[Ranma/SM][FanFic] Prince of Time, Chapter 2

[ken payne]

Prince of Time.
A Ranma 1/2/Sailor Moon Cross-over
By KPJAM

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Ranma and characters used are the creation of
Rumiko Takahashi and owned by her and Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz
Communications.
Sailor Moon and it's characters are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Toei
Animation, and Kodansha.

Big thanks to Thermopyle and Martin for pre-reading and helping out with
this story.

Chapter Two: Reincarnated Rivals

Somewhere in Japan, a few days after the ruined wedding of Ranma Saotome and
Akane Tendo.

"Argggg, Where am I now?!?" Ryoga yelled into the night sky. He looked up
through the clearing in the trees, staring at the stars in the heavens. It
was a spectacular sight to behold, the pollutants and other lights that
usually obscured all but the brightest of starts were absent. The Big and
Little Dipper's were clearly visible as a connect the dots exercise. Ryoga
didn't realize the beauty of the treat he was a witness to.

"Hmmm, that bright star is supposed to be the North Star," the boy mumbled
to himself. Not realizing going north did little good if he didn't know
where he was starting from, or where he was heading.

He might even have traveled north if he hadn't been turning his head when
gazing at the stars, or had he turned his body to face the star when he
began walking. Heading north, west to anyone with a compass, he began his
track to find Nerima, or Akari's farm. Either one would do.

He really loved Akari, but Akane was so wonderful. He had been at the
wedding and seen how poorly Ranma had treated her. Standing the girl up on
there wedding day, what a cad! He would have killed him if he hadn't gotten
lost. He also owed to him for ruining the Nanniichuan.

He missed Akari, he hadn't seen her since before they went to China. Akari
would understand, it's a martial artist's duty to protect people. Akane
needed protection from that low-life, and it was his duty to protect her
until she realized what a mistake being with Ranma was.

Maybe if he asked her out, he could show her how she should be treated and
then she would dump that womanizer. Yeah, he could show her what she was
missing with a real gentleman and then she could move on.

He was so lost in thought that he ran right into the side of the mountain he
was actually on.

"Oww." After dusting himself off, he noticed a cave next to where he was
standing. If he had been walking a few feet to the right he would have
walked right into the mouth.

"Might as well check it out." Ryoga rifled through his bag until he found a
flashlight that worked. Equipped for the darkness he proceeded on.

He traveled for about five feet before the cave started to descend and turn
slightly. Deciding to continue forward, he followed the tunnel for a few
minutes before he fell into a deep hole.

Examining the steep walls around him he decided to make his own tunnel. He
reasoned eventually he would find his way out.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" He cried out as he cut an irregular path through the
mountain. After traveling an indeterminate amount of time through solid
rock he broke into a huge cavern. The cavern was strangely cubic, another
thing Ryoga failed to realize.

After a few steps into the room, Ryoga noticed a woman standing in the
middle of it. "Ah, hi," he said.

"Um, didn't mean to disturb you," he said. After a moment with no response
he noticed she hadn't moved. He took a few steps closer, confused at her
lack of movement.

He walked up to her, reaching out his hand only to have it hit something
solid a foot away from the woman. He peered closer as his eyes focused on a
clear surface surrounding her. He noticed that she looked like a human
statue, frozen in mid-turn, a look of fear in her eyes.

She was extremely attractive, with long blond hair, blue eyes, and cute
round face. She was slim, but athletic looking and a few inches shorter
than he was.

He tentatively reached out to to touch the smooth surface, he traced it
around her, noting that she appeared encased in it.

He tentatively knocked on it gauging its hardness. Determining that it was
pretty hard, Ryoga reached back to pulverize it, not considering the
ramifications in case it was solid all the way through. Punching with
enough force to knock down a street-lamp Ryoga's fist bounced of the target.

"Oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww, oww." He
hopped around shaking his hand wildly, trying to work the blood through his
fist to alleviate the stinging sensation.

He walked back to the glass examining it for a few minutes. He couldn't see
the tell tale structure lines that would work as a breaking point, but he
noticed something else. There was a strange shimmering to the object, weird
lines of power ran through it's surface appearing to Ryoga as chi.

Examining them for a moment, he noticed where they crisscrossed. Thinking
for a minute, he reached back again before thrusting his finger forward,
twisting it as he hit a cross section and infusing it with a small sliver of
chi. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" He called out, and blinked when nothing happened.

He had felt a tingle when he touched the surface. The same tingle he felt
when his curse was activated, frowning he placed his finger on the surface
again, in the same point he had before. He felt the power coursing around
the structure, watched the lines of power flow around it, through it.

Concentrating for a second he watched amazed as a white glow started
swirling around his finger. The lines of magic flowing around the woman
stiffened as if they had been pulled taut. A moment later he felt a tingle
sweep through his whole body, causing him to stumble slightly, as the
structure disappeared and the woman continued her turn.

"Oooooooooo!" He heard her cry as she completed her spin, searching the
room for people until her eyes landed on him.

She was wearing a white hose and tunic with gold trim. The outfit had small
rips and smudge marks on it, as if she had doing strenuous work or fighting
in it before she had be placed in this prison. Her small boots matched her
outfit except the soles were black.

"Ah, hi," Ryoga said lamely as he scratched the back of his head. She
looked at him inquisitively. Obviously thinking about something.

"Who are you?" She asked quickly, a demanding tone in her voice.

"Ah, Ryoga Hibiki," He answered nervously, a part of his mind was wondering
why he felt afraid of this small woman in front of him.

She looked him over critically, he felt he was being assessed for something.
Her face took on a contemplative pose, as if she was thinking of something.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke, "thank you for freeing me." She
smiled for the first time, her face became bright and cheerful, open even.
"Ah sure, no problem. Hehehe." Ryoga blushed and laughed nervously, more off
guard from her smile than her scrutinizing gaze.

"You wouldn't happen--" she cut off her sentence and looked around the room
some more.

"Ryoga, would you be so kind as to take me to the nearest town?" She asked.

"Ahh, sure no problem, ah ah.." Ryoga said grasping for a name.

"Oh, how rude of me. You may call me Yumiko."

--------------

A little before the fight in the park.

Shampoo was busy cleaning the last table from the lunch crowd. It was
pretty usual for the Nekohaten to be empty for a short time in the middle of
the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

The adventures in China were behind her, and her Airen had pretty much
forgiven her for her role in destroying the wedding. She was happy that he
didn't hold that much of a grudge.

She wondered how long she had before he made a decision and got married for
real. As far as the tribe was concerned they were already married. She
hoped that he would one day accept that. She felt giddy that he had come to
China and save her, and anger at that stupid Akane for getting into trouble.
If she hadn't shown up Ranma could have saved her and not had to worry about
that Tendo girl.

She shivered at the memory of being under the control of that bird-woman.
She had followed her orders without a second thought. She had even tried to
kill Ranma, and helped in the destruction of Jusenkyo. Whenever that woman
had given an order she complied. Not just complied, she enthusiastically
attempted to please her mistress. She hadn't given any of the orders a
first thought much less a second before she merrily went about completing
them. She remembered it all so clearly it was scary.

She frowned as she remembered trying to seduce Ranma before she attempted to
kill him. One last attempt to be one with his body before she destroyed it.
That may have been the worst part of the whole ordeal. Her emotions had not
been shut-off. She remembered clearly how excited she was at the thought of
being with Ranma. She remembered the tingles she had felt removing her
clothing in front of him. His hands on her breast, even if it had been to
take one of the eggs, she remembered the thrill of it.

She would have killed him without remorse if she had been able to. That was
the scariest part, she vividly felt her own emotions, she could feel what
she felt before, it was just that the desire to please that stupid
bird-woman dwarfed any other emotions.

She watched as Mousse walked by. She remembered coming out of that egg and
seeing herself. "Stupid Mousse," she thought.

The day of the wedding had been one of the saddest of her life. She
remembered getting the invitation and going into a rage. She had
successfully contained herself and resigned herself to the fact that she had
lost him. She had thought about going over and destroying the wedding but
had decided against it. She also wondered who had sent her this invitation.
Ranma had been rude to her before but this was just outrageously
insensitive. She knew she shouldn't have expected anything less from these
honor-less Japanese barbarians. Kitchen-destroyer had to have sent the
invitation, wanting to gloat in her victory.

Mousse had tried to get her to move on, reminding her that he loved her and
he had remained faithful. As if Mousse remaining faithful to his ludicrous
dream was of any comfort! She remembered going to her room and looking at
all her things. If Ranma married kitchen-destroyer it would all be over and
she would have to return to the village in disgrace.

She had looked in the mirror seeing the pitiful look on the face of one of
the Amazons' greatest warriors of her generation. "You're pathetic, Shampoo,
a real warrior would go destroy that wedding and take her Airen." She had
flinched as her own words stung her.

"Shampoo, go be a real warrior and destroy that wedding! Airen needs you!"
She remembered that as soon as she had said those words, they became the
most important thing in her life.

"Stupid Mousse," She thought again. Why can't Ranma want her like that?
Why was Mousse always there reminding her of what she didn't have, but most
fervently wanted. Remembering the wedding, if she had done nothing,
Happosai would have still destroyed the wedding and Ranma wouldn't have been
mad at her.

"Shampoo!" Cologne called from the kitchen counter.

"Yes, Great-Grandmother."

"Come with me, there's something going on nearby."

"What happening?"

"A lot of energy is being used along with some magic. Mr. Part-time, stay
here were closing the for a while," Cologne said as she locked the front
door and put up the closed sign. She didn't wait for his answer before
hopping away with Shampoo fast on her trail.

-------------

Sailor Uranus had quickly looked at the armed men and women bearing down on
them firing and realized that flight was the better part of valor. She had
readily agreed when Pluto had suggested it. Pluto merely had to quickly
pointed out the weaken condition of the Senshi in general and the fact that
Sailor Moon was injured to convince the Inners to flee and teleport back to
the shrine.

Uranus noted that sometimes the Inners took their desire to right every
wrong and protect everyone a nit too far. Who would protect everyone after
they were dead? It was an admirable quality that she admired, but she
realized sometimes sacrifices had to be made, better to let a few die today
then millions later.

She looked at little Hotaru as she finished healing Ami. Ami wasn't really
suited for a lot of the action of being a Sailor Senshi. Nevertheless she
admired the girl, in some ways more than any of the other Senshi. Ami
possessed brains and an ability to analyze and understand things the others
didn't. She didn't lack the heart the others had either.

She watched as Hotaru slumped down next to Michiru, exhausted form her
endeavors. Even with the various healings she bestowed, it would be days
before they were all completely healthy again. She reflected on their fight
and realized in some respects they had gotten off lightly. They had
underestimated the creatures, even with Pluto's warning, and had paid a high
price for it.

She wondered briefly at the actions of the oldest Senshi over the last week.
She had been skittish and self-absorbed. A few times, she had been so
engrossed in her own thoughts that she had been startled by someone walking
up to her. Setsuna was also missing some of the self-assurance in her voice
that made her Setsuna. The confidence she had come to associate with her
house-mate was lessened. An in-perceivable change to most, but not to
people you lived with.

There was also that boy at the park, the one who had apparently stopped the
creatures, what did he have to do with any of this? She had clearly heard
him ask Pluto if he knew her, Pluto's actions clearly said she did. She
contemplated asking her about it now, wondering if her chances of getting
an answer were better here or at home. Her 'daughter' beat her to the
punch, taking away her choice in the matter.

"Setsuna-mama, who was that lady who fired at you?" The question from the
youngest of the grouped broke everyone out of their respective musing and
shifted all their attention to Setsuna Meiou.

Setsuna had been lost in thought. Thankfully, everyone was safe and
accounted for. She had never fought one of those beasts before, and didn't
relish the idea of facing more than one of them again. "Of all the things
to go wrong," she thought, "Noriko, had to show up and bearing a grudge to
boot." She had always been passionate about things that were important to
her. Setsuna wondered how important useless revenge would be to the woman.
She couldn't have any other motive. Maybe if she could talk to her. No,
that would have to wait until after she talked to Meio. The last time she
remembered seeing Noriko was when Noriko left Pluto to join Meio on Vulcan.

Hotaru's question brought Setsuna back to the room. She blinked once,
looking at all the faces that were staring at her. In the short time she
had known these girls they had become the first family she had in ages. She
noted the worry and concern in their faces, along with the curiosity.

"Noriko, was a princess of Vulcan," Setsuna answered. If anyone else had
asked she might have tried to get out of answering the questions. Instead
she plunged forward, wondering how much she should tell them?

"Why did she try to kill us?" This time Rei was the questioner.

"She had a disagreement with the Senshi and the Moon Kingdom in the past,"
Setsuna answered, trying to control the painful memories. She, more than
any of the others, wanted to keep her past life, past. Painful memories
belonged in the past, not in the present or the future. Now all of that was
threatened.

"Sounds like more than your normal disagreement," Haruka snorted. The
silence had been broken and her curiosity was getting the best of her.

Setsuna turned to her house-mate, trying her best to maintain a neutral
expression. They had a right to know certain things. Their safety did
depend on it.

"Wait, you said 'Vulcan', what or where is that? I've never heard of it,"
Ami asked, her curiosity at this mystery was overcoming her fatigue and
injuries.

"It was the planet in-between Mars and Jupiter. It was destroyed in the war
between the Moon Kingdom and Pluto," Setsuna responded flatly. The room
went silent after that fact.

"When was this? I don't remember?" Usagi said.

"It was an accident that happened before any of you were born. I'm sure you
were told about it back then."

"Wait, how can you blow up a planet by accident??!?"
"All those people..."
"How did a planet blow up?!?!"
"Pluto was at war with the Moon Kingdom?!?!?"

Those questions and more assaulted Setsuna from various quarters of the
room. She raised a hand calling for silence. When the others complied she
sighed before answering.

"It was part of the system controlled by the House Kojima. The family ruled
the solar system from Vulcan to Pluto. They were settlers from the Moon
centuries before. It was claimed that the Kojima's where from the same
house as Serenity. There was some disagreement and then they fled to the
outer planets, eventually choosing Pluto as their Capitol." She paused in
telling the story of a kingdom she had tried very hard not to think about,
but could never forget.

"As both the Moon Kingdom and the Kingdom of Pluto expanded, tension between
the two kingdoms grew. Finally war broke out between the two Kingdoms.
There was fighting on Vulcan, some of the Senshi were on the planet along
with the current rulers of Pluto and their eldest son. Something happened,
I never did find out what, magic out of control maybe, but the planet
exploded."

"After that the heart of the soldiers of Pluto left them. The Moon kingdom
took a little time to regroup but eventually started wearing down the other
kingdom. Eventually the new ruler of the kingdom, their second child
surrendered, and the Moon Kingdom took control of the whole solar system."

"I hadn't heard anything about Noriko since the explosion of Vulcan.. I
assumed she had died there, I can't believe she'd show up now," Setsuna
said to a silent crowd.

------------------

Ranma stood motionless when the woman spoke. The face coupled now with
hearing the voice and that name brought forth a flood of emotions,
happiness, longing, pride, contentment. Like everything else that day they
came from nowhere, assaulting his unprepared psyche. He struggled with
himself to remember, he knew this woman. But who was she?

"Ranma, who is this?" Akane's voice interrupted. It wasn't a courteous or
even a curious question, but one filled with demand.

"Ranma?" Noriko spoke with mirth in her voice. "What a fitting name for
you." She looked at Akane, with distaste, asking Ranma. "Who is this
insolent little girl?"

"What?!? How dare you?" Akane yelled.

"How dare you address Meio or Myself in such a disrespecting manner?"

"Hey, don't talk to me that way!" Akane screamed.

Noriko returned to regard Ranma with a small frown upon her face. "You
don't remember, do you?"

"Huh?" Ranma chose that moment to speak.

"Ranma, what is going on here?" Akane's voice rose another octave.

"I dunno, Akane," he responded casually, not the heated reply Akane was
expecting. He hadn't even taken his eyes off the woman to reply. That act
added to Akane's annoyance with this whole situation.

Noriko considered for a second how to continue. She realized she had
assumed too much. He apparently didn't have his memories, or he was doing a
masterful job of faking it. He had stopped the Time Devils, saving this
girl and the Senshi. He had also accessed the mirror, that if nothing else
told her he had knowledge. So why would he deny knowledge of her? Maybe it
was because of this girl. Maybe he had some plan, and he couldn't allow the
deaths of the senshi in her presence.

"Who are you?" Akane's demand came out ass a half-shout half-whine as her
frustration level was rising.

"I am Noriko, princess of Vulcan," She spoke directly to Ranma, ignoring
Akane completely.

"Noriko." Ranma said the name softly, trying it out on his lips. It came
out easily, like he had said it a thousand times before.

"Vulcan? What the hell is that?!?" Akane said. If this was some princess
coming to take Ranma, this Noriko woman would have to go through her first.

Akane was doing a masterful job of keeping her temper in check. She had
held back from pounding either her fiancee or this woman. The way Ranma had
whispered her name, like a lover's name, threatened to throw her over the
edge. She had been patient, waiting for him to say something, anything, to
tell the woman she was mistaken. All he did was stare at her like an idiot
with that 'my brain doesn't exist because I'm looking at beautiful woman'
look.

"Vulcan, was the fifth planet in this solar system. It was destroyed, along
with my parents by the Moon Kingdom and its Senshi." All warmth had left
her voice as she almost spat out the word Senshi.

Both teenagers stood there in shock, Ranma finally muttering, "Sorry." He
wasn't sure whether she was telling the truth or not, but for once he tried
to speak with a little sensitivity. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a sense
of loss and regret at the mention of 'Vulcan'. The fact that ten soldiers
with ray guns stood not ten feet away added to his caution. Saving Akane was
getting old, sure it was fun sometimes, but he would prefer a drag out brawl
with just him involved over risking her neck again.

Akane just stood there not knowing what to say. Noriko's words had opened
up her sympathetic side, and effectively, if only momentarily diffused her
growing anger.

Noriko knew that neither one of the teenagers believed her. "They probably
think I'm crazy," she thought to herself.

"Why do ya seem so familiar?" Ranma finally spoke. He had a name to go with
her face now, but that was all.

She chuckled lightly. "So you don't remember me or who you are?" Noriko
could see that he was confused. If only she could get him away from this
girl. He obviously had some attachment to her.

"I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts!"
he stated hotly.

"That sounds, well that sounds nice." She was at a loss for words. She
needed more information. "Listen, can we go talk somewhere?"

"Um, sure," Ranma instantly replied. "Where?"

"This is my first time in this city. Where are we by the way?" Noriko
responded.

"Nerima ward, Tokyo." Akane had found her voice. "I know a coffee shop
where
we could talk and get some privacy."

Noriko and Ranma both agreed and they headed off together.

--------------------

Shampoo and Cologne watched the end of the battle from the same roof Ranma
had occupied. If they had been thirty seconds earlier they would have
joined him on the roof.

"Great Grandmother, who lady with Airen?" Shampoo asked.

"I don't now. Be quiet and watch," Cologne snapped. It was good for
youngsters to be inquisitive, but sometimes she wished Shampoo would think
before she asked a question. How was she supposed to know who those people
talking to son-in-law were?

She examined the woman talking to Ranma. She held herself proudly, exuding
confidence and strength. She was wearing military clothing but left no doubt
that she was female. Cologne wondered what such a woman would want with
Ranma. She looked too old to be a new fiancee and there appeared to be no
hostility between the two of them. Maybe she was recruiting him for
something?

She looked around for the origin of the magic she had felt before, wondering
if the woman with Ranma was the source, or if they had driven off whatever
the source was.

Another man in the park was going up to those non-moving beasts. She felt a
small sliver of magic as he touched them with something causing them to
shriveled up into chestnut sized balls and placed them in a small sack he
carried.

Another oddity to be explained later. Son-in-law was proving to be full of
surprises today.

She then spent a moment examining the ten men that carried rifles. She
called the weapons rifles for convenience, in reality she couldn't say what
they were. Cologne wasn't an expert, but she had seen her share of guns
over the years. The occasional soldier or even couple of soldiers stumbled
upon the village by accident. The usually left fairly quickly after a quick
shampoo, feeling refreshed and surprisingly close to a small town just
outside the valley.

Ranma, Akane, and the lady were starting to leave. "Aiya, they leaving
great-grandmother." Shampoo stated the obvious.

"Yes Shampoo, let's follow them." The two set out after the unaware trio.

--------------------------

"Who was that guy that stopped the devils?" Haruka asked.

The question was directed at Setsuna. She met Haruka's gaze, contemplating
how she should put this when another voice saved her.

"Meio," everyone turned in surprise as Ami spoke from her spot on the
couch. "I remember him from the past." From the way she said past no one
needed to know when before was.

"Where? How did you meet him?" Setsuna asked. The other senshi noticed the
unusual anxiety in her voice and manner.

"I'm not sure, a name just came to me when Haruka mentioned him." Ami
looked around the room sheepishly.

"It's okay, Amy," Usagi replied. The other Inners joined in giving Ami
words of encouragement.

Ami smiled shyly at her friends, thankful for their support.

"Anyway," Setsuna said in an attempt to get things back on track, "I don't
know what Noriko wants. Maybe just revenge against the Senshi for their
part in the the destruction of Vulcan, maybe something more grandiose. I
would advise you to be careful and stay in contact. I have to go try and
find some things out." Immediately after her last word was uttered she
teleported out of the shrine.

The remaining girls all looked at the spot she had currently occupied while
her words still hung in the air.

Michiru noted the frown on Hotaru's face and walked over to the little girl.
Planting a kiss on her forehead, she said, "Don't worry Hotaru, everything
will be fine."

Hotaru looked up at her guardian, forcing a smile to her face. She needed
to talk to Setsuna-mama about Meio.

---------------------------------------------------

Setsuna Meiou laid on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling. She knew that
she should be doing something, anything other than feeling sorry for
herself. She hadn't seen him in ages, the emptiness that her life on Earth
slowly erased overwhelmed her. She had welcomed the isolation back in the
Silver Millennium. Isolation meant no-one could question her, like she had
questioned herself when she took up the mantle of Pluto, like she
questioned herself when she had surrendered to Serenity.

The choice had been hard enough when she thought he was dead, and she knew
her decision would only save lives. Could she make the decision again, who
would she stand with when it came to taking sides? Would it come to that?
Would he offer her a choice?

She felt relief and a little joy that he was alive. She had heard rumors
that he had survived Vulcan, but they were never confirmed, and the little
information she received on Pluto was always outdated.

The small amount of joy that his survival brought her was overshadowed by
doubt. A doubt about the future she hadn't had since her re-birth. How was
he re-born? He appeared younger than her, that would prove interesting.
All of her previous childhood he stood taller than life to her, despite only
being minutes older. Now that the ages were reversed would he listen to
her?

She wondered about the end of the battle. He had saved that other girl's
life, only saving the Senshi at her request. Was that him? She knew it was
him, she could feel the power from him. Did he remember? How much did he
remember?

She still didn't completely understand Noriko's reaction to her. That
worried her the most because Meioosei and Noriko shared one opinion on
everything. Nothing had ever forced a choice between Setsuna and Noriko,
but if he had to choose, who would he choose?

Had she told the other Senshi all they needed to know, or not enough, or too
much. Thinking about it gave her a headache, and filled her with
depression. She hadn't even told them the worst parts. Speaking of the
side-story was bad enough, she couldn't imagine speaking of some of other
things. If she said more she would have to open up wounds and issues that
were better left closed. Could she tell them more facts without the whole
truth? Somethings no one knew, they were buried deep in her heart, her
wounds to carry for a lifetime. Others they might remember, Hotaru seemed to
remember quite a bit about the Silver Millennium, would she remember who
Meio was, would Hotaru remember who Setsuna had been before becoming Pluto.

Too many questions without answers, she had to go find him. Maybe she could
track him from the park. She couldn't focus the gate on him, but maybe she
could use it to follow him.

Finding her resolve she stood and grabbed her staff, vanishing into the air.

A few seconds later a knock came on the empty door. After a second and then
a third knock with no answer Hotaru let herself into the room. She looked
around and frowned before taking the book she had brought for just this
circumstance and hopped onto the bed. Like Usagi, Hotaru could be quite
firm when she deemed it necessary, and she wouldn't let Setsuna-mama drift
away from them. She also needed some answers about how much Setsuna-mama
knew about her brother.

She couldn't believe that Setsuna was helping him back in the Silver
Millennium, but she needed to hear it from her.

-----------------------

The trio walked in silence, guided by Akane. Noriko spent the time trying
to think of what she was going to do. She had never believed the theories
of reincarnation but proof was walking next to her. The thing that made it
even more confusing was the fact that this boy looked like Meioosei, that
and he apparently had the same powers were the only reasons she believed it
was really him reincarnated.

Since it was Meio, was he still Meio? The similarities were there, the
physical similarities at least, but was that all that was left of him? He
seemed to be cocky instead of confident. A subtle differences that set her
on edge. His walk was much more relaxed, and he didn't hold his head up
quite as high as he did before.

She didn't want to think about his speech, his grammar was atrocious and she
worried that, that was an indication of his intellect.

Where was her leader and king? Where was the man who vowed to avenge his
family and kingdom? Where was the man who was destined to rule the solar
system?

They arrived at the coffee shop Akane had suggested. There was a small line
so Akane had volunteered to go talk to the hostess and see how long it would
be.

Ranma looked nervously at Noriko again. He could see that she was sizing him
up and it gave him the creeps. She was looking at him like he was a cut of
Kobe steak. The most unsettling thing was the look wasn't the lecherous
look he got from Shampoo or the occasional girl he ran across on the street.
It was closer to the look an adversary gave him before they fought.

The glances, some subtle, some not so subtle, had Ranma on edge.
Unfortunately his heightened awareness was focused along the wrong front.

"Ranma! Prepare to die!" The well know battle-cry rang out as the residents
of Nerima cleared the way for the enraged boy.

Ranma did a back-flip away from the sound as he heard and felt the impact of
the ludicrously heavy umbrella smash into the concrete where he stood
moments ago.
"What your problem now Ryoga?!?" Ranma yelled before the dust had settled.

The only reply he received was a weird cry and the sight of pig-breath
flying through the air only to land in a heap on the other side of the
street. Returning his gaze to where Ryoga had struck he saw Noriko standing
there with a small smirk on her face.

Noriko immediately walked over to where Ranma was standing, never taking her
eye off the Lost boy. She positioned herself a step in front of Ranma, a
half-step from being directly in-between Ranma and Ryoga.

"Arrrr!" Ryoga yelled as he leapt to his feet. "Ranma, you coward, hiding
behind a woman!"

"Shut up, P-chan! Who's hiding?" Ranma shouted back as he cracked his
knuckles.
"Ranma?" Noriko asked as she turned her head to face him.

"Pig-boy ain't got nothing I can't handle," Ranma replied as he stepped out
in front of her.

With another cry of "Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryoga rushed at Ranma again.
Ryoga took a couple swings as Ranma glided out of range while timing the
swings. On the third swing Ranma moved in, placing his left-hand in a
position to block a counter, he did a turn to the right, applying a sharp
elbow to Ryoga's side. The momentum of the blow pushed Ryoga forward a
half-step giving Ranma space to complete his turn.

The Lost Boy was a little slow on his recovery, allowing Ranma to executed a
flying-kick to the same spot on Ryoga's side. Bouncing off gave the other
boy some space taunting him in the process. "Come on pig-boy, you're a
little off today. Maybe you should go rest or somethin?"

"I feel fine, Ranma. I'll feel even better when I beat the crap out of
you!" he yelled as he began another charge increasing the intensity of his
swings.

Ranma continued to dodge out of the way of the rampaging boy, waiting for
another opening. After a rather vicious downward swing Ranma vaulted, doing
a somersault in the air and kicking the other boy before landing.

"Geez, Ryoga, why don't you go get better or somethin. This ain't even a
workout."

"Ranma! Quit picking on Ryoga!" A familiar yell was heard. Akane had come
out of the coffee shop and was stomping towards the two boys. She walked
past Noriko, not even noticing the woman who was quietly observing the
interplay between the youths.

"Stay out of this, Akane!" Ranma yelled.

"A-Ak-Akane? Hmm... hi?" Ryoga stammered as he noticed Akane. Akane's
presence had wiped all thoughts of Ranma form his mind. He nervously
started scratching the back of his head and blushing slightly.

"Oh, hi, Ryoga," Akane answered.

"Are we gonna finish this, Bacon-Breath? I still have some new moves I need
to try out," Ranma teased. He had been playing some fighting game over at
Hiroshi's, and Hiroshi hadn't believed him when he said some of the moves
would be easy for him to do in real life. Daisuke hadn't believed him
either, going so far as to challenge Ranma to do them. Well this was the
perfect opportunity to try. There were one or two that looked like they
might even be fun if he could pull them off.

"Ranma!" Ryoga bellowed, remembering the presence of his rival.

"You are so rude, Ranma!" Akane yelled at her fiancee.

"Hey, you're the one butting her nose into a man-to-man fight!" Ranma
shouted back.

"Hmpft!" She folded her arms in a move designed to display her extreme
displeasure.

"Don't you dare speak to Akane like that!" Ryoga yelled.

"Oh, try and stop me, P-Chan," Ranma said the last with a smile, doing his
best to imitate a sweet girlish voice.

"Don't call me that!" Ryoga shouted as he ran forward attacking Ranma
again. Instead of backing away Ranma stepped into Ryoga. Ryoga was
momentarily taken unaware, he had been expecting Ranma to retreat again.
Ryoga swung hastily at his hated enemy in response. Ranma saw the blow
coming and jumped over it, pushing off of Ryoga's head, he jumped straight
up.

He had applied pressure to the front of Ryoga to stop the Lost Boy's
momentum. The move wouldn't work if Ryoga strayed to far from were he
jumped. He looked down and was relieved to see the boy straightening out.
He began his descent as Ryoga looked up.

Ranma smiled at the rush of the descent, he angled his body slightly
backwards, and bent his knees. He knew he would need torque for this to work
properly. He saw and felt the impact of his feet on Ryoga's shoulders as he
grabbed the boys neck with his legs. Extending his legs he let gravity do
most of his work for him. He bent his back, reaching for the ground as he
extended his legs. He continued his modified back-flip, pleased that his
grip on Ryoga's head held. Snapping his body tight he released the other boy
as his legs come perpendicular to the ground.

Quickly completing the flip he turned to see the lost boy crash into a
nearby wall. "It can work," He congratulated himself on executing the silly
move.

He turned to the sound of clapping

Noriko walked towards him clapping slowly. She had a small amused smile,
Ranma wasn't sure if she was pleased with the performance or mocking him.

"Very good! Meio," she said.

"Ranma!" he said, correcting the woman.

"Yes, Ranma. It will take some getting used to. Is the show over?"

Instead of answering he looked over to the lost boy, wondering why he hadn't
attacked again. He saw Akane helping him to his feet, talking to him.
Ranma gave a small frown at this. He had won the fight, why was she over
with Ryoga?

Noriko just looked on impassively as she followed behind him.

"Ryoga, Ranma's a jerk. Fighting him won't prove anything," Ranma heard
Akane speak as he got closer.

"Listen to the tomboy, bacon breath. You know you can't beat me." Why did
Akane always have to be take other people's sides?

"Shut-up, jerk!" Akane screeched at him.

"Ranma, take that back!" Ryoga growled, looking like he was about to go
through Akane to get at him right now.

"Why? Ya know I'm the best." Ranma smirked at the lost boy. He usually
enjoyed getting Ryoga worked up, and this time proved no exception.

He watched as a battle aura flared around Ryoga. He concentrated on raising
his own before he noticed something strange. Ryoga's aura was white and
gold, not the usual green or occasional red.

He barely dodged out of the way as Ryoga leaped over Akane right at him. He
hadn't been prepared for Ryoga to move so swiftly, in fact he couldn't
remember Ryoga ever moving so quickly.

"So, ya been training I see. Maybe you can give me a workout," Ranma
commented.

"Shut up, Ranma, I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your dishonorable face!"
Ryoga screamed as he charged.

Ranma was immediately on the defensive. He finally had to block a swing with
his forearm, the blow felt like it would take his arm off. He threw a
counter with his left arm only to have Ryoga catch his wrist.

He swore silently to himself as Ryoga twisted his arm. Gritting his teeth,
he tried to counter the movement. He quickly changed his mind and went with
Ryoga's movement, flipping his body over and wrenching the other boy's
shoulder.

The quickness of the move and the unnatural position forced Ryoga to release
him before his arm was twisted out of its socket. The momentary release
allowed Ranma to dance out of range. He absently rubbed his forearm where
the umbrella had hit.

"Heh, what's a matter, Ranma? Did it hurt?" Ryoga taunted. Ranma observed
the glow more closely, it wasn't just chi. It looked like a weird colored
battle aura, but there was something else present. Some other force at work
supplementing Ryoga's speed and power.

"Nothing, pig," Ranma replied in a low dangerous growl. "We gonna fight?
Or you gonna be satisfied with a lucky hit?"

Ryoga charged forward again, at that insane speed. Ranma naturally started
dodging in a circle, increasing his speed to its max. He couldn't
understand it, how was the lost boy keeping up. Ryoga was keeping him off
balance so he could never form the spiral that would end this.

Ranma was throwing an occasional jab, keeping the other boy off balance, but
not committing enough force for them to do any damage.

"A baby hits harder, what's the matter, Ranma, weak again?" Ryoga taunted,
a maniacal grin on his face. He was winning. He was beating his hated
rival and he would finally show Akane who was the better man.

Ranma just growled and through a punch at the boy, he overcommitted a
fraction too much. He saw the counter blow coming, as he struggled to lean
out of the way. The blow caught enough of his jaw to send him flying a good
ten feet away.

"Ah ha ha ha," Ryoga laughed as his aura expanded. Ranma bounced up
quickly, dusting of his sleeves.

"All right, ya had your fun, get ready for a beating." Ranma charged the
boy. He'll have to take the fight to Ryoga he realized as he closed for
battle. The boys collided, trading blows. Ranma still had the advantage of
speed but Ryoga was blocking a good portion of them.

Akane stared at the sight, wondering when Ryoga had gotten so good. She was
actually getting a little worried for Ranma. She had seen Ranma use his
amaguriken speed before but never had Ryoga come close to matching it.

Noriko watched intently. Her interest in the fight increasing when the
other boy had started glowing. She recognized the aura if not the boy
generating it. She knew that Meio would have to be very careful. She
wasn't sure she could counteract the effects if the glow represented what
she thought it did.

Another person watched the fight with interest, from the safety and
obscurity of a nearby building. She had been searching for confirmation,
and now she had it. One fact now slid nicely into place, allowing her mind
to move past it and contemplate other things as she watched with interest.
She knew she would intervene if needed, but right now there appeared to be
no need.

On another building two more pairs of eyes watched with intense interest.
One young one very old. Both were amazed at what they saw.

All eyes widened as the pig-tailed boy sailed from the fight to crash
against a wall. They watched as the other boy smirked. "You lost, Ranma!"
He joyfully shouted.

They bystanders watched as the aura that had surrounded the boy coalesced
into a ball in his hand "Take this! Stasis Break!" He yelled as he threw
the ball at the his downed foe.

"Move!" Noriko yelled as she ran to Ranma's side. The instant the other
boy had released his attack she had activated her ring and started moving as
quickly as she could. It would be close, she could only speed her flow
through time so much, and the projectile started much closer to its target
than she had.

The world blurred around her as she raced towards her goal. She passed the
other boy with his arms still outstretched. She had covered half the
distance and realized how close it would be.

She approached Meio, who was staggering to his feet. She angled her
approach so she could push him out of the way without slowing.

She was ten feet away, focused solely on her goal.

She saw the attack hit just as she jumped. She bounced off the solid object
as she hit against the barrier of the prison.

Everything stopped when the attack struck. All eyes focused on the frozen
form of Ranma Saotome. There was a look of determination on his face as he
appeared to be rising from the ground. The only clue to his condition was
the glint from the glass cube that surrounded him.

End Chapt two.

Author's notes: Okay so I ended on a cliff-hanger. This is probably
already the longest chapter I've written and I needed to end somewhere. U
like, u hate let me know. No reason some of the other characters can't get
power-ups as well.

You can find my other stories at the following places.

http://kpjam.anifics.com
http://www.fanfiction.net/

E-mail me at: noir...@nyc.rr.com