[Ranma/Xover][FanFic] The Bet: Reluctant Bet segment 27 "Reluctant Senshi"
Gregg Sharp
disclaimer: this is a fanfic, therefore, by definition, most
of these are not my characters.
note: i got a couple of e-mails indicating that by trying to
placate the Ranma+Akane and Akane-the-goddess crowds, i'd
lost a lot of the fun and humor that i'd started out with
(which is oddly enough why i keep stalling on Featherbrite's
and A Very Scary Bet). Realizing that this was true, and
that there are plenty of people who already write
Akane-is-perfect stories with the Akane+Ranma matchup, it's
back to gratuitously slamming the two characters who never
have to face Consequences in the series (Genma gets Ranma to
take his lumps, and Akane just gives the Cute Smile.) So
don't bother complaining about "demonization" of Saint Genma
or megami-Akane, as you know it's coming and could go to the
Ranma project if you want canon.
Thank you.
--------
Ranma broke the clench and scrambled as far as he could
backwards.
A hug from a fiance that she KNEW was almost catatonic
in any sort of intimacy merited attempted murder via sharp
instruments and arrows, so even an unintentional kiss from a
stranger meant...
Ranma had images of being flayed alive, sliced into
gibbits in his sleep, castration by a dull knife, being
forced into a meat grinder and made into hamburger, doused
with gasoline and lit on fire while Akane laughed madly...
Akane opened her eyes and unpuckered, blinking a few
times. "Alllllrighty then."
"Akane! Your hair! It's coming in all over now!"
Kasumi was excited for her youngest sister.
Akane studied herself in the mirror, briefly staring
at the image.
"Sis? Are you okay?" Nabiki knelt in front of Akane,
waving a hand in front of her face. "Sis? Akane?"
"Hmmmm. Look, maybe we hit it off wrong. Clearly you
don't like me, and I can't stand undead trying to steal my
inheritance." Akane sounded quite calm and collected as she
addressed Ranma.
"Don't want the dojo. Don't want your inheritance."
Someone was being reasonable towards him merited the same,
and he could try to tolerate this girl who so symbolized the
manhater who could do anything she wanted and have it
tolerated because she had a cute smile. Ranma drew a deep
breath before adding. "Not undead. At least precisely, by
most definitions of the term."
"Then if you go away and leave me and my family
alone, I don't see where we've got a problem." Akane nodded,
beginning to smile.
"As you like, Tendo-san, I'll just leave." Ranma
moved away from the wall, heading for the backyard. He could
launch from there and have resolved the Tendo situation in
one quick visit! How perfect!
"Waaaaaahhhh! My little precious daughter isn't
scarred for life!" Soun continued to cry, completely missing
the events going on around him.
Genma had been turned into a panda again by the flood
of water and was trying to get someone to read his [Hey!
That ungrateful boy is leaving!] signs.
Kasumi and Nabiki were likewise caught up in Akane's
moment of recovery.
Ranma got to the backyard and relaxed slightly.
Nobody was stopping him? He'd be grateful for the small
miracle.
"Promise you won't come back?" Akane pressed. Last
thing they needed was a kuei hanging around. There was
sudden silence as the events began to penetrate Soun's wail
and the two other girls remarking about Akane's hair having
lost that horrid green color.
"On the Saotome family honor, i swear never to return
to this Tendo dojo unless you personally invite me, Akane
Tendo." Ranma manifested wings and flew off, feeling
inordinately pleased. Now he didn't have to worry about the
Tendo-Saotome thing, he was FREE of all that as far as this
universe was concerned. Akane was too stubborn to ever back
down from HER end of things, too much pride to admit some
battles too tough for her, and everyone either deferred to
or (in Kuno's case) obsessed with her. With Akane having
declared the Tendo household off limits, he could get on
with what HAD to be his real mission.
Whoever was menacing Rei and the others.
---------
Rhodite threw a few pellets into the water. "Ha! Now I
have you!"
Ami's eyes widened as she read the bottle. "Oh no!
'Instant Faceless Minions, just add water'?!"
"RUN!" Rei gestured towards the doorway. "None of you
have powerups. I and Minako will have to defeat her!"
"Magic Mirror, my orders hear,
Make them gibber in helpless fear!"
"What?" Rei glanced towards the sparkling obsidian
surface. "Aaaaaaaa!"
"What?" Minako looked at where Rei was curling herself
up in a ball of quivering terror. ~What could have...~ Eyes
caught the surface of the mirror. "AAAAAAA!"
Rhodite smirked as the Princesses collapsed around her,
reduced to weeping wrecks by the mirror's hypnotic powers.
Now she'd enslave them with those same powers, and have the
haughty girls she had once been tormented by serving HER.
Revenge was sweet.
Six faceless minions uncurled themselves from her
kitchenette sink.
Rhodite toed the cringing Rei, the collapsed Minako, the
helplessly bawling Makoto, and the near-comatose Ami. She
had them now, conquered by her power...
Rhodite stopped and counted heads again. "MINIONS! That
damn Moonie has escaped! Find her and bring her back! If you
can't manage that, kill her."
Rhodite watched the minions leave before turning her
attention to the fallen. "After all, my collection simply
MUST be complete!"
---------
Asgard:
"Dimensional merger imminent." Celeste checked the
readings and thumbed her intercom. "What would happen if we
backtracked the real Ranma in the Target Timeline now?"
Amaterasu considered. "Running simulator." (see segment
'A Very Different Art')
Celeste did a backup so that could be used as a
possibility. "What about that new god of crossovers?"
"Currently fighting a war with Nehelenia. Nehelenia
decided to conquer China using her mirrors and ability to
use mirror shards to corrupt and control people. When that
was done she prepared to use the military force of that
country to attack the Senshi. Looks like the Pheonix Mage
discovered the bioweapons being launched and decided to
counterstrike."
"So he's conquering China in THAT line." Celeste
frowned. "I'd have expected that timeline to merge with the
Second Labor line."
"95% chance of it happening after the conquering of
China. Looks like it's more of a fight than was in the
Target Timeline. Nehelenia's borrowing from Jared's own book
in order to pull supplies and equipment from other
timelines. Including summoning the shades of villains he's
defeated in the past... how typically in genre."
"What'll happen when the timelines merge?" Celeste
frowned, it looked like Grey might finally be getting a
break... "Oh my stars! I'm running a quick security sweep on
Yggdrasil access!"
"Why? Admittedly those two timelines shouldn't be
merging, they aren't even close to zero differences, but it
happens sometimes." Amaterasu's voice trailed off. "Grey is
getting ahead of the game, so he's about to get stomped
again?"
"Got it!" Celeste crowed. "Need a security team to go
to node 3519 sublevel Nodd. We have a hack trace!"
"They'll be gone by then and it's too late to stop the
merger." Amaterasu started thinking about options. "Try to
back up the romantic angles. We've got less than an hour."
----------
Ranma looked over the shrine from the air first. Quiet.
Too quiet.
The silence persisted as he examined the grounds. Finally
he found the note and quietly wondered if he was actually
needed in this timeline at all.
"Ranma-
found the villain. Confronting her in her lair.
Back in an hour.
-Rei
PS: If you need a place to stay, I've got a spare
room! -Minako."
The last line had been crossed out heavily but was
still legible. Kids and their jokes. Ranma sighed. It
sounded as if they had everything in control. He wasn't
needed, he wasn't wanted, he was just a burden to everyone.
It was a pity that one couldn't simply crawl off and will
oneself to die, but then that would still be suicide and a
major sin. Pity.
Grey checked further but couldn't find anything to
indicate any problems, so it was probably all good. Still,
it was somewhat worrisome. None of them had any Senshi
powers or anything other than what his spells had done.
And as the 'Life Line' spell was still active, nobody
was dead, dying or seriously wounded. Otherwise he'd have
felt it. Grey hesitated. Just a peek. Nobody would know and
he'd be able to get a feel for what they were going through.
All he'd need was to strengthen the link a bit, temporarily.
Then, if they WERE in trouble, he'd have an idea where and
how bad.
Which one? Rei would detect his presence and likely
resent his intrusion. Makoto was enough of a scrapper that
she might feel his psychic probe as an attack and retaliate.
Usagi? maybe. Ami, possibly. Ami MIGHT detect his presence
but her likely response would be to analyze the situation.
Minako, frankly Ranma didn't think there was much chance of
being detected.
Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno, or Usagi Tsukino. Hmmm. Now if
he could just remember...
Stepping outside, Ranma shifted to dragonform and was
gratified to see that the items he'd specifically focussed
on during his summoning spell were in front of him. Even
though he'd faded out fairly quickly, there had been a few
items that could be useful in a number of situations.
Hoi Hoi Capsule #137, when activated, was similar to a
magical item called 'Daern's Instant Fortress' - producing a
three floor high tech watchtower with an internal waste
disposal and energy system. Even running water. If one
didn't connect to a water source or a power supply, three
months of moderate usage could be gotten out of it. With
both, and a way of gathering food, the shelter could last
years. He'd come across it after everything had been
confiscated for the GRO and EAH (roughly analagous to the
FBI and CIA appropriating resources from a rundown rural
Sherriff's office) and he'd hidden that and a few other
"goodies" away.
The Armlet Of Tandel Moor was a different kettle
altogether. A brass "S" shaped armlet that had dull lifeless
stones decorating it. He'd picked it up the same time he'd
gotten those little elemental things he'd gotten Kasumi,
Nabiki, Shampoo and Ukyo. Sha'ir magic had gone into its
making, though he didn't know the full story there. Only
what he'd been able to get through some of Hephaestus'
devices, and that was that the Armlet gave resistance to a
number of elemental effects, control over elementals, and
the ability to speak to genies of all sorts. THAT he put to
the side, rather than take the chance it would interfere
with a spell. As a silver dragon, he was normally protected
against cold but fire could really hurt him. The Armlet
incorporated sha'ir magic, protective white magic, and
dwarven magecraft into it. If he'd even used it prior to
this, Ranma suspected it would have been found and
'acquired' by some higher power.
And finally, something he'd been wanting for a long,
long, time. His teaset.
Ranma blissfully spent a moment admiring the crowning
achievement of modern civilization (as opposed to modern
technology or some other aspect of modern life): Afternoon
Tea. Ahhh! But first to business. AFTER he'd determined that
all was well, he could lose himself in the near-Zen moment
of "inner quiet" enjoying a really good cup of tea. Perhaps
the Earl Grey with double bergamot, just a few crystals of
the orange blossom honey? No, no. To work!
A few scrolls, tattered and stained, which he hadn't
been able to use since becoming a cyborg. Now, as a
dragonpriest, he could utilize some of these to supplement
his admittedly meager number of spells.
"Life Line" was there, in a version that contained a
more detailed casting. One of the ones he'd squirreled away
just in case he actually met a woman he could trust. Ranma
smiled at the sheer ignorance he had displayed. But wasn't
all hope just willful ignorance? The desire to delve into
fantasy because life has become too painful a burden
otherwise?
"Hmph. No point in saving these for something that
will never occur." Ranma shook his head. How could he have
ever been so delusional? Actually putting aside little
trinkets just in case he did meet one of those mythical nice
girls, or get her interested in him. Couldn't happen.
Then a thought which brought a tired smile to his
face. If he could transfer enough of his life force using
this spell, it might get past the spell Binding him to life.
Allowing him to die - but in the process of giving life to
another. Eternal rest... Not merely death but Oblivion.
Nah, he'd be sure to screw it up. Ranma went about
enscribing the circles. He'd do it in dragonform. More
lifeforce and the mechanics came more easily. Pfeh. It
*would* have to be this warm and humid in Tokyo...
--------
Usagi screamed as a tan minivan exploded as the
Fork-yoma missed her and tore into it.
"Surrender or die," the yoma growled as it threw bits
and pieces of shredded gashogging vehicle about itself.
Usagi responded in a manner completely expected for a
sixteen year old girl. She screamed and ran.
The yoma snarled and gave chase. So be it. The human
had chosen DEATH!
Marking where the girl was running up a set of stairs,
Forruk smirked. The human would not escape. She was tired,
falling over her own feet, and away from crowds. Let the
weak human choose her own gravesite. It would avail her not
at all.
Usagi kept stumbling, several bloody wounds from where
she'd fallen before joining newer ones. She couldn't do
this, she couldn't handle this...
But she knew that Ranma was right ahead of her. She
could see the silvery gleam of scale and wings as he came
forward.
Usagi screamed as a small metal spine slammed into her
back.
------------
"I'll show him!" Akane stalked forward, trailed by two
sisters.
"But Akane, all I said was that I'd still see him
around the shrine!" Nabiki watched her little sister for a
moment. "You are SO stubborn. Once you've got an idea into
your head..."
"He PROMISED he would stay out of our lives! After all
the humiliation he put me through, then trying to trick me?!
I'll find a way to get even with him!" Akane began to glow
blue. BOYS! First they had ignored her or treated her as a
boy, then she'd become "Miss Popular" and all the stupid
loathsome boys had been trying to get into her panties, then
Kuno and the Chem Club had ruined her face, destroyed her
hair, and caused these other problems. THEN, because she was
marred, they'd IGNORED her. She had been snubbed by the
entire school! Now she was supposed to just roll over and
kiss this guy's feet just because he'd healed wounds that
other BOYS had inflicted on her? They were all the same.
BOYS! He'd beaten her, was clearly stronger than her, but a
martial artist knew there were ways to use an opponent's
strength against them!
Kasumi fingered one of the two spheres hooked onto her
belt. If Akane kept fighting, she might find a weakness to
exploit. She was torn, and didn't want to see anyone get
hurt. Clearly though, if this kept up someone *would* be
hurt.
Nabiki shook her head as the little Princess, Daddy's
favorite, returned. Akane had gotten sullen and moody after
the accident, and had held all males responsible. She'd
gotten angrier and angrier, but nobody at school had wanted
anything to do with Akane. Partly guilt, partly the view
that this was karma, partly that people didn't want to
associate with a girl who looked at you as if trying to
decide where to thrust a knife. Akane had been a nice girl
who was a violent maniac, the explosion had killed the nice
girl, leaving rage and hate.
There had been the brief surfacing of the nice girl,
which had ended with Nabiki's own casual comment. Now this.
Nabiki was trying to find a way to resolve this more
peacefully but was having trouble coming up with a means of
distracting Akane. When Akane got that set to her shoulders,
she could give a mule lessons on stubborness.
Nabiki silently prayed that neither Rei nor Ranma
were there when Akane reached the shrine.
---------
Ranma threw himself over Usagi, stopping the rest of
the barrage from hitting her, but also learning that yoma
thrown tines were sufficient to penetrate his scaly hide.
The yoma found its head bitten off a moment later,
claws slicing down through its body in the same move.
There was the smell of other yoma in the area, but
certain things were a priority. "Hold on, Tsukino-san. i'll
heal you as soon as this is out of you." Healing others was
a first priority after all.
Ranma couldn't help but wince at the length of the
metal in the ponytailed girl's back. He'd already used
'Heal' so that left 'Cure Critical Wounds', a handful of
'Light', and a single 'Serious'.
"Comrade dear in need of healing,
Wound so critical now be sealing,
Health return to flesh and bone,
Mine own strength i will loan."
Sitting back, Ranma started pulling the own shards from
his body, feeling an involuntary shift back to human form as
the last one was removed. Which was odd, as he thought it
would have gone the other way. Sufficient injury to cause an
involuntary shift should have produced transformation to
dragonform, not human, as he understood the mechanism.
Perhaps because it was an anime universe?
"Are you okay, Usagi?" Ranma realized he had been
poisoned, but didn't see any sign of it on Usagi.
Usagi looked up and her eyes went wide at the sight of
Ranma's own wounds but nodded.
"Good, now I just need..." Ranma staggered back and
placed a hand near the bubbling hole that indicated a lung
wound. He had plenty of 'Light Wounds' and that should give
him enough time for something more elaborate.
"Knit and sew this wound unfair,
Alleviate with cleric's care..."
"THERE YOU ARE!"
---------
Rhodite, aka the Dark Chambermaid, alias a number of
other titles that she'd already discarded, looked over her
newest playtoys with amusement. She ran a finger along the
chin of the Mars princess, only to disgustedly wipe drool
off onto the girl's hakima a moment later.
Fancying herself an epic villain, Rhodite checked her
handbook ("Villainy For Dummies", 1991, 25000yen) and
decided it was time for a Minor Villain Rant. (She also
decided she needed to work on her Maniacal Villain Laugh,
which was something she felt she was weak in.)
Ignoring the fact that the princesses hadn't been
royalty for a millenium (actually a misnomer as it had been
a million years not a mere thousand) and that they were all
locked in their own worst nightmares caused by hypnotic
powers of the Obsidian Mirror, Rhodite used her prisoners as
her audience.
"Maybe I should open with a joke," mused Rhodite.
After all, she'd read some of those foreign manga and ALL
the classy villains like the Joker had some running theme.
"This one will kill you. There were these three blondes who
were stuck on an island and they came across a genie bottle,
and as they were three, each got one wish. So the first one
wished that she was 50% smarter, so she was turned into a
redhead who noticed that the shore was 50 yards away so she
swam there. Swam, right? Hahahaha. Anyway, the second one
wished that she was 100% smarter, so she was turned into a
brunette who used the bridge. Used the bridge, get it?
Hahahaha! Anyway, anyway, the third one. You'll love this.
The third blonde, resembled that Moon Princess likely,
decided that she was lonely, so she... hahahaha, she wished
that she had her friends back!"
Rhodite waited a moment, the silence being broken
only by Ami's sobbing and a drip of drool from Rei. "Okay,
maybe I need to find another theme. Anyway, you haughty
little 'clean that spill, Rhodite' 'Rhodite, get the door'
princesses are probably wondering what I'm going to do with
you!
"Actually I wasn't expecting you so I hadn't planned
that far ahead." Rhodite frowned. "So, I guess what I'll do
is just get creative. I've already used Anger and Gluttony,
and they appear to be growing nicely. Greed you already
beat. That leaves..."
Rhodite smiled and considered the short haired girl
weeping in her cage. "Lust? Why not?" She tilted back
Minako's head to stare into her sightless eyes. "Envy?
Pride? No... Maybe you'd be better for Lust than your
friend? Or even better, turn you into minor yoma. Yes, low
level flunkies! Hmmm. I'll have to think of something truly
fitting for the rest of you, but the Ice Princess gets a
Demon Seed unless I find a worthier candidate.
"Now what's keeping those minions?"
--------
scene comes at request of SKJAM:
Akane didn't know why or how, but the Heavens had
delivered.
Ranma, her tormentor, was weakened and bloody and
menacing some blonde girl with a ridiculous hairstyle. He
wasn't even adequately fighting back as Akane unleashed her
Fists Of Righteousness. (Akane made a mental note to stop
listening to Kuno's speeches.)
She kicked and was rewarded as the BOY's nose
flattened and his head snapped back. Akane exulted as she
grabbed and twisted and shattered the BOY's right shoulder.
Akane grinned as she dropped to one knee and used a
stonebreaker punch on the BOY's groin. Every gasp or groan
was music. After all the humiliation she'd gone through,
after every torment, after the challenge and explosion and
all the dumb speeches and the 'you must beat Akane to date
her' nonsense, she would have REVENGE!
Now if the BOY would just show some sense and drop!
Oh, that's right he was a boy. Naturally he'd be too
stubborn and stupid to know when he was beaten. She'd just
have to get rough! Seeing the bloody tears in the BOY's
back, Akane pushed on.
--------
Soun pushed a Go piece across the board. "So, you think
Akane?"
"NO!" Genma shook his head. "Look, Nodoka divorced me and
stated if her path and mine ever crossed again, she wouldn't
leave enough to be mistaken for sushi."
Soun checked Genma's reply move, then made his own.
"Surely you don't take such a thing seriously."
"Yes, I do. And don't call me Shirley." Genma shuddered.
"If I were to get Ranma killed AGAIN, I'd rather face the
Mas... well actually that's a toss-up."
Soun raised an eyebrow but knew better than to look away
from the board. "Oh? I thought he died of a childhood
illness."
"You know the Touched Soul training?" Genma shuddered.
"Well... he actually kind of failed."
"Failed the Touched Soul?" Soun frowned a little. "How
badly?"
"He poured gasoline over himself then set himself on
fire, laughing all the time." It had been years ago, and
Genma still flinched at the memory. No, watching his child
die writhing in agony and madness once had been quite
enough.
Soun considered. "Oh, well, in that case, maybe Ranma
should marry..."
"Shampoo!!"
Genma nodded. "Well, I assume you know your daughters
better. It's settled. Ranma will marry Shampoo."
Soun looked puzzled. "Ranma is going to marry hair soap?"
*CRASH!*
A bubbly young Amazon made her own door. "Shampoo hear
with own ears. Ranma's father said Shampoo could marry
Ranma! Shampoo happy!"
"Actually I thought that it was Soun that I was agreeing
with."
"Shampoo go tell Ranma that Shampoo have parental
permission!" Shampoo vanished, making another hole en route.
"What was THAT, Saotome?"
"Cause for opening another bottle of sake, and beyond
that I'm NOT inquiring."
---------
Usagi's eyes were wide as this angry girl started
breaking bones with audible pops and cracks.
The strange girl even pounded the open wounds that Ranma
had gotten defending Usagi, which the girl couldn't help but
notice. When he got hit in one of those areas, *she* could
feel it. "...Ranma..."
"Stop it, Akane! You're killing him!"
Usagi was grateful for the excuse to look at something
ELSE. There was Nabiki, and wasn't that her older sister?
Nabiki looked about ready to leap in though Usagi couldn't
tell which end of things the older girl would actually help.
*CLANG!*
Akane hit the ground twitching.
Nabiki, Kasumi, and Usagi looked from their fallen
sister to some bishonen with a really big spatula in a
"samurai who has just made a great cut" pose.
The bishonen flipped his ponytail back over a shoulder.
"Heh. Once again, I have struck an unworthy object!"
"Ooooo!" Usagi momentarily forgot the splattered Ranma
as she fixated on this really handsome fellow. Especially
when he went into a victory pose, complete with swirling
leaves and gleam on teeth.
Having seen enough to know that this wasn't a slapstick
but a heroic moment, Ukyo played it to the hilt. After all,
when had she had a chance to do something like this in HER
life? "Enter the high school warrior-chef (sentai-pose -
chain to spinning the spatula around and another pose with
it behind her in a more samurai pose) whose spatula strikes
injustice. Ukyo Kuonji, age 16!" (gleam of teeth)
"Great, another damn Kuno!" Akane picked herself up.
"Well, if you want a beating, I'm the one to do it."
Usagi blinked back and forth. It was just like a
samurai movie! The two warriors facing each other across the
yard, the air between them almost visible with tension.
"wow!"
"Damn!" Nabiki said from Ranma's side. "He's not dead,
but he's *really* messed up."
Kasumi looked over the fallen figure with a clinical
eye and tried not to lose her lunch. "Uhm, Well, most of his
err, no that's broken too."
---------
Looking down on the scene, Grey sighed. "i've screwed
up before, but this is REALLY fubar! i mean i'm DEAD, the
Binding is confused as to which one is the real me because
there's part of me here, part of me is Ranko off with Jared,
and part of me's off in that Saber Marionette timeline. Just
great. NOW what?"
"That sounds like my cue."
Grey covered his eyes briefly, then slowly turned to
look. Pink kimono. Blue hair. Flying on an oar. "Botan? Did
Enma want to see me?"
"Don't be silly. Enma only has work for heroes. Even
Kuwabara is more competent than you are..."
"Leave off, Botan. Devil hunting and the like ain't my
bag." Grey sighed. "Dang, is there anything she DIDN'T
break?"
"'She's a very nice girl, she's just a violent maniac.'
Or something like that." Botan made a dismissing gesture.
"It doesn't much matter, except that you've abandoned your
responsibilities."
"What are you talking about? i am dead, or close
enough. i did the best i could, but it just wasn't good
enough. Like always."
"Yeah, yeah," Botan waved it off. "And you've got that
'Life Link' spell still going, or have you considered what
happens to THEM when you die?"
"Uh oh. i *had* kinda forgotten about that. So let me
guess, i'm supposed to go back. Might one point out that the
Binding ain't working, and that body's in bad enough shape
that my spirit's taken a hike..." Grey paused in mid-rant.
"Poison from the yoma? Something that weakened my body
enough she could do that much damage?"
"Bing-bong!" Botan set off a party favor. "So you got
the yoma poison, you've given away most of your life force,
and then some girl beats the rest of the way down. Now
look!"
Grey looked. Akane was throwing a long series of linked
attacks that Ukyo was dodging or parrying with her spatula.
"She's holding her own against Ukyo?! How'd Akane get
that good? She didn't seem to be that strong against me.
Well, up until..."
Botan tsked. "She wasn't too bad as a martial artist
but after the Chem Club used their bomb she went into the
Art with a vengeance. As far as she was concerned, the Art
was everything after that. You then healed her and threw all
that into confusion."
"So she hates me more because i healed her." Grey made
a disgusted noise. "Can't win for losing."
"So what are you going to do?" Botan seemed to be
regarding the sky from atop her flying oar. "Sure you could
let go. Be fairly easy. You could even have peace in the
afterlife. If you do, though, those Senshi are gonna go
through a private Hell and die. Ukyo there will get killed,
and Akane'll finally work through her rage after becoming a
murderess three times over. Kasumi and Nabiki and the Dojo
will never recover..."
"You really fight dirty, you know that." Grey looked at
his 'Ranma' body. "Geez. First i'd have to 'Cure Poison'
then 'Cure Light' as many times as i can. That *still* won't
cover it, the most i can do with the spells i've got is
stabilize. In game terms that's still less than 1/4 hit
points..."
Botan smiled briefly. ~So bloody easy to manipulate.~
"If i could get the Armlet, that'd help me throw off
the poison..." Grey shot another look at Botan. "You really
don't fight fair at all, do you?"
"Nope," agreed Botan. "Just be sure you rescue them
fast. There's a dimensional merger occurring in less than an
hour."
--------
Nodoka threw the I-Ching and studied the results with a
frown. "Patience for now" they counseled. Now was not the
time to strike, but soon she would need to work harder than
ever. Yet, according to what she was reading now, there was
an excellent chance of what she'd wanted for so long to
become reality.
Her son returned from the grave. And since she'd
learned of the genies and magical maids of legends, their
contracts and relationships with the ins (genie term for
non-genie), of magic and of ancient pacts, she'd been making
plans. Modern Japanese law stated one husband + one wife.
Ancient Japanese law, well, wasn't nearly the same. Even
more ancient laws (which in Nodoka's mind took precedence)
stated something that made her dream of LOTS of grandkids.
Taking a beeswax candle and examining the cat's cradle
of red threads she'd carefully built, Nodoka decided to work
on a couple of points. Her son would be SO manly!!
--------
Genma had found a replacement for Ranma, actually he
had found several, but only one was currently in the coveted
position of Heir Of The Saotome School.
The Moroboshi kid had been pretty good, at least at
dodging, and had been quite enthusiastic about the whole
multiple engagement thing. If only he hadn't reminded Genma
of The Master quite so much, he could have been quite an
Heir. His mother hadn't required much convincing to sell him
off either.
That Hibiki kid had been even better, with a grounding
in boar style bando, good endurance and strength. Kept
getting lost though. Not showing up for that challenge match
with that Urumeshi kid had been the last straw, and Genma
had left Ryoga a note stating that he was dismissing him as
the Heir.
Then there had been that Kurenai kid, but he wouldn't
give up the weird disguises. Genma had spent a *disastrous*
few weeks where a kid named Hokori Gomon was the Heir. Then
came the Kotori boy, the Simitsu child, and Ston Li. Each
had turned out to have some degree of promise but the rigors
of training had proven too much or they had balked at things
that Ranma wouldn't have objected to in the slightest.
And then at Jusenkyo, he'd lost the most recent Heir.
The boy had gone into a spring but Genma had never seen him
come back out. Genma thought the boy was still around,
probably disoriented (understandable) after getting a
Jusenkyo curse. If Ranma didn't work out, then the boy could
be engaged to one of Soun's daughters, fulfilling the pact.
And with a boy like Yokubo Warui, the next generation
would have PLENTY of heirs.
Somewhere in Juuban, a tomcat sneezed and dreamed of
revenge.
-------
Ukyo blocked a series of punches that put dents in her
spatula set her teeth on edge. This girl was *strong* but
sloppy. An angry fighter who overextended herself
frequently. Ukyo blocked a lunging punch, directing the
force off to the side, then brought the butt of her spatula
around in a heavy slam to the back of the girl's head.
Akane slammed face first into the dirt, then rolled
forward and turned to face her opponent. "You're good."
"Not bad yerself, sugar." Ukyo acknowledged. "But if
you're gonna hurt Ranchan, ya gotta deal with me."
"What go on here?!" A number of girls in Chinese
pantsuits showed up. They glanced at the bleeding and broken
figure on the ground and the two girls fighting. "Aiyah."
A thoroughly rattled Nabiki blurted out what she'd
have sold otherwise. "Akane found Ranma, beat him into a
bloody pulp, he didn't defend himself or fight back, then
this other guy showed up to fight Akane."
Shampoo looked at Mace who looked at Sash who looked at
Sugar who elbowed Spice who patted the wheezing Tigar on the
back, Cayenne and Salt drew weapons. Talcum was still
gasping while Saber and Towel fingered the weapons at their
belt. Azure leapt to Ranma's side, while Fumika seemed lost
in thought. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme merely
collapsed from exhaustion.
Azure looked up from her examination. "He alive but not
know how. Which one Akane?"
"I am, but that undead pervert BOY deserved it!" Akane
jerked a thumb at herself. She'd been practicing, and was
feeling confident. Just let these gaijin try something,
she'd show them! After all, she'd been able to beat Ranma!
There was a brief dust cloud as Akane found herself
attacked from all sides.
-----------
Grey settled into the Ranma-form with a wince. There
*were* bones that hadn't been broken or at least cracked.
Two toes in the left foot. A few vertebrae, that rib there
didn't seem too bad, and there were even some teeth intact.
Actually, there had been a time when he'd been caught in
a stampede of iguanodon and trampled and it had felt quite
similar to this. So had the time the brachiosaurus had
fallen on him. (Wildlife photographer in the age of
dinosaurs had been quite a painful experience.)
~Now how to heal myself a broken jaw, fingers smashed,
and the only spells i've got memorized require both words
and gestures? Semaphore using his working eye, as the other
was swollen shut? No. If i could get the Armlet, it would
stop the yoma poison and the further deterioration but
nobody present has got a clue to what it is, much less as to
how it works. i've only got a figurative toe-hold on my
body, if i seperate maybe i could possess Usagi? There's
already the Life Link spell active, after all, that gives me
a link between her body and mine...~
Detatching from his body, he tried using his hand to
establish a small contact, thrusting it ~Usagi Tsukino. Do
you hear me?~
Usagi shrieked and leapt three feet in the air.
~Oh fuss and bother. Usagi, it's me. Will you calm
down?!"
"AHHHHH!" Usagi began running a circle. "A ghost!"
~Great, now i'm stuck playing Casper the Friendly Ghost.
i don't suppose you'd give me permission to temporarily
possess you so i can heal my old body, would you?~
"What's wrong?" Nabiki watched the girl running around
in circles.
"Ranma'sdead. Myfriendsareinbigtrouble.
Andtheghostwantstopossessme!"
Grey decided not to try Usagi. No connection with anyone
else present through that spell, but maybe he could manage
something with one of the Tendos? Nabiki worked as a
priestess in this timeline, so maybe...
~Nabiki?~ Another light touch. Nabiki's response was
similar to Usagi's except that she ran in a straight line as
opposed to circles. Straight out of the shrine area, to be
exact.
~Well, that's two down. You want to make it three,
Kasumi?~
"Oh my!" Kasumi stiffened at the cold sensation and
words in her head.
~You know, you really need to expand your vocabulary...~
Grey paused. ~Well, you're not running, that's a plus.~
Kasumi nodded. Then fainted.
~Oh, blast! Well, i guess that makes it obvious. Kasumi
Tendo, i choose you! (snicker) Hmmm. i can't get in.
Spiritual protection of some kind? Or is it that she's
unconscious? OK. That leaves a few Amazons, Ukyo, and Akane
who are present.~
Grey spent a few minutes pondering. ~Well, Akane's just
been pummelled into unconsciousness. Maybe if i follow the
links i can get one of the others? No, they're in trouble
already. Always easier to break into a prison than to break
out. Hmmm, Usagi's passed out. Let's try...~
A few seconds later, Usagi Tsukino grumbled as she
picked herself off and went to go get the Armlet. ~Damn
what're all these... cramps? Eewwwwwww! Why me? Why does
this crap always have to happen to me!~
Usagi ignored the stares as she came running back with
a dull metal armlet and fixed it into place on one of the
boy's forearms. Then, making physical contact with her real
body, made the transference.
And blinked as she realized that she was still looking
at her "Ranma" body. "Uh oh. C'mon change. Change! i don't
know what's going to happen if Usagi wakes up and i'm still
here."
"Uhm, are you okay?"
Usagi blinked and turned her attention to Ukyo. "Uhm,
well, sort of yes and sort of no. This is so very screwed
up."
"Huh?"
"Hang on while i try a couple of scrolls. (grumble
grumble) Bet this never happens to Jared or any of the other
planewalkers...(grumble mutter)"
Ukyo watched as this girl with the blonde pigtails
began reading something from a scroll.
--------
Elsewhere:
Son Usagi appeared out of a tunnel and checked the
modified Dragonball Radar that Mercury had made. Then
pocketed the gadget as it seemed to be giving odd results.
Keiichi Morisato, having taken the 'fill in for Ranma'
job partly because of owing Grey a favor but mainly because
it got him away from two dozen Belldandies, was recalled
before the dimensional merger could occur.
Kasumi, Nabiki, Shampoo, and Ukyo discovered what
happened when you used your elemental bracer one time too
many.
Nehelenia managed to get two thousand robotic troops
from the Trading Alliance and used dark energies to animate
them in an attempt to invade Japan and get her revenge on
the Sailor Scouts of that world.
Celeste made a backup of a world where Shampoo was the
great granddaughter of a woman named Genkai, the most
reknowned spiritual investigator and wielder of Rei Ki
techniques of that timeline.
Belle and Urge met in the Goddess Relief Office
cafeteria and discussed their divergent roles.
Misty got tired of Ash being such a jerk and decided
that it was time to seperate. She'd show him - by becoming
his superior in pokemon training (not that she wasn't
already)!
Ranma Saotome closed the door to his suite in stately
Saotome mansion, put the "Do Not Disturb" sign out, and sat
down with Kasumi on one side and Rae on the other. The
newest "Skysaber" movie had a private satellite feed and he
wasn't about to miss it.
--------
Grey finished the spell just as the real Usagi started
waking up, and dove along the thread of life force before
personality contamination could occur.
He hit a bump and seemed to be caught in a stream and
then...
Uncurled from where he'd been a huddled ball. Looking
down, he noticed the Senshi uniform (actually looked like a
cosplay version of a skirted swimsuit with a few add-ons.)
The skirt's color was one of the big clues, being green. ~Oh
great. NOW what do i do? And why a fake Senshi costume?~
A whimper brought his attention inward and he followed
the thread.
A dungeon cell within the id, with bars of depression
and worthlessness. Odd, it seemed quite familiar to him.
~Submit. You can't win. You're alone. You've failed. You've
always failed when it counts. Submit. You're wrong. You've
always made the bad decisions when the choice is up to you.
You're a failure. Submit. Obey. You're pathetic. Submit. You
can't win...~
~Looks like a typical depressive cycle,~ though Grey.
~i should know, i go through this sort of thing regularly.~
~Can't take it. Can't win. Can't take it. Surrender?
Other voices. Madness. Lost.~
Grey took out his lightsaber, even though it was just a
mental construct it was within a mindscape. He expected it
to work, believed it would work, therefore it did. He sliced
through the door and entered. He'd spent enough time being
depressed that the blanket of negativity was an annoyance
that was familiar enough that he could trudge through it and
bring the ponytailed girl out into the light.
She clung to him as if to a solid anchor, after a few
moments, he simply hugged her back, murmurring into her ear
that it was all right and that he was there. She wasn't
alone and never had to be.
Hours passed in the mindscape, with Grey constantly
reminding himself that this was a faster time flow than the
real world. Finally, Makoto's grip loosened and she stared
at him through tearful eyes.
~I...~ Makoto caught a glimpse of her former cell and
shuddered.
Grey noticed that the cell's interior was similar to an
airplane cabin. ~You're all right now, Mako-chan, just rest
now. i'm going up front to find out where we are.~
Makoto glomped him. Obviously not wanting to be left
alone.
~Mako-chan... i mean Kino-san, it's dangerous for us to
remain together. i might get stuck, we might contaminate or
even merge with each other's personalities, or something
even worse. i'm not sure what, just that it's dangerous.~
Her nails dug into his sides briefly, then she relaxed
marginally. ~Promise you'll stay with me?~
~Kino-san. i am the one abandoned. i don't do the
abandoning.~ Grey looked into tearstruck eyes and felt his
resolve crumble. ~Ok. i'll go this far. i won't abandon you
so long as you remember me and don't abandon me. If at all
possible, i will return for you.~
Makoto let him go after searching his eyes. ~Get the
others. I'm sure they're in similar cells.~
Makoto waited for him to leave before surfacing and
finding herself in a cheerleader's costume and sitting
inside a birdcage-like structure.
A quick check revealed the bars were welded shut. Makoto
frowned as she tried to figure out what to do. She needed
out before that old woman returned...
Her chin firmed. Do or die. And she thought she had his
measure down. "Well he certainly needs an advisor at the
least. Therefore, I swear..." Makoto paused. He *did* kind
of remind of her sempai, and the constant abandonment was
something she herself was familiar with.
What did she want?
---------
Grey shifted to dragonform, reminding himself that in a
mindscape, will was everything. His *physical* body was in
tatters. In Jared Saotome's home timeline, he'd become the
Nebula Knight - the Knight Of Duty. As a nebula was a thin
but pervasive thing that could birth stars, so too was a
sense of duty something fragile in one sense but powerful in
another. Duty kept him going when everything else was cold
ash, as Botan had reminded him.
Besides, he still felt the dragonform was a *rush* -
especially flying in it.
And the landscape certainly merited it. Ice everywhere.
Jagged spires and broken ridges and sharp-edged gaps. If
he'd remained a cyborg it would have been tough going, for a
normal human it would have been impossible.
A silver dragon, however, felt quite comfortable in the
arctic conditions. That left finding which of the Senshi
whose mental prison he'd found. A brief flickering image
revealed a sentry, but a casual tail lash sent it off.
Finally he landed and approached the spire of blue-white
ice, a girl's upturned face imprisoned within.
Grey smiled toothily (there was another way with a snout
like that?) and cast a spell used by dragons who were lucky
enough to have found it. It was odd that more dragonmages
didn't have it though, as the spell could be *quite* useful.
"Change Breath Weapon" allowed a red dragon whose breath
weapon was normally a cone of flames to breathe lightning
instead.
A faint emerald shine on his scales would have clued in
the Pheonix Mage. As the spell completed, Grey used the
breath weapon of an emerald dragon.
Aimed carefully, the hypersonic wail just brushed the
girl's prison and caused it to crack. Now that there were
surfaces for claws to find purchase in, cautious removal of
the ice surrounding Ami Mizuno could commence.
He hunched carefully over the currently blue-skinned
girl and sniffed deeply. She was cold but alive. Keeping an
eye out for the sentry he still sensed nearby, he switched
to a red dragon's breath weapon while the spell was still
running and created a pool of warm water. He had just gently
lowered the girl within, when the sentry finally made a
move.
--------
More Weird Ideas:
Nodoka as a sorceress who wants her son to be manly and have
lots of grandkids.
Akane as the "best straight martial artist in Nerima" and
the victim of a horrible fate.
What would happen if the sentai heroes tried an approach
besides "wait for the monster of the week to show up"? Here
they don't do so good...
Genma with the ability to learn from his mistakes.
A Soun Tendo who actually is concerned about his daughters'
happiness.
Nabiki as greedy, but without the fanfic/canon? "evil soul."
(According to one message, Takahashi stated that Nabiki was
a 'greedy girl with a tainted soul'. No, i don't know where
these 'facts' come from that are occasionally thrown my way
by the Canon Knights. Maybe they're in telepathic contact
with the author. Sometimes i hear about an interview, but
i've never seen/heard a translation so it may all be vapor
like the "Ranma must go back to the Amazon village to be a
slave if he marries Shampoo" fanfic precept.)
Instant Minions, just add water, for those who wondered
where all the high powered flunkies came from. Or can one
picture "Faceless Minions Unlimited" - an employment agency?
Maybe a farm someplace where vegetable-brained yoma are
raised like wheat?
Change Breath Weapon (dragon spell) (uncommon)
Casting Time: 3, Components: V,S, Duration: 3 uses or 1
turn/level
Range: 0, Area of effect: caster, saving throw: none
This allows the dragon to change his/her normal breath
weapon to a single breath weapon type that s/he has directly
observed. Damage is unchanged, only the form (flame,
lightning, mist, etc.) and area of effect are changed.
planned:
1st Labor - Skysaber's Choice (Reconcile Queen Serenity and
the Pheonix Mage) (ongoing, written by Skysaber)
2nd Labor - Reluctant Bet (Substitute for Ranma, stabilize
the timeline) (this story)
3rd Labor - Forward To The Past (planned, not written) -
Repair the damage done by another timetraveller (Ares Trap)
(more serious, either set in Cao Cao's China or just prior
to the American Revolution (appearing in Pennsylvania 1774)
(yes, i am accepting feedback as to which and who should
accompany him on that Labor)
have fun, gregg
-----------------------------
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
metro...@mindspring.com
""Tsk. You Americans, your women are encouraged
to live up to a standard, while your men are encouraged
to live down to another."
- Kasumi Tendo, "Supersoldier"
"The loudest voice is often the most
incorrect."
- Grey, "reluctant bet"