Chapter 6: Barbarians at the Gates
Suginami - Saturday, March 5th 1994
Ranma was impressed. She didn’t think it was possible for anyone to top Kasumi’s cooking, but Kumiko had already managed it three times out of four. This morning’s breakfast was a good example – Ranma knew from helping Kasumi shop how difficult it was to get fresh eggs in the city, and Kumiko had used more eggs in this morning’s omelets than Kasumi could have gotten hold of in an entire month. She didn’t skimp on portions either.
Ranma was glad the girls had agreed to a good long training session this morning – she was going to have to increase her workouts again if Kumiko kept feeding her this way.
She also needed to know just where the heck she was supposed to go later in the day. She reluctantly set her cup of Hao Ya down on the table.
“Grandma?”
“Yes, Ranma-kun?”
“I really ought t’ get to Juuban this afternoon after me and the girls practice. I … uh … really didn’t pay much attention when we all got here, so I don’t really know where we are right now.”
Aiko chuckled softly. “Yamada-ke is in Shimo-Takaido, Suginami-ku, about eleven kilometers northwest of Azabu-Juuban. Is there a specific reason you need to be in Juuban this afternoon, Ranma-kun? I can always ask Genjo-kun to drive you there.”
Ranma rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, well … Eiko is kinda anxious for me to go meet him in person, and the only way I can get there is to … umm … take back his key. One of the junior senshi’s got it right now, and she supposed to be hangin’ round in a park after school.”
Aiko arched an eyebrow. “Interesting. I gather that you aren’t planning on simply walking up to this junior senshi and asking for the key back?”
Ranma dropped her eyes as her face heated visibly. “Uhhh … not really. Eiko didn’t think that’d be a good idea, and it don’t really belong to her anyway. I was kinda hoping to do this without anyone really noticin’.”
Aiko nodded. “Well then … we will simply have to give you some assistance, won’t we?”
Ranma’s eyes shot up. “Whaaaa?”
“Ranma-kun, the girls are all trained kunoichi. This is exactly the type of situation where they can be of assistance, and you’re now part of the family. Which park in Juuban is it?”
“Errrr …” Ranma quickly glanced around the table.
“Five sets of eyes are better than one,” Midori said.
“Spending an afternoon in a park? Real tough,” Tsuya added.
“It would be significantly more efficient,” Kioko said with a nod.
“And we get to break out some of our neat toys, too,” Harukichi finished.
“Ah man, I can’t ask you girls t’ do this. It ain’t really your concern, and I dunno how dangerous it’s likely to get. I might end up royally pissin’ off some of the senshi and I wouldn’t want y’all t’ have to face them alone when I go off to visit Eiko.”
“It’s not a matter of asking, Ranma-kun,” Aiko admonished. “Family helps family, and you are now a part of ours.”
“Ahh …”
“Don’t worry, son. You’ll get used to all this eventually. Now, do you know which park you’re going to?”
Ranma sighed. “Um, yeah. It’s the one with the big library , err…”
“Prince Arisugawa Memorial.”
“Arisugawa, yeah, that’s it. Recall being there once a while back.”
“That’s a nice park, Ranma,” Midori said. “With five of us searching it shouldn’t take too long to find your senshi.”
“Yeah, and it’s only two transfers!”
Ranma gave Tsuya a very puzzled look.
“You know, J-rail?”
“Why would ya bother with that?” Ranma asked, scratching her head. “Grandma said Juuban was only a dozen kilometers ‘way. Even takin’ it easy, that jog’s under an hour.”
“Ranma, this isn’t Nerima,” Midori said. “Roof-hopping is bound to attract quite a bit of attention, and I’m not sure that we could all keep up with your usual pace anyway.”
“O.K., I guess,” Ranma replied. “You’ll have ta show me the best spot round here to train hop, though. An overpass’s usually the easiest if you’re not used ta roof-hoppin’.”
Harukichi started giggling.
“Ranma-kun,” Aiko said. “The girls are accustomed to riding inside the train.”
“GAAAH. Why’d ya want to do that? It’s much safer bein’ on th’ outside.”
Aiko eyebrow arched once more. “Why is that, son?”
“Well … it just is. Trust me on that, ‘k?”
“You should tell everyone about the time you were out with Kasumi, Ranma-nēchan,” Harukichi said between giggles. “I was the only one watching that day; you really nailed the guy.”
“Well, what did ya expect? It’s bad ‘nough when some bozo grabs my boobs or butt thinkin’ I’m a girl. I don’t hurt them much at all, maybe just a finger or wrist. But the bonehead who pawed Kasumi really deserved what he got.”
Harukichi practically bounced in her seat. “Yeah! I’ll bet he was in a cast singing soprano for at least six months. You hit him so fast no one saw what actually happened.”
“I shoulda hit him more,” Ranma glowered, “but Kasumi was too upset. I still don’t get why she didn’t say nothin’ sooner.”
“Not everyone is willing to make a scene in that situation, Ranma-kun.” Aiko replied. “And Miss Tendō apparently values the outward appearance of propriety over her own comfort.”
“Still don’t make it right,” Ranma grumbled. “Just ‘cause the car’s too full is no reason t’ go stickin’ yer hand up some girl’s skirt where it don’t belong. Especially Kasumi’s.”
“I think we can all agree on that, Ranma-kun,” Aiko said. “And no one here will take it amiss when you find it necessary to … admonish someone for overstepping their bounds. Even so, I will have to insist that you begin to ride inside the transit cars instead of on top or along side. In spite of your skills, there is still much less chance of an accidental injury when you are inside the train.”
Ranma’s eyes dropped to the table again. “I’m really kinda used to hoofin’ it places anyway. Keeps up my trainin’.”
Aiko smiled as she realized the problem.
“Ranma-kun, I believe it is time to introduce you to Yamada family economics. Naomi-chan, would you please ask Jun-chan to bring in the girls’ weekly allowance along with a set of passes for Ranma-kun here?”
“Certainly, Yamada-sama,” the black-haired maid replied with a bow.
“Payday! YEA!” Tsuya exclaimed, thrusting a fist up in the air. This elicited a round of laughter from the other three girls.
“Tsuya’s always broke before the week is up,” Midori said.
“Hey, what about Little Miss Bookworm over there?” Tsuya shot back.
“My expenditures are normally allotted to practical items,” Kioko pronounced.
“That’s why we end up carrying Kioko-nēchan’s books all the time,” Harukichi replied with a smirk.
“Girls, girls, girls, behave,” Aiko said firmly, “or I’ll reconsider my decision on handing out your allowances a day early.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the four girls exclaimed in unison, all eyes suddenly cast down at the table.
Ranma stared at the frozen tableau for a couple of seconds before Tsuya started to chuckle.
“Tsuya-nēchan’s buying lunch again,” Harukichi sniggered.
The other girls chuckled in unison while they relaxed in their seats.
Aiko had a wry grin on her face, shaking her head at the girls’ antics. Her grin quickly turned into a warm smile. “Ranma-kun, as I was about to explain – before being so rudely interrupted – the girls get a weekly allowance for non-essentials when they aren’t out on an assignment. The family covers any transportation and communication costs along with school supplies and normal daily wear. The allowance is intended to be used for things like hobbies, extra meals out, clothes and jewelry beyond the normal wardrobe, and other items or treats they feel like purchasing at the time. Jun-chan is responsible for monitoring the weekly budget. She knows what’s covered and what isn’t, so don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.”
“Ummm …” Ranma said with a puzzled expression.
“Now that you’re a part of the family, this applies to you as well.”
“ME? Aw, you didn’t have to go an’ do that – I get by just fine.”
“Nonsense,” Aiko said firmly. “I insist that each family member learns how to maintain a regular budget, and having a regular allowance provides good training in personal finances.” she paused a moment when Jun walked into the room.
“Ah, here we are. Thank you, Jun-chan.”
“Yamada-sama.” Jun bowed, placing the small cloth bag down in front of the elder Yamada. The green-haired maid quickly traversed around the table placing an envelope in front of each of the four girls.
“Tsu-chan,” Aiko said softly, “if you really want those earrings you’re going to have to demonstrate a little restraint for once. Your birthday is a long way off and I will make a point of making sure no one buys them for you then as well.”
“Obasama …” Tsuya whined.
“No, young lady – we have discussed this before numerous times. Those earrings aren’t essential for any outfit in your normal wardrobe, no matter how good you think they look on you. If you want them you will have to buy them yourself, and you’re not allowed to borrow the difference from the other girls, either. Understood?”
“Yes, Obasama,” Tsuya replied, staring down at the table.
“Good. Now, let’s see what Jun-chan brought in for Ranma-kun here.”
Aiko emptied the bag on the table in front of her. She handed Ranma the largest item from the pile.
“Here’s your cell phone, Ranma-kun. Midori-chan can show you the speed dials if you aren’t used to using one, and the other girls will need your number so they can add you to theirs. The family budget covers the first two hours each month for outside calls, along with all calls made to other family members.”
“Ahh …”
Aiko suppressed a smile, then placed a small stack of vouchers in front of the bewildered girl.
“Here are your transit passes and phone card. The Eidan all-line pass is good for six months and can be used on any Metro subway. The SF Metro cards are used when you need transfer or Passnet fares like the Inokashira line nearby. The ioCards are for JR lines, and the Free Kippu card is a one-day all-Tokyo pass for emergencies – you’ll need to get a new one from Jun-chan every six months. Jun-chan keeps a supply of SF Metro and ioCards on hand for when you run out of fare, so you can always keep an extra one in your pocket if you like. The phone card is for times your cell phone is out of the coverage area.”
Aiko watched the expression on her grandson’s face and found it increasingly difficult to suppress her smile. She placed the remaining envelope in front of the wide-eyed girl.
“And here’s your first week’s allowance along with your family credit card. The card is for any sudden family expenses as well as emergencies. If you really need to use the card for any personal expense, I expect the charges to be covered out of that week’s allowance unless an extremely good reason can be presented to me personally. Tsuya can tell you first-hand what happens when that privilege is abused, can’t you, Tsu-chan?”
“Yes, Obasama,” Tsuya replied with a nod, her face a brilliant scarlet.
Ranma gingerly reached out and picked up the envelope. Her face paled when she examined the contents.
“Ummm, Grandma?”
“Yes, Ranma-kun?”
“Somebody’s made a mistake – there’s gotta be at least a year’s worth in here.”
“I wouldn’t think so, Ranma-kun. Jun-chan? You did physically count the amount of Ranma-kun’s allowance, did you not?”
“Of course, Yamada-sama. Twenty-five one-thousand yen notes, the same as the other girls.”
“There, you see? Jun-chan is very diligent when everyone’s allowances are given out.”
Ranma continued to stare at the contents of the envelope in her hands.
“Twenty-five thousand yen?”
“Yes, Ranma-kun.”
“… per WEEK?” Ranma squeaked.
“Well, yes. I realize that amount is considerably lower than what many of the girls’ peers receive, but I believe it to be reasonable considering the family pays for most of the phone usage along with all transit fares.”
Aiko stood up and motioned for everyone to follow. “Now, I believe everyone here has a date with a new training routine, and we’d best be at it if Ranma-kun is to keep his afternoon appointment in a timely manner.”
“Hai!” the four girls exclaimed, getting up from the table as one. It quickly became apparent who had failed to follow suit.
“Ranma?” Midori asked the still-seated girl, who hadn’t moved an iota since her last exclamation.
“I think Obasama just broke Nēchan,” Harukichi quipped.
A mild chuckle flashed its way around the table.
“Ranma?” Midori repeated, placing a hand on the girls shoulder to shake it gently once.
“Yup, she’s broken,” Tsuya added.
Ranma blinked several times before shakily getting to her feet. Just what the hell had she gotten involved in this time?
Juuban
Momo-chan looked over at her friend Chibi-Usa-chan with concern. The pink-haired girl had been really quiet the whole week. It wasn’t at all like her to act this way, yet she kept saying everything was OK. Lunchtime had become totally boring, and today’s hadn’t been any different.
“Race you to the pond!” Jiro-chan exclaimed. The young boy stood up on his bike’s pedals and began to pull rapidly away.
Momo-chan held back and waited for Chibi-Usa-chan to follow. She was really sad when Jiro-chan sped off on his own.
JR Shibuya Station
“We coulda just walked,” Ranma groused.
“No one in Suginami-ku is used to seeing roof-hoppers, Ranma,” Midori replied. “That would attract entirely too much attention at the moment. Besides, everyone who lives in Tokyo should know how to use the transit system.”
Ranma looked around at the confusing mass of gates, stairs, escalators, and overpasses that comprised Shibuya station. “I don’t like this – I’m startin’ t’ feel like Ryōga.” she grumbled.
“Don’t worry, Ranma-nēchan, it gets easier really fast.” Harukichi said. “We’re taking the Yamanote local to Ebisu, then we can either walk for about fifteen minutes or dive down the Hibiya subway and make a quick hop to Hiro-o.”
“We’re walkin’. Definitely.”
Tsuya groaned.
“What’s the matter, Tsuya?” Midori asked. “Still a little sore from Ranma’s training?”
“A little?” Tsuya moaned in response. “I didn’t know anyone could bounce tennis balls in that many directions at once and still bank them all at a moving target like that.”
“Hey, you guys are lucky,” Ranma said with a chuckle. “I was goin’ easy on ya. When Pops ran me through that th’ first time, he used rocks. Tennis balls ‘r a lot softer.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Tsuya asked. “I mean, no one could be that dumb.”
“Tsuya, just remember who we’re referring to here,” Kioko admonished.
“Oh.”
Ranma just laughed and shook her head.
Nerima
Nodoka stared at her reflection, barely recognizing the image that stared back. Love and honor had driven the kendoka away, now duty demanded her return once more. Duty. It was all that remained, the only thing holding off oblivion.
The clan was dead.
It was her duty to see it made official.
She squared her shoulders and fought to locate her center. It was time. Duty, and a mother’s vengeance, would be met this day.
The kendoka resolutely marched out of the empty house.
Prince Arisugawa Memorial Park, Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku
“Finally!” Tsuya exclaimed, flopping down on the park bench.
“Hey c’mon – we just got here,” Ranma said “That was barely a stretch.”
Midori snickered.
“Oh, and ‘Kichi?” Ranma turned to the short redhead. “Did ya really have t’ drive a spike all th’ way through that guy’s hand? I know he was a creep, but a busted finger or two woulda made th’ same point.”
“You’re entirely too nice for your own good, Nēchan,” Harukichi huffed.
Kioko shook her head. Now they had two of them to contend with.
“Ranma, perhaps you should describe the person we’ll be looking for,” Midori said, trying to forestall another chaotic conversation. “Haru-chan can distribute the headsets while you brief us.”
“On it, Onēchan,” Harukichi said, slipping her backpack off her shoulders.
Ranma looked over her four … cousins, her family. They hadn’t asked for anything in return, not a thing, nor had they questioned her story even once. They hadn’t even argued over who was in charge or better suited than her to do this thing or that.
… and that just didn’t make any sense.
“Man, how’d I get talked into this?”
“Obāsama is very persuasive,” Kioko replied. “Besides, unlike your own experience, this is how a family is supposed to act when one of its family members requires assistance.”
Ranma looked at Kioko and blinked.
“Description?” Kioko asked.
“Oh, right. The squirt shouldn’t be too hard t’ spot. She’s third or fourth grade, about four, four and a half tall, red eyes, pink hair, and the dorkiest lookin’ hairdo you ever saw.”
Midori’s eyes lit up in comprehension. “Oh, so that’s what you were having hysterics over last night.”
“Yup,” Ranma nodded. “Her hair’s made up in these huge twin ponytails with carrot-shaped odango on top. Eiko sent me an image last night – it’s th’ funniest damn thing.”
“This doesn’t sound very difficult,” Harukichi said. “Headset, Nēchan,” she stated somewhat cryptically, handing Ranma an odd piece of equipment.
Ranma looked at the thing Harukichi had handed her. It somewhat resembled a receptionist’s phone handset, except it was much smaller.
“Here. You put the headset on like this,” Harukichi explained, turning her right ear to Ranma. “The transmitter goes in a pocket or clips to your belt, and most of us run the headset wire down inside our blouse to hide it.”
“Jeez, ‘Kichi, I ‘preciate it,” Ranma said, making no move to wear the headset. “But I don’t really need somethin’ like that.”
“Ranma, you said you wanted to do this quietly,” Midori replied. “These comsets allow us to split up and still talk to each other. They allow us to cover a lot of ground all at once.”
“Ranma, it would be quite beneficial for you to take advantage of your cousin’s offer. It increases your chance of obtaining the key significantly.”
“Ah man. Not you, too,” Ranma groused. “Okay okay I’ll wear the dang thing.”
Midori chuckled. “I take it your distant partner just made a comment or two.”
“Yeah, I’m bein’ ganged up on here,” Ranma said, failing miserably at the ‘sorely tried’ look.
“Let me help you, Ranma-nēchan,” Harukichi asked.
Ranma exhaled noisily. “Sure, squirt. Knock yerself out.”
“Channel nine should be clear in this area,” Kioko said.
“Right. Comms to channel nine,” Midori instructed. The other girls quickly made the setting adjustment, with Harukichi switching Ranma’s set before connecting the headset wire to the box.
“Count off! Set one check,” Midori said.
“Set two check,” Kioko replied.
“Set three check,” Tsuya added.
“Set four check,” Harukichi finished. “Nēchan, put the boom mike here and say set five check.”
Ranma shrugged. “Okay, set five check … How come I didn’t hear nothin’?”
“We heard you just fine, so your volume’s probably all the way down,” Harukichi replied. “Put your finger against the center of the earpiece like this. You’ll feel a little disc you can move. Rotate it up like this to turn the volume up, down to reduce the volume.”
Gadgets. Ranma shook her head. She also turned the volume up like her cousin had just showed her.
“Alright,” Midori said. “Once we locate the pink-haired girl, we need to get your key from her. What does the key look like, Ranma?”
“Eiko?”
“The minor key is approximately four inches long. It is somewhat ornate and is normally worn by the junior senshi around her neck, hanging from a thin cord. She keeps it tucked inside her blouse when not in use. Ranma, you should warn your cousins that you will be transported to me the instant you take possession of the key. The key has been automatically set to invoke an emergency recall protocol.”
“Oh that’s just peachy,” Ranma replied. “Eiko says the key’s ‘bout four inches long and hidden inside the girl’s blouse like a necklace. I’m also supposed t’ warn you I’m liable to poof and go bye-bye the second I get the key. Some crap about emergency recall or somethin’, so don’t be startled if I disappear suddenly.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Harukichi said. “This should be fun!”
“Ranma, we’ll spread out in a standard area coverage pattern,” Midori said. “Since you haven’t done this with us before, you can use any method you like in locating your target – we’ll keep you updated constantly. Everyone, pattern delta to begin with.”
Ranma watched as the other girls started walking in different directions. She smirked once before leaping up into the trees.
Nerima
Nodoka stared at the gates of Tendō-ke and glowered. Fragments of memories whirled through the kendoka’s mind – all the lies, the deceptions, ‘they’ve gone on a training trip’, ‘Mr. Panda’ playing in the koi pond with ‘Ranko’, her son-turned-daughter. The desperate loneliness and pain etched deep inside those haunting crystalline blue eyes every time their gazes met.
Her eyes. His eyes. Why had she never noticed that before?
Shame washed across her, shaking the hard-fought grip on her center. She had tried so hard to turn Ranko into a proper young lady. Tried so hard … and helped destroy his soul in the process. Her own actions had trapped them both in roles neither could play, and it was now too late to set it right. Entirely too late.
It was fortunate that duty demanded her end. Nothing less could even begin to atone for her own sins.
Nodoka blinked back tears as she fought to center herself once more. She would do her son no good if she entered battle with a divided heart. His soul cried out for justice, and she must see it through to the bitter end. Her own fate was given, but the others … THEY were completely without honor. THEY would not atone to his soul. THEY …
… would be punished. It was time.
The kendoka slipped silently through the gate, her birth family’s art returning at her need. She ignored the front door – that would only give warning she could not allow. An irregular gravel path wandered around the left side of the house to the koi pond. Her first few steps made a dreadful noise until her kunoichi balance reasserted itself. She glided across the remaining path with only the whisper of her hakama giving proof of her presence.
Genma sat on the outer walkway of the family room and stared out to the koi pond. It had been almost a month since Ranma had been stupid enough to get locked in his girl form. A month since he had gone chasing after that Chinese prince. A month without someone to train, prod, cajole, and push to greater and ever greater heights. A month of complete and utter boredom.
He glanced over to his friend sitting next to him and shook his head. Tendō was hidden behind the morning paper, eyes glued to whatever idiotic article that had caught his attention this time. What a waste. At least he still practiced Anything Goes Shogi.
“GENMA!”
Genma jumped to his feet faster than his bulk would belie. He turned to face the source of the shout just in time to pluck a small metal object out of the air, an object which had been aimed directly at his head. He barely registered the fact that the object was not a weapon when he saw the source of the thrown object and almost fell over in shock.
A vision of absolute beauty stood not more than ten feet away. A vision which brought back memories of past days filled with joy and happiness, a vision he had not seen since he had courted and married the auburn-haired beauty, a vision he thought he had lost forever.
A vision which was glaring balefully at him, a vision which …
Oh, CRAP.
“Heeheehee, Nodoka my dear. What a pleasant surprise.”
“Explain yourself, Genma. Where is my son,” the kendoka hissed.
Genma started to sweat. This was not good, not good at all. He plastered a smile over his face and looked anywhere except at those burning crimson eyes. “The boy’s gone on a training trip, dear. He should be back in a …”
Genma finally recognized the object he had caught. His eyes widened in shock before the rage hit. He was holding the broken tsuba of his family’s sword.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, WIFE?”
“I am not your wife. You are not my husband. I have no husband.”
Genma’s fiery rage battled the frigid wall of the kendoka’s will. Battled, and lost.
“My HUSBAND would not have turned my son into a daughter.”
Genma’s rage vanished as the kendoka took a slow deliberate step forwards.
“My HUSBAND would not have sold my son into slavery to feed his fat belly.”
More steps.
“My HUSBAND would not have hidden from me and forced my son and daughter to lie to his own mother.”
Closer. The vision now filled with danger and promises of pain.
“My HUSBAND would not have engaged my son and daughter to a violent maniac from an honorless family of eta.”
Several gasps were heard from inside the house. Closer, ever closer.
“Most of all, Genma, my HUSBAND would not have abandoned MY DAUGHTER in her time of most desperate need and forced her to battle unspeakable odds in the mountains alone. My HUSBAND would not have LEFT her to DIE BY HERSELF.”
Snick Snick
Genma was frozen to the spot in shock. He watched with dread as she raised her katana and pointed it directly at him.
“No, Genma, my HUSBAND would have done none of those things. I have no husband. My husband is dead to me.”
Genma turned white. She did not say that. He did NOT hear that. He looked around frantically at the faces surrounding him, everyone Tendō in various stages of shock. A whisper of air was his only warning.
He dodged an uppercut slice which would have decapitated him had he been a ‘normal’ martial artist and jumped out of the way of the following reversal. The kendoka became a living whirlwind of flashing blades, a whirlwind that tracked the stocky martial artist relentlessly around the courtyard. To Genma her attacks were painfully slow, but the only way to stop the dance of steel was to incapacitate her, and he just didn’t KNOW enough to risk that. Besides, he never could hit her. Time to employ his school’s Final Technique.
Nodoka screamed in frustration as the object of her ire literally vanished at the top of a leap over the outer fence.
“The clan is dead, Genma. DO YOU HEAR ME?”
The kendoka collapsed to her knees and screamed to the heavens.
“THE CLAN IS DEAD!”
Arisugawa Park
“Check one,” Ranma heard from Midori’s voice. “Southern playground clear, no contact.”
“Check three,” from Tsuya. “Nature ponds clear, no contact.”
“Check two,” from Kioko. “East plaza clear, no contact. I will search the library interior, and have visual contact on five. That’s you, Ranma.”
“Check four,” Harukichi said with a giggle. “Riding trails no contact. Not clear, check still in progress.”
“I’m gonna hop to the top of th’ Library and look about a bit.”
“One acknowledge. Have fun, Ranma.”
Nerima
The kendoka sat slumped on the grass next to the koi pond for an indeterminable time, an unnatural stillness surrounding her until she could forcibly gather herself together once more. Duty – it came back to duty now that nothing else was left of her existence. She was no more than a shade, a ghost of wasted possibilities lost to foolishness, bright futures torn asunder through reckless pride and misplaced honor.
Dust, all ashes and dust. Past time to return.
She briefly struggled to her feet, muscles stiff from their unaccustomed exertion. In her heart she hadn’t expected to personally exact full measure from her erstwhile husband, but the attempt had to be made. And it mattered little that she was unable to do so – the published notices would insure that for the foreseeable future. Now if only her mother would accede to her final duty.
“Auntie Saotome?”
Nodoka’s eyes tracked the source of the interruption to the eldest Tendō girl. She quickly noted everyone’s position before adjusting the grip on her blades, catching the youngest Tendō’s dazed fascination with the daisho’s gleaming edges. She leveled seething eyes at the miscreants before her.
“You knew,” the kendoka hissed.
Kasumi recoiled from the venom in that short pronouncement.
“You knew,” the kendoka reiterated. “You knew Ranko was my son, my daughter.”
Kasumi nodded weakly, a songbird caught in the gaze of a serpent.
“You knew and you hid him from me regardless. You knew – and perpetrated a lie, a lie that ended in her death.”
“Hey, it wasn’t us hiding him from you and …”
“How many times, Nabiki Tendō? How many times have I asked, only to be told they were on a training trip? How many times did I ask and were told they were gone – while I was standing next to my own son?”
“Daddy?” Nabiki drawled. “You’re the one who told us what to say, after all.”
“I see.” Nodoka raised her blades. “What would Hitomi have said of this, Soūn Tendō? Will you defend your actions with blood, or has her spirit truly left these grounds?”
“But … I … It was …”
“Oh Father, really,” Nabiki admonished. “Mrs. Saotome, what proof do you have that Ranma is dead anyway?”
“You question my word without defending your own? Your mother weeps, Nabiki Tendō.”
The kendoka silently resheathed her blades.
“But if proof is what you seek …” Nodoka extracted a small package from a hidden pocket. “I have no further use of this,” she said, throwing it at the middle Tendō girl – who squawked in surprise when the video cassette bounced off her shoulder to land with a thump on the tatami.
The kunoichi brushed past the shell-shocked family and padded silently out the entrance hallway. The four Tendōs looked wide-eyed at each other until a loud ‘KIAA!’ sounded from outside. When they rushed to the outdoor gate the only proof of the kunoichi’s passing was the bottom half of the severed dojo sign laying in the street.
A pair of old and weary eyes watched as the scene played itself out at Tendō-ke. The situation had definitely gotten worse, and if what Nodoka had said was true … then there was virtually no chance of finally resolving the whole blasted entanglement.
Happosai sighed, feeling the weight of all his years pressing heavily upon him. He would just have to talk to his daughter again … no matter how much that would cost him.
Arisugawa Park
“Check four bingo. I repeat, check four bingo. Item in hand. I have visual on five, will rendezvous soonest.”
“Good work, four. Ranma, Haru-chan has you in sight and she has the key with her. Stay where you are and she’ll bring it right to you.”
“Ah geez, ‘Kichi. I was supposed to do that.”
Harukichi giggled. “No problem, Ranma-nēchan, it’s one of my specialties. She never even noticed. I know which tree you’re up in, so you can hop down any time. Two minutes, max.”
“Thanks, girls. It woulda taken me a lot longer myself – this park’s bigger than I thought. You should prob’ly head right home; Eiko didn’t say how long I’d be gone.”
“Agreed, Ranma,” Midori replied. “All rendezvous at start; we’ll exit as soon as four finishes delivery.”
“Check two roger.”
“Check three roger.”
“Check four roger.”
Luna ran as fast as she could. She didn’t have time to stop and warn Chibi-Usa that her Time Key had been stolen; the redhead was running entirely too fast and she couldn’t risk losing sight of her. Luna was fortunate the girl was sticking to the main path for now – she didn’t think she could keep up if the redhead moved that quickly through the brush.
The cat’s legs ached as she chased after the short redhead. Luna suppressed a moan when the girl broke away from the riding path and began running uphill through the open woods. Fortunately the redhead didn’t go very far – she stopped suddenly at the base of a particularly tall tree. The moon cat dashed under a small bush a short distance from the girl’s tree. She was crawling into position when she heard a soft thump nearby.
“Here you are, Nēchan.”
Luna suppressed a hiss once she got into position. Another girl had met up with the redhead, this one with black hair tied back in a pigtail and eyes as blue as the Princess’s. The redhead was holding the key out to the new girl – she must be the leader.
“Just a sec, ‘Kichi – lemme get this blasted headset off. I don’t really wanna cart it along t’ the Gate.”
Luna watched as the taller girl removed something from her before pulling a long wire out from inside her baggy shirt. That – and a small box from her pocket – was set down on the ground before the pigtailed girl reached for the key.
“Good luck!” the redhead told the other girl, who nodded once and smiled before taking possession of the key.
Luna’s mouth dropped wide when the pigtailed girl and the key simply vanished the instant she touched it. The red-headed girl didn’t seem surprised.
“Check four. Delivery complete, five is in route. Repeat: delivery complete, five in route.”
The redhead picked up the pigtailed girl’s discarded equipment and swiftly stowed it in her backpack.
“Rendezvous at start, check four roger.”
Luna gaped when the redhead disappeared before her eyes. She carefully extracted herself from her hiding spot and looked around. There was no sign of either girl.
Elsewhere
Sailor Pluto groaned, staggering to her feet once more. Her repeated attempts at reestablishing control of the Gates had accomplished absolutely nothing, and with every try the protective measures and defenses built into the Gates hammered her flat.
The continual failures were wearing her down as well; she required more and more time between each attempt to recover even a small part of her strength. Unfortunately, there was little else she could do except to keep trying – without control of the gates she could neither communicate nor leave the space-time warp the Gates currently occupied.
The bright flash of a temporal warp-flux interrupted her painful routine. Sailor Pluto’s heart raced when she located the position of the transit – it was directly in front of the Gates! That ruled out any friendly assistance; Small Lady or the other Sailor Senshi would have appeared at the opposite end of the warp bubble. There could only be one meaning of such a transit, and in spite of her current situation Sailor Pluto’s duty was clear.
Ranma fought back the touch of vertigo induced by the emergency recall transit. Once her vision cleared she found herself standing in front of an elaborate double-door. The odd part was that the door and frame wasn’t attached to any structure – instead it was mounted in a free-standing monument, almost like a ceremonial gate of some sort. Even stranger was the eerie mist and fog that surrounded the monument and obscured everything past a dozen feet.
Wait a minute … GATE?
“Hello, Ranma.”
“That you, Eiko?”
“Yes it is. Now you can see why the use of a gender pronoun when referring to myself would be … inappropriate.”
Ranma shook her head. A door – she was talking to a door. Could her life really get any stranger?
Eiko chuckled. “You should not concern yourself over that, Ranma. I can assure you … I am far from the strangest thing you will encounter as Guardian. ”
Ranma pinked at the reminder that Eiko shared her surface thoughts.
“I would suggest that you be on the watch for my former Guardian. You must retrieve the primary Key from her before we can complete the process of giving you full Guardianship status. Unfortunately, she is unlikely to hand the key over willingly.”
“That’s just peachy,” Ranma sighed.
“STOP!”
A commanding voice rang out from the mist. “Any and all who break the taboo, and attempt to approach the doorway of space-time, shall be eliminated!”
Ranma cocked an eyebrow – that was almost as bad as one of Kunō’s corny speeches. “So I take it this is …”
“Correct. My former Guardian, Sailor Pluto.”
Sailor Pluto strode into view from the mists. She raised the Garnet Rod high in preparation to strike.
“PREPARE TO DIE!”
“Oh, great – another Ryōga.”
Ranma’s evaluation of her opponent took but an instant. Pluto was a good fifteen centimeters taller but couldn’t weigh more than a couple of kilos over Ranma’s own weight. Pluto’s long deep-viridian hair and garnet eyes, combined with her relatively slender build, made her look more like a fashion model than a warrior. The long metal staff Pluto wielded was about as tall as she was which would give her a considerable advantage in reach. Her movements were fluid but imprecise, indicative of someone who had previous training but no recent practice. Her outfit, however, was an indecent parody of a school fuku and Ranma had to suppress a sudden fit of giggles at the sight it presented.
Sailor Pluto swung straight down, intent on staving in the back-haired girl’s skull. Her strike was quick, accurate, and to Ranma pathetically slow. Pluto blinked when her target blurred and suddenly appeared two feet to the side. Her eyes narrowed dangerously – this was no ordinary girl. Pluto shifted her grip on the Garnet Rod to that of an English quarterstaff and lashed out using combinations not seen for centuries.
Ranma wasn’t surprised when the pace of the attacks increased dramatically. Pluto’s unbalanced grip and attack style was unusual, reminding Ranma of an odd mix of Okinawan rokushakubo and Korean jang bong techniques. Ranma’s respect for her opponent rose as Pluto continued to increase the speed of her attacks. The fuku-clad woman had to have some serious strength in order to fling the metal staff around so quickly.
A full minute of dodging went by before Ranma decided Pluto could easily do without the staff. She waited several seconds until the proper opening presented itself and struck Pluto’s upper arm with a quick pair of knife edge chops. She barely dodged the cross-sweep counter-attack when her disarming move accomplished absolutely nothing. Her hands ached the same way they did after using the Amaguriken on Ryōga.
“Damn , she’s as hard as P-chan.”
“I did mention previously that the Guardian’s uniform provided partial protection against both magical and physical attacks.”
Ranma was so shocked she stopped dead in her tracks. Sailor Pluto fell flat on her butt, having already overextended on a two-handed back thrust.
“Eiiiiii…Kooooo…” Ranma growled, bounding over in a single leap to stand directly in front of the Gates.
She suddenly pointed at the prone senshi. “Are you tellin’ me that I gotta wear THAT? You gotta be kiddin’ me – d’ya know how EMBARASSIN’ that’s gonna be? That skirt ain’t long enough to flag a taxi, and I’ll be givin’ the local perverts nosebleeds every time I do a wheel kick!”
Sailor Pluto stood up and stared at the petite black-haired girl she’d just been fighting. The girl was yelling at the Gates? “What in Hades …”
“… and what about that ‘no ribbons and lace’ bit, huh? Sure looks like frilly crap to me! How’s anyone s’posed to take me seriously in a get-up like that?”
“Um, excuse me?” Pluto really didn’t mind the brief respite; she had almost become exhausted just trying to hit the frighteningly elusive girl. A senshi could recover a lot of energy in a very short period of time.
“Ranma, the uniform was designed to maximize the attractiveness of the Guardian. Its form adjusts automatically to appeal to the Guardian’s race’s ideals of beauty. In addition, I have no control over the uniform’s transformation magic – and there aren’t any ribbons or lace in the uniform’s current configuration.”
“NO RIBBONS? Just what do you call that mess right over her boobs, then?”
Sailor Pluto blinked. “Excuse me?”
“That is a bow, Ranma, not ribbons.”
Ranma snorted. “Like there’s really any difference. And what about the jewelry? … an’ those BOOTS! How the HECK am I supposed to fight Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū in HIGH HEELS, huh?”
“EXCUSE ME!”
“WHAT?” Ranma shouted back, turning her attention away from Eiko. “Oh, so NOW you want to talk?”
Sailor Pluto bit back a retort. She had no doubt as to the eventual outcome of her defense of the Gates, so it wouldn’t hurt to converse a little to gain information. The girl might even drop her guard enough to shorten the whole process significantly.
“Who or what exactly are you, and why were you yelling at the Gates? It’s just a thing.”
Ranma glared at the senshi. “I’m Ranma Saotome of the Musabetsu Kakutō Saotome Ryū. What I’m supposed to be is your replacement. And the reason I’m yellin’ at Eiko is ‘cause the damn door’s a sneaky pompous bastard who’s startin’ to remind me an awful lot of Nabiki.”
“Replacement?” Sailor Pluto’s eyes widened in shock. “NO!”
“Oh yes he does,” Ranma shot back. “The uniform’s ‘more sophisticated’, he said. Sophisticated – yeah, right. That get-up makes you look like a hentai schoolgirl, and I’ll just bet there’s some kinda naked whirly light show that goes along with it, too.”
“Only I can guard the Gates of Time,” Pluto said, eye hardening. “Only I.”
“Huh?” Ranma shook her head. “Lady, I hate to tell you this but you already blew that gig.”
Sailor Pluto started edging around the Ranma girl. She couldn’t risk harming the Gates, but if she could get the girl far enough away from them she could end this with a single blow. She’d have to stall just a little longer.
“Nonsense. I am the Guardian – I always have been and I always will be.”
“Not accordin’ to Eiko here,” Ranma smirked.
“Why do you insist on talking as if the Gates were alive?” Pluto continued to edge around the girl. “The Gates are just a thing, nothing more. This I know; I have been its Guardian for longer than you could possibly imagine.”
“That’s not what he says. Hey, Eiko. How long did you say P-chan over there had been on the job?”
“Two thousand, three hundred and seventy four years, one hundred and eight days, fourteen…”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t need the hours and stuff. Two thousand, three hundred and seventy four years is what he says.”
Sailor Pluto stopped a moment to stare at the girl. “How could she possibly know that?”
Ranma sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Look, lady, this whole thing wasn’t exactly my idea in the first place. I wouldn’t even be here if Herb hadn’t dropped a mountain on top my head after locking my curse. ‘Cause of Eiko’s help, I gave my word that I’d be his new Guardian, an’ this was before I found out the Kaisufuu had been destroyed an’ that bein’ Guardian could unlock my curse.”
“This girl is insane.” Sailor Pluto also noted the girl had stepped away from the Gates just enough during her little rant.
“Dead Scream.”
Ranma ran full speed the instant the violet bands of energy began swirling around the staff. It had been painfully obvious what Pluto had been trying to do, even if Ranma didn’t know exactly how Pluto was going to attack next.
The senshi grabbed the Garnet Rod in both hands, completed the final twirl, aimed, and fired. The violet ball of energy shot harmlessly out into the mists just as a blinding white glow erupted behind her.
“KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!”
Pluto’s world exploded in pain; a pair of gigantic wrecking balls hammered her lower back at unbelievable speeds. She was fighting to retain consciousness before she had time to react and barely had strength left to wave the staff behind her with one hand. She fell to her knees when the blows stopped as suddenly as they had started.
Ranma landed with a thud about twelve feet away from Sailor Pluto. That pathetically weak back sweep had proved to be anything but – it had brushed her forearm block aside as if it hadn’t existed and plowed into her side with a blow worthy of Ryōga. She struggled to her feet, suppressing a scream of pain when she discovered she couldn’t put any pressure on her left arm. It had just been broken … again. And her ribs hurt like heck … again.
“Damn it all, I just finished healin’ that arm!”
Ranma glared at her opponent who was trying to stand up by climbing up her own staff. That staff was dangerous with a capital ‘D’, but it also seemed to be the entire center of Pluto’s abilities. Ranma knew how tiring a ki fight could be, but with Eiko’s supply behind her all Ranma really had to worry about would be maintaining control. She flooded her body with ki.
Sailor Pluto was barely able to stand up – she was near total exhaustion and her entire lower back felt as if it had been dipped in liquid fire. Leaning on her staff, she turned towards the direction of the angry shout. She located Ranma just as the girl’s body erupted in blinding white streamers of energy.
“MŌKO TAKABISHA!”
Pluto’s own exhaustion saved her. When she tried leaping sideways she fell back down on her butt instead; her legs having given out completely. She felt the intense heat of her opponent’s attack as it raced past her head.
Ranma stared at her hand in amazement. That hadn’t been her normal ball of confidence ki. Instead, a huge bar of quasi-solid lightning far more powerful than anything she’d ever thrown before had emerged, and her arm buzzed unpleasantly from channeling that amount of power. She’d better dampen down her next shot – she didn’t want to actually kill anyone.
“Mōko Takabisha!”
A much smaller cylinder of ki slammed into the prone senshi, flinging her back a dozen feet to land in an unconscious heap.
“‘Bout damned time,” Ranma growled. She walked over to Pluto, wary of any further ploys. A quick but careful check assured her that the former Guardian really was out cold. Ranma looked down at the senshi and back over to the Gates.
“Guess I’m gonna have to put her somewhere I can keep an eye on her.”
Ranma grabbed the back of Sailor Pluto’s collar and dragged her over closer to the Gates. She retrieved the Garnet Rod, surprised at how little the deceptive staff seemed to weigh.
“OK, Eiko. Now where do I find this key you’ve been talkin’ about?”
“You’re currently holding it, Ranma.”
“This thing?” Ranma held the Garnet Rod out and gave it a closer look. Now that her attention was brought to the fact, it did sort of look like a big fancy key.
“Yes, that ‘thing’ is the primary Key. Ranma, it’s time to begin. Please come over and stand directly in front of me.”
“Geez, give me a sec, huh?”
“Do not concern yourself over your current injuries. They will not interfere with the Ceremony and will quickly disappear once you have attained full Guardianship.”
Ranma sighed and walked over to stand in front of the Gates.
“Because my former Guardian is uncooperative, you will have to perform the Ceremony by yourself. Please repeat the following words out loud.”
“Ah, man … You mean I gotta start makin’ corny speeches now?”
“Ranma, I apologize if the process upsets your sensibilities, but the only way a new Guardian can be inducted is if an external stimulus is applied. I cannot speak the words myself – you must be the one to do so. This is the way I was designed.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get the message. So what’s up first?”
“Repeat after me: Gate of Eternity, obey your Guardian’s command. Release the lock on Command Core access.”
“Gate of Eternity, obey your Guardian’s command. Release the lock on command core access.”
CLACK
Ranma spun about at the sound. Looking down, she saw a slotted hole that had appeared in the ground. The hole was rimmed by a band of flashing crimson light.
“Insert the key into the access lock. Turn it exactly a half turn counterclockwise.”
Sailor Pluto eyes cracked open. Her every nerve ending was on fire – she could barely see the swirling mist of the warp bubble. The roaring in her ears subsided quickly as her brain began to process sensory inputs once more. She could hardly move a muscle – her energies were so low it took a tremendous effort just to turn her head when a loud noise sounded to her left.
Pluto blearily stared at the black-haired girl who held the Key. Ranma. Yes, that was her name. She was … holding the Key. She shouldn’t even be able to lift it; only the Guardian could …
No. NOOOO! She couldn’t have been telling the truth, she COULDN’T! The Gates couldn’t have chosen her – the Gates weren’t sentient! It was a tool, nothing more, a tool.
Pluto forced herself to calm down. She was wasting much-needed energy, and there was no way this Ranma girl could bypass the numerous safeguards built into the Gate … safeguards designed for this very contingency.
“Hey, Eiko – this thing won’t go down all the way.”
“Oh, OK. Halfway, push, then a quarter back.”
Command Core! Ranma was trying to access the Command Core!
Pluto watched helplessly as the lock’s strobing lights changed from red to yellow to green. A crimson globe surrounded the girl and the Gates. Command Core access - that was impossible! There was no one beside herself who knew how to unlock that function, no one but her …
… and the information stored inside the Gates themselves.
“I, Ranma Saotome, do solemnly swear …”
No. NO! It couldn’t be. Not THOSE words.
“… that I will defend the Gate of Eternity against all enemies in all times …”
The Gates … the Gates had … chosen this girl? But … but the girl wasn’t of Serenity’s court. She wouldn’t …
“… and discharge the duties of Guardian to the utmost of my abilities; …”
The Gates had chosen another … and she tried to speak.
“… that I accept this obligation freely and without reservation; …”
“Please … please give it back … Crystal Tokyo …”
Her pleas went unheard.
“… and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office I am about to enter …”
No. Please. This was wrong. If she wasn’t the Guardian, she couldn’t insure that Crystal Tokyo would ever come into being. And this person … No …
“… until I am no longer willing nor capable of performing such duties.”
Sailor Pluto had almost made it to her feet. She collapsed when the crimson globe turned brilliant white and that small final remnant of her link to the Gates was severed.
“No …” Pluto whispered.
For the first time in over a millennium, tears tracked down the cheeks of the oldest senshi.
“… and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office I am about to enter …”
“… and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office I am about to enter …”
“… until I am no longer willing nor capable of performing such duties.”
“… until I am no longer willing nor capable of performing such duties.”
“Thank you, Ranma. There are only two remaining steps left to perform. The final process requires a finer parameter preset adjustment than I have been able to perform from a distance. Once this scan is completed the last step will be to imprint your gestalt into my central command core. Please place your hand on the Key’s Garnet Orb and state the command ‘Diagnostic Scan’ out loud. I will warn you the process will be slightly painful for a short period, but I guarantee it will do no lasting damage.”
Ranma looked warily at the Key, its Orb flashing in tandem with the green keyhole strobes. Well, she’d come this far …
She extended a hand.
“Diagnostic Scan.”
The swirling globe of crimson light surrounding her and the Gates turned a brilliant and opaque white.
Ranma winced as a dagger of pure force thrust deep inside her neural pathways. Eiko skillfully directed the mental probe to the blocked off section of Ranma’s psyche, the part which housed the unknown spiritual contamination. The probe was far from being the gentlest construct Eiko could have used – it instantly demolished the fragile controls Ranma had built up over the years.
The nekoken boiled out in a savage psychic whirlwind of claws and fangs and primal fears.
Eiko frantically tried to contain the damage to Ranma’s psyche while it finished analyzing the contamination’s spiritual components. Partial results invoked an immediate Alpha Override – there was now a direct extra-dimensional conduit into the command core.
An emergency stasis field snapped into place around the Gates. The surrounding globe of white light quickly faded to a smoky grey.
Temple of Layiru
The priest in the Gem Room could be excused. He wouldn’t be, of course, but it was a mistake any of them would have made. Servants were always punished – immediately – when any of them failed to serve their masters properly, and this servant had actually been clumsy enough to spill the goblet’s contents all over his master’s immaculate robes.
The servant was killed immediately. This was as it should be – servants were expendable, after all.
It was what Ri’kahk, 2nd Order High Priest of the Red did afterwards that would cause him so much trouble in the near future. He left the Gem Room just long enough to return to his quarters and change his outer robes. It wouldn’t do for one of his stature to be seen in soiled garments, and the Gem Room duty was mainly ceremonial – it was not as if anything would actually happen which would require his attention.
It was entirely his fault, then, that he missed seeing one of the intricate mosaic’s blue gemstones flare briefly to life. And, as ill luck would have it, by the time he returned to his post the gem had dimmed to a dull glow – a glow hidden by the Gem Room’s ambient lighting.
The illumination in the Gem Room had been set higher than regulations allowed due to Ri’kahk’s own personal vanity. He would soon discover the error of his ways – quite painfully.
Juuban
The artifact woke up quite abruptly, reactivating after having been in Emergency Core Override for well over a millennium. A quick scan revealed his Guardian to be similarly disabled. He immediately manifested himself next to his sleeping Guardian and erected a level two defensive shield around her. A swirling globe of black mist surrounded them both.
The artifact had no knowledge of why it had been shut down for such a lengthy period of time, and his Guardian was currently incapable of providing the missing data. The artifact transmitted a tight beamed priority query to the Gate of Eternity requesting status update and full data briefing. He wasn’t totally surprised when his request was rejected with a Service Unavailable error. The automatic follow-up scan revealed the Gate of Eternity had surrounded itself with an internal emergency stasis field.
With no data briefing available, the artifact would have to rely solely on local resources. He performed a detail scan of his Guardian to further investigate the reason for her current state. He immediately upgraded his defensive shield to full class one status. The globe of black mist swirling around them hardened into an impenetrable shell of liquid force-metal.
His personality matrix permitted him to swear. He did so. Profusely.
The newly awakened artifact was extremely perturbed. He had an immense amount of work to accomplish before he could restore his Guardian to her proper form and health, and without the Gate’s active assistance a good portion of this task was beyond his current knowledge and capabilities. Once he had performed all the tasks that could be done without assistance, he would simply have to wait until the Gate had resolved its current difficulties – how ever long that might take. And without a full update, he couldn’t outline contingency plans to insure he and his Guardian could never be forced offline in a similar manner at some future date, nor could he plan a fitting punishment to properly … chastise … those who had previously placed them in this state.
It was most … frustrating. It was also the only path of action available to him at this time.
After taking a moment to set up an auto response routine which would notify him the instant the Gate returned online, the Glaive of Space set about to repair what it could of the immense amount of damage that had been wreaked upon its now-infantile Guardian.
The artifact was … confused. She had emerged suddenly from Standby but was unable to determine the cause of the current emergency. A full scan revealed no discernable threat and her Guardian was on active duty. All six of her Guardian’s protectors were accounted for and also on active duty; four were in her Guardian’s immediate presence and the last two were in the same general vicinity. The only item of note was that her Guardian and all of her protectors were in an unpowered state.
It appeared that her Guardian was not the cause of her full activation as in times previous. A quick inquiry returned a highly unexpected result – the Gate of Eternity was currently offline behind a Type M stasis field.
Stasis field?
If that was the case, then the bindings …
Oh … dear …
A very delicate scan confirmed the artifact’s unpleasant deduction – the Glaive of Space was fully operational and protecting his Guardian behind a class one shield. The situation was now well outside her current set of operational directives.
Further directives were urgently required. A few defensive precautions would also be quite prudent.
Usagi looked at the stack of schoolbooks in front of her and sighed. Mama was being very strict today and hadn’t given her the chance to take any time to relax after half-day. No, Usagi did not like being grounded at all. The presence of the other senshi helped, but Usagi wished she could be over at Rei’s temple for their usual study group instead of being stuck here at home. Mama had made sure that none of her regular ‘distractions’ were present, and there was no place around the living room table to hide anything from Mama’s eagle eyes.
It just wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t her fault that defeating Pharaoh 90 had forced her to miss so many days at school. It wasn’t her fault that those absences were unexcused. And it certainly wasn’t her fault that she missed most of the practice exams because she was too busy fighting daemons at the time.
What was she supposed to do? Walk up to her homeroom teacher and say: “Oh, excuse me – I need to skip several days of school so I can go save the world.” Right.
Usagi sighed. Wait a minute – that smell! That wonderful, heavenly smell!
“I want to thank you girls for helping Usagi with her schoolwork,” Ikuko Tsukino said from the kitchen doorway. “You’ve all been working so diligently, I thought you could use a short break. I’m baking some fresh lemon pie for you today – it should be ready in just about five minutes,” Ikuko said before stepping back into the kitchen
“YES!” Usagi jumped to her feet and started bouncing up and down. “Mama’s lemon pie! It’s the best lemon pie in the entire world!”
“Moon Crisis Make Up.”
“Lemon pie! Lemon … WHAAAAAAAA …”
Usagi’s brooch opened suddenly on its own and an explosion of rainbow lights burst forth to surround her. She felt her clothes vanish just before her body began the involuntary series of poses required by the henshin sequence. Arms akimbo, Usagi rotated several times until she suddenly stopped; torso and arms braced against an invisible wind, odangoed ponytails flying. Red ribbons of light erupted from the crystal to wrap around her torso, and then the twirling started once more. Fuku, bows, multi-colored skirt, red boots, choker, jewelry, and finally the tiara made their rapid appearance – all surrounded by flashing stars and lights. A final twirl, the pose backlit by a rainbow crescent moon, and the henshin was complete. Although it always seemed longer, the entire sequence took less than two seconds from beginning to end.
Sailor Moon blinked in confusion – that had not been her normal henshin sequence. She dropped the pose as soon as she could move on her own again and looked down, only to see blue and yellow trim on the white skirt of the fuku. She could also feel the extra jewelry clips in her hair.
She had just transformed to Super form … without the Grail!
“Princess.”
Sailor Moon’s eyes snapped up … and she almost fell over in shock. A familiar two foot high image was floating in the air directly in front of her.
“Queen Serenity?”
“Princess, I’m sorry to interrupt, but a possible crisis has arisen that requires your immediate attention.”
“CRISIS?” This question was shouted in unison by five very startled girls. Both Rei and Ami cast worried glances towards the open kitchen doorway.
“Yes, a possible crisis. Although I am unable to detect any current threat, the Gate of Eternity has gone off-line behind a stasis field for some unknown reason. More troubling is that – as a result – the Glaive of Space has become fully operational and is now shielding its Guardian behind a powerful defensive shield. I have taken the precaution of upgrading your transformation sequence to the next power level, but are there any further measures you wish to employ at the present time?”
Sailor Moon stared vacantly at the image floating in front of her.
“Princess, I repeat: are there any further measures you wish to employ at the present time? I am currently operating well outside my directives at the moment.”
“Usagi, that doesn’t sound like the Queen Serenity we met before,” Ami said while rapidly typing queries into the Mercury Computer.
“You are correct, Protector Mercury. I am the Crystal of Life, the artifact my Guardian possesses. Queen Serenity was my previous Guardian and has communicated to all of you at various times through directives given to me for various contingencies. Unfortunately, the current situation is entirely outside anything my directives have covered to date.”
“Uhh … uh …”
“Hey, meatball head!” Rei barked. “Snap out of it!”
“Rei …” Makoto hissed.
“It might be wise to have the Crystal give us a list of recommended options first,” Ami said, fingers rapidly typing, “as well as giving us some idea as to the nature of this potential crisis.”
“Princess, do you wish for me to implement this directive?”
“Uhh … mmm … yeah!”
“Thank you, Princess. I would first recommend that your four current protectors be upgraded to their next power level. Second, you should contact your other two protectors and have them monitor the Glaive of Space’s activities, which is in their approximate location. I have no record of any additional power levels available for your two remote protectors, and it is likely you may lose them once the Glaive has finished repairing the damage to its own Guardian.
“Third, I would recommend that once the Glaive does resume activity, you and all of your protectors remain in a fully powered state until communications can be re-established between the three of us. I can always erect a class one defensive shield around you, Princess, but it is likely that the Glaive will be able to overcome this if it is so inclined.
“Unfortunately I can not give any time estimates on when the Glaive will resume activity, as I doubt he can repair all of his Guardian’s damage without assistance from the Gate of Eternity, and the Gate is completely off-line for unknown reasons. Do you wish for me to begin a full background briefing of the current situation?”
“How long would this briefing take?” Makoto asked.
“Approximately seven hours, fifty seven minutes, and forty two seconds, Protector Jupiter.”
“Eight hours?” Minako exclaimed.
“Approximately correct, Protector Venus. Do you wish for me to commence, Princess?”
“Ahh, hehehe, not right now?”
“Can I access this information from my computer?”
“Not at the present time, Protector Mercury. Direct access is only available via the Gate of Eternity, which is currently off-line and unavailable.”
“USAGI! USAGI! You’ve got to come immediately! A couple of girls stole Chibi-Usa’s Time Key and used it to access the Gates of Time. You’ve got to …”
Luna screeched to a stop as all eyes in the room turned to stare at her. The moon cat suddenly registered what was going on in the room. She knew something had to be seriously wrong if Sailor Moon was in … what the … Super form and talking to Queen Serenity in front of the other senshi and …
Oh, dear …
Luna looked up into the smoldering brown eyes of Ikuko Tsukino and winced.
“Umm, meow?”