Ranma Half Moon chapter 33, Jupiter Rising, Makoto's Warrior Destiny part two.
Author's note: This episode fits in with Sailor Moon episode 25, Jupiter, the Brawny Girl in Love.
Author's note: I now have a fiction press site for non-fanfiction stuff. If you want to check it out, do a search for "resop" at the "fictionpress" website. My story is called "A Dream of Roses". It is about a group of blossoming young girls who are giving it their all for an opportunity to shine brightly as professional wrestlers in Japan.
Author's note: The American dub of Sailor Moon called the Gurio Umino character 'Melvin'.
Makoto feels the eyes of her schoolmates on her as she walks down the hall. In her mind's eye, she sees them as demonic beings in shadow, each whispering gossip to each other about her.
Finally, in exasperation, she turns and gives them the evil eye. The other students run a way terrified.
Makoto sighs. The school day is not going well for me so far. No one wants to talk to me.
Makoto walks down the wall. Another girl walking the other way goes past her. Makoto's heart skips a beat. This girl had the same posture, the same energy, the same burning intent as my beloved senpai Akane. This girl was also beautiful, with short hair, a cute face and a shapely body.
Makoto's mind drifts off.
...
Makoto stands in line for an amusement park ride, the haunted house. She reaches the front of the line.
"Sorry, miss. This is a couple's ride. You'll have to find someone to ride with." The ride supervisor looks around. "You, miss, over there. Would you like to try this ride?"
A short-haired girl points to her nose. "But, I'm afraid of rides like that."
Makoto smiles. "I'll be with you. I'll protect you."
The short-haired girl runs up. "In that case, it will be okay."
Makoto and the short-haired girl get strapped into the ride that whisks them into a darkened building.
"Are you really afraid of this ride?"
"No, I just like excuses to cuddle up with cute girls." The short-haired girl makes a kissy face.
Makoto blushes. "But we don't even know each other."
"But we shouldn't let that be a wall between ..."
...
Makoto splatters herself against a wall in the school hallway.
Another student runs up. "Didn't you here me warn you about the wall?"
"Ahhh..." Makoto is speechless.
"I guess you're okay."
The other student runs off.
Makoto stands still, too embarrassed to move. Finally she sighs and composes herself. I better find a quiet place by myself to eat. I can't deal with the accusing eyes of the other students.
...
Usagi wanders around the school courtyard. I've already eaten my lunch, but I am still famished. Hey, I am a growing girl and beating up Yoma Monsters was hard work!
Usagi sees the girl who saved her that morning from the street punks. Before she can go over and thank her again, Gurio Umino gets in her face.
"Usagi, you should stay away from that girl. She got thrown out of her previous school for fighting and ..."
Usagi walks towards Makoto, leaving Gurio hanging in mid-sentence.
...
Makoto looks at her food. It's so sad that I'm not making any friends. If I had some friends, it might make it easier to track down the Sailor Warriors.
Makoto looks up. I sense the approach of someone. Could those punks have tracked me down? "Who's there?"
"It's just me."
Usagi's appearance flabbergasts Makoto. "Oh, you go to this school?" Oh great, I feel like an idiot now. I was so in the zone when I fought those punks that I completely blocked out of my mind that the girl that I saved was wearing the same school uniform as all the other girls at this school.
Maybe she won't notice it?
"I'm Tsukino Usagi!"
Wow. Usagi might want to be her friend! And she is really cute, now that she wasn't so scared. "Would you like to join me?"
"Sure, thank you again for this morning."
Makoto looks at Usagi and notices that she is drooling. Makoto breaks into a cold sweat. Is she drooling over me or drooling over my food? There's one way to find out. "Would you like to have some of this?"
Makoto holds her breath. Would Usagi say something like, "Only if a beautiful girl like you feeds it to me."?
"Well, I usually don't eat much, but, thanks for the food!" Usagi pigs out. "Delicious!"
So it was the food she was drooling over. Oh, well, at least she's drooling over my cooking. That's a start. "I'm glad you like it. I don't know why, but no one else at this school will talk to me."
"Mako-chan, oops, can I call you Mako-chan? Is your mother a genius chief?"
Lucky! Time to seal the deal with Usagi. The way to a girl's heart is through her stomach. Makoto puts on her best humble look. "Oh, this? I made it myself."
"Amazing! You'll have to teach me!"
Makoto smiles. Score! At the very least, Usagi is going to be my friend. We could do cooking together, and maybe even feed each other. Makoto blushes involuntarily.
...
Mamoru walks down the hall in his college. He hears someone playing piano. Mamoru's heart races. Could it be?
Mamoru races to the room where the piano is being played. He opens the door.
The music stops. "Oh, Mamoru. How have you been?"
A dark-haired girl smiles from behind the piano. Mamoru didn't know her directly, but she had been a huge fan of the four upperclassmen who befriended him.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you. I just thought..."
"Is my playing like Zoiki's? This used to be his favorite song. I've been a fan of his since elementary school, and he inspired me to learn piano."
Mamoru smiles. "It sounded exactly like his playing."
"I'm so glad. I just wish I knew what happened to the F4."
"The F4?"
"Oh, all the first year girls called your gang the F4 after the boys in the manga Hana Yori Dango."
"I don't recall them ever calling themselves that."
"They didn't. I think it might have made them mad whenever they heard it."
"I honestly don't know what happened."
The girl pouts. "Maybe, one day, they will return?"
Mamoru smiles. "That would be nice."
To Be Continued!