ryugenzawa, sir. That might be what we were looking for."

Xenma looked over the man's shoulder and studied the screen. "Very good," he said and patted the man's back. "Ayame," he said, speaking into his intercom, "we got her. I want you to go to Ryugenzawa. Here are the coordinates."

-.-

Ami Mizuno was brooding over an equation that involved multi-dimensional figures, and she was just making some progress when her Mercury computer alarm went off. Now she was glad that her mother had the night shift tonight, which allowed her to check the device immediately. "What in Kami-sama's name is that?" she muttered to herself. "I've never seen anything like it . . . computer, initiate magical analysis," she added, glad that she had found out about the voice-activation her computer had.

The device complied with a beep, and Ami leant back in her office chair, eagerly anticipating the results. After a few agonising moments that felt like an eternity to the Senshi of Mercury, the device produced results. Finally.

SILVER MILLENNIUM ENERGY DETECTED.
LOCATION: RYUGENZAWA, JAPAN.
RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION: IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION.

"What the…" exclaimed Ami in surprise, completely thrown for a loop. "Silver Millennium energy, and in that concentration? Another Senshi, perhaps? Regardless, I have to notify the others."

With experience born from countless times Ami informed her team-mates in her usual calm, competent, and quick way, and seconds later, the complete Senshi team—save one—had agreed to meet at the outskirts of Juuban from where they'd then teleport to their destination. Ami hadn't been able to contact Pluto, but that was hardly surprising. The mysterious Senshi of Time was quite the elusive character, but she'd appear on the scene if the situation required it. Besides, they'd pull through on their own. It was just Silver Millennium energy and not an enemy, right?

to be continued…