-Chapter 7-

Ranma watched Shampoo slice her blade through a youma even as her own kick shattered one's head and propelled her towards the rest of the Senshi most of whom were arrayed in a circle around Moon and ripping their own trail of destruction while Jupiter fought the red haired Nephrite.

The battle seemed to be going quite well until a black rose speared Jupiter's arm and a voice said, "You dare attack thy betters; well I shall have none of it. I Endymion consort to lady Beryl shall defeat you!"

With that a tuxedo clad flicked his hands and sent a black rose hurtling towards Jupiter. The stem embedded itself into her arm and she screamed in pure agony. Still she managed to hold up her hands and began to shout, "Supreme Thund..." the last words were cut off by her piecing scream as her left arm was sliced off up to her elbow.

Ranma saw it all in extreme slow motion and she moved, poured on the speed and took a few blows from youma just to get closer. She arrived just in time to push Jupiter to the ground and out of the way of a final strike that would have removed her head. Then she had to keep moving as Endymion's sword sliced towards her and she deflected it with her bracer. She knew she couldn't stand here and fight the tuxedo clad man unless she wanted Jupiter to bleed out, but grabbing the girl and running away would give an enemy with high speed and a very sharp sword a chance at her back. Her options were limited until Shampoo arrived and blocked the next strike from Endymion with her Jian.

Ranma quickly picked the bleeding girl up and removed her to the edges of the battle, but as she moved a Youma grabbed her side and pulled. She had to twist away from the claws and then she punched her magic to send her far into the air. Once she landed with her injured burden she ripped her shirt and started binding the wound even as she said, "Shit, that damn Youma made me drop the rest of your arm."

Jupiter was unconscious from the shock and blood loss and so was unable to reply to that statement. Ranma looked back over the battlefield and spotted the lost limb even as Mars pointed at the group of youma it was near and called out her attack phrase. Flame lit them up and took them out of the battle, but it also removed any possibility for reattachment as the lost limb went up in flames.

Rama held the bleeding stump tight and whispered, "Damn…damn…damn…" even as Beryl told her what she needed to do. "You'll have to cauterize it Ranma."

"I know that! I know…." She mentally berated herself and then took two breaths to settle her nerves, then accessed her mana and whispered, "Flame Sniper"

The small bit of heat did its job and then Ranma turned to the battle. She looked to Shampoo and noted that her Amazon compatriot had her hands full in a high speed sword fight with Endymion, one that any amount of distraction could end her life. She looked to the rest of the group and saw that Mercury and Moon were hiding behind a downed wall while Mars was attempting to flame another group of Youma. The black haired girl was hit by a blast of power from Nephrite, who had been the one pinning Mercury and Moon down, and she was blasted across the street and into a fire hydrant.

The crunch of her head connecting with the metal was clear from Ranma's position and she had had enough. She clicked her spell to give her height and distance again and rushed into the fray. A foot struck a youma and even as its head caved she blasted another next to it with a mana bolt, and then called out, "Mercury, high pressure water on these two. Moon hit the two behind with your tiara."

She dodged a blast from Nephrite and punched her spell again rocketing her into the air. Below her Moon and Mercury were destroying the four youma as suggested, but the floating general sneered as she passed above him saying, "You missed little girl!"

Ranma smirked at him and then hit him with her magical and chi based instant inversion. The swirl of tightly packed air slammed into him and sent him to the ground. He landed on his back with a crack. Ranma landed next to him and as he stood he was looking into the red haired girl's face. He dodged her first punch only to be hit with a blast from Moon.

Even as he was being blasted Shampoo's Jian sliced into Endymion's his side and a punch crushed his nose. Moon seeing Shampoo slice into her love calling out with a pleading voice, "Please don't hurt Endymion he must be under a spell. I'll use my powers on him!"

Even as Moon spoke Nephrite was launched into the air by one of Ranma's punches and there he was hit in the face by a high pressure stream of water from Mercury. He paused there a moment hovering with a hand to his abused face and said, "We have lost this encounter, but we shall capture the crystals and the Princess. Now come Endymion we will leave today and plan for a victory on another day."

With that a portal appeared and he dropped through, then another appeared and whisked away the tuxedo clad boy. Ranma stared at that a moment and then said, "Okay I am getting really sick and tired of that. We really need to think about some way to act instead of react to these people."

The red haired girl stood for a moment as silence reigned as Venus clawed her way out of what had once been a house and walked to stand next to the rest of the group. As Venus came over Ranma said, "And what the hell was up with Tux boy? I thought he was on your side?"

Mercury finally spoke up saying, "I…I don't know…looking at the data now I think he was somehow brainwashed or magically turned to evil. I'm not sure."

Moon looked the most upset and said, "No he…I love…" then she broke down in tears.

Ranma looked at the two girls and said, "Well I'm sure. You see he cut off your friend's arm. I cauterized it and I think she might be stable, but she's never going to have a left hand again. You think about that the next time you ask my tribe sister not to kill him."

Moon and Mercury looked abashed even as Ranma snorted and walked over to Mars and looked at her. "I'm not sure of her either. Hell, I'm not a doctor; I just have some training in healing from martial arts. She might have something broken. We need to get her and Jupiter to a hospital."

Shampoo was over at Jupiter and said, "She's still in shock and I agree. They are needing a hospital for sure."

Moon rubbed an arm over her eyes clearing her tears and sniffled as she said, "Wait bring them both together I think I can heal them."

Shampoo brought Jupiter to Mars and the group watched even as sirens became louder in the distance. Moon looked at her two friends her eyes averting themselves from Jupiter's lost arm as she called out, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

It was pure white and everyone watching was blinded. As eyes cleared Moon was slumped on the ground and the other two Senshi were slowly standing. Mars put a hand to her head while Jupiter put her right hand on only half of her left hand. The magic had made her wounds go away and her arm had lengthened, but it had given out before she had anything more than her thumb and one finger the rest was gone as if sliced away down to her wrist. All she could do was stare at it in mute horror.

Rescue crews were on the scene by then and through sheer luck no one had been harmed except for the Senshi. Shampoo looked to Ranma and said, "Time to go for us to go now."

Ranma sighed and said, "Right but we need to have a meeting. This, " he pointed at the damage and Jupiter, "this has got to stop."

The group departed, meeting up at the Hino Shrine some time later. Moon had tried to heal Jupiter again, but even when the girl was back in her civilian form the healing magic didn't take. So, with a morose mood and hardly a second thought the group made additional introductions and then stood in their civilian forms while Ranma addressed them saying, "Okay we need to train all of you, not just have Shampoo and I help and we need to figure out a better strategy than we have. We need some way to get to these damn Generals and Beryl before they step through a damn portal who knows where."

Shampoo nodded and said, "Yes, they are choosing the time and place of attacks and thus are coming close to winning. I think we may just be getting lucky that they aren't better battle planners."

Beryl spoke to Ranma saying, "She's right if it was me I would certainly never be so foolish."

Ranma nodded mentally and then said, "We need to figure out how to stop those portals they make or find out where they come from."

Beryl then said, "Wait Mercury was using a computer earlier today. It is most likely it is from the Moon Kingdom and probably the most powerful the mages could make. Really she has one of the most sophisticated computers from our time period with her and she only uses it to scan battles?"

Beryl seemed affronted, "I don't know why I didn't see if before, but we could use it to determine where these portals lead. More importantly we could use it to design additional magical tools and weapons taking into account the current technology levels…"

Ranma stared at the blue haired girl desperate to mention everything that was passing through her brain, but settled for saying, "You had a computer right Mercury? I saw you using it to scan the battle or something. Can you use it to tell us where the portals lead?"

Ranma left out more details of Beryl's plans and ideas for uses of the Mercury computer deciding that doing so would present more problems than she would be able to explain, so she settled for thinking, "Well Beryl as much as I'd like to do that we have a small issue because talking about all that stuff would be suspicious. Let me know when you figure out a way we can tell her without mentioning that I have the person they think is their most evil enemy residing in my skull."

Beryl just chuckled in Ranma's mind realizing that she had gone overboard while Mercury said, "Maybe, let me see…"

She tapped a few keys and then frowned, "Looks like we have some data, but not enough to triangulate a position."

Mars said, "How do we get enough data?"

"We need to be here when they open or close another portal. That should give me enough data and potentially a way to either open or keep open a portal back to where they are coming from."

Jupiter looked up from her ruined hand and with venom in her voice said, "What about keeping a portal from opening where we are so that the bastards can't escape?"

Mercury shook her head and said, "It says here that we need a Tachyon Mana Transducer to do that."

Before Ranma could volunteer Beryl said, "No, we'd need an elerium generator to make one. So, don't even bother suggesting that we could try."

"Why not just make an elerium generator?"

Images of atomic explosions showed in Ranma's mind as Beryl said, "Because without the safety protocols and magnetic fields we need it would explode."

With an image of a nuclear explosion in his head Ranma mentally shivered and said, "Okay no elerium generators."

The conversation slowed to appointment times for training with Shampoo and Ranma, and then the group split up and went their separate ways. Unfortunately for Ranma his separate way was directly into yet another confrontation with his father.

"Why are you being so Stubborn Ranma? Accept the agreement; realize that our family honor is at stake and at least pick one of the girls."

Ranma looked back at Genma and said, "But Akane hates me and Nabiki, well she's good to look at and probably great with business, but we don't mesh."

"That still leaves Kasumi boy, speak to her. She'll follow family honor and do what's right." Genma looked saddened by his statement, but seemed more than willing to allow the pairing if it meant his future ability to live off his son's labor.

Ranma's mind was once again tossed into a whirlwind of emotions and feelings. Kasumi was kind, gentle, a wonderful cook and truly special. But, then Shampoo was athletic and bold his near martial equal. Of course, his mind reminded him; neither girl even knew about his feelings nor was he really going to tell them was he?

Genma's voice intruded on the chaos and said, "Well boy what will it be? At least talk to Kasumi and you'll see."

Ranma glared back at the man and decided that it was enough so he said, "Fine, I'll talk to her, but only if you and old man Tendo ain't around got it?"

Genma hastily nodded and said, "Yes, excellent idea take her out on another date. Speak to her alone. Tendo and I will not be anywhere nearby."

Ranma just stared at his father as the older man lied to him and said, "It will happen when it happens, now get out of my way I need to practice."

"Ha you've gotten soft boy…" Genma rushed to attack and was put down soon after. Ranma then transformed into his female form and began working on weaving some more complicated spells into her repertoire.

Ranma and Shampoo were practicing again later in the week and Ranma said, "All these attacks and still we haven't been on site when a portal opens and no generals have come through yet."

The purple haired girl blocked a mana bolt with her practice sword and said, "I find it strange that Moon and the other girls somehow went back in time and ended up in the Moon Kingdom. Then Kunzite attacked them. Even though they defeated him that was an odd strategy yes?"

Ranma shrugged and said, "Not much stranger than finding out that damn c-c-c..fur ball having the purple crystal."

Shampoo nodded saying, "Yes that was strange, " and then made some motions and shot a ball of fire at Ranma who dodged out of the way saying, "Nice version of the Fire Soul there…"

Shampoo shook her head as Ranma tossed a bolt of electricity her way, "No, that was not nearly as powerful as Mars can do and yours was not the same as Jupiter. The same thing happened when I used the Flame Sniper to heal Jupiter's arm."

Ranma nodded and made a gesture to end the practice for a few moments. They each grabbed a glass of water and Ranma said, "I don't get it we have the spell form right and the mana channeling, but when we use it the power is a lot reduced, it's basically better to just use a mana bolt."

Beryl spoke in his head saying "It is their connection to their planetary mana pool and the devices of the Moon kingdom Ranma. While you may be able to copy their spells there is no way you can approach that power level."

Ranma nodded and told Shampoo who said, "It makes some sense Ranma. Still, we have ways to combine what Grandma has been teaching us and the magic. Plus our skill so power is not everything yes?"

Ranma nodded again saying; "Yeah it isn't everything besides…" the red haired girl used the power of flame to heat her cup of water and dumped it over her head to transform "even without higher power these spells are useful."

Shampoo giggled at Ranma's use of her spell to change to a male and said, "Very funny Ranma. I'll see you tomorrow evening okay?"

Ranma shook his head and said, "No, I'm going to talk to Kasumi tomorrow evening. I figured if I don't tell anyone at the Tendo place it might be private."

Shampoo's expression became hard to read as she said, "So, what are you going to talk with Kasumi about?"

"I don't know, honor, fiancée's, that sort of thing." He said nervously.

By then Shampoo was very close. The purple haired girl hugged him, and then said, "Well you remember that you are an Amazon okay?"

The hug was soft and yet fierce Ranma wasn't sure what it meant, but his face turned crimson as his body began to respond to Shampoo's curves. When she let him go he looked at her utterly unable to say anything. In that silence he walked away unsure of what just happened and what it meant.

Ranma sat across from Kasumi in a booth and stared at her. She was radiant in her dress and smiled at him lightly with the same pleasant smile she always seemed to have. He blew on his bangs and moved his hair then was about to begin talking when the waitress came by for their order.

The two ordered and then sat in silence for a few more minutes before Ranma finally said, "So, I uh brought you here because well…uh…our parents."

He ran out of steam and lost his words, but Kasumi took over, "Yes, the arrangement and you aren't interested in either of my sisters right Ranma?"

Ranma nodded slowly and said, "Yeah and well you're nice and all. I think we're friends and we get along good, but marriage it's so…well…" he shrugged.

Kasumi let out a small chuckle at his consternation and said, "Yes I think I understand. You're only sixteen Ranma. I remember being that age it was only two years ago now, but marriage was far from my thoughts as well. Now we have this situation and it is all quite complicated."

Ranma nodded and was about to steel his nerves when the food came. His stomach grumbled and he ate slowly and with as many manners as he could remember. While he ate he watched Kasumi wondering how she truly felt and how he would feel if it didn't work out.

As he came to the end of his hunger he steeled himself again and said, "Kasumi look I understand if you don't think we're suitable. I know I'm sixteen and you're eighteen so if you say it can't work due to age or anything else I swear I'll support that. I don't want our parents to force you into this. Really I think you deserve to have a choice."

"Oh…." She sounded surprised as she heard him speak the words. Then she tilted her head to the side slightly her hair fluttering about her face she said, "But, what about you Ranma?"

He looked up at her and said, "I…uh…well," his mind whirled and he had to use the Soul of Ice and even then it shattered within moments his emotions too unstable to be reined in. "You see…well Kasumi I kinda well…"

She stared at him as he stuttered around his words, "I like you. I mean a lot; I don't know more than that, but being with you in the Kitchen making food makes me happy. When we're together I feel lighter and stuff."

She couldn't help but laugh as he ended with "and stuff", but quickly controlled her reaction as his face fell. "Ranma you are a fine young man, and I think we are friends. I honestly admit that I never considered that you would pick me and even when I did I have to admit I pushed it off. Still as the eldest daughter it is my responsibility to take up this engagement."

His emotions fell into despair and he said, "No, wait. Don't do that. Kasumi if you don't have feelings for me don't just accept this. You deserve more, better…"

"Ranma…" He stopped as she said that and looked at her, "You are sixteen, I'm eighteen we have a few years to decide the final outcome."

She smiled at him and then continued, "I'll take up the engagement and we'll take it slowly. I may not feel the same way for you that you might for me, but maybe that will change over time and if it doesn't, then we'll figure out what to do okay?"

Ranma nodded and said, "Okay Kasumi."

The check came and he escorted her home. What Kasumi had said made Ranma rather sure that the woman didn't share his feelings whatever they might be. Even so he realized that telling their parents he had decided on her would relieve lots of stress on him in the short term. That was something to consider.

So when they got home that is exactly what he did. Soun cried and Genma looked ready to find a priest right then and there, so he had to discourage that with a bit of physical violence.

When that was done he went to bed with a sigh and spoke with Beryl, "Well now what?"

"I wish I knew Ranma. You have feelings for her, but she doesn't return them I think. Your tribe sister may or may not as well, but you'll never know unless you ask her."

He sighed and realized that was true, if only he was sure what his feelings really were.

It was late at night in the Nekohanten when a knock came to the door. Ranma, in her female form, walked over and said, "Sorry we're closed."

The voice called back, "You are not closed for Herb, Prince of the Musk dynasty. Now open the door so that we may honor elder Cologne for the gift of the map."

Ranma looked to her grandmother who nodded and so she opened the door. A tall regal looking man with flowing blue hair stood there flanked by a large man in tiger striped armor and one wearing a wolf's pelt. He strode in past her without a second glance while his companions stared at her.

The larger of his companions with tiger striped armor stared at her chest and said, "Can I touch your breasts?"

The temptation to smash his face in was high, but Ranma controlled it and simply said, "No."

The regal looking man, however, smashed him over the head and said, "Lime, behave yourself."

With his large companion rubbing his head the regal one bowed to Cologne and said, "The Musk Dynasty thanks you for your assistance elder. We owe you a debt for the help you have given us and we will repay in any way you desire."

Cologne smiled her wise smile and said, "Anything I desire is a bit much Prince Herb, but I'll make you a deal. You stay here and train my daughters in Musk techniques and that will be all, except for the promise of continued peace between our people."

Herb nodded and said, "It will be done."

He turned to go and Lime looked to Shampoo about to say something when Herb smacked him and said, "Don't even think about it."

With that the three were gone. Cologne looked to the two girls still in the restaurant and said, "His chi reserves are very high, beyond anything I've seen for one so young. If he can teach you two how to gain that you will have more of an edge."

The two nodded and she said, "Now let's go practice."

It had been quiet for another week. The Senshi had trained twice at the shrine with Ranma and Shampoo and those two had trained every day with Herb, Lime, and Mint. That quiet and solitude was broken by an attack at the Nekohanten.

As Ranma dodged past Herb's strikes and hit his kidney a portal shimmered behind Lime and Mint who were eagerly watching Herb and Ranma. Shampoo was sitting a large distance away knowing that close contact meant unwanted advances and a need to use physical force to emphasize her point.

Jadeite and Nephrite stepped out of the portal and put collars around Lime and Mint's necks. As that happened Ranma and Herb broke off their sparring to run towards the two generals. Shampoo also stood and moved, but youma piled out of the portals and attacked.

Ranma flipped open her communicator and called for help even as she realized Herb was next to her as she began dismantling youma. "Herb, get away! Don't get close and don't use chi blasts. They will absorb them and your life energy and just get stronger."

Herb slammed a fist into a youma and felt the drain, but ignored Ranma. "I will not allow these creatures to attack my servants and get away with it."

Ranma watched as Herb ripped through three more youma and then began to slow down, while the youma just gained in strength. She looked at her bracer, looked at Herb and then moved. Taking her bracer off she pushed it onto Herb's hand as the man swung a fist at a youma. She then had to power the bracelet and her own shield.

The strain was high and her mana reserves were depleting at an astoundingly fast rate as she lagged behind Herb and Shampoo who were demolishing the youma between them and the two generals. By the time she arrived Shampoo was fighting Jadeite while Herb had used his chi to fly over and smash Nephrite across the face. The red haired man grabbed the arm that hit him and sneered. "Try this on for size little one."

Dark energy dripped from Nephrite's fingers and slid over Herb's arm, finally overpowering Ranma's shield on Herb and then it began absorbing his chi and feeding the power to Nephrite. Luckily for Herb a blast of lightning slammed into Nephrite and separated the two before Herb's chi could be entirely exhausted.

A blast of fire from a different direction sent Jadeite right into Shampoo's blade and he went down in a gurgle of blood as the Jian punctured his lung. Shampoo raised the blade, then screamed in pain and dropped her sword as a black rose embedded itself into hand.

By then Ranma was at Nephrite and smashing her fists into his sides at full speed. Even so he was hardly fazed and swung a fist at her. She juked around the blow and then he was smashed by Moon's tiara.

He frowned after the blast and rubbed his broken nose, then smiled and pulled on a chain that he had apparently linked to Mint and Lime while Ranma, Herb, and Shampoo were trying to get closer. He smiled at Ranma evilly and said, "Nice try girl, but despite whom you look like you can't measure up to the real thing."

With that he swung the chains and sent Mint and Lime hurtling in the air where a portal appeared to swallow them. The red haired martial artist smashed her foot into Nephrite's kneecap and broke it, then followed up with a fist into his throat. There was a crackle pop of small bones shattering and Nephrite looked surprised as he choked and fell to the ground in pain.

Ranma looked at the man and decided that he was no longer a threat. She looked away from Nephrite and at the rest of the battle. Endymion had Jadeite in a fireman's carry and was slipping into a portal before her eyes. That left Nephrite still at her feet still choking on his broken throat. She looked at the man then said, "Moon we need healing over here."

Moon was by her side by then and nodded calling out, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The white light slammed into the general and he screamed. "Nooo!"

When it was over all that was left of him was a small crystal. Ranma looked at Moon and she said, "It only hurts Youma. I though because he was human he might…"

Ranma nodded, "Me too, I guess he was more monster than man."

The blonde haired girl nodded as Mercury came to the pair. The blue haired girl looked at the two and said, "I've got it. I have the coordinates and I think we can go there. We can follow them and rescue those people."

The group gathered around and Ranma said, "How quickly can you do it?"

Mercury looked to the red haired girl and then to Moon who nodded. With that nod she said, "Preparations shouldn't take more than two hours."

Ranma nodded and then looked to Moon and said, "Can you heal our other friend? He might be useful."

Herb remained unconscious after the healing and Ranma sighed, "I guess it doesn't replace your chi then." She then took the bracer off Herb and walked off to find her tools and fix damage done to the device by Nephrite.

An hour or so later Ranma was done fixing her bracer and the group was assembled and ready to go. Moon looked to the girls and seemed much more serene than she had been before. She sighed and said, "I know Mercury is ready, but we don't have to do this, nobody's making you come do this and anyone who wants to leave can."

There was a clear silence and after no one spoke up for two minutes he added, "Okay, Ranma and I talked and she's in charge. She and Shampoo know more battle tactics than we do and understand how to fight. If we listen to them I think we can do this. Okay?"

The girls nodded and Ranma spoke saying, "Okay when we get in Mercury will use her fog to conceal us and then we move forward. We take out what youma we can and try to triangulate on the life energy of Lime and Mint."

Everyone nodded and Ranma said, "Okay let's do this thing."

Everyone joined hands and Mercury set coordinates with her computer. One admixture of Senshi energy later and everyone was transported to a cold desolate wasteland.

AN: Herb as a friend and a liability. Herb dropped by the Nekohanten last chapter and was provided expedient service by Cologne. Ranma and Shampoo were out and battling youma, so all in all the original incident and insult stuff from the Ranma ½ manga didn't occur. Still I felt Herb would be grateful to Cologne for helping him and then realized how useful he and his two allies would be.

We get the kidnapping and use of Lime and Mint by the false beryl because let's face it their chi is basically a sign that says "all you can eat buffet". This turns three normally high powered martial artists into two victims and a third fighter, who despite his immense chi and skill is a huge hindrance in the battle.

The next chapter should be the end of the first Sailor Moon series, but we still have more Ranma timeline and Sailor Moon timeline.

Finally, Ranma as battle leader makes the most sense for these people. She has demonstrated skill and ability that none of the rest can come close to despite their power level.