Been a while since the last update to this story, eh? Oh well.
Nobody's gonna want to hear my reasons for placing Chaotic Rebirth on hiatus in the first place, so lets skip the justification part and barge right ahead to a(n) (boring) explanation why this update's out before 2010.
What reignited my interest a while ago was the fact that Kishimoto had killed even the last bit of interest in me when it comes to all things pertaining to Naruto with how he screwed up canon, and that led me to the decision to send 'Raiju' off into the great beyond after a lengthy time of contemplation. With 'Raiju' gone I was left with more time on hand to write for other stories such as this one. How'd Ryoga say: Kishimoto, it's all your fault!
Well, the first nine chapters have undergone some severe revisions seeing as I had to clear up some plot holes here and there, and I couldn't leave well enough alone and added new stuff here and there as well. The obligatory spelling and grammar corrections are pretty much a given and thus almost not worth mentioning. My efforts should increase the readability of the story, at least I'd like to think so...
And just to head off confusion, the happenings in the first part of the chapter take place one day before the happenings in Chapter 9 and explain what Small Lady was up to.
Seeing that I don't wanna bore you all to death with further ramblings I'll just shut up now and leave you to reading the story.
Cheers.
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 trademarked properties mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are works of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.
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.
Special thanks to: BorgRabbit for editing services rendered and for generally being a damn great sounding board.
Chapter 10
9:45 a.m., Juuban Ward, Tokyo, 7th September 2006
The sky over Tokyo was overcast and the air was unusually hot and humid for the time of the year. One Usagi II., daughter of Usagi Tsukino aka Sailor Moon and nicknamed Chibi Usa, couldn't have cared less about the unusual warmth as she appeared in an alleyway in a seldom frequented district of Juuban, about five kilometres away from Juuban High.
Casting a quick glance around, she noted that no one had seen her teleporting in, confirming what her technical gadgets had told her beforehand. There was not a soul around, simply because this particular district had been hit very hard by Youma attacks and was thus still avoided like the plague by the general populace.
Which was why the unexpected sudden clanging noise from behind almost gave her a coronary, and Usa whirled around in a flash, ready to attack or defend at a moments notice. The disguised pinkette breathed a deep sigh of relief when she found that the source of disturbance had just been a black tomcat that had jumped on a trash bin.
"Stupid tom," she chuckled with a relieved expression, "Scaring a dozen years off my life."
The tomcat in question responded with an inquisitive meow and a curious look of his yellow eyes before returning his attention to the trash bin. Usa shook her head once to gather her bearings and checked her disguise on a whim in her compact (again). A quiet, nervous chuckle escaped her as she made sure that her little gadgets from the future were working as advertised and suppressed her magical aura, an aura that would otherwise have stood out like a bonfire to the likes of Sailor Pluto.
A few moments later, the heir to the Serenity line nodded in relief to herself when the check confirmed that everything was functioning perfectly. A minute frown crossed her features when she thought that everything would have gone so much smoother had her mother allowed her to take the stronger version with her that was able to cloak any and all magical outbursts.
Her mom had been right – as usual – however, it would be a terrible tool in the wrong hands with its ability to cover up even mass teleports, and a skilled enemy might be able to overcome the inbuilt safety measures and wreak havoc. Its much weaker brother presented no such danger in that regard and was just strong enough to safely cloak her.
The daughter of Sailor Moon chuckled quietly to herself at being so paranoid, but then, Sailor Pluto was a dangerous opponent to go up against and she couldn't afford mistakes; the quote 'better safe than sorry', old as it was, still held true even in the 30th century. One simply couldn't be over-prepared.
Usa breathed deeply in and out a few times to steel her resolve, then she left the alley wearing a determined expression and began walking towards her destination, Juuban High, at a brisk clip, her long black hair floating around her head like a halo. The normally pink-haired teenager allowed herself a small, satisfied smile at the choice of her disguise, that being an unassuming looking woman in her mid-twenties wearing clothes usually attributed to school personnel. Most people wouldn't spare a second glance. Just like she wanted.
Consulting her watch, Usa found that she had timed her arrival perfectly in that she'd have a chance to meet her best friend and most likely ally, one Hotaru Tomoe, during the next break, which would begin in about five minutes. The other Scouts having different schedules due to them being older would ensure that they'd be undisturbed, just as she had planned.
The daughter of Sailor Moon suppressed the grin that wanted to appear on her face and continued to go through her plans while walking on auto-pilot. She was certain that she had considered all angles, but seeing as even the best laid plans could fail - and most often did in a spectacular fashion - it wasn't hard to do. First, she had to succeed. Time for celebrating her success would come later.
Consulting her watch Usa found that it was already break time and, hastening her step, the disguised young woman quickly crossed the campus and made her way straight towards where she expected her best friend to be, hoping that Hotaru's habits hadn't changed too much from when she had last seen her.
A small smile appeared on her face when she found that her assumption proved true, for ten metres ahead to her right, sitting under a cherry tree, was indeed one Hotaru Tomoe, leant against the tree's thick trunk, all alone with no one near by. The dark-haired girl had her eyes closed and was positively radiating an aura that screamed 'stay the hell away from me', and the sad look her face was sporting made Usa frown. 'She's probably so depressed 'cause of my 'death',' the Princess thought sadly, 'At least I'll be the one to restore a smile to her face.'
Suppressing the sneaky smile that wanted to appear on her face Usa stepped to in front of Hotaru, and the shadow cast by her as well as the physical proximity alerted the Senshi of Saturn to her presence, prompting her to open her eyes.
"Are you Hotaru Tomoe?" Usa queried in her disguised voice, keeping her face strict with a lot of effort.
"Yes, I am. And you are?" Hotaru asked back with a neutral and almost disinterested expression.
"Mihoshi Yamanaka, school authority," the disguised girl replied, and winced internally; her 'death' had obviously forced the other girl to grow up as was evidenced by her cool reaction. "I'm here to discuss the possibility of a stipend with you. Would you care to accompany me?"
Hotaru mulled this over for a few moments and gave a disinterested shrug. "Alright. I don't know what anyone would want to grant me a stipend for, but why not."
Usa inclined her head and gave no outward reaction, but inwardly she suppressed another wince at Hotaru's attitude, and quickly led the way towards the school building, the disguised girl conducting a quick mental tour of the building's interior – which she had memorised beforehand – and all the unused classrooms. She flashed her magically constructed badge at the strict looking recess monitor and gave a quick explanation, granting Hotaru and her immediate access to the building.
The second Princess of the Moon continued to lead the way through the building, until she suddenly stopped in front of the restrooms, her abrupt cessation of movement almost causing Hotaru to bump into her.
"Excuse me for a moment, Miss Tomoe, I'll have to pay the restroom a visit. Too much tea, I'm afraid," she said with an apologetic look and a smile.
Hotaru shrugged, then a small, barely noticeable smile briefly touched her face, "No problem, Miss. To be honest, I have to go as well."
Usa nodded and mentally cheered seeing as that couldn't have gone better. "Fine by me," she replied with an inclination of her head and entered the ladies' restroom, which she found to be empty.
Stopping in front of the mirrors instead of entering the stalls Usa waited for Hotaru to pass her by and raked her fingers through her long hair, straightening out imaginary imperfections as a cover to magically lock up the doors, her minute use of magic being covered up by her magic suppressor.
Then Usa turned around and cleared her throat, the noise prompting Hotaru to stop walking. The young woman turned around to face the older woman, a guarded look on her face, and Usa had to suppress yet another wince.
"I have it on good authority that you lost a good friend, Miss Tomoe," she began, and had to force herself to barge ahead when she felt and saw all of Hotaru's shields go up, the raven-haired girl crossing her arms under her chest.
"I did," Hotaru replied, her facial expression completely closed down, her body language screaming defiance, "But with all damned respect, that's none of your business."
"Wellll," Usa said, and dropped her disguise with a shit-eating grin on her face, "I wouldn't say that."
Watching Hotaru's expression was almost comical, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes bulging, her arms falling to her sides in what seemed to be slow motion. Stark disbelief and distrust battled with blossoming hope, and the Senshi of Saturn took a few steps back. "T-That can't be- Y-You're dead," she whispered, her tone of voice conveying she didn't dare hope lest she be hurt again.
"Rumours of my demise were greatly exaggerated, girlfriend. Now take a good long look and you'll see that it's really me," Usa urged calmly.
That a guarded Hotaru did, and after staring the other girl hard in the eyes for what seemed like forever she gasped. "I-I don't believe it!"
Usa chuckled. "You'd better! On the other hand, want me to list all the recent crushes you've had? Hmm, let me think," she mused and pretended to think hard, "there was this idol star whose name I forgot, and the last one, wasn't it a martial artist? Ranma soandso?"
A rosy blush had appeared on Hotaru's face, and after the young woman had overcome her embarrassment she came to the conclusion that only her closest friend could have known this fact as she had hidden it from - almost - everyone lest she be teased. The Senshi of Saturn took tentative steps towards the pinkette until she stood in front of her, and reached out equally tentatively, her right hand trembling slightly as it touched Usa's left cheek as if afraid the girl in front of her would disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Usa?" Hotaru finally questioned in a wondrous tone after finding that the other girl was indeed quite real, the disbelief on her face slowly fading and giving way to elation.
"Last I checked, yeah," said girl replied with a teasing grin.
"Usa!" Hotaru squealed and jumped at her friend, enveloping her in an enthusiastic hug.
Sailor Moon's daughter smiled fondly as her arms encircled the raven-haired girl's mid-section, and drew back slightly, her eyes twinkling. "I'm happy to see you too, Ru-chan."
"But how?" Hotaru asked, tears streaming down her face, "I thought you were dead, truly gone! Why, Usa? Why'd you do it? Do you know how much it hurt to lose you, my best friend?" she asked, drawing back as well to look her best friend in the eyes.
Usa drew back as well and slowly eased out of the hug, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she bowed her head for a few seconds before looking Hotaru in the eyes. "I know it sounds corny, Ru-chan, but there're things bigger than us. The simple truth is, I did it for the continued existence of the human race, my sensei and ourselves. I had no choice," she said solemnly, honesty shining in her eyes.
"Future of the human race? Sensei?" asked a confused Hotaru.
"Future sensei," Usa amended cheerfully, deliberately not elaborating on the much more serious other topic just yet, "Which is exactly why no one, especially not the others must know that I'm alive, Ru-chan. Especially. Not. Puu," she stressed in a tone so serious Hotaru's eyes shot open in surprise.
"All of this charade just to hide from Setsuna-mama and the others? To save the future?" Hotaru demanded after she had recovered, her eyes showing a myriad of conflicting emotions, "Do you know how much it hurt to see you seemingly die? Me, your mom, everyone? We thought you were dead, gone for good!"
"I know," Usa replied in utter seriousness, her tone of voice conveying that she knew, "And yet I had to do it despite the consequences, Ru-chan. I had to do it for the future of this world, and when faced with making the same decision again I'd do so in a heartbeat. Every single time. To help those that can prevent what is coming."
Hotaru was taken aback by the seriousness her friend was showing, and the look in the pinkette's eyes spoke volumes. Whatever it was she wished to prevent must be Bad indeed. "Can't Setsuna-mama-"
Usa shook her head in utter conviction, her left hand she had raised stopping her friend in her tracks. "Especially not her, Ru-chan. If she knew I was alive it would endanger everything, and this world would be doomed.
"Please, Ru-chan," Usa's demeanour changed and became pleading, "Swear on your magic you won't tell anyone."
If anything it was that pleading look that convinced Hotaru to do as asked. She knew Usa quite well, probably better than anyone out of their group, and she had never seen the other girl so serious or determined. Yet one question still remained. "Who is so important that you'd risk everything, Usa? Are they worth it? Worth leaving your mom thinking you'd died, never to exist?" she implored, her eyes not leaving Usa's face.
"Yes, Ru-chan, they are," Usa replied immediately in utter conviction, her jaw firmed, "I'd give my life for them in a heartbeat, and you can trust me when I say they have only the best of intentions for this planet. In fact, they're relatives of mine, ones that even mom doesn't know exist," she finished with a secretive smirk.
"Relatives? From the future?" Hotaru queried with a raised brow, "But aren't they forbidden from interfering overtly with the time stream because they could cause fatal paradoxes?"
"You'd be right, Ru-chan, if they were from the future. Just so much, they are protect at all costs assets, Ru-chan. Without them there is no future, can be no future, regardless of what Puu says or thinks.
"But why don't you ask them, or rather her, yourself, tomorrow? We'll be busy until then, but I hope to meet you at these coordinates," she leant forward and whispered the said coordinates in the other girl's ear before pulling back and producing a small silver gadget in the shape of a bangle she held out for her friend to see, "Put this li'l thing around your wrist and it'll sync with your magic. Once done it'll only work for you (in theory at least), and when activated it'll mask your teleport signature. Just press this button," Usa indicated a small, rectangular shaped button held in green, "and this one to deactivate it," she concluded after pointing at the red button.
"Wicked. And it looks so… inconspicuous!" Hotaru breathed and almost drooled at the thought of getting her very own teleport signature eraser (or whatever Usa called the thing), a gleam appearing in her eyes, "Can this thing do more than just mask teleports?"
"Oh yes," Usa replied with a knowing grin, "If you switch to Mode 2," she indicated a black button at the device's right side, "it'll completely hide your magical signature. That's one of the reasons why none of the other Scouts were able to find me after I'd 'died'," she grinned and held up her left wrist, showing her own bangle.
Hotaru frowned, "But how'd you pull it off? I mean, even Setsuna-mama bought it!"
An immodest grin appeared on Usa's face, "Aww, no big deal. I just used a combination of magic, martial arts techniques and technology from the future, is all. Oh, and I still need that oath, you know? Especially if you want to learn more," she said casually, though the look in her eyes belied her aloofness.
"The heck with it, I'll do it," Hotaru agreed after a few seconds of silent contemplation, "I swear on my magic that I'll not reveal that you, Usagi II., are alive, and neither will I divulge any information you or your relative will tell me to anyone. Now, do I get that cool thingy?" she demanded, her eyes not leaving the magic suppressor resting in Usa's palm.
"Oh. Sure," Usa replied with a knowing look and almost broke out laughing when a slightly drooling Hotaru took the gadget she had casually held out to her, "Now I understand what mom meant when she asked if I needed a napkin when I got mine," the girl from the future muttered to herself, shaking her head in amusement.
"What was that, Usa-chan?" asked Hotaru distractedly.
"Nothing, just reminiscing, Ru-chan," replied an amused Usa, watching in mirth how Hotaru pressed the magic suppressor to her chest, going so far as to mutter, "My precious."
The pink-haired teen's chuckling seemed to bring Hotaru out of her episode, but the raven-haired girl refused to blush and met the pinkette's gaze with a look that said, 'What?'.
Usa hid her giggles and tried to look innocent. "Oh, nothing, just that you reacted the same way I did when I got my own. Which is perfectly understandable," the pink-haired Princess assured her friend, hands held up in a placating gesture.
Hotaru sniffed and turned up her nose, and the raven-haired girl managed to keep her posture for several moments before succumbing to silent giggling. "I must have looked really stupid, ne?"
The pinkette smiled, mirth shining in her eyes, "Oh, just a bit," she said amusedly.
The Senshi of Saturn shook her head in mirth as well, "Oh well, it was for a good reason at least," she mused and let her right index finger wander over the bangle before turning serious eyes on her friend, "So you used this magic suppressor to hide from Puu. But what about her? Is she still alive in the future?"
Usa's happy-go-lucky expression faded and gave way to a neutral expression that gave nothing away, "I can't and won't answer that, Ru-chan. The present is still in a state of flux, and anything I'd reveal about my future might be its undoing. I hope you understand."
Hotaru nodded unhappily and expelled a breath she didn't know she had been holding, "I do. And that means there's at least still a chance Setsuna-mama is still alive.
"Okay, Usa-chan," she then said, a look of steely resolve in her eyes, "I'll do it. I'll be there. When?"
Usa glanced at her wristwatch, "Tomorrow afternoon at around 4 p.m., and don't detransform. Tell Haruka and Michiru you want to go for a walk as ways of exercising and that you don't know when you'll be back."
"Will do," Hotaru nodded and engulfed her friend in a hug, "It's good to have you back, and regardless where this will lead us, I'll be with you all the way, Usa-chan."
"Thanks, Ru-chan, that means a lot," Usa nodded and reciprocated the hug, holding it for a few moments before looking at her wristwatch, "Gotta go now," she then said and winked at her friend; the daughter of Sailor Moon cancelled the magic keeping the door shut and teleported away, leaving a softly smiling Hotaru Tomoe behind.
-.-
8th September 2006, 2:48 p.m., south-eastern Pacific Ocean, Isla de Pascua
Two unassuming looking girls, one raven-haired and one brown-haired suddenly appeared out of nowhere on a cliff in 27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, several dozen kilometres away from their destination's capital. Ranma Saotome, the said raven-haired girl, immediately threw up her Umi upon reappearance, but noticed quickly that she needn't have and cancelled it with nary a thought.
Her companion and she were standing on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, and twenty metres beneath them the surge crashed against the massive rock. It was a clear, sunny day and one could see for miles and miles. The air was salty, and both girls coughed a few times to get their lungs accustomed to the different climate. Ranma and her companion, one time-travelling teen by the name of Usagi II., heiress to the Silver Millennium, looked around, but no human being could be seen for miles upon miles. They were virtually alone.
"That ain't Lemuria," Ranma concluded dryly after overlooking the ocean.
"No kidding there, Sherlock," Usa shot back amusedly, and turned around, "But we're close," she said with a secret smile and pointed at something about ten metres ahead to their left.
Ranma, who'd followed her friend's example and had turned around as well just stared at the sight presented to her, her mouth agape, "What in Kami-sama's name is that?"
Weighing her options Usa decided to take pity on her friend instead of acting all mysteriously like a certain someone she knew, "These monumental statues are called moai in the native language of the locals and were created by Rapanui people, the said locals, several centuries ago. Its typical defining feature is the large head that's usually three fifths the size of its body, and these monuments are the 'living faces' and chiefly representations of the Rapanui's deified ancestors. There's a lot of them at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but there're also a lot of them set up on platforms at the island's perimeters, as guardians. So, where are we, Ranma-san?"
"Easter Island," Ranma replied without hesitation, and shook her head in bemusement, "Funny how all the studying my 'dear relatives' made me do can be useful for something."
Usagi II. chuckled and tucked an errand strand of her long, pink hair behind her left ear, "I'd never have thought there'd be the day I'd admit it myself, but studying can be really useful. Never tell my mom I said that, though."
"Why would I? Don't exactly gonna have an opportunity to, now, ne? The way it stands we're enemies in this," Ranma said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
The pinkette shrugged non-comittically, "Just making sure. As for why we landed here, I have a few theories. The one that makes the most sense is that Lemuria is probably protected by magical shielding that's still active. Otherwise our teleport wouldn't have been redirected.
"We can count ourselves lucky that we appeared here, it could've dumped us into the ocean just as easily. Just good I set my teleportation spell thusly that it'd drop us far away from any locals in case we were redirected."
Ranma nodded in understanding. "Lucky us, then. I'm not that eager to go for a swim," she muttered and furrowed her brow in thought, "But you know, I noticed you're much more intelligent than your mom. I mean, knowin' all that technobabble 'n' stuff."
"Nah, mom isn't stupid. It's just that she doesn't use her brain very often, but when she does she's a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise you're right, she can be a right ditz," Chibi-Moon smiled.
"Understatement, that," Ranma scoffed and rolled her eyes, "But enough 'bout meatball head. We need to get a boat or something to get to the co-ordinates. Swimmin' ain't that good of an idea in my condition..."
Chibi-Moon looked at her companion incredulously. "How did you know that the co-ordinates are in the open sea?"
"Just par for my life," Ranma grumbled, her hands planted on her hips in annoyance.
"I suppose it is," agreed Usa with a lopsided grin, "Apropos condition, don't you wanna rest for a bit? The events of the last few days have to have taken a lot out of you."
Ranma considered Usa's words for a moment and shook her head. "Ever since I became a magical girl warrior I feel... energised. More energised than ever. A lot of that is probably Senny trying to help me out-"
"As if," Usa snorted silently under her breath.
"- but I feel real fit. Why, I could use a kata or two to losen my muscles, yeah," the boy-turned-girl concluded, a look of determination on her face as she punched her palm with her left fist.
"Go ahead, Ranma-san. We have more than enough time before we need to get a move on," Usa exclaimed lazily, and let herself sink to the grassy soil Indian style.
Ranma just grinned in reply and blurred into motion. Magical girl warrior and future mother of a magical girl queen or not, martial arts was her life. And always would be.
-.-
A satisfied Ranma Saotome breathed in and out deeply and closed her eyes to enjoy the warming rays of the sun, an involuntary sigh escaping her lips. The kata had done her a world of good as it had helped to loosen her muscles and work out kinks just as she had hoped, but it had also given her the necessary sharpness of mind to focus on her goals.
"Now that was good," she said as she opened her eyes, "But I'm not seeing a boat or something else around here for miles. Doncha have something fancy from the future?"
Chibi-Moon sighed and slowly pushed herself to her feet. "I really don't know if I should..."
Ranma tapped her foot impatiently, her right brow cocked in disbelief. "Hey, future of the world resting on my shoulders here mean anything to ya? There ain't a boat here, and who says that your friends ain't already trailing us by now?"
"If you put it this way... oh, what the heck," Chibi-Moon muttered and produced a capsule out of nowhere.
"What's this? And how's that thingy gonna help us, small as it is?" Ranma asked incredulous.
"Wait and see, Ranma-san," the disguised Senshi replied with a grin and threw the capsule to the ground. It exploded in a puff of smoke, that, when it cleared, revealed a futuristic looking aircraft held in silver colour.
"What the hell!" Ranma exclaimed and presented warding signs, her eyes wide with surprise.
Chibi-Moon looked smug and waved her right hand at the aircraft. "That's my plane. I keep it in stuff-space for situations like this," she grinned.
"Oh, you teleport pregnant boy-turned-girls to hell knows where and take 'em on a flight often then?" quipped Ranma sarcastically, a scarlet brow raised mockingly.
"Not really. Don't think I could make a living off of it," Usa retorted with a grin, "Truth be told, I use this baby as an atmosphere flyer whenever I've got the chance. Drives mom barmy," she grinned.
Ranma raised a brow, but refrained from commenting. Sailor Moon was barmy enough in her opinion. "Can that thing be used for normal flight too?"
"Thing?" bristled Chibi-Moon indignantly, hands planted on her hips. "That's the Tauris, my baby, and not a thing! It's an ultra-modern state-of-the-art aircraft and no thing!"
"Whatever," Ranma waved her objections away. "Can it be used for normal flight?" she asked again.
"Yes," Chibi-Moon groused, levelling a smouldering glare at the other girl.
"Good," Ranma mused, ignoring the glare completely; she had encountered real masters of the glare, and Chibi's glare was nothing to her. "Let's board this thing and get going."
Chibi-Moon mock-saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"
Grinning smugly the disguised girl walked over to her plane, relishing in the impotent sputtering of the raven-haired girl. 'Good that I know how to rile her up...' she thought with a grin.
-.-
A minute later they were in the air, Chibi-Moon piloting the aircraft with expert ease born from countless hours of practise. The cloaking device was active and worked within normal parameters, and due to the fact that it used advanced technology from the future not even Pluto would be able to locate them. Ranma had also activated her modified Umi in addition to that so as to mask any more magical outbursts that might originate from her as an additional safety precaution.
The girls spent the flight in companionable silence, each hanging to her own thoughts. Chibi-Moon on her part mused how long it'd take her mother and the others to find out that she hadn't really ceased to exist, and part of her felt sad for deceiving them, but if she wanted to ensure that her future came about she had to stand by Ranma's side. Letting her mom and the other Scouts in on everything wasn't an option either for fear of causing a fatal temporal paradox.
Chibi-Moon sighed inwardly. It needed to be done, and maybe, after the child had been born, it'd be possible to inform her mother and friends of what was really going on. Yeah, the life of a Senshi was fraught with peril, but once they had reached Lemuria they'd be safe, and all necessary preparations could be made.
Ranma on her part was experiencing a very emotional phase. Her mood alternated between anger at Sailor Pluto and sorrow because she'd had to leave her friends so soon after being reunited with them. She dearly hoped that her friends, friends she considered family would keep a low profile.
But Pluto... It had to have been her who had supplied the gullible fathers with the poison that would have killed her daughter had she even sampled the soup. There just was no other explanation that fit the facts. Now that her covert attack on Senny's life had failed, though...
"Fuck, she must've known for a long time that I'm pregnant!" she muttered angrily. "And now that her little ploy failed she ain't have another choice but to step it up!"
"What do you mean, Ranma-san?"
"First off, drop the san. You helped me, so I'm Ranma to you. 'kay?"
Chibi-Moon smiled warmly. "S-Sure, Ranma-sa... Ranma, but only if you call me Usa," she said and dropped her transformation.
Ranma was risen out of her funk long enough to smile, but her mood changed quickly and the scowl returned. "Stupid Pluto bitch..." she muttered.
"So what did you mean? Who knew you're pregnant?"
Ranma growled darkly. "Pluto. Who else? Dunno how she found out so quickly that I was the danger to her Utopia, but she did. And now that her plan failed..."
"Ranma, please calm down..."
"If she tries something again, if she so much as looks at me wrong I'm gonna tear her limb from limb!" Ranma growled, her agitated magic making the air heavy.
"Ranma! Your magic is getting out of control!" Chibi-Moon snapped.
The raven-haired girl looked down at herself in startled surprise and noticed that a swirling silver aura was coursing around her, and it was singing the seat. "Fuck!" she exclaimed and closed her eyes.
Moments later the aura of power was sucked back into Ranma with an audible pop, and the heavy feeling of magic that had permeated the air disappeared. Ranma sunk deep into her seat, breathing heavy, sweat dripping off her face. "Fuck. It's been a damn long time since I lost control like that..."
"When was the last time, if you don't mind the question," Chibi-Moon asked carefully.
"Saffron," the raven-haired girl said with a dark look on her face. "He was..."
"I know who he was or is. Girl from the future, remember?" Chibi-Moon smiled, jabbing a thumb at herself.
"Oh. Yeah. Anyway, when Akane was dying I felt so helpless, so powerless, and Saffron was taunting me. I got so fuckin' angry, and suddenly I felt that well of power in me, and that boost gave me the chance to finish the crazy overgrown bird. Was that...?"
Chibi-Moon nodded. "It could very well be. Your magic sensed the life-threatening situation you were in and awakened from its dormant status long enough to aid you. Why it didn't stay active I can't say. Maybe the battle took a lot out of you and you had to recharge. Or something else entirely. No idea."
"Your guess is as good as any. Can't believe I lost control again. But this Pluto... Where does she get off to decide who lives and dies? Who died and made her God?! And my so called family... Betrayin' me like that… family, bah! I'll make my own family, and a wayyy better one at that," Ranma growled out.
"Don't cast your family away so quickly, Ranma. Yes, your mother sounds pretty idiotic," she admitted at Ranma's glare, "Okay, she takes the fruitcake without a doubt, but she's still your mom. She may just have meant it when she tried to build a new relationship with you."
"But…" Ranma interrupted.
"No, let me finish, Ranma. I know what she and your grandparents did went way beyond the pale, but they had their reasons. Reasons you know. In time you may come to forgive them, for that's how us members of the Serenity line tick," said Chibi-Moon, her mouth quirking into a lopsided grin.
Ranma wanted to rage, rant and rave against what the daughter of Sailor Moon had just said, but she couldn't deny the possibility that it might just be true. "Doesn't matter," she said finally. "Don't trust any of them, and don't wanna see 'em in a good long time. I'll build my own family, startin' with my daughter. I'll raise my baby-girl with the love she deserves, and I sure as hell am not gonna demand nonsense of her like my parents did of me," she said, wiping a few tears away. "I promise you, mommy's not gonna fail you."
The tension visibly left Ranma as she continued to stroke her belly, and her mood improved quickly. With her mind somewhat cleared she involved Chibi-Moon in a talk about magic and what the different attacks of the Senshi could do.
The daughter of Sailor Moon was - seemingly - baffled when she learned that there was more to the Serenity line's magic than just the preset attacks and defences their Sailor transformations granted them, and Ranma promised that they'd practise the spells together, but warned Chibi-Moon that she only knew the magical theory and the incantations of the spells, seeing that she hadn't been able to do much of anything with her magic inactive.
Chibi-Moon waved that away and remarked that she'd do great, being of the Serenity line and all. Ranma retorted that ancestry was no guarantee for prowess, the Kunos being the most glaring example that came to mind. The disguised Senshi had to concede the point after she had listened to Ranma's description of the crazy brother and sister, and was about to comment when suddenly the computer beeped, indicating that they had reached the co-ordinates where Lemuria was hidden.
"What now, Ranma?" Chibi-Moon asked, turning to face the other girl.
"Dunno. Uh, scan for it or something?"
"Already did that. Nothing."
"Then we gotta hope that my inner voice helps…" the raven-haired girl muttered.
Chibi-Moon was about to reply when she saw that Ranma had already spaced out, and the blonde teen shook her head in amusement. Leaning back into her chair Usa folded her hands behind her head and relaxed, well knowing that the only thing she could do was to hold the Tauris steady and watch the instruments.
-.-
The daughter of Sailor Moon didn't have to wait long; Ranma came out of her trance after about a minute, a look of concentration on her face. "Hope I'm gettin' this right... Can you open the door scuttle? I need to cast a spell."
"Umm, sure," Chibi-Moon replied and pushed a button that opened the door. "Don't fall out."
"Very funny. I'm a martial artist with years 'n' years of experience. I ain't gonna fall outta some stupid plane," Ranma said confidently.
Chibi-Moon smirked and made the aircraft roll from side to side, making it hard for the Saotome girl to keep her balance. "If you say so."
Grumbling cutely Ranma positioned herself in the doorway. "Again, very funny. But you hafta do better 'n that."
"Me? I didn't do anything. It was the computer. She didn't like that you called her a 'stupid plane'. I tried to get her under control, really," Chibi-Moon said innocently.
Ranma gave her a half-lidded stare. "Suuuure. Tell me another one. Now to the important stuff," she muttered, and a look of intense concentration settled on her face; the words seemed to come to her by themselves all of a sudden, and the magical warrior chanted, "Awaken from your long slumber, raise from the depths that have hidden you from the world for so long, come forth, I command thee, Lemuria!"
Chibi-Moon had watched in fascination how a silver aura of power had gradually built up around Ranma, and suddenly a silver beam of intense energy originated from the raven-haired girl's body, hitting the ocean's surface below, disappearing into the depths of the sea. Ranma held fire for ten seconds, then she stumbled back, exhausted. Moon's daughter was at the Saotome girl's side in a flash and helped her regain her balance, and Ranma smiled thankfully at Chibi-Moon as the other girl helped her to the co-pilot's seat.
"Damn, that took a heckuva lot outta me," Ranma complained and plopped down into the seat, her face clearly showing the strain the expenditure of so much magic had placed on her.
"I could tell, Ranma. But this better work fast, whatever it was you did. Your magical output could be traced rather easily, and the others won't need more than about twenty minutes to arrive. The only thing working in our favour is the fact that it's afternoon, and they'll have one heck of a time to drag mom outta the arcade," Chibi-Moon grinned.
Ranma returned the grin a bit tiredly. "Good for us. But we had to take the risk that your friends would notice anyway. There just were no alternatives," she replied.
The words had just left her mouth when all of a sudden a rumbling noise could be heard from the ocean's surface down below. Both girls virtually pressed their faces against the glass to get a better look, and they boggled at what they saw. A domed complex of considerable size was slowly but surely rising from the oceanic depths.
The structure as a whole was about eight kilometres in diameter from what Ranma and Usa could make out, and looked very futuristic even though it was several millennia old. One main dome, which was round about two kilometres in diameter at Ranma's estimation, had already risen from the depths, and it along with several smaller domes had emerged halfway not a minute later. Lemuria was indeed rising fast.
Chibi-Moon shook herself out of her stupor and quickly conducted scans. "Take a look at this, Ranma!" she pointed at the monitor, indicating one of the smaller domes. "This looks like a docking bay that should allow us entry, and we should really get a move on to get inside."
Ranma nodded, her face grim. "Yeah, we gotta hide that thing 'n fast. Or not just your friends will come knockin' but the military forces of every damn nation!"
Chibi-Moon nodded determinedly and had already set the aircraft in motion, and not a minute later they had reached the door bay Usa had indicated. The daughter of Moon consulted her computer. "We're being scanned for magical signatures. Phew, good that your magic awakened or we might've been reduced to debris already, considering the weaponry I'm picking up here. As I see it only members of the Serenity line are allowed entry, plus approved people. Pretty harsh safety measures, but we're now cleared to enter."
"Good. Get us inside," Ranma ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Chibi saluted, evoking grumbles and muttered threats from the other girl.
Chuckling Chibi steered the aircraft inside, apparently as curious and cautious as Ranma.
-.-
The Gates of Time, location unknown
Sailor Pluto was standing in front of the Gates of Time with a look of utmost concentration on her face as she scryed the timeline, her facial expression growing more and more dissatisfied with every passing moment. The chances for the coming about of Crystal Tokyo were as slim as they had been since Ranko Tendo had become an interfering factor, and the Guarding of Time cursed violently in the many languages she knew.
"There should have long since been a shift in the time-space-continuum, and the lack thereof can only mean one thing: the worthless fools failed," she muttered to herself, her face the epitome of annoyance. A long suffering sigh escaped Pluto's lips, and she wished not for the first time to have a bottle of good, old Aldebaran Whiskey handy. "It's time I stopped being discrete in my dealings with Ranko Tendo, it seems. He poses a greater threat than anticipated-"
Setsuna Meiou's eyes suddenly shot open when a huge wave of pure magical energy washed over her, and the definite feeling of Silver Millennium energy, more specifically that of the Serenity line, left her senses tingling. "Now what the hell was that?"
Shaking her head and the feeling off, Sailor Pluto focussed her attention back on the Time gates, a wry grin appearing on her face as the possibility occurred to her that the energy burst she had just felt might have originated from the baby the Tendo girl was carrying. "Gate, lock on the source of Silver Millennium energy and determine its location."
"Affirmative," came the androgynous reply, and seconds later the AI governing the Gates of Time spoke anew, "Task carried out. Source of energy output originating from 27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, signature is rapidly fading. Standing by for further commands."
"Not necessary," spoke a distracted Pluto and created a portal which she immediately stepped through. Appearing back in real time in an empty storage room of the Arcade her Princess and her friends were wont to hang out at – today being no exception – a satisfied glint appeared in Setsuna Meiou's eyes as she dropped her transformation. It was time to act.
-.-
27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, Pacific Ocean, Silver Millennium Earth-side base Lemuria, 3:22 p.m.
Ranma and Usa watched in fascination as they glided along in a long, illuminated tunnel, created by a technology Earth hadn't seen in millennia. Ranma expelled a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and saw Chibi-Moon do the same. Ranma played nervously with her long hair, and stopped when she noticed that she was fidgeting. "Usa, can you return us to normal? You know, ain't that we be needin' disguises around here, right?"
The daughter of Sailor Moon stopped chewing on her bottom lip and nodded. Seconds later she held her transformational pen in hands and dispelled the disguise in a matter of moments, returning Ranma to her silvery-red-haired and blue-eyed form. Few moments later Chibi-Usa was also herself again. "As useful as this is, I hate it every single time. Being something I'm not, I mean."
"Know watcha mean. Know all 'bout it. I used to think that this girl body wasn't me, that it was just some disguise, you know, like lookin' into a funhouse mirror. Now I know that it's really real, and I take pride in this body. Not least 'cause I'm gonna have a wonderful daughter born of this body," she smiled, stroking her belly.
Sailor Moon's daughter nodded. "Good that you accept yourself as you are, Ranma," she looked at her instruments. "Oh, good... we're reaching a docking point of some kind in 3... 2... 1. Docking commenced."
"Let's get outta here, then. And doncha dare say 'Yes, ma'am.' I don't wanna hear it even once," Ranma glared.
Chibi-Usa grinned impishly. "Sure thing, Miss Saotome," she exclaimed and made a run for it.
"WHAT!" yelled Ranma indignantly, "Come back here so I can kick your ass! Come back and take your punishment, you hear me!"
The other girl stood in the doorframe and grinned, blowing a raspberry. "Nyah, nyah, come and catch me, slowpoke!" she grinned and sped out of the door.
Ranma was about to give chase when a thought occurred to her. "Hmm, she shot out like liquid lightnin'... She wasn't cautious as one woulda been had they never seen the place. Something ain't adding up here..." she muttered and stepped out of the door herself.
Seeing no sign of the other girl Ranma took cautious steps into the unknown terrain and looked around. What she found left her gaping, for it seemed like she had left the 'normal' reality behind and had stepped straight into a sci-fi movie. Designs similar to those she had seen in Gaijin sci-fi shows greeted her, and she had to make a supreme effort to gather her bearings. She knew she had to find a computer of sorts, preferably some control computer or mainframe. That reminded her...
"Why shan't it work here... Computer?" she asked tentatively.
"Computer online," replied a modulated female voice from seemingly everywhere around her. "Activation time... scanning local time for comparison... 3:27 p.m., 8th September, 2006."
Ranma checked her wrist-watch. "Odd," she noted. "That was 'bout a minute before I tried talkin' to the 'puter... weird."
"Scanning magical signature. Cross-referencing with database," the computer said. "Verified. Welcome, Serenity, heir to Tenma of Line Serenity."
"Err, computer, I ain't Serenity. I'm Ranma Saotome."
"Upgrading lingual database to verify unknown lingual code. Upgrading main database. Done. All access to command functions and other functions restricted to Ranma Saotome Serenity by default."
"Hey! Watcha mean, unknown lingual code? First my mom 'n' grandparents, now a 'puter. There ain't anything wrong with my language, it's just that I'm acting like an idiot in an unknown environment so people underestimate me. Got it?"
"Command not understood. Please specify command."
"Stupid 'puter. Computer, can you activate that cloakin' thingie?"
"This function has to be activated in the main command centre, Ranma Saotome Serenity."
"Computer, I ain't... ahh, forget it. Is probably 'cause of Senny anyway. Computer, can you show me the way to the main command centre?"
"Affirmative. Would you prefer acoustic or holographic guidance?"
"Uhh, what? Holograwhatzit?" Ranma asked dumbly.
"Activating holographic guidance. Please follow the holographic line, Ranma Saotome Serenity."
"Err, thanks. I'll do that, yeah," a weirded out Ranma replied and set herself in motion, following the translucent red line that had appeared in mid-air.
-.-
27° 9' 0″ S, 109° 25' 30″ W, south-eastern Pacific Ocean, Isla de Pascua, 3:32 p.m.
A group of six young women clad in differently coloured fuku suddenly appeared out of nowhere, incidentally on the same-self cliff two other young women had been standing on not twenty minutes ago. The tallest of them, a green-haired woman with red eyes instantly narrowed said scarlet orbs and trained her senses on the ocean, a sense of dread running down her spine.
One of the girls accompanying her, a cobalt-haired girl in a blue-themed fuku, whipped out a futuristic looking computer and initiated a scan. Sailor Mercury's eyes widened and almost popped out of their sockets, and the girl met the questioning gazes of her companions with a look of supreme surprise on her face. "That's the largest concentration of Silver Millennium energy ahead I've ever recorded. And I mean ever. I'm zooming in…" she muttered and gazed back on the computer screen, only to squeak in surprise at what she saw next, "My gosh. It- It- It's huge! By kami, a base, it's a freakin' base!"
Sailor Pluto stepped to Mercury's side and was tempted to grab the computer to see what the younger woman was referring to, but her Princess stepping to Ami's other side and peering intently at the screen nipped such thoughts in the bud. The Senshi of Time heard herself gasping when she gazed upon the Mercury computer's screen, the same sound escaping the Moon Princess. "Kami-sama above, what is that?" Sailor Moon asked, her gaze glued to the screen.
"A fortress," Ami muttered as she interpreted the readings she was getting, "Eight point four kilometres in diameter, several levels, and- Shit!"
"What?" everyone bar Pluto seemed to chorus.
"Its shields just went up," Sailor Pluto replied in Ami's stead, an empty look being apparent in the Pluto Princess' eyes as she gazed out onto the ocean, "I could feel it."
"Me too," Sailor Moon agreed with a nod, "And it felt- well, stronger than anything I've ever felt before."
"And no surprise it did. This is a base built from Silver Millennium technology, pre-fall technology of the highest calibre. Incredible I had no idea it existed," Pluto supplied emotionlessly, her eyes still gazing into seemingly nothing before snapping onto the Moon Princess, "We must assume that our enemy managed to enter this base by means unknown. Our primary objective should now be the gathering of data on how to enter the base ourselves in order to eliminate the threat."
"As to that, this shielding is absolutely impenetrable for us. Even if all of us were to attack the shields in one focal point in our Super forms – and yes, there are four layers of them, so plural – we wouldn't even be able to breach the first layer. Whoever built this- this fortress knew what they were doing. That thing could withstand orbital bombardment of the worst kind for millennia without a scratch. And don't get me started on its offensive capabilities- it's a nightmare," Ami uttered and massaged her temples.
Sailor Venus poked her hands together in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture, "So it's bad?"
"Oh yeah," Mercury deadpanned, "Bad and then some. I'll have to check the archives to see if they have something, anything on how to disable this kind of tech, but I can so see lots of all-nighters looming on the horizon for me," she sighed.
The other Scouts made sympathetic comments, yet Pluto remained as impassive as ever and limited her reaction to an inclination of her head which signified her agreement.
'Or maybe not, Ami, depending on Hotaru. Everything's resting on her now,' the Senshi of Time thought, and carefully kept her face impassive.
"Oh my Kami-sama, what is going on now? The Mercury computer is detecting a huge concentration of Tetryon particles, and- and now- the base is gone! My scans are picking up nothing! Not even the faintest trace! How's this possible?" Ami exclaimed, her face conveying just how gobsmacked she was.
Pluto grimaced, and Sailor Moon who was still standing to Ami's right saw it. "Pluto?"
"It's a level ten cloaking device, experimental and highly confidential, your Highness. According to my memories it was still in its infancies, but someone obviously managed a breakthrough. Much to our detriment," the Princess of Pluto groused. "It will make our endeavour that much harder."
Sailor Moon nodded and unsuccessfully tried to hide her disappointment. "We will do as you suggested, Pluto. But as soon as we have enough data collected we'll head homewards."
A chorus of agreement came from the other Scouts, and to see looks of determination replaced the looks of disappointment that had been so prominent on the other four young women's faces, fellow Scouts with whom she had gone through hell and back touched a few strings in Setsuna Meiou. The Senshi of Pluto suppressed a smile and took solace in the thought that everything would straighten itself out soon. Even Level 10 cloaking could be overcome when the shields were down and you knew where to teleport to. And soon she, they, Pluto amended mentally, would know.
-.-
Lemuria, five minutes prior
Ranma followed the holographic line for about two minutes until she reached a reinforced scuttle. Wondering what to do the redhead saw a strange device of sorts that resembled a fingerprint scanner she had seen in a movie upon looking around. Shrugging she pressed her palm against it and waited for something to happen.
"Verifying magical signature... signature approved. Registering magical signature and fingerprints for future access. Access granted," the computer said, and the door slid open, revealing a circular room held in discrete silver colour with many consoles on two different levels and a throne-like chair standing in the middle.
Ranma stepped cautiously into the room, and was suddenly assaulted by a pink flash that grabbed her arm. "What took you so long? I already reactivated everything but the cloaking device! That one we need to activate together, for the activation sequence is initiated from two separate control panels! Get over there, Ranma, and quick!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed and she pointed at a computer-console.
Completely steamrolled as she was Ranma obeyed and walked over to the console. "What now?" she asked.
"It's colour-coded. The sequence is blue me, red you, yellow me, black you, green me, white you, purple me, gold you, blue me and violet you. Got it?"
"Red, black, white, gold and violet. Got it. Speak 'em aloud once you push yours."
"Gotcha! Blue!"
"Red!" "Yellow!" "Black!" "Green!" "White!" "Purple!" "Gold!" "Blue!" "Violet!"
"Now the silver button! On three! 1... 2... 3... Now!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.
Both young women pushed the buttons at the same time, and a strange light effect swept over them a moment later. Chibi-Usa sighed in relief, her face sporting a grin. "No one will be able to find us now unless we wish to."
"Great," grinned Ranma, and turned serious. "But now I got few questions for ya..."
Chibi-Usa gulped in face of Ranma's expression, but was unexpectedly saved by an acoustic signal.
"Kernel initiation complete. Shields at full strength, cloaking device working within normal parameters. AI online," the computer's female lilt listed.
Suddenly a translucent figure materialised a metre in front of them, the well-built and regal looking female bearing a strong resemblance to Ranma's daughter and Ranma herself. "Welcome, Ranma Saotome Serenity, heir of the paternal line to the Serenity Line. I am Muri, Lemuria's artificial intelligence and your proxy to this base. If you have any questions, do please ask, Your Highness," the holographic projection said politely.
"First off, just call me Ranma, Muri, everyone does, or if you must, that or Serenity. It's my true family line after all," the gender-changing martial artist said with a sigh, "And I do have a question. The computer said something to the effect that the command functions were under my authority. What does that mean?"
"In simple terms, that your command over Lemuria is absolute, Your High- Ranma," the AI replied in a serious tone, "It cannot be challenged by anyone."
"G-Good to know," a floored Ranma muttered after realising the enormity of what that meant.
"Do you have orders, Ranma?" the AI inquired politely.
Ranma's brows furrowed in thought as the young magical warrior racked her brain, Usa clearing her throat prompting her to look at the Sailor Scout. "I have a suggestion, Ranma. Have her whip the base back up into shape."
Ranma mulled her ally's suggestion over for a few moments and nodded to herself. "Makes sense. Muri, you heard her."
"Your command will be carried out, Ranma. Serenity, if I may-" the AI trailed off.
"What is it, Muri?"
"There is something in Lab 03 you should take a look at, Serenity. Something you'd benefit from greatly," Muri replied vaguely.
Ranma narrowed her eyes and regarded Muri for long moments before turning her head to look at Usa. "It's safe, Ranma. Muri would never do anything to harm you," she said in the chestnote of conviction, having read Ranma's look correctly.
"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Muri, please show me the way to the Lab," Ranma said finally, having come to a decision.
"Right away," Muri replied almost cheerily, and a red holographic line appeared in mid-air, "Just follow the line, Serenity, and we'll meet up in the lab. By your leave." the AI queried.
The silvery-red-haired girl needed a few moments to grasp the meaning of Muri's words. "Of course," she nodded and the AI cancelled the holographic projection.
"Now that was... interesting," Ranma mused to herself, and turned serious eyes on Usa, "And you... You ain't off the hook yet. I've got some questions, and when I'm back I'm gonna want some good answers."
That said Ranma walked out of the door without looking back, leaving a sweating Usa behind.
-.-
Following the holographic lines Ranma easily found the Lab in question and ended up in front of a double door with the same security features as the door she had passed minutes ago. Catching her breath for a moment seeing that Senny decided to literally take her breath away by kicking seemingly as hard as she could the Saotome youth tried to track her path, but quickly had to admit to herself that she'd be hard pressed to find her way back without assistance what with the maze of corridors she had passed.
Shrugging Ranma shook herself out of her musings of what she was going to find behind the doors in front of her, muttered, "There's no time like the present," and stepped forward, the door opening with an obedient swish after she had unlocked it.
The lights came on automatically, basking the room in artificial light, and Ranma's measuring gaze immediately swept over the rectangular shaped room of about seven by nine metres that had been revealed as the silvery-red-haired young woman tried to discern any dangers.
To her relief she found no signs, safe for an odd feeling in the back of her head that had sprung up as soon as she had entered the room. Ranma quickly overcame her surprise that the lab, which was held in a soft silver colour, looked like something out of a sci-fi show with all the tech stuffed into it. Everything seemed to, which made it less of a surprise, really.
Two futuristic workbenches of four by one-and-a-half metres held all in beige dominated the room, the workbenches standing alongside in the middle of the room with very advanced looking monitors standing on both benches, and Ranma's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the left workbench for a reason she couldn't discern.
"But why? I mean, the room looks empty aside from these workbenches and the tech in here, but there's definitely something hidden here. I can feel it, just out of reach, calling to me," Ranma mused to herself, her head tilted to the side as she tried to understand what her senses were telling her.
"Very good senses you got there, Serenity," a voice from behind suddenly spoke up, startling the Saotome youth.
"Muri!" Ranma exclaimed and whirled around, her right hand clutching her chest, "You almost gave me a coronary!"
"Sorry, Serenity," Muri replied looking innocent, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, "But your senses were spot on. There is something in this room that fades into the magical background noise for all but members of the Serenity line. It is kept safe by so many security features that it would take hours to list them all, but that you detected it in the first place proves beyond a doubt that my scans were correct. To take your inheritance, Your Highness, you must simply command me to deactivate the safety measures hiding Lemuria's greatest treasure."
If Ranma was surprised by this she didn't show it. "Treasure, eh? That's more the panda's speciality, but what the hell. Muri, I command you to un-hide whatever's hidden here."
"It will be done, Serenity," Muri replied and bowed her head in a gesture of obedience.
For a moment nothing happened, but then several strange pulses of decidedly magical nature flooded the room, and suddenly the very air seemed to flare with a strange lightshow that passed through them, Muri mouthing, "The light effect you just witnessed was a tetryon discharge due to the cloaking device being shut down."
Ranma nodded knowingly despite the fact that she hadn't understood a word of the technobabble and muttered, "Of course."
Muri shot her an amused look before pointing at the table. "Keep your eyes trained on the middle of the table. It is dimensionally shifted to the side at a 270 degree angle, and should be realigned with our time-space-continuum any moment now."
"I'll take your word for it, Muri," Ranma replied, her amused undertone conveying she was way in over her head here.
Muri smiled at her de-facto commander. "Don't worry, we'll get your education up to speed yet, Your Highness."
Ranma let a sigh escape her lips as she waited for something to happen. "Why'd I have a feeling you'd say that, Muri? And didn't I tell you to stop calling me 'Your Highness'? It's Ranma."
"I could stop calling you 'Your Highness' as much as you could teleport to the Andromeda galaxy right now, Your Highness. Not at all.
"Please hear me out," Muri continued when Ranma wanted to protest. "That you sensed it and have already begun synching with it means that you are the legitimate heir to the Serenity line. Not your unborn daughter who will be heir at one point, nor the other magical signature belonging to the Royal line my sensors are picking up on. You are my commander and the owner of Lemuria, Your Highness. It is engrained into my programming that I serve you in any way possible, and it is also engrained into me that I address you properly. Now that you've proven you're my owner I cannot address you disrespectfully."
"Bugger," Ranma mouthed, and shook her head in sorrow, "Just my luck... Oh, look!"
What had caused Ranma's exclamation was the sudden appearance of a silver coloured cylindrical container of about thirty by seventy centimetres on the left workbench, and to the only living being in the room it had suddenly popped into existence out of nowhere. A soft golden glow enveloped the object, and Ranma's senses told her that it was very magical, whatever it was.
"So... strong!" Ranma breathed, her eyes wide.
"Wait until you hold it in your hands, Your Highness," Muri said almost impishly, "Now please repeat after me: unlock sequence Theta two Epsilon eight Gamma Fourteen dash four point six Beta fifty New Rise. Unlock."
Ranma followed Muri's instructions to the letter and didn't even dare to blink for fear of missing whatever was about to happen, and then, with an audible phoomph the final protections were deactivated and the cylinder unfolded like a large, mechanical flower, baring its contents to Ranma's curious eyes.
The redhead gasped as her gaze fell upon the object, and despite the fact that it was shaped like a large, golden rock Ranma knew that it was really without a doubt Lemuria's greatest treasure. "It's... awesome, Muri. But what is it?"
A reverent look appeared on Muri's face. "This, Your Highness, is the late Queen's legacy. Her attempt to make it easier on those of the Serenity line that came after her. You have of course heard of the Ginzuishu, or Silver Crystal, the artefact passed down amongst the Royal line."
"Yes," Ranma nodded, and her face briefly scrunched up, "It is wielded by Sailor Moon, and according to my Clan the single-most powerful tool the other side has."
"In a nutshell, yes," agreed Muri with an inclination of her head. "The Queen knew there was a good chance the Ginzuishu would be passed down to her reincarnated daughter at some point, and today we know that this assumption was true.
"The Queen didn't want to take a gamble, though, she literally didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket," here Ranma snorted amusedly, "and thought up an alternative that'd come into play in case that something went wrong. You being here and pregnant with the Queen's reincarnation suggests that something went very wrong indeed. It further suggests that the alternate plan has been put into action by the Queen's descendants at least a few months back.
"And I had to know if you were worthy of my support, if you truly were the heir, which is why I put you to the test. Suffice to say, you passed with flying colours."
"Feh, my whole life seems to be a never-ending string of tests, trials and challenges," Ranma muttered a bit sourly and slammed her right fist into her palm, "When this is all over I'm gonna take a loooong vacation."
"Understandable," Muri mused sympathetically, "The hardships you encountered to get to this point were likely very rough on you."
Ranma chuckled softly. "Some time me and you - and maybe the squirt, too - are gonna sit down and I'll tell you my story. Believe me, you're gonna be surprised, and that's probably as much of an understatement as saying the sun's a wee bit hot.
"Anyway, what am I supposed to do?" she asked, indicating the golden glowing rock.
"As said, you are worthy of wielding the Lunar Crystal. It was created by the late Queen and her brother-"
"Tenma, my ancestor," interrupted Ranma, nodding, "He must've been a right genius."
"Indeed. They created the Lunar Crystal as part of the backup plan when everything had been shot to hell anyway and hid it so that no one but a blood relative could find the Crystal.
The AI paused for a moment. "I know from my databases that they created the Crystal in hopes Tenma's line would produce a Heiress, and its purpose was to aid her magic by finetuning, or, more accurate, streamlining it. If-"
"What does that mean in normal Japanese?" Ranma asked and rubbed her temples to ward off the headache she was getting from trying to follow Muri's technobabble.
"In simple terms, the Crystal doesn't bolster your magical core or increases your access to that core magic, no, it works by purifying your magic and streamlining it to a more efficient state, thus granting you incredible control over your magic. Without the Crystal you'd be pouring a lot more magic into your spells than necessary, but with it you can use this excessive energy to make your spells that much stronger.
"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been training your magic?" Muri wanted to know.
"Err, I just came into my powers yesterday, Muri," replied Ranma after her mind had processed what the AI had said.
"Yesterday... Not good," Muri muttered almost to herself, "You will likely experience severe control issues in that case, and there's much to learn. It's imperative that you take the Crystal so that your control gets a jumpstart, for you'd be wasting so much energy what with how inexperienced you are. Regardless of how much of a powerhouse you are, Your Highness, you'd tire much faster than the opposition, and all would be lost. You must use the Crystal, for your safety and the safety of your daughter.
"At least until you have given birth and the worst is over, that is," the AI added as an afterthought, "It is imperative that you properly learn how to control your magic without relying on outside sources, or all sorts of Bad things will happen."
"Bad?" Ranma queried and emphasised the capitalisation.
"You could crack the planet in half if you lost control, Your Highness. So yes, Bad," Muri replied solemnly.
"So I have no choice but to use the Crystal as a crutch until Senny's been born," Ranma recapped with an unhappy frown, "Or rather, until she'll be able to defend herself. Splendid."
"It is as you say, Your Highness," Muri agreed neutrally, "All you have to do now, Serenity, is to pick it up. The hard part's already over," she explained.
Ranma eyed the crystal that was sitting so innocently on the table critically, well aware that the urge to claim the said Crystal as hers was becoming stronger by the minute. "All I have to do is pick ya up, eh? Sounds easy enough, but why do I get the feeling there're strings attached here?"
She sighed and straightened her shoulders. "Chickening out ain't my style anyway, and I really might be able to protect Senny better. Plus, if I take it and keep it safe for Senny we won't need Sailor Moon's crystal," she mused to herself and stared challengingly at the golden glowing object. "So, just you and me, eh?" the Saotome youth mouthed and slowly walked forward until she stood directly in front of the Crystal.
Muri remained silent and just watched as Ranma finally reached out with her left hand and picked up the Crystal, internally commending her de facto owner on exhibiting caution and using what was apparently her weaker hand. The silvery-redhaired woman held the artefact in her hand for some moments before cupping both hands around it, and suddenly, with a blinding flash of golden light the large crystal disappeared...
-.-
Ranma felt disoriented for a moment and her vision was swimming like after a lucky hit from Ryoga which forced her to close her eyes hard to get things back into focus. Her whole body was prickling like she was being supercharged, and she would swear that every hair on her body was standing on end. This almost painful feeling gradually abated until she felt just 'charged', for lack of a better term. Looking down at herself Ranma found that she had been 'levelled up' to her Serenity form, and she was feeling stronger than ever.
"What the fuck just happened?" she uttered, her crude exclamation summing up her feelings on the matter.
"The Lunar Crystal became a part of you, Your Highness. It cannot be taken from you against your will, ever," Muri explained. "And while it has been postulated that it might be weaker than its sister it should go a long way in raising your chances at success. For consider, the more powerful you are the higher the probability that you will be able to protect your daughter."
Ranma noticed that Muri deliberately tried to play to her motherly, protective side, but she had to admit that it was working. "I hear you, Muri. And if I understood all that shit about the Silver Crystal it's just a focus for ones own power, which means the Lunar Crystal is bound to be the same.
"Anyway, you said this is my inheritance, and what with how this rock is... bonding with me, for lack of a better word, I can believe it, Muri. I feel better than ever, I feel... complete," she said and sighed contently.
Muri smiled and nodded. "Then all is as it should be, Your Highness, at least according to the Queen's and Tenma's logs. It is highly likely that you'll get access to the higher powers you possess soon."
Ranma inclined her head and dropped the transformation, returning to her civilian form. "Good. Now let's go, I have some questions for a certain brat..."
-.-
A few minutes later Ranma had returned to the command centre, and her serious blue eyes were spearing a sweating Usa, pinning her in place like an insect. The Saotome had refused to elaborate on what had occurred, but she had the distinct feeling Usa knew anyway. Intensifying her glare Ranma plopped down on one of the many chairs the command centre offered and rested her arms on a console of some kind (careful so as not to push some button or the other by accident), and beckoned Usa to do the same.
Once the younger girl had taken a seat to Ranma's right behind a similar console the redhead cleared her throat. "Now to those questions I mentioned..."
Usa gulped and forced a sheepish smile. Something told her she wouldn't like these questions, but she would hardly get off the hook without providing the other young woman with (satisfying) answers. Pasting a serious expression on her face Usa asked, "What do you want to know, Ranma?"
"I'll get straight to the point. How did you know how to get here? Took me five minutes and the help of the computer, and you sped away like liquid lightnin'. The computer also said she had been activated a minute before I asked her for help. You seem to know the place very well. Care to explain?" Ranma inquired, her expression conveying that she wouldn't accept anything less than the truth.
"I knew I should've been more careful," sighed Chibi-Usa and pouted. "But I had to get here fast and hoped that if I presented you with a game of tag you would try to follow me without it looking suspicious. We'd have stumbled upon the command centre seemingly by chance, but as is wont to happen with my rotten luck you smelled the rat and took too long. That didn't leave me any other choice but to activate what I could."
"'kay. So why do you know your way around here? Is it 'cause you're from the future?"
Chibi-Usa nodded. "Yes. I know my way around here for a simple reason: this place still exists in my time. But I can't say any more, or I might cause a temporal paradox."
"Tempowhat?" asked Ranma dumbly.
Usa sighed. "We really have to get your education up to speed, Ranma. Well, imagine it like this: you travel back in time and cause something in the past that was not supposed to happen. If you're lucky you create an alternate reality that was adapted to your meddling, or, worse, you destroy your dimension and everything in it. You'll surely agree that this wouldn't be good?"
Ranma's eyes had gone wide, and the Saotome girl nodded slowly. "Not good..." she muttered, still shocked by the concept.
"In order to avoid this I can't tell you any more from the future. Events have to unfold as they were meant to, and yes, my intervention was meant to be. Otherwise we'd all be already dead," Chibi-Usa explained.
"Ooookay," Ranma drawled. "And what are we gonna do now?"
"How about we get something to eat and find us a comfy place where we can kick back? I checked the replicators, and they're mostly okay, aside from a few exceptions."
"Food? Cool! I'm starvin' here!" the redhead exclaimed grinning.
"I figured as much," Chibi-Usa said dryly. "Computer, holographic guidance to the cafeteria requested."
"Processing," came the obedient reply. "Command carried out."
The redhead was as fast out of her seat as her pregnant form allowed, leaving a dust-cloud behind. Chibi-Usa chuckled. "Some things never change..." she muttered as she followed the Saotome girl.
Inwardly she was very glad that a few things remained as they were (or would be, she corrected herself), for it was those constants that provided a much-needed sense of security.
-.-
Lemuria Base, observation deck, 3:55 p.m.
Usa, after having admitted to knowing the place like the back of her hand had led Ranma to one of the lounges the Lemuria base provided, and as soon as the silvery-red-haired young woman had stepped into the room she felt at home. The martial artist turned magical girl warrior let her appreciative gaze wander around, drinking in every detail, every nuance.
She noted right away that the large room bore a strong resemblance to a bar Ranma thought to have seen in one sci-fi show with its many circular tables and comfortable looking chairs set up around the room, and it even had a large - and probably well-equipped - bar. The room itself was held in beige colours that gave it a comfortable and welcoming feeling, and the discretely placed pictures depicting stellar phenomenon and celestial bodies Ranma had never seen before made for a eye-turner, but the room's jewel had to be the large window that spanned the whole starboard side, giving the patrons an unhindered view on the oceanic depths.
The daughter of Sailor Moon chuckled silently when she saw the look on Ranma's face. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The endless depths of the ocean, a view so mesmerising you wanna forget all your troubles," she breathed, eyes glued to the view the window presented.
Ranma, still spellbound, nodded absently and slowly walked over to a table a few metres ahead of her where she plopped onto a chair, absently noticing that it fit itself to her body to ensure a maximum of comfort. "It is quite the view," she admitted, refusing to sound like a pansy, and chuckled, "Didn't peg you for a romantic, Usa."
"I like the view, so what?" Usa retorted casually, her gaze not straying from the view, "The window's of course charmed so that only those on the inside can look out and no one in. No one, be it animal or human has the foggiest that this base is here."
"I- I had the feeling I deactivated some strong magic when I cast the spell. Is that why nobody ever found it?" Ranma wanted to know.
"Yes," Usa nodded, "The whole place is surrounded by wards and shields that ensure no one without the correct pass codes can find and enter the base, and that's just for those with magic in them. You have to be of Tenma's line anyway to do either, let alone calling forth Lemuria like you did."
"I see," Ranma nodded in understanding, "So your mom couldn't enter the base either?"
"Nope. Wrong Serenity," Usa replied with a lopsided grin.
"Good. For that would have really made my day, that your mom, Pluto or the others could enter my base at their leisure," Ranma grumbled, brows furrowed in irritation, "I-"
"Incoming teleport carrying valid pass codes detected, originating from Juuban Ward, Tokyo, Japan," Muri spoke up urgently, "Should access be allowed or should the teleport be redirected?"
Cold fury shone in Ranma's eyes. "Redi-"
"Stop, Ranma!" Usa yelled, halting the other girl in her tracks and causing the magical warrior to turn distrustful eyes on Usa, "She's a friend, and most likely going to be our most powerful ally! And we're gonna need allies!"
Ranma's glare softened a bit as she searched Usa's eyes to find not even a hint of betrayal, and the silvery-redhaired girl couldn't deny the veracity of Usa's statement either. They were going to need allies. "Okay. I trust you. But fail me on this and you won't like the consequences, Usa," she warned and left the implications hanging, which elicited a satisfying gulp on the pinkette's part. "Muri, let her pass."
"As you wish, your Highness," Muri replied, her way of addressing Ranma causing said young woman to grumble.
A blink of an eye later a short raven-haired girl in a purple and maroon coloured fuku appeared in front of them, and Ranma eyed the polearm she was holding in her right hand warily. Not taking her eyes off Sailor Saturn - who was shaking her head to ward off the dizzy feeling the long-range teleport had evoked - Ranma let her annoyance be felt by a noticeable flare up of her power. "She's one of them, Usa. Why's she here?" she asked in a tone as cold as ice.
"Because she's not our enemy, Ranma! She doesn't want to kill your baby!" Usa retorted urgently.
"Warning! Multiple incoming teleports detected!" Muri downright yelled, but by then it was far too late.
Ranma whirled around in what seemed to be slow motion, and the last thing she saw was a fuchsia coloured orb of power accompanied by a yell of, "Dead Scream!"
to be continued...
"And the earth was a great, dead ball of ice, slowly melting as it fell into the sun." – BorgRabbit
Or will it be? The future's not written yet, nothing is set in stone, and even the most surprising of events might occur. - Trugeta
Well, behold the evil cliffhanger of doom! Muhahahahaha! Erm, I know a lot of you peepz wanna kill me right now, but my muse wanted me to end it right there. And who am I to deny her? # chuckles #
Besides, there're true masters of the cliffhanger out there, and this tiny one's rather harmless. Really. Okay, so you're all glaring at me right now, but know what, the next chapter won't take as long to get out as this one. Promise. With 'Raiju' having gone to the great beyond - not least thanks to Kishimoto screwing up canon so much it ain't funny - this is just the beginning... expect more soon.
Rev. 1.1: corrected the slip up where I used 'English' instead of 'Japanese'.
Rev. 1.2: replaced 'Golden Crystal' with 'Lunar Crystal'. Thanks to Weebee (and others) for pointing out my blunder, and thanks to the peepz at my group for helping me out with suggestions. Special thanks go to Anime-Freak317 for suggesting the 'winner'.