Ranma Half Moon Chapter Nine - Rei and Mamoru part 2

Author's note: This episode fits in during Sailor Moon episode 15, Rei's first date.

Author's note: When Nephrite says "A well met gracious good afternoon!" In Japanese he's saying "Gokigenyou".

Opening theme - "Sleepless Beauty" (From the Gravitation soundtrack, see profile for a link to an excerpt.)

You who have been reborn, color your eyes without smiling alone.
Even if the world you've longed for has suddenly burned to ash, in some miracle we could still brush into each other.

(Hold me gently in order to break me)

Ranma-ko uses her stealth martial arts techniques to spy on the Luna and the blonde girl who are spying on Rei and Mamoru.

Rei and Mamoru are having tea in a trendy sweet shop. Luna and the blonde girl are spying on the sidewalk outside the shop in a none too subtle manner. Ranma-ko is more discretely stationed across the street, watching the action in the reflection of a shop's display window.

Ranma-ko looks at herself in the window. What does this Rei girl have that I don't have? Suddenly Ranma-ko imagines that her reflection has aged to that of an old woman. Is this what Mamoru sees when he looks at me? An old woman of 16? Is Mamoru trying to regain his lost youth by dating a Junior High School girl? Maybe I am better off without such a perverted guy, even if he is studying to be a doctor.

Ranma-ko shakes her head. Why should I care in the slightest? Mamoru is a guy!

Ranma observes that a younger guy with coke bottle glasses approaches the blonde. They go into the sweet shop together, leaving Luna outside. Very curious.

"How's it going, Ranma?"

Ranma nearly jumps out of her skin. "Akane, keep it down. I'm spying on some people."

Akane smiles mischievously. "Who are you spying on?"

"Our buddies, Rei and Mamoru. They're on a date! Look at them in the reflection."

Akane nods. "I see. Oh, I didn't tell you, but Rei came by yesterday and asked me if she could date Mamoru. I told her I didn't care, and I was also sure you didn't care."

"Why did you do that?"

"Ranma, have you forgotten that you're a boy? Yeah, Mamoru is a lot cuter than the guys at our high school, but I'm surprised you would want to date him."

Ranma turns red.

"What's the matter, Ranma? Is being a girl starting to suit you?"

"Wait." Ranma motions with her eyes towards the window. Mizuno Ami, the girl Ranma-ko met at the shrine with Rei, has walked up and is playing with the Luna. "The girl with the blue-green hair was with Rei at the shrine."

"Really?"

"Yeah, maybe the other girl who was stalking Rei and Mamoru was the third girl in their homework group? Maybe Mamoru is trying to put together a harem of naive young things?"

"Honestly, Ranma, I like spying on people as much as anyone else, but I don't know what your point is."

"If Mamoru can disappear, he might be from Jusenkyo and be able to transform into something small."

Akane scratches her head. "I guess that might interest you."

Ranma-ko notes that Ami walks off with Luna. Rei and Mamoru leave, followed by the blonde and the coke bottled glasses guy. "I'm going to follow."

Suddenly an obscenely expensive red sports car screeches to a stop right in front of them. The window rolls down. "A well met gracious good afternoon! Akane, what a pleasure to see you again!"

Akane makes a face. "I'm sure the pleasure is all yours."

"Do you know this guy?"

"Oh, Ranma, this is Sanjoin Masoto. He nearly ran me down last week and then tried to pick me up."

"Oh. Saotome Ranma." Ranma bows.

"I must apologize for being so boastful last week. I'm afraid I am surrounded by 'yes men' so I am unaccustomed to people putting me in my place."

Ranma looks at the guy. Something about him looks off.

Akane waves her hand in front of her face. "Oh, I was probably upset over the near miss. Don't think anything of it."

"I didn't know you had such an attractive friend."

Ranma-ko blushes. It sure is a nice car. But there is something about this guy that catches my attention. "Um, Masoto, I, um ..."

"Yes?" Nephrite leans forward in anticipation of another foolish earth girl confessing to him.

Akane looks at Ranma with anger. "Ranma!"

"Could you tell me which shampoo you use? I've been trying to get my hair as shiny as yours. This weather has kind of taken the body out of my hair."

Akane and Nephrite keel over.

"I don't think the product can be used for red hair."

"That's too bad. But, at least my hair matches your car." Ranma giggles.

Nephrite rolls his eyes. "Sorry, I have to run! I have an appointment!" Nephrite guns his car and peels out. Yes, an appointment with someone who energy is reaching his peak!

Ranma-ko looks at Akane. "Your new boyfriend?"

"Is that you way of getting even over Rei and Mamoru?"

Ranma-ko looks off in the distance. I can still see the blonde. "Let's go."

...

Ranma-ko and Akane walk in the park where the blonde had entered a couple of minutes ago.

Zoisite appears on a tree behind them. So you don't die so easily? I can easily raise a Yoma Monster to finish you off. Zoisite does an evil anime girl laugh.

Suddenly a swarm of birds with glowing eyes attack Zoisite. "Nephrite, this is your doing!" Zoisite disappears back into the Dark Kingdom.

The birds attack Akane and Ranma-ko. Ranma-ko is fast enough to fight off the swarming birds, but a bird hits Akane in the back of the head and knocks her out.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" Ranma-ko transforms into Sailor Moon. She spins around to deflect the birds and keep them away from Akane. After making some space, she takes off her tiara. "I hope this works, Moon Tiara Magic!" Ranma-ko throws the tiara, which knocks out half of the birds in one flight.

Ranma-ko realizes squirrels with eyes that glow a demonic red also surround her. "This doesn't look good."

...

In another part of the park, Tuxedo Kamen throws his rose to give the Usagi version of Sailor Moon an opportunity. Sailor Moon throws her tiara and destroys the Yoma Monster.

...

The squirrels and birds suddenly go back to normal.

"Untransform." Ranma-ko hurries back to Akane. "Are you okay?"

Akane comes out of it. "What happened?"

"A swarm of birds attacked us."

"That's pretty strange, but I guess it happens. We've probably lost them by now, let's go home."

Ranma-ko nods. I can't escape the feeling that the birds and the blonde girl are connected.