Sailor Ranko: The Harder They Fall: Chapter 19, Epilogue.
by
Rebecca Ann Heineman
Ranma 1/2 and the characters therein are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. Based on "Sailor Ranko" by Duncan Zillman and "Twice in a Millennium" by Kevin D. Hammel.
I don't own these characters. Please don't sue me, kill me or tie me up in fish sausage and throw me into a pit of starving cats.
It was very early in the morning in Chibi Usa's bedroom. The girl from the future had locked herself in for some privacy while she had her tiny Moon computer plugged into her futuristic gene-sampling gun. A holographic image of a DNA helix rotated in the air with computer readouts floating about. The computer spoke in a soft female voice. "Genome sequencing on specimen Ailuropoda Melanoleuca / Giant Panda complete." Usa had a stern look on her face as she touched a few buttons that were floating in the air to log the data into the computer's crystalline memory matrix.
There was a knock at the door. Usa shut her computer off which made the images vanish and closed the lid. She grabbed her gun and stashed it and her computer into subspace. She glanced around to make sure no 30th century technology was visible before she answered the knock in a sweet voice. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Usagi. Let me in."
Usa gave out a small sigh as she unlocked the bedroom door to see her future mother standing in the hall. "Hi Mom."
Usagi stood teary eyed in the doorway. "Mom? I'm still not used to you calling me that." She peered around Usa to see that her daughter had already begun packing. "So, you're really leaving?"
Usa silently turned around and opened a dresser drawer pulling out the neatly folded clothes and setting them on her bed. "Yes, I've got to go back." She opened another drawer to grab its contents. "You're up early. You usually never get up before eight."
"I couldn't sleep." Usagi watched Usa pack her things in preparation for her trip back to the 30th century. Usa had no trouble stuffing away the piles of clothes, jewelry, posters and other souvenirs that she had acquired in her brief time with the Tsukino's into Luna-P's storage hatch. The moon princess begged her daughter to stay. "Why do you have to leave? You only just got here. I'm going to miss you."
Usa folded up a kimono she recently purchased and stuffed it into Luna-P as well. "I know, Mom. But my job's done here and I've got to return this before it expires." She pulled out the futuristic looking silver gun from nothingness. She examined a control panel on the weapon looking thing, pressed some buttons and it ejected a tiny glass ampoule. She held the little capsule up to the morning sunlight from the open window to gaze at the amber color of the liquid contained within. "There are some very impatient people who've waited a very long time for what's in this thing."
Usagi stared at the thimble-sized object with eyes filled with childlike wonder. "What's that?" She held out her hand to try to touch the ampoule.
"It's a refined sample of DNA from a Chinese Panda bear, several pandas in fact, although I stayed away from Genma Saotome's Panda form. I didn't want that DNA messing up the gene pool." She giggled at the thought. Sailor Sun of the future had begged her to not to get Panda DNA from her father. She held the ampoule closer to her mother so she could get a good look at it. "I got this one from a visit to the Tokyo zoo. This..." She pressed another button and another ampoule popped out. "It's from a California Condor. This just so happens to be the time that the Yokohama and Tokyo zoos have several species of animals that sadly didn't make it to the 30th century." She gently opened a small felt covered box that looked like it would contain a wedding ring or other expensive jewelry. It had slots for several ampoules in it. She carefully slid the two new ampoules into the empty slots.
"Is that why you came here? To get DNA samples of extinct creatures?" Usagi held her hands to her cheeks in surprise. "Oh, Usa, I... I... I don't know what to say." The future queen of Crystal Tokyo was proud of her daughter for performing such a selfless act.
"There isn't much to say Mom. You're the one who provided the funding. I just helped out. I'm sorry I lied to you earlier. I hope you'll understand." She extracted several more ampoules and placed them in the remaining slots.
"I funded it? Wow." Usagi focused some of her pride on herself, and then shuddered at a thought. "Wait a minute... You didn't get samples of that thing did you?" Usagi sat on Usa's bed in dread. "Tell me you didn't... Did you?"
Usa folded her DNA sampler and inserted it into Luna-P for the trip home. "That's why I'm here at this exact moment in time. It was the only period in history where I could get a variety of Godzilla DNA."
Usagi buried her face in her hands. "Did I go completely crazy in the future? Why would I want something like that... that giant thing running around?"
"Don't worry, Mother. You've got plenty of time to worry about that." She held the last ampoule in her hand with a look of triumph. Smiling, she placed the most prized sample into the storage case and sealed it shut. She delicately set it inside of Luna-P and it vanished within. "Well, I'm packed and ready to go."
Usagi sat quietly for a moment at a loss for words memorizing the face of her daughter to be. She didn't want her child to leave again. "Chibi-Usa, when will you come back?"
"I don't know, Mom. Wait... I take it back." She gave a devilish smile. "I'll be back before you know it."
Usagi brightened up and stood up next to her tall child. "Well then, I'd guess you'd better go back so you can drop off that stuff and come back home."
Usa felt warm being in her mother's presence. "Mom, I'm always home, here or there." She gave a wistful look out the window. "I'm never far from you." She glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed. "Oh, look at the time, I've got an errand to run. I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to visit some friends."
"Who?"
"Oh... Some people you know." Usa clapped her hands twice and Luna-P flew behind Usa to follow her. Diana popped her head up from the bed, and then dropped it back down to go back into her catnap.
Usagi folded her arms like a parent would before she'd scold her child. "Stop being evasive. I'm your mother you know. Who?"
"If you really need to know mom. It's Konatsu, Shampoo and Ukyou."
"Ukyou? Oh... Yeah... Those guys..." Usagi felt bad about the suffering Ukyou endured for Pluto and Saturn's sake. "I think I should go with you too."
"No!" Usa shook her head violently then calmed down a little. "Not right now, I... I really want to say goodbye to them alone." Usagi was taken aback by Usa's change of demeanor. Usa continued in a more subdued tone. "But later on, Mom, you really should get to know them better."
Usagi knew that she would spend some time to get to know these friends of Ranma. "I will. They seem to be nice people. I think Ukyou would be a good friend. I don't about Shampoo though."
Usa gave a Sailor Pluto smile. The one that the black-skirted Senshi had when she knew something that everyone else didn't. "Ukyou's someone you can always depend on, Mom. Shampoo, well, she just needs to be straightened out. Anyways, I've gotta go or I'll miss the next train to Nerima."
"Why not ask Sun to beam you over? She... I mean he's home right now and he's had enough time to rest so he could teleport again."
"Yeah, why not? I don't think he'll mind." She pulled out her communicator. "Don't forget, Mom, I'm leaving at eight o'clock tonight at the dock on the lake."
"I'll make sure we'll be there to see you off."
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Ranma emerged from the shower wearing his red Chinese shirt and black drawstring pants. He was refreshed after his workout with Akane and Makoto on the roof of the apartment building. He tossed the towel into the hamper then sat on the couch opening his homework folder. He grumbled at how much schoolwork he still needed to complete with only an hour left before he had to be in class at Juuban High.
Akane was in the kitchen doing things for breakfast that Ranma just didn't want to think about. Makoto was in the bathroom changing from her karate gi, showering and getting ready for school. Nodoka was out looking at potential apartments or homes for the three of them to move into.
Ranma's Senshi communicator beeped. Akane poked her head out of the tiny kitchen. "Now what?"
"I hope it's just someone wanting a ride on the Sailor Sun Taxi service. I really don't want to deal with another disaster right now." He pulled his communicator out of his shirt pocket, leaned back on the couch and answered it. "Sun here."
A mature Chibi-Usa's voice was on the other side. "Can I get a lift to Nerima?"
Ranma spirits was lifted, as he was proven right. He had a happy thought, since this was a perfect way to ditch Akane's attempt at breakfast. "Yeah, why the heck not? I'll be over in a few minutes. Where are you?"
"My bedroom, Neo Moon out."
Akane gave Ranma the glare of death at the mere mention of the word bedroom. Ranma held out his hands. "Hey! It's not like that ok! Gee, gimme a break once in a while will ya?"
Mrs. Akane Saotome made a humph sound as she marched back into the kitchen. A sizzling sound erupted and a burst of flame brightened the room. "AHH! Don't burn!"
Ranma muttered very quietly so that Akane wouldn't hear. "Just in time." He pulled out his henshin stick from subspace holding it high over his head with an air of joy since he was saved from having to eat his wife's cooking. "Sun Star Power! Make Up!" The Senshi of the Sun transformed into her red headed female form complete with a red-skirted Sailor suit, yellow bows, red boots and flashed out.
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Ukyou stared out the window of her restaurant pondering the events of the previous few days. She sat in deep thought, smiling to herself since she hadn't a care in the world. Many people loved her. She had friends who fought for her, suffered for her and gave a piece of themselves for her. She wasn't alone. She was never going to be alone again.
Ukyou gave a sigh of happiness as she prepared to go to Furinkan High School. She was wearing her female school uniform since she just felt like dressing like the girl she was for today. Konatsu was in his room sleeping since he was totally exhausted from the dinner rush yesterday since the restaurant was packed with people trying out the Gojira okonomiyaki. The new menu item was a huge success and Ukyou determined that she would run out of the meat in a week. She hoped that Ranma would stop by soon so she could give him one before the meat was all gone.
Ukyou paused to sit down on a stool. She touched her new leg and felt the love that her new friends had in the gift they bestowed upon her. She removed her left shoe, lifted up her leg and wiggled her toes in admiration. She held out her left hand to look at the perfect skin and bone structure it possessed. Her old scar she had from years ago on her pinky was gone. Her hand was perfect in every detail.
Ukyou thought about the faces of the Senshi when they were healing her. The love and friendship they all shared was a thing of perfect beauty. Ukyou envied Ranma and Akane for being part of that circle of love and she silently thanked them for letting her be a part of the circle, even if it was but for a brief moment.
"Hello Ukyou."
Ukyou heard the voice from the doorway of the restaurant. Neo Moon walked in and sat next to the chef. She was dressed in a simple blue-skirted red-bowed Senshi uniform that Sailor Moon usually wore in her early days. It wasn't the white, blue and yellow skirt with the fancy jewelry in her hair that she wore when she came to heal her at the hospital. Ukyou sat in envy of the Senshi. She was happy to have a famous visitor come to her little place of business. "Hello there sugar. What brings you all the way out here? Come to collect your free meal?"
Neo Moon crossed her legs, as she got comfortable on the stool. "Sugar? Do you call everyone that Ukyou?"
"I only call my friends that." Ukyou relaxed on her stool as well. She didn't recognize the girl because of the disguise magic and the change in costume, but the pink hair was a dead giveaway. "Now, you're Neo Moon right?"
"Yes I am." Neo Moon looked at the Ucchan's. "This is a nice place. How long have you had it?"
"A little over a year." Ukyou sighed. "It's not much, but it's all I have left."
"Not much? How could you say such a thing?" The Senshi uttered in awe. "You're what? Seventeen? Eighteen? And you own your own restaurant? Not many people can say that they had own their own successful business around their eighteenth birthday!"
Ukyou held back a laugh. "Successful? I barely make enough money to survive. What with the taxes, the insurance, the fights... Oh yeah, the fights..." She shook her head from the number of times someone or something went through the front plate glass window. She made a silent prayer to her father in thanks that her business never suffered the same amount of damage that the Tendo's had to endure.
"I forgot. This is the only place in Tokyo that suffers more damage than Juuban." The future girl joined in the silent laugh at the absurdity of Nerima. The tales of this part of Tokyo were stuff of legend in the 30th century. Most historians still debated on whether the recorded events were fact or fiction. Only the Senshi from Nerima had the credibility to convince the scholars that the stories were indeed true.
"Yep, this is Nerima, home of the madness and chaos. Although, Shiba Park will probably rate number one in destruction for a while." Ukyou glanced at her watch. She only had fifteen minutes left to leave for school. "Gimme a sec honey." She got up to get behind the grill. "Is there anything I can cook up for you while you're here? My okonomiyaki's the best there is." She jumped over the counter. She turned the valves to send gas under the grill. A hand held lighter was put under the steel plates and blue flames formed under them.
"Yes, your okonomiyaki is the best." The Senshi read the menu on the wall and picked out her favorite. "I'd like the shrimp and scallops one please."
"Scallops? One shrimp and scallops okonomiyaki coming right up. Sure ya don't want to try some Gojira?"
Neo Moon laughed. "No, not really. You can say I've had my fill of those things to last a lifetime."
With a skill of a master of the art, Ukyou mixed the batter, poured the oil on the griddle, spun her spatula and began cooking.
The Senshi turned her head side to side looking for Ukyou's companion. "By the way, where's Konatsu? Isn't she supposed to work here with you?"
Ukyou snickered at the pronoun error. "He's sleeping in his room. The poor guy had a rough time, stayed up all night while I was at the hospital."
The Senshi blinked her eyes twice. "He?"
"Yeah, he. Konatsu's a guy, didn't you know?" Ukyou flipped the okonomiyaki on the griddle. "He was raised as a girl and it made him what he is today."
"B-but the h-hair, t-the v-voice, t-the face, the c-clothes... T-that's impossible..." Neo Moon stuttered.
"Nope, not impossible at all. He's pretty convincing. He had me fooled for quite a while when I first met him."
A revelation came over Neo Moon. "I get it! He's got a Jusenkyo curse like Ranma, doesn't he?"
"Nope. He's 100% male, last time I checked." The chef giggled at the thought of actually checking if he really was a male.
"B-but she's Sai..." Moon stopped herself and felt a headache coming on. "Never mind." The girl was going to make some inquiries when she got back.
"She's what? You're really confusing me sugar. However, not as confused as he is."
"I can understand that. Was she... I mean he going to do anything about it?"
Ukyou lowered her voice and put down her spatula. "He's got some choices to make. He just hasn't got the courage to make a final decision yet." She turned to look over to where Konatsu's little room was. "Part of him wants to jump into the Nyannichuan and get the curse made permanent and part of him wants to explore his male side. Sometimes when I look at him, I see a bit of what Ran-chan was going through except in Konatsu's case, he really wants to be a girl while Ran-chan fought it tooth and nail."
Neo Moon looked at Ukyou and scratched her head in confusion. "He? You sure? Well then that does make some twisted sense now that I think about it."
"You're really freaking me out there sugar. Just what are you talking about?"
"Well... How do I say this?" Neo Moon bit her lip as she thought about the best way to ask. "Aren't the two of you a couple?"
"Ha!" The chef flipped the cabbage-laced pancake on the griddle. "No, we're not a couple. I took him in when he really needed a friend." She reached for her famous sauce and deftly painted the surface with the tasty substance. She looked over to her side toward Konatsu's little room. "He says he loves me. But... The cross dressing really bugs me."
Neo Moon gave a cat like smile. "And you don't think that you dressing as a boy is a problem eh?"
"Hey! If you knew what my life was like, you wouldn't question why I dressed that way."
"And you think that Konatsu's life was any different? I heard that her life sucked big time until she came into your care."
Ukyou sighed. "I suppose. I'm still uncomfortable with it."
Neo Moon reveled in the juicy irony. "Yet, you chased Ranma, even though he dressed up as a girl too."
The chef got defensive slamming her hand on the counter. "That's different! He's really a girl when he does that. I mean, REALLY a girl!" Ukyou sighed thinking about her Ran-chan and how she lost him.
Neo Moon caught the difference of expression on Ukyou's face. "Tell me what's wrong."
Ukyou gave a hint of a smile then went back to being sullen. "It's nothing you can fix with your magic I'm afraid. In fact, your magic kinda ruined my last hope."
"How so?"
"Well, how long do Senshi's live? Tell me the truth." She already knew the answer to the question; she just hoped that she was incorrect.
The Senshi thought about the question and slowly shook her head. "I really don't know. We can die like anyone else, but our magic prevents us from aging. So in theory, we're immortal."
"I kinda figured that. Well, there went that idea." Ukyou sulked.
"Let me guess, you hoped that you would somehow outlive Akane. Am I right?"
Ukyou waved a spatula in Moon's face. "You're pretty good you know." She knew her plan was exposed. "Either that or hope that Akane would have another one of her temper tantrums and Ran-chan would get a divorce. Seeing them acting they way they do now, a divorce is pretty unlikely. The final nail in the coffin was when I found out they were both Senshi." Ukyou checked on the pancake before her and slid it off the griddle onto a plate. She softly continued, "There went my idea of being Ukyou Saotome."
The Senshi held her hands together, tapping her index fingers into each other as she got up the nerve to say something. "You know, there're other ways to become a Saotome."
"Sorry sugar, but bigamy is not in my vocabulary. Shampoo however, would marry him yesterday if he would agree to it."
"No. No. I mean, you could be adopted and be his sister." Neo Moon didn't want to beat around the bush.
Ukyou let out her frustration. "Sister! Ranma already treats me like one. That's been the problem in the first place." Ukyou put the finishing touches on the meal in front of her to calm herself down. She pondered the concept of joining the Saotome's through adoption. "I don't know. It's not like I have a family anymore."
In moments, the smell of fresh Japanese pancakes filled the air and Neo Moon went back to the future again in her mind. Her mouth watered as the aroma overpowered her senses. "Ah, just the way I like it. You really are the best."
"You sound like Ran-chan. Here ya go sugar, on the house." Ukyou put the plate in front of her visitor. She slid over the mayonnaise, horseradish and special sauce containers so Neo Moon could put the personal touches on her meal. Ukyou put away the small container of scallops back in the refrigerator. She stopped for a moment to digest a piece of news. "Hey, you said 'just the way you like it'? Have I cooked for you before?" Ukyou turned off the heat to her griddle.
Neo Moon froze in mid-bite. She slowly resumed chewing, placing her chopsticks down she confessed. "Yes, you have."
"I knew it! Were you in that group of girls that Ranma came with a while ago?" Ukyou concentrated on the names and faces of the five other girls that were with the Saotomes. They were all wearing kimonos and had just come from a bridal training session with Nodoka. It was hilarious for Ukyou to see Ranma in a pretty kimono but she couldn't remember any of the girls in the group having pink hair.
Neo Moon had no memory of the visit Ukyou was talking about. She decided to play it safe by sticking to the harmless truth. "No. I've never been here with Ranma."
"Well, you didn't come here as a Senshi, that's for sure. I'd remember that. So if you don't mind me asking, what's your real name?"
"Just call me Sailor Neo Moon since all of my friends call me that. I can't tell you my normal name. Even if I did..." The Senshi got very sad. "It wouldn't matter anyways. You see the reason that I'm here is... Well... Because I'm going away and I won't be seeing you for a while." Neo Moon had a mixture of happy and sad emotions flowing with her words. "I came to say goodbye."
Ukyou was a little confused that someone who would call her a friend would be leaving so soon. "You're leaving? Is it just you or are all of you going somewhere?" Ukyou worried if Ran-chan was going to be disappearing for a while and if so, why didn't he come to tell her himself.
"No. No. It's only me. I... I just wanted to see you before I left." Neo Moon had a look of joy on her face.
"You wanted to see me?" Ukyou blushed. "I'm flattered. If it was for what happened back in Juuban, it uh... It was nothing." Ukyou studied the floor finding the pattern on the rubber mat she was standing on interesting.
"It was everything Ukyou. You and the others were very brave. I just wanted to tell you that." Neo Moon wanted to tell her a lot more. She had to watch what she said since she didn't want to get her friend into trouble with too much knowledge of the future. Neo Moon saw that the giant spatula on Ukyou's back was her new one. "How do you like your new spatula?"
Ukyou reached over her shoulder to touch the utensil. She gasped, "Was it you who gave this to me?"
"Well... All I did was deliver it. Someone else gave it to you." Neo Moon gave a guilty grin.
"Who? Was it Ranma?" Ukyou held her hopes high.
"No. It wasn't. Uh... The person left a note with it. Did you get it?"
Ukyou sank a bit since she thought for sure that Ranma was her benefactor. "Yes. I got it. It didn't say whom it was from. I could have sworn that Ran-chan was the one who gave this to me."
"Ranma's your friend Ukyou. More than you could ever know." Neo Moon held her friend's shoulder with just a touch of a grip. "You're surrounded by people who love you, care for you. Even, they would die for you. Never forget that..." She chose her words carefully. "My friend." The Senshi placed another hand on Ukyou's shoulder and held her tight in a friendly embrace. Ukyou didn't know why this Senshi felt this way toward her but she returned the embrace even though it was nowhere near as passionate as the Senshi's.
Neo Moon shed a tear of happiness for her friend. She let her go. "I have to go now Ukyou." She took a step back. "I'll see you and Konatsu again, someday."
Ukyou sat in her stool behind the grill watching the Senshi walk into the street and out of her life for now. She was stunned and sat for a few moments contemplating what just transpired. She shook her head and muttered. "Those Senshi are a weird bunch."
The okonomiyaki chef brushed herself off and put away Neo Moon's plate. She had to get to school quickly to avoid bucket duty.
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Sailor Sun was performing a kata that resembled an Olympic gymnastic routine in front of a crowd in a little park near Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. She was waiting for Sailor Neo Moon to get back from her meeting with Ukyou. She had amassed a large crowd that included Tatewaki Kuno. For once, the kendoist resisted his urge to glomp the object of his desire in fear of the retribution the Senshi had threatened him with. Gosunkugi was snapping pictures of the red haired Senshi from the sidelines.
Kuno stood in awe of the powerful grace, beauty and skill that was demonstrated before him. He silently thought to himself. "I will somehow learn about these Senshi marriage laws. I will show her that I am truly worthy of her love and devotion." He watched the Senshi until another appeared to join her.
Neo Moon came up to Sun and coughed to get her attention. Sun spun to place a kick on her head, which Moon quickly dodged. Sun stood in an attack stance. "Got time for a few moves?"
"Not really. You know where I need to go next."
"You know, you could just walk it. It's only four blocks away from here." She threw a punch.
Neo Moon blocked the punch with an arm. "Yeah, and we can invite your fan club to follow us. Use your head Sun."
"You mean like this?" She suddenly grabbed the tall girl's shoulders. "Sun Beam Transport!" The pair disappeared in a flash of light.
Kuno blinked at the empty space that occupied where his red haired love had vanished. He pulled out his bokken to the dispersing crowd. "Mark my words! She is worthy of my attention! She will beg to join the house of Kuno!"
No one in the audience cared.
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The two girls appeared in the alley behind the Cat Cafe in a flash of bright light. Sailor Sun brushed off her skirt. "I'll wait for you here."
Neo Moon led Sun by the hand. "No, I want you to come inside with me."
"Uh, I hate to break this to ya, but I don't really wanna go in there. Shampoo might glomp me and then Akane would get all mad."
The pink haired girl tapped Sun on the forehand in a playful gesture. "She wants to glomp Ranma, not Sailor Sun. Unless... Does she know who you are?"
"Thank god no!" Sun held her arms in a pose of surprise. "No way in hell am I telling her who I am!"
"Then there shouldn't be a problem then should it?"
"I.. I guess you're right." Sun was unsure. "I think."
"Look at the bright side, they'll probably give us a free meal."
Sailor Sun brightened up and led the way. "Why didn't you say so?" She briskly walked down the alley to the front entrance.
Moon snickered and thought. "You haven't changed much in nine hundred years."
The bell at the door of the Cat Cafe rang greeting a new customer to the empty restaurant. Mousse approached the entryway and held out the menu to the statue near the entrance. "Welcome to the Cat Cafe. How many are in your party?"
Sailors Neo Moon and Sun looked at each other. Sun spoke to the pink haired one. "He really should get laser eye surgery." She tapped Mousse's shoulder. "There are two of us."
Mousse turned to the source of the sound and waved his hand to the Senshi to be seated. The two girls sat in a booth and were handed menus. "Today's special is beef ramen with water chestnuts. It's a family recipe." He noticed the girls' clothes seemed odd. "Are you two on the cheerleading squad at Furinkan High?"
Sun replied with sarcasm. "Yeah, we just came back from Martial Arts Cheerleading practice." She reached over and pulled Mousse's glasses from his forehead onto his nose.
The hidden weapons master adjusted his glasses and felt weak at what he saw. There were two Sailor Senshi sitting in the booth in front of him. He stuttered. "H-h-honored guests, I am unworthy of your presence." He bowed to the two girls.
Sailor Neo Moon waved her hand in a gesture for him to stop groveling. "Please don't do that. Anyways, we're here to see Shampoo."
"My darling Shampoo? She's out on a delivery. She should be back in fifteen or twenty minutes or so." Mousse stared at the two beautiful girls. "Is there anything I could get for you while you're waiting for her? Is there something I could help you with?" He fought the urge to faint.
Sailor Sun was amused at Mousse's antics. She was thankful that the disguise magic worked on Mousse since he didn't show any signs of recognizing Ranma as Sailor Sun. "I could use a beef ramen and a coke."
Neo Moon thought about the drinks. "Could I have a coke too? It's been a while since I've had one of those. Oh, and I'll take a beef ramen too."
Mousse took the two glasses of water from his serving tray and placed them before the Senshi. He tipped the glass in front of Sailor Sun and barely avoided splashing himself with it to go quackers. He took a hidden towel from his sleeve and wiped away the water. The duck-boy quickly ran to the kitchen to give Cologne the orders.
Sailor Sun instinctively moved back to avoid the flying water. She waited until the part time duck was out of earshot before speaking. "I keep forgetting that the curse is dormant when I'm like this." She snapped her chopsticks apart and held them ready for the upcoming meal. "It's been a while since you've had a Coca Cola?"
"Things are different after nine hundred years." Neo Moon smirked at her companion. "Some things change, and some things don't." She winked at Sun.
"I'm actually alive nine hundred years from now? What about Ak... Sailor Io?"
Neo Moon debated in her mind about what she could and couldn't tell Sailor Sun about the future. Her friend had already deduced that she was going to be alive for a long time. If she didn't tell her about Akane's future, Sun would worry unnecessarily. "Ok, I'll tell you this. You and Io live very happily in the future. You two are great friends with all of the Senshi. However, don't let that make you cockier than you already are. If you don't take things seriously, you could still die and change the future. Do you understand?"
Sun was staring into space. She was lost in thought, slowly forming a simple smile on her face. She closed her eyes and barely nodded her head. "Ya know. This Senshi stuff is going to take some getting used to. I mean, living for nine hundred years, I'm still having a difficult time accepting that."
"Well, let's stop talking about the future and wait for Shampoo to show up. Oh, I know what I wanted to ask. Where did you meet Shampoo?"
Sun grew pale, as she didn't want to tell her life story within earshot of the old prune. "We're in the C-c-ccc... the Cafe rabbit head. Let's not discuss anything like that or the old hag 'll hear us. She's not someone I would ever underestimate ever again."
"Right. Well, when Shampoo gets here, we'll just find someplace private we can talk." Neo Moon looked around the place. It was empty of customers but it wouldn't be for long.
Mousse came back holding his serving tray containing their meals. He set down the drinks and the ramen bowls. He bowed and scurried off. In moments, both Senshi wolfed down their food as if their lives depended on it. Sun popped her eyes open in dark revelation. "Moon? Does Senshi magic counteract Amazon love potions?"
"Oh, I forgot about that part of your past." The tall Senshi slurped down the last of her noodles into her mouth. "I think we're immune to most normal poisons but magical potions could still affect us darling." Moon had hearts in her eyes and swooned.
Sun looked down at the bowls. "Oh boy. Could you use your Moon wand to break the spell? Don't look at me like that!"
Moon's eyes reverted back to normal. She laughed out loud. "I'm just teasing you. C'mon lighten up!"
"That's not funny!"
An old voice spoke from behind. "What's not funny?" Sun slowly turned around facing the old crinkly form of Cologne on her cane. "Hello you two. Please don't let me disturb you." She bowed reverently. "Honored Sailor Senshi." She lifted her head and stared at Sailor Sun.
Sun gulped. "Uh... You... You're not disturbing us. Uh..." Sun was worried about Cologne's ability to read ki. It dawned on her that she shouldn't have come in.
"Don't worry Ranma. I've known about you for quite some time." The Amazon matriarch smugly answered. Ranma realized again the she had underestimated Cologne and was at her mercy. "And you're Usagi Tsukino aren't you?"
It was Neo Moon's turn to gulp. "Uh... No."
"My name is Cologne." She bowed her head in greeting. "You should really consider dying your hair young lady if you want to keep your identity a secret." She tapped the bunny ears on Neo Moon's head. "The hairstyle is another dead giveaway. But I must admit, your disguise magic was very difficult to dispel for me. Ranma over here however, your ki signature is something I could sense for kilometers. Your magic doesn't do anything to hide your ki."
The two girls shared a collective fit of depression worthy of Ryoga. They both thought, "Whoops."
Cologne continued. "So, why do you wish to speak to my great grand-daughter? Have you reconsidered your thoughts about Shampoo?" She raised her eyebrow in Sun's direction.
"She doesn't know about this does she?" Sun pulled on her collar of her Sailor Suit.
"Don't worry. I've not shared my knowledge with anyone." She hopped closer to the booth until she stood right next to it. "However, I would like it if you eventually shared this with Shampoo. It might make her... Change her opinion about whom she should wed."
"Change her opinion to what? Use physical force to drag me off to China?" Sun groaned.
"You of all people should know how stubborn my great granddaughter could get. Her feelings run deep and are not ones that she could turn off like a faucet." Cologne looked downcast. "I worry for her. She's making an effort to lessen her desires for you, but she needs your friendship at bare minimum. I'm afraid of what she could do if you shut her out completely from your life."
Sun looked at the table, staring into her empty ramen bowl. "Yeah, I've been a little rough on her. But she's got to get it through her head that I'm not marrying her."
"Even though you may not share the same love that she feels for you. At least share your feelings of friendship." Cologne glanced at the doorway. "She's still a person after all and she wants to be your friend. I don't want my great grandchild to suffer. Be her friend Ranma, she has a lot of respect for you." The old woman looked downward whispering. "And love..." The matriarch hopped back to the kitchen without another word.
Neo Moon watched the tiny woman hop away. "So that's Cologne."
Sun stared at the ceiling. "Yep, that's the one who made my life hell several times. I'll tell you about the Full Body C-C-Cat Tongue pressure point sometime."
"Nihao!" Shampoo entered the restaurant carrying her empty ramen box. She stopped the moment she saw the Senshi. She stood next to the two girls in awe. "Honored Senshi." She bowed to each of them. "Shampoo happy to see Senshi again."
Neo Moon bowed while still seated. Sun took a moment to notice Neo Moon's lead and bowed as well in the Amazon's direction. Neo Moon asked, "Is there somewhere private we can talk for a moment?"
"Talk private with Shampoo? Ok, this way." She bounded off with the Senshi following. They ended up in Shampoo's bedroom and the Amazon closed the door. "Private?"
"I think this will do." Neo Moon sat down on Shampoo's futon.
Sun paused for a moment. "I'll be back in a sec." She pulled open the door causing Mousse and Cologne to spill out. She grabbed Mousse. "Sun Beam Transport!" She and the duck man were gone.
Cologne stood up. "I guess I'll be going now." She turned around to see a flash of light. The red head grabbed her too. Before Cologne could wiggle free they vanished again.
Fifteen seconds later Sun appeared again. She ran to the front of the store, put up the 'closed' sign and locked the front door. She ran back to Shampoo's room. "Now, we really have some privacy."
"What Senshi do with great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked innocently.
"They're on the other side of town. We have about ten minutes before they can run back so Neo Moon, if you've got something to say, say it now."
"Well Shampoo, I just wanted to say that you were very brave back there. I was honored to have you fight to protect our friends."
Shampoo held her hands together. "Oh, thank you. It was honor to help Senshi." Shampoo blinked. "Why Senshi say now? Senshi tell Shampoo when at hospital with Spatula Girl."
Neo Moon looked deeply at the eyes of the Amazon. She was amazed at how a girl that sounded so innocent could be such a deadly warrior. "I have to leave and I don't know if I'll ever return. I just wanted to say goodbye to you."
"Goodbye? Senshi no want help from Shampoo anymore?" Shampoo looked saddened by the news.
Sun spoke up. "No. No. It's not like that! She's the only one who's leaving. I'm staying here."
"Senshi want to live with Shampoo?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"No. Uh, I'm staying on Earth while Moon here is going somewhere else." Sun breathed a sigh of relief, as she didn't shove her boot in her mouth with her sentence.
"Shampoo understand." She bowed to the floor before Neo Moon. "Shampoo honored Senshi see Shampoo before great journey."
Neo Moon looked down on the purple haired girl. "The honor is mine Shampoo. I just wanted to meet you privately before I returned home."
Shampoo lifted her head to look upon the pink haired Senshi. "Home? Are not all Senshi from Japan?"
Sun rolled her eyes. The Amazon was too smart for her own good. Sun started looking around the room for something to take her mind off of the conversation.
Neo Moon scratched her head. "Well, we live in Japan right now, but we come from all over the place. I just need to go back from where I came from for now."
"Oh. Is there anything Shampoo do for Senshi?" She turned to see Sailor Sun staring at her dresser. On it, were several pictures of Ranma in battle poses and a single picture of Ranma in her girl form. "Senshi see something Senshi like?"
Sun sighed at the size of the collection of photos Shampoo had amassed. She wondered if she was Nabiki's second biggest customer. She decided to get some answers from the Amazon since she was hidden in plain sight. "Shampoo, is this your boyfriend?"
Shampoo got sad and tears formed on her eyes. "No. Not boyfriend."
"Who is he then?"
"Ranma." Shampoo sniffed.
Sun felt really bad. She picked up a photo of Shampoo and Ranma together inside of a photo had everyone they knew in a group shot. It was a copy of the photo that Ranma gave to Akane last Christmas in a frame she bought for her wife. All of the other photos on the dresser were either of Ranma alone or Ranma and Akane with Akane covered up with Shampoo pasted in her place. "D-do you?" She dropped her head in sadness. "Do you love him?"
Shampoo remained silent. She remained on her knees contemplating her answer. "Ranma no love Shampoo." She began to cry.
Neo Moon kneeled next to the girl. "There, there. I'm certain he wants to be your friend. Right Sun?"
Sun put the picture back. She kneeled down on the other side of Shampoo. "I'm certain that he's your friend as... Uh..." Sun avoided saying something that would have resulted in a mallet attack had this been spoken to Akane. "I think he LIKES you. But uh... Isn't he married now?"
"Yes. Ranma marry Akane, not Shampoo." She wept a shower of tears.
Sun wanted to leave, depart, flee, run or teleport. She didn't want to see Shampoo cry but she feared speaking something that would make things worse even more.
Neo Moon held Shampoo's hand to comfort the crying girl. She was amazed at how this trained killer was deep down inside still a sweet girl who just simply wanted to be loved. Neo Moon lifted the crying girl's chin. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be."
Shampoo convulsed at the level of crying she reached. "Why no meant to be? Shampoo love Ranma. Senshi, please tell Ranma Shampoo love Ranma. Maybe Ranma listen to Senshi?"
Sun gripped the dresser drawer tight. She repeated in her head to keep from speaking. "I am Sailor Sun right now. I am not Ranma. I am Sailor Sun right now. I am not Ranma."
Neo Moon looked up at Sun. "I think Ranma knows that you love him." She faced the Amazon again. "You have to understand that his heart belongs to Akane."
"Shampoo know Ranma heart belong to Akane. Shampoo want... Shampoo no know what Shampoo want."
"Will you listen to the Senshi?"
"Huh?" Shampoo stifled her tears for a moment. "Shampoo listen honored Senshi." She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the water.
"Then listen to me." Moon shot a glance to Sun then back to Shampoo. "Ranma is your friend. Nothing is going to change that. But you've got to stop your pursuit of him. It's only going to destroy you."
Shampoo cast her eyes down as her dream of bearing Ranma's daughter was smashed into millions of pieces. She held her arms holding an invisible infant and gently stroked it's non-existent hair. She sat quietly waiting for Moon to finish.
"Can you do it for Ranma?" Shampoo shuddered. Neo Moon continued, "Can you do that for me?
Shampoo weakly lifted her head to look at Neo Moon's glittering eyes. The Amazon remained silent for a minute and the room was quiet with only the sound of the morning breeze giving any indication that there was any life present. Sailor Sun stared at the two girls on Shampoo's bed making sure she didn't utter a word despite her urge to bolt or teleport out.
Neo Moon cracked a smile. "We're friends right?"
Shampoo brightened up a little and emerged from the darkness she felt. "Friends? Senshi want be friends with Shampoo?"
"Of course Shampoo. I'm your friend." Neo Moon nodded. "And as my friend, I want you to be happy."
"Shampoo friend of honored Senshi." The purple haired girl was bubbling with excitement. "Great honor to be Senshi friend."
"I'm certain Sailor Sun is your friend too. Right Sun?" Neo Moon tilted her head to get Sun's attention.
Sun fell out of her daze and went along with Moon's lead. She reached out her hand on Shampoo's shoulder. "That's right Shampoo. I want to be your friend."
Shampoo reached to her shoulder to touch Sun's hand. The hand felt familiar and comforting. "Shampoo happy Sailor Sun Shampoo friend."
Neo Moon grinned since her plan was finally bearing some fruit. "Now, the Senshi doesn't like to see our friends hurt or sad. So, I need you to promise me that you'll try to be Ranma's friend instead of his wife."
Shampoo spun her head back to face Neo Moon. "Please, no ask that. Shampoo lose all honor if no go home with husband."
Neo Moon played her cards like a professional. She had studied the Amazon laws with a good friend who coached her on what she had to say. "Which is a greater honor, Ranma as a husband or you being a friend of the Sailor Senshi? Do you want an alliance with just one man? Or eleven Sailor Senshi?"
Shampoo was stunned. The mere thought of going to the village with an alliance with the Sailor Senshi was something she had never considered. It was an honor that nothing else could match. "Senshi alliance great honor."
"Then, I propose that if your village is in trouble. You can call on us to help you. I'm not asking you to abandon Ranma. I'm just asking you to stop hurting Akane and let Ranma live in peace. You can still see him whenever you want to, just don't try to tear him and his wife apart."
"Senshi." Shampoo turned her head rapidly to look at both girls' faces. She stopped at Sun's face in a desperate last minute plea. "Please understand. Shampoo love Ranma. Shampoo no want life with no Ranma."
Sailor Sun wanted to burst into tears at the look of love that had shone in Shampoo's face. The girl was completely in love with Ranma and was begging for some way for her to continue her pursuit of him. She found some words to say to the pitiful girl. "Shampoo, Ranma loves you but not in that way. He could love you as a sister or maybe as a cousin, but he can't love you as a husband."
Shampoo grew cold and angry. "Maybe if Akane no obstacle."
Neo Moon grabbed the Amazon in a threatening embrace. "You TOUCH Akane and I will personally return to torture you and wipe out your village!"
Shampoo instantly reverted back into frightened girl state. "Shampoo sorry! Shampoo so sorry! Shampoo no hurt Akane. Shampoo promise!" She cried in earnest. "Shampoo promise!" The Amazon completely broke down falling sideways on her bed. She whimpered. "Shampoo promise. Please forgive Shampoo. Please."
Sailor Sun was aghast at the display before her. The Amazon was going through a roller coaster ride of emotions and all Sun could do was watch and hope she didn't crash. She sat down next to weeping girl who curled up in a fetal position. "I forgive you. Keep your promise and I'll protect your village in return."
Shampoo stopped crying. "Sun will? Sun promise protect village?"
"You swear that if you leave me... Uh... Ranma and Akane alone and stop trying to hurt them or steal Ranma." She paused for a moment. "I'll promise to be there if you need me."
Shampoo contemplated the offer. "Can Shampoo still see Ranma? Yes?"
Sailor Sun smiled. "I think he'll be happy to see ya if ya don't grab him like ya usually do. Yes, you can still see him. Just don't try to marry him."
Shampoo chattered her jaw in nervousness. She was given a life altering choice and she didn't want to make the wrong one. She gazed up at the dresser drawer and stared at her favorite picture of Ranma on it. A large picture of Ranma leaping in the air delivering a blow to some off camera foe reminded her of what she was giving up. Or was she giving up anything? She thought about all the times Ranma had rejected her. She thought about the times that she saw Ranma looking at Akane with glimmer in his eye. A glimmer she dreamed that would be directed at her. A glimmer that she had to accept would never be hers.
Shampoo whispered. "I promise."
The two Senshi lifted their ears. Sun asked. "Say again? I didn't hear you."
Shampoo sat up straight on her bed. "Xian Pu, great granddaughter of leader of tribe promise to reject Xian Pu marriage to Ranma Saotome. Xian Pu accept offer of protection of Senshi."
Sailor Sun stood at attention. "I, Sailor Sun of the Sailor Senshi promise to protect your village in your time of need."
Neo Moon breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself. "This was much harder than I thought."
"Shampoo want know. How Shampoo talk to Senshi?"
Neo Moon pulled out a little pink calculator. "Press one five zero to call Sailor Sun."
Shampoo bounced on the bed, giddy as a little girl who just opened a Christmas present. "Is Shampoo Senshi now?"
Sailor Sun violently shook her head waving her arms around. "No! You're not a Senshi."
Neo Moon clenched her jaw to stop of laughing her fool head off at Sun's antics. When Sun stopped acting like an idiot, Neo Moon was able to speak in a normal tone. "It's a way of contacting us. You can only use it in emergencies only. Don't use it unless you or your village is in danger."
Shampoo bowed before Sailor Sun. "Shampoo want to be worthy of Senshi protection. Thank you for great honor for Shampoo."
Sun gave a cocky smile. "It wasn't nothing."
Neo Moon got up to walk to the door. "I think it's time for us to go."
Sun sensed the restaurant for unwanted listeners. Her time in Nabiki's presence had honed her skills to detect eavesdroppers. She was satisfied that no one had heard their conversation yet. "Oh yeah. Besides the old ghoul should be here any minute now. Where to now?"
"My place. I've got to go to school to withdraw from class and you've got detention."
Sun got depressed. "Thanks for reminding me. Sun Beam Transport!"
Shampoo sat alone in her room holding her Sailor Senshi communicator. She reached over to pick up one of her altered pictures of Ranma. She gently opened the picture frame and pulled out the cut out of herself that covered the image of Akane. She sealed the frame and held the picture of Ranma and Akane in one hand and her Scout communicator in the other.
She embraced both items against her bosom and wept.
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It was a simple little park in Juuban. Usa stood at the end of the dock of a tiny little lake and looked up into the sky. She reached into her blouse and pulled out the gold time key attached to the end of her gold chain necklace and held the key tight. The key glistened in the evening light as she slowly turned it back and forth in her hand. She breathed a sigh of sadness as she realized that it might be some time if ever before she would return to the 21st century.
Usa felt sorrow at having to leave her friends, but she was not saying goodbye forever. In moments, she would be seeing them again, but the collected group standing behind her would wait several lifetimes before they would see Usa again. She gently let the key rest on her bosom and turned to face her companions. "I'm going to miss you. All of you."
Usagi beamed at how her daughter had grown. She stepped forward and held her future child tight. Both girls closed their eyes and shed small tears as they gripped each other, neither one wanting to be the first to end the moment. Usagi slowly whispered, "I'm going to miss you too."
Minako was the next one to give a hug to Usa. She let the dam burst as she began the waterworks. "I hope I'll see you again soon." The blond girl sniffed and stood back to give Makoto her turn.
Makoto kissed Usa on the cheek. "You keep up your martial arts lessons and maybe you'll be as good as me."
Usa smiled and tapped Makoto's nose. "I can kick your butt right now." She feigned a punch and Makoto moved to block it.
Makoto kept her guard up. "Maybe next time Usa, we can have a little match." She stood back.
Ami stood before the pink haired girl. "Are you sure you can't let me have that computer of yours?" She gave a hopeful smile but already knew the answer. Usa would never leave behind anything from the future.
Usa winked at the Mercury princess. "Nice try Ami." Ami embraced her future friend and gave her a peck on the cheek.
Akane came up to the girl and gave a gentle hug. "I wish you could stay a little longer. I really would like to get to know you a little better."
Usa held Akane's hands and gazed at her face. "We'll know each other very well someday Akane." Usa stared at Akane's face and compared it to the Akane she knew in the future. The Akane of the future had a fuller face and held an air of maturity that was absent of the Akane of the present. Usa giggled for a moment realizing how her friend currently made life hell for her husband by malleting first and asking questions later. Future Akane was much more mellow and thought things through then the girl standing before Usa.
Ranma was happy to stand back and let the girls have their cry fest. He stood next to Mamoru and watched him approach his daughter and kissed her on the cheeks. Usa released her father and walked up to Ranma and hugged him. "I'll see you soon Sailor Sun. Sorry I was mean to you when I got here." Usa stood back and looked deep into the pig-tailed martial artist's eyes. The eyes had not changed in centuries that were going to pass in seconds for the tall girl. She gave a small bow of respect for her teacher and pulled back to face the last one that wanted to say goodbye.
Hotaru's teary eyes told everything she felt with just her face. She stepped up to her childhood friend and craned her head up to view Usa's features from where they towered over the tiny Senshi. "Why Chibi-Usa? Why do you have to go? You only just got here." She threw her arms around her friend's waist and refused to let go. "Why?" She sobbed.
Usa bent her knees and held her friend tight. "We'll be together again Hotaru. I promise." She touched Hotaru's chin and gave a look of love to her dearest friend in the 21st century.
"B-but.. I want you to stay!" Hotaru cried, letting the tears freely flow onto her blouse. "Please don't go! We didn't have any time together!"
"I have to go." Usa brushed away a tear from her own face. "My mom and dad miss me too." She bent over to Hotaru's ear. "And you're missing me too. You don't want me to keep you waiting do you?"
The Senshi of silence let out a sigh, as she held on tight to her friend in a desperate attempt to change the future girl's mind. A moment passed and Hotaru released her grip as the taller girl gently removed her hands from her waist and held them tight. "I won't forget you Chibi-Usa." Michiru pulled Hotaru back. The outers stood in the own little group with Hotaru being the only one showing any signs of emotion.
"I know you won't Hotaru." Usa got up and looked at her friends. She felt the love from them all and wished the moment would never end. Facing the inevitable, she turned on her heel and walked to the very end of the dock. She took one last look around for any unwanted witnesses and held her time key aloft.
"Kronos, keeper of time, answer my call and open the gates of time before me!" A cloud formed high above the pink haired girl and lighting flashed across the evening sky. A small wind blew papers and leaves around while a beam of light hit the end of the dock.
A pattern of sparkles shimmered and flew like fireflies before Usa. She looked down at Diana who nodded in approval. The little cat walked to the portal. "See you in a moment." Diana turned to see Luna and Artemis giving looks of sadness at seeing their daughter off. Ranma closed his eyes and tried to ignore the cat's presence. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I'll see you soon!" Diana turned and ran into the portal, vanishing in a flash of light.
Usa clapped her hands twice. Luna-P flew in from nowhere and hovered above her master. "Luna-P home!" She pointed her finger at the portal. The cathead shaped balloon made a beeline into the light storm and flashed to the future.
Usa took a step closer to home, stopped and paused in thought. She wanted to stay and live out her life with her adopted family. She stared at the beckoning lights toward home and knew that the people standing behind her were the same as the ones she was coming home to.
Without looking back, she stepped into the portal toward home.
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Sailor Ganymede scraped her griddle with an old fashioned cleaning tool. She could have just pressed a button and the stovetop would have been cleaned in an instant, but there was no fun in that. Ganymede rubbed away the last of the carbon from the lunch she made and wiped away the grime with a composite fiber towel.
Sailor Callisto peeked into the large kitchen that Ganymede was in. "Aren't you done yet?"
"I would have been done earlier if SOMEONE gave me a hand."
Callisto giggled. "Or you would have been done as soon as you hit the 'auto-clean' button. Anyways, Io's waiting and she's losing her patience."
"Fine!" Ganymede held up her cleaning tool above her head. "Bot. Stow." A tiny flying robot appeared grabbing the implement to put it away. "I still think this is a really stupid idea." The Senshi of Jupiter's rocky moon entered her large living room where she met up with the rest of her Senshi clan.
Sailors Titan, Callisto, Europa were standing around Sailor Io who was aiming a large sniper rifle at a vase across the room. Io adjusted the eyepiece on the ultra-long range scope and got a bead on the tallest flower. The auto-tracking system locked on and the reticule turned red indicating that the rose was only a trigger squeeze away from being vaporized. Io raised the muzzle of the one and a half meter long weapon to the ceiling. "Ganymede! She's only going be in her room for only a few minutes."
"You sure you wanna do this? She's going to be really pissed if you tag her."
Europa shook her head. "She's going to be even more pissed if you miss her, Mom."
Io slapped an energy clip into the weapon and hit the button to charge the gun for a blast. She smirked in anticipation of some payback. "Complain about my cooking will she?"
"Mom, she was only kidding. Your casserole was your best yet."
Io glared at her daughter. "She said she didn't like it!"
"She was only kidding. You know how she likes to pull your chain."
"Well, I'm don't like it when she does that. I spent two hours making it for that ungrateful jerk and besides..." She locked onto a different flower to check the gun's ability to hold a lock. "I hadn't tagged her in three months."
Ganymede stood with her arms folded. Titan checked her watch. "You've got only two minutes remaining. Are you going to do it or not?"
Io ejected the energy cartridge since the gun's blast capacitor was fully charged. "I'm ready. I hit the mark the last three times we simulated this. I'm going to do it."
Ganymede raised her gloved hands to the ceiling as she tossed her common sense out the window. "What the hell? It's not like we've got to meet Sailor Moon from her trip to the past or nothing. What time was that anyways?"
Callisto checked her Sailor watch that had an organizer in it. "We've got to be at the palace in forty-three minutes." She clicked off the holographic display. "Just about everyone's going to be there."
Io's eyes shone a gleam as a dark excuse came to her mind to justify what she was planning. "And that's why we need to make sure that security is air tight. That's our job after all."
Ganymede corrected her. "No, the palace guard is supposed to watch out for the queen. Our job is to kick ass and take names."
"Well?" Io smiled a dark evil smile. "Shall we kick her ass?"
Sailor Ganymede simply returned the evil smile then stood behind Sailor Io. "Shall I start the checklist?"
"Yes."
Ganymede listed the needed items. "Rifle?"
"Locked and loaded."
"Target?"
She checked her topographic display in the gun's computer sight. It had a map of a terrain with a building outlined in red. "Programmed."
"Anti-gravity belt?"
Io checked her belt. She hit the button to float a few centimeters in the air. Ganymede floated behind her since she was checking her belt as well. "Check."
"I guess we're ready to do another stupid thing. Ready?"
Io turned to her friends. "Clear. I'm dropping the safety." The other girls gave Io a wide berth as she held her rifle to her eye and aimed it at the wall. "Ready."
Sailor Ganymede concentrated her power of mimicking. She drew from the power of the Sun as her leader did except for Ganymede, her power of duplication was a spell she alone possessed. She opened her eyes exposing her black pupils with flames in the center.
Europa loved it when Ganymede imitated another Scout's powers. "Auntie Ganymede, could you do Sailor Mars' Burning Mandala next time?"
"Don't bug me when I'm concentrating." Europa's aunt held onto Io tight. "Last chance to chicken out."
"Let's go. Count down."
Ganymede concentrated on the teleport destination. "I've got it. Five, four, three, two, one. Mimic Sun Beam Transport!" The two Senshi vanished in a bright beam of light.
Sailors Titan, Europa and Callisto shrugged at the same time then sat down on the couches that surrounded the low lying table in the center of the room. Callisto activated her organizer listing all the Senshi's bets that Sailor Charon was taking. It listed entries from Mars, Venus, Terra, Saturn and Jupiter. "I'm putting down fifty credits saying that she nails her."
Titan grinned. "Sun's too smart. Put me down for her avoiding the shot!"
Europa sighed.
========================================
A flash of light appeared five kilometers away and three kilometers in the sky from a spacious home in northern Crystal Tokyo. Hundreds of years ago, the area was called the Nerima district of Tokyo Japan but today it was the home of the Saotome-Tendo martial arts complex. The home of Sailors Io, Sun and Europa was in the center of the sprawling utopia for students of the art. Io materialized with Ganymede clutching her midsection and they began their free fall. Ganymede released Io to allow the yellow-skirted sniper to take her shot. In the space of two seconds, she locked on and squeezed the trigger.
========================================
Sailor Sun looked at herself in the mirror against the wall of her spacious bedroom. She looked over both of her shoulders to check if her wings weren't in the way of her formal gown. She frowned and held her henshin stick in the air calling out, "Sun Crystal Power! Make Up!" She spun in the air and changed into her Eternal Sailor Sun uniform with the puffed sleeves, longer gloves and same pair of annoying feathered wings that Eternal Sailor Moon had when she transformed into her Eternal form.
Sun sulked at the image before her. "What good are these wings if I can't use them to fly?" She did a slow pirouette to look at herself from all angles and still wasn't happy with her appearance. She stood with her legs apart holding her henshin stick high above her. "Sun Star Power! Make Up!" Flames engulfed her once again as she transformed into her original and most comfortable uniform. She adjusted her tiara and bows smiling at her reflection. "Much better." Sun was about to move away from the mirror when her danger sense kicked it. She was about to jump aside when an energy bolt flew in the window, hitting the Senshi in the arm knocking her down to the ground.
The red head was stunned and met the floor face first planting her nose into the lush carpet covering the ground. She muttered to no one. "I think I know who I can thank for this." BEEP! Her holographic communicator on her wrist projected an image of a happy Sailor Io with an ecstatic look on her face and her hair blowing upwards in a high wind.
"Gotcha! Ha ha ha!" Io glanced at something off camera as she was hitting some off screen control panel. "I'll be there in a second."
Sun grumbled something.
A flash of light appeared in the room leaving Sailor Io in its wake. She had activated one of Sailor Mercury's teleporters remotely to appear back in her bedroom in Crystal Tokyo. She shut off her sniper rifle and folded the stock. She slung it over her shoulder like a professional marksman. "That's what you get when you let your guard down Sun."
Sun grumbled again.
Io tapped her lover with the tip of her boot. "Get up sleepy head. I only hit you with a ten second stun charge which for you is maximum power."
The Senshi of the Sun grumbled a third time saying something about uncute macho tomboys. She lifted herself off the ground glaring at her wife all the way up to standing position. She took a deep breath. "Yeah, ya got me fair and square. I sensed you a little too late."
Io never stopped smiling. She pointed her finger at Sun to speak the mantra. "Always..."
Sun finished the sentence. "Keep your guard up. Don't remind me. I'm the one who's supposed to tell you that. So, how did you beam yourself without triggering the teleportation detection alarm?"
Sailor Ganymede appeared behind Sun. "I mimicked your Sun Beam Transport. You forgot that the detectors don't signal an alarm if the magic signature is yours."
Sun rubbed her arm. "I'll talk to Mercury about what we can do to fix that security hole." She turned to her wife. "Good shot dear. The point goes to you this time." She kissed her on the lips.
Io was pleased that her plan worked. The warrior elite as Sun's team was called, was on a perpetual state of alert with training exercises sprung on team members at any hour of any day. Sailor Sun would have it no other way. Io's part of the team was to train everyone on energy weapon avoidance with random sniper shots coming from any direction and time. Io took great pleasure in putting to sleep every member of the Queen's personal guard as she exposed flaws in the defense grid of the Crystal Palace. Sailor Sun was the most difficult person to blast, but then she was the best of the team.
Sun's method of training was much more brutal. She would teleport behind the guards and take them down with a martial arts blow. Her record was twenty-two guards knocked out in a single session before the alarm was triggered. Queen Serenity was not happy when Sailors Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Sun making a coordinated attack that stunned the outer perimeter guard using her wedding anniversary as a diversion last year. Queen Serenity and King Endymion stood at their balcony during a break in the festivities to see her guard's sleeping bodies placed on the grass below spelling out, "Happy Ann." The warrior elite ran out of guards to spell out the phrase completely but the message was delivered. Beef up security!
The King and Queen didn't mind Sun's antics and methods of training since they were a necessary evil. The warriors sworn duty was to protect the Earth from threats from within and without. Neo Queen Serenity learned from the mistakes of the past. When the Moon Kingdom existed, the first Queen Serenity ruled with only love and justice. But the enemies of peace used tactics and treachery that Serenity simply couldn't in good conscience use in return. As a result, millions of innocent people died when Queen Beryl attacked and the beautiful kingdom of the moon fell.
The Warrior Senshi were called to fill in that hole in their defense. The warrior's hearts were pure and kind but they all had a fire and spirit that allowed them to do things that only Sailor Uranus and Neptune could understand. Sailor Sun led the warriors on a never-ending quest to root out any potential threats to the people of Earth and to lead missions far from home.
Io massaged her husband's arm to relieve the tension that the energy blast gave her. "So dear, ready to go to see Chibi-Usa come back from the past."
"Yep. I'll have to get even more tough on that little spore since she missed out on her training for the last week."
"You forgot? She worked out with us on the roof."
"You remember that?"
"Yes I remember that. That was the time when Tokyo was overrun with giant lizards. That's something you don't forget, even after nine hundred years." Io pushed aside one of Sun's bangs. "You've been really hard on her. I think you should ease up just a little."
"What?" Sun turned to face her wife of nine hundred years. "At least I never chucked her into a pit of starving cats!"
Io massaged Sun's shoulders. "No, but you wanted to after she blasted our family katana when her ki blast went astray."
"Well she's lucky that the force field held. If she even put a scratch on..." Io quieted her husband with another kiss.
"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone." Ganymede rolled her eyes, hit her teleportation button and faded away.
Sailor Sun watched her fellow Senshi disappear. She changed back into Ranko. She plucked a light green squirt gun from nowhere and shot her own face with it. Ranma tossed the gun back into nothingness and embraced his wife. "I love you Akane."
"I love you Ranma." Io changed back to Akane and held her husband in a loving embrace.
========================================
Sailor Pluto stood at attention in the audience chamber in the Queen's palace in Crystal Tokyo. She took another look at her watch. "They should be here by now."
As if on cue, the doors opened and a group of Senshi ran in. Sailors Titan, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto stood at attention. Pluto looked at the four and shook her head. "Where's your leader?"
Ganymede and Europa exchanged worried glances. Europa stuttered, "I... I... I think my parents are still training."
Pluto stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Again? Which military base are they taking out this time? Or are they harassing Sailor Uranus and storming her castle?" Pluto rubbed her head in frustration hoping that those two Senshi weren't using this opportunity to try to break into the Gates of Time like they did four years ago. A bright flash of light appeared in the center of the room. Sailor Sun released Io who went to give her daughter a hug.
Europa was embarrassed. "Mom! Sailor Moon's going to be here at any moment."
Io let go of her daughter Sailor Europa. "Let's get ready then." Io stood in line with the rest of the warriors.
Sailor Sun took stock of her team. They were all accounted for except for Charon. "Where's Charon?"
Titan griped. "She's probably collecting the money from all the bets."
"What? Don't tell me that she ran another betting pool?"
Callisto clapped her hands. "I won the pool!"
"Callisto? You bet against me?"
Titan turned her head quickly so that her purple locks flew in a wide circle. "I thought you wouldn't get hit and now I'm out fifty credits." She peeked an eye from under her bangs. "You owe me!"
"Hey! I don't owe you a thing! You girls should already know that taking bets with Charon is a bad idea."
"But I won!" Callisto bounced.
"Chill out sugar." Ganymede mumbled while she grabbed the shoulders of her mate. "Or it's back to the couch for you."
"You never let me have any fun!"
Ganymede was about to scold her companion when the Inner Senshi arrived with the Outer Senshi following close behind.
Sailor Pluto wiped the sweat from her brow as she led everyone to their places. The girls formed a loose semi-circle around a small circle that was marked in the audience chamber. Pluto scanned the group and frowned. "Where's Moon's Senshi?"
Half of the collected girls shrugged while the others looked around as if the Amazon Quartet was hidden in the shadows. Mars tapped her chin in thought. "Aren't they on the moon?"
Venus nodded. "That's right. They were looking for a present for Sailor Moon. I hope they get here soon." She gave a small sigh. "They should have invited me. I know where the best stores are."
Pluto held her finger to her lips to quiet down the girls. "The King and Queen are here."
On cue, the main doors opened and the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo entered. King Endymion escorted his wife with Sailor Terra walking by Serenity's side. The Senshi of Earth was the only girl who came close to the Queen in the ability to love and make people put aside their differences.
Sun whispered to Io. "Where's Charon?"
Io whispered back. "How should I know? I wasn't in the betting pool."
"Well she's your..." A vortex appeared in the center of the room stopping the conversation.
Sailor Pluto stood before the vortex holding her time staff before her to keep it stable. A pink toned cat dropped out of the vortex and landed with a thud. Luna raced forward from Serenity's feet. "Diana! Are you all right?"
The little cat shook her head. "I'm all right, Mother." Diana hopped onto her feet then ran to her mother.
"Diana! You're supposed to land on your feet. What self respecting feline ever lands on their side like that?" Luna grabbed Diana by the scruff of the neck to carry her off for more feline training.
Sailor Pluto turned back to focus on the vortex after being distracted by Luna's mothering. A cathead shaped balloon flew in and hovered behind Pluto. Ten more seconds passed then a bolt of lightning flashed down and hit Pluto's time key. The winds blew harder swirling in an ever-expanding circle. A beam of light fell from the vortex and into the center of the room a pink haired girl fell from the sky, performed a somersault and landed in a gymnast's pose on her two feet. "Ta da! I'm back!"
Sailor Pluto waved her staff making the vortex instantly vanish. She held her time key off to her side. "Welcome home Chibi-Usa!"
Chibi-Usa felt a tinge of sorrow for those people she had left behind in the past. She smiled back at the collected crowd who began clapping. They all cheered. "Welcome home!"
The daughter of the Queen was at a loss for words. She rushed forward and held her mother. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Sailor Charon was leaning in the doorway. She had the same aloofness as her counterpart Sailor Pluto. She waited for the party to die down before she made her move.
Ganymede asked Moon, "Did you deliver my presents?"
"Yeah. It happened just like you said it would."
Ganymede rubbed her temples. "Well, since my memories are intact and I didn't vanish, I guess everything went ok. I hate time travel."
Several hours passed by. The Amazon Quartet finally arrived with a collection of holographic novels of her adventures with Godzilla. Of course, the pink haired girl would note the dozens of ways the movies would depart from what really happened but then, it was a Hollywood production and not real life.
Sailor Charon tapped Chibi-Usa's shoulder once she was no longer constantly being mobbed. "You know what I want."
Chibi Usa whined like her mother. "I just got here!"
"You got here four hours and twelve minutes ago. I've got a ship standing by and they charge by the hour."
Usa clapped her hands. Luna-P flew next to the party girl. Usa pressed the balloon's cat nose to pop open it's hatch. She pulled out the DNA samples and handed it to Charon. "I got them all including the big guy."
Charon smiled a smile of genuine gratitude. "Thanks. Let's see if this trip was worth it." With that, she walked off to meet up with her spacecraft.
"Oh Charon, stop being so serious." Usa looked back at her friends. "It was worth it."
========================================
Planet TK-2202 was the third planet from a yellow star over thirty thousand light years from Earth. It was a lonely place. Sailor Charon had a mission and she wasn't going to fail. Her chartered ship landed on the pad near a heavily armored research station. She emerged from the hatch, walking to the main entrance. She inserted her card key to unlock the armored door.
The lab had the best cloning vats money could buy. Charon had lived several lifetimes to collect her vast wealth and was determined to make her dream a reality. She handed the ampoules and the memory crystal with the Genome sequences to her lead scientist. He inserted the crystal into the computer, pressed a few buttons and a hologram of a Panda appeared.
Charon smiled. "I hadn't seen one of those since..." She gave an approving look to her team. "I'll be seeing one again soon."
Dr. Anderson checked the data. "It looks like you will. We have complete Genome sequences for five specimens. Two male, three female, we'll have no problem bringing back this species." Another creature appeared on the screen. "Condor, this will be difficult since we have only two samples but it's a breeding pair. It's going to take a few years but no more than a decade and this bird will fly again."
He skipped the files right to the last one. The image of Godzilla appeared. "Twenty two Genome sequences on file." He could barely hold back his excitement. "We should have the first embryos fertilized in a few weeks."
Charon gave an approving nod. "Very well Doctor, keep me posted on the progress. This nature preserve will be second to none in the galaxy. Oh and don't forget to move your people to the orbital station once the Godzillas are introduced to the ecosystem. I don't want anyone getting hurt." She turned to leave her employees to do their work. She stopped as a maintenance worker walked by. "I need you to do something for me."
Charon looked out the window of the shuttlecraft as it lifted off to return to Earth. She silently thought. "Damn I'm good. Save the whales and made a credit while doing it. I've certainly outdone myself." Sailor Charon felt warm and fuzzy. She was a soldier of love and justice and with her lifespan, she could make investments that would take decades to make a credit. She had the best of both worlds. She had Ranma to thank for this.
As the ship flew off into the sky. A janitor unpacked a crate of supplies left behind. He pulled out a plaque, dusted it and mounted it on the outside of the laboratory wall.
"Crystal Tokyo nature preserve. Created to honor those creatures that mankind had dishonored in the past."
"Dedicated to the loving memories of Soun, Kimiko and Hinako Tendo."
It was signed in the English signatures of several Sailor Senshi. One signature was slightly larger than the rest.
Author's Notes: Please review my story. It makes me feel oh so happy and prevents me from sharpening my claws on your bones.
Last edited on January 25th, 2007