The disclaimer, practically every character here is NOT mine. They all belong to their respective company. I am using a lot of them, so I can't list them all. Besides, I am gonna add more series to the story later on. Don't sue me. You won't get a penny out of me. Trust me, you won't. For others, there are SOME characters I made up, but who cares? I don't. Ranma Crossover fanfic first fanfic alert!!! draft alert!!! and... Ah heck, read at your own risk. STALLION Chapter 4. < The girls said, aah! who are you? Then they screamed, aaaahh!! who's that hunk? > Part 1. A helicopter had been hovering over the park for last hour. It belonged to Tokyo News Station. It was the best news media in town. The station was also well known for excellent treatment of its employees. However, despite a good salary and flexible hours, the pilot of the helicopter was not happy right now. He had nothing to complain about the company though. It was just one of those damn reporters. They nagged and nagged and nagged. "What took you so long?" "Can't you fly any faster?" "Don't be a wussy." "Can't you even do that right?" Those idiots who wouldn't last a minute with the handle did not know how to appreciate a fine pilot such as himself. Like the one beside him right now. "Hey, come on! Get me to where Sailor Scouts are! I wanna get a clip of those ladies!!" "But what about those people we saw down there? Aren't we going to help them?" "Aw, screw them!! They were running away fine. We gotta get a take of the Sailor Scouts! That's what people want!" "Um, okay..." "Good, good! It will be more exciting than watching some boring family!" The reporter hadn't got a break like this for a LONG time. He really wanted to get something out of this disaster. If he could get those women in fuku broadcast on the air, his boss might think twice before lecturing him again about how to find a great story. What could be simpler? Sailor Scouts in battle, or a bunch of people running away? There was absolutely no way that family could have something as exciting as the mysterious lady heroes. His boss was right. This reporter DID need a lesson on how to find a great story. The fight between the mysterious monsters and the space-pirate hunter started only some moments ago, but it was almost over. Although the numbers were on the monsters' side, they were absolutely no match for Minagi. She actually took her time fighting her opponents, trying some new techniques here and there. She was very confident in her skills and she didn't hesitate to use them. However, she failed to notice the appearance of the winged creatures because she focused her attention solely on eliminating her opponents on the ground. At the corner, Tenchi was seriously praying to heaven. He didn't know what had gone wrong. Today was supposed to be a break AWAY from his 'normal' weirdness. But so far he had been glared by strangers, had a watch explode ON him, and had taken one hell of a ride, so to speak. The day seemed to improve a bit when he met his aunt Nodoka, but it slid down all the way when those monsters showed up. Then Minagi suddenly came from nowhere and started to swing that energy sword of her; right in front of his aunt! Tenchi couldn't see a way out of this... That was when he discovered the new threat. In the air. He looked up just in time to spot something descending towards Minagi. "Look out!!" Instinctively, he drew Tenchi-ken out of his pocket and slashed it at the flying object. A little explosion destroyed the creature and its remains, just like its ground colleagues. Tenchi discovered two more coming from the side, so he spun around quickly and thrust forward his sword. The blade went through the both of them, and they exploded. Minagi was surprised when she heard Tenchi's shout, and even more shocked when she saw something coming right at her. But help came just in time when Tenchi cut that one in half and sishkebobbed the other two. There were more of them, but it seemed like Tenchi had them under control, so she went back to taking care of the ground force. Tenchi also saw more of the monsters' aerial reinforcement. He grasped his sword with both hands. The flying things then began to fly straight down to him. He busily swatted and slashed the things as they came. For the next few minutes, all that could be seen was the blue blur that went through the winged creatures' bodies, which soon exploded in red flame. Tenchi's attention was so focused on fighting that he had forgotten about Nodoka and the other spectators... Soon Minagi and Tenchi had finished cleaning up the rest of the enemies. Confidently Minagi put away her energy sword, while Tenchi did the same rather with relief. It seemed that there weren't any more of the monsters around them. Minagi took this chance to give appreciation and compliment to the man who just had saved her. "Good job, Tenchi-san. I'm glad you were here with me." Tenchi, being so ever modest, scratched his head shyly. "Heheh. No, I wasn't much. You fought off more than me. I just helped a little." "No, don't be so modest. If you weren't here watching my back, I would have lost." "Heheheh. No, there were some other people here too. I am sure they would have warned you or something......" 'Eh?' Minagi saw him pale and freeze all of sudden. The pirate hunter blinked her eyes, not knowing what was wrong. Tenchi had just realized something. He had used Tenchi-ken. In front of his aunt, and a bunch of strangers! He was going to have trouble with an explanation for Minagi alone; how was he going to explain himself? Laughing nervously, he turned to where Nodoka and the Tendos stood a moment ago. "Um, I can explain..." "Such a nice day for a game of shogi. Isn't it, Saotome?" "I agree, Tendo." "Akane, pass me the sandwich." "Okay, Nabiki. Is there something to drink there, Kasumi?" "Why, of course. Do you want something, Auntie Nodoka?" "No, I am fine. But perhaps Sasami-chan here would like something." "I would like a cup of tea, please! Ah, Tenchi-niichan! Minagi! You are finished. Come and eat with us!" BAM!!! Hitting the concrete with his face REALLY hurt, the Juraian Prince had learned. "Silence Glaive Surprise!" A wave from Sailor Saturn's weapon struck the monsters again. The battle had become a one-sided slaughter by now. The monsters kept coming at her, but only from one direction, making it easier for her to use her special attack. All she had to do was to hit her enemies with the power of her Silence Glaive. 'I can do this.' Sailor Saturn told herself as she prepared for another attack. She had never fought without at least one of her guardians alongside of her. Sometimes Pluto herself showed up to assist the Senshi of Silence. It wasn't that Sailor Saturn lacked power, but actually because she was TOO powerful. The Outers always accompanied her just in case she lost control of that power. Well, it was the original intention. But Saturn soon learned that they cared for her very much now. What began as a safe measure ended up as teamwork, family love even. She could feel the protectiveness and caring from the eyes of Uranus and Neptune, and had been rather enjoying it. It was very comforting to be under someone else's wing sometimes. But right now things were different. She was alone against her opponents but she had someone to protect. Sailor Saturn was a force to be reckoned with, and she made no hesitation to prove it this time. Being a protector gave her new strength, and a feeling that she had never felt before. It was something that warmed her heart, and she loved it. She wouldn't let those monsters ruin it. With one more wave of Silence, the last lines of monsters fell down. Their bodies soon exploded, leaving only ashes as the proof of their existence. The road before Sailor Saturn was now covered with so much ash that it looked like it had been burned by a massive fire. But there wasn't any threat left on it. Saturn sighed with relief and confidence. She had done her job. She had protected the man who was hurt, trying to protect her. Now since both of them were safe, she would have to get him some medical attention. Although she had treated his wounds, the man had lost some blood. It would be best if she found him some help as soon as possible. But when Sailor Saturn returned to the spot, the man was gone. "Oh no! Saotome-san!" She looked around to make sure she came to the right spot. But the man was gone without a trace. At least it didn't look like the monsters got him though, since there weren't any footprints left. But there weren't any footprints for himself either. It was as if... the man flew away. Saturn began to panic. Somehow someone managed to get Saotome-san out of there. Whether it was someone friendly, or someone dangerous, she didn't know. She hadn't expected this to happen. She just didn't know what to do. Boom!! Then she heard an explosion not far away from her. She turned her head just to hear some more noise. There was something going on, maybe the reason these monsters showed up in the first place. Saturn hesitated a bit, not wanting to fight more than she had to. But she knew she would have to take the chance if it meant finding Saotome-san somehow. He might be in danger already, and if he died all she had done so far today would be pointless. With determination set in her heart, Sailor Saturn began to run. "Ah..." The youngest Norn slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her deep sleep. The first thing she saw was her older sister, who now had a relieved expression on her face. "Belldandy-neesan...?" Then Skuld realized that she was lying on the older goddess' lap. She also remembered the monsters. She abruptly stood up, half-expecting her and her sister to be surrounded by the evil creatures. But all she could find was some soot-black marks on the sidewalk and a crisp Urd. "Huh? What happened to the monsters?" Belldandy, with her ever so peaceful smile, answered her younger sister. "Urd and father... took care of them." "Oh, okay... Then why is Urd out cold like that?" Belldandy's smile soon turned rather uncomfortable, as she pointed her finger at the message her father had sent. "Huh? Oh. Let's see... 'Stop swearing, Urd. YOUR FATHER...' Ooooookay...." Skuld now understood the situation. Whenever it involved Urd, things had the tendency to be rather predictable. "Heh, she probably made HIM upset with her mouth. She somehow managed to get zapped even AFTER the monsters were gone. How troublesome. So typical of Urd, I say." "Oh, that's rich coming from YOU." "Hey, what's wrong with me... Aaaaaah!! Urd! When did you wake up?!?" "Ever since "Then why Urd is out cold like that."" "Um okay. Anyway, tell me! What's wrong with me saying that?!" "Oh, you got 'lot of nerve! Passed out from just seeing those monsters!! You've been nothing but trouble all day! If you weren't here, I would have wiped the floor with them a long time ago!!" Skuld flinched a little. Urd was right in saying that she had passed out before the fight. The young goddess didn't have much leverage in this argument. However, one thing was always true about Skuld. She was very persistent and hated to lose, especially to her oldest sister. "Hah! I would like to see that, if that's possible!! You can't do anything like that with your second class license!!" "Hey, wait a minute! You are a second class, too!" "Yeah, but at least I'm young! You have been a goddess longer than I have. In fact, you've been a goddess longer than Belldandy-neesan!" Urd's eyebrow started to twitch. There was one thing that always embarrassed her and it was being only a second class goddess despite her experience. True, she didn't care that much for others' opinion, but whenever Skuld brought out that subject somehow she could irritate Urd like no other. "Why you little ingrate!!" "What, you wanna go for it?!" Even as her sisters began to quarrel, Belldandy smiled, now sitting on a nearby bench. She was so glad that her sisters got along fine(?). They might look like they were fighting, but she knew that deep in their hearts, this was just one of their ways of communication. "Take this, you brat!!" Zzzaapp!! "Ouch! You old hag!!" Kaboom!! Rather painful one, but at least they were communicating. The Juraian Prince was in turmoil. For some reason, Minagi and his fight against the weird creatures didn't phase the Saotomes and Tendos a bit. Right now he was sitting on a blanket, being served a piece of sandwich along with a cup of tea by Kasumi. While he was glad that they weren't tearing his head off for an explanation, he somehow suspected that he got himself associated with something more dangerous than his normal chaotic days.(1) Minagi and Sasami didn't suspect a thing, as they happily accepted the wonderful treat from the oldest Tendo sister. But the moment Tenchi had dreaded finally came. "By the way, Masaki-kun. What's that thing you used during the fight?" "Eh?! Um, Tendo-san, that is, um..." "Nabiki will do fine. Now, tell me what that was. It doesn't look anything like that came from Earth." "Eheheheh, Nabiki-san... that's, um..." The words were stuck in Tenchi's throat. He couldn't possibly tell Nabiki what Tenchi-ken was. He wouldn't be able to even if he wanted to, without explaining the part about his alien heritage. But the look on her eyes was an incentive that was stronger than truth syrum. "Oh, Masaki-kun. Come on. You can tell me. We are family here, EVENTUALLY." "Eh?" The last words from Nabiki confused Tenchi. What did she mean by that? "What's wrong, Tenchi-san?" Minagi's question brought Nabiki's attention back to her. The middle Tendo asked a new question to the hunter in space, giving Tenchi a moment to breathe. However the question itself brought another anguishment to his poor mind. "By the way, who are you?" "Me? Um, I am Minagi." Right then the blue-haired princess chimed in too. "She is a space pirate hunter! Isn't that cool?" "HUH?!?" Now every member of Tendo Dojo became wide-eyed at hearing this. Tenchi felt all the color draining out of his face as he watched Nodoka and her family blink at hearing Minagi's identity. Then the each of them slowly started to react to the news. "Ah, an alien. That explains it. Kasumi, you got another sandwich there?" "Yes, Nabiki. Now, that's nice. It's like a police man, right? Or should I say a police woman?" "No, no, Kasumi. She is a bounty hunter. That's it, right?" "Akane might be right. However, she is still doing something so brave and honorable, hunting down the evil in this world. That's so beautiful. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" "Tendo, it's your turn now. Kasumi? Can I get another one of your fabulous sandwiches?" "Dear husband! You already ate more than half in the basket! Anyway, young miss. Isn't that a little dangerous? I mean, I don't think such a nice and pretty lady like yourself should do something so brutal and unladylike." BAM!! Again, the prince had his head in the dirt. Now this wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. The fact that Minagi was an alien didn't seem to bother Nodoka and her family much. After the initial shock they had shown, they already shrugged it off. He couldn't complain, but he also felt very nervous for some reason. Minagi and Sasami didn't notice a thing, as they happily chatted with the Saotomes and Tendos. After a while, Sasami asked something that she had been wondering for a while. "By the way, where is Tenchi's cousin?" "Wait. Tenchi-san has a cousin?" "Yes, Minagi. I think his name was Ranma or something..." Nodoka smiled proudly at hearing her son's name. "Why yes, Sasami-chan. His name is Ranma. Saotome Ranma. You will like him when you meet him." The other members in the picnic also started to respond to that name. "Now I think about it, where is that baka? We haven't seen him since we came in here." "Probably one of his 'friends' showed up or something." "Oh I hope he is alright. More tea, father?" "Why thank you, Kasumi. Now, I don't think we have to worry about Ranma. He IS the heir of our school, after all. Huh? Where did that piece come from?" "It's always been there, Tendo. However, that ingrate son of mine is too late. I am gonna have to teach him a lesson or two later for being so tardy." After recovering from such a hard fall on his face, Tenchi joined the conversation to ease the sense of doom he had been feeling, only to find a new one. "Wait a minute. Do you mean Ranma is here, too?" "Why yes, Tenchi-chan. Or rather, he is SUPPOSED to be here. I hope he didn't get lost. This is such a big place..." "Now hold on a minute! We just met a bunch of monsters!! What if some of those monsters saw Ranma?! He could've been hurt!!" That brought a worried expression on Minagi and Sasami's faces. Although they didn't know this Ranma personally, him being a cousin of Tenchi was enough reason for them to care for his safety. However, Tenchi's worried exclamation only brought out laughter from the rest. "Wahahahahaa!! Don't worry! My son can take care of himself." "Saotome's right. Ranma is the heir of Anything Goes! He'll be fine." "Oh, of course. Ranma is quite skilled. He will be alright. More sandwich?" "Thanks, Kasumi. Well, if he wasn't as skilled as he was, I'd have gone bankrupt a long time ago." Some better explanations came from Akane and Nodoka. But they weren't all that better either. "That baka knows one thing for sure, alright, and that's fighting. Those monsters wouldn't stand a chance against a real monster, like Happousai, and Ranma can still stand up to him." "Your cousin has grown to be such a manly man, Tenchi-chan. You don't have to worry about him." This time he didn't fall to the ground. His lower jaw did, though. He had no idea what was going on here. First, they weren't very surprised to find out that there was an alien with them, and now they weren't even worried about a member of their own family. If Tenchi didn't know any better, he might have criticized them of being so cruel. But he could clearly see that they were so confident about Ranma's ability. What he couldn't understand was how they could be so confident about his cousin against such inhumane opponents. With a still bewildered voice, Tenchi asked again. "Um, I don't know what's going on here, but you guys are not worried about Ranma, at all?" Everyone there, minus Minagi and Sasami, shook their head. "But how? He is just a regular boy! You saw those things, didn't you? How could he have a chance against THOSE?" Nabiki smirked before she answered. "But you did, didn't you?" "Eh, um, yes. But I had some help, and this!" Tenchi held out his Tenchi-ken in front of Nabiki, who still didn't look so impressed. "...which I still don't know what it is. Never mind that. The point is, you haven't seen Ranma for a while, but we have. Hey, we all have been living in the same house with him for a year. If you lived with us for the past twelve months, you wouldn't be so worried either." "But that doesn't explain a thing! Whatever might have happened to him with in a year, he is still a normal human being!"(2) At this, Nabiki snickered and answered rather casually. "When was the last time you met your cousin? A century ago?" "Huh?" Then Nodoka spoke up, breaking up the two. "There is nothing to worry about Ranma. He will be fine. Nevertheless, he is still too late, and today was supposed to be our day out as a whole family. We should start looking for him. He might be lost." "But No-chan! Why do WE have to move our butt for one lazy slob? I say we wait till he shows up... Tendo, let's go!! He is the future of our school, and we can't waste a minute in this dump before we find him!" "Huh? Why all the hurry, Saotome? Oh, I see. You are right, my friend! A martial artist should never leave a matter unattended. Let's leave right now!" Then they stood up quickly and left just as suddenly. Actually, a glimmering katana being waved in front of their eyes would do that to anyone. Nodoka silently put her sword back in its sheath, and turned to the rest with a smile. "Now, shall we go, too?" Everyone, including the Masaki team, nodded very eagerly. "Hiyaaaahh!!" With a swing, Uranus cut another youma in half. Then she swung her space sword sideways to detach another one's head from its body, which soon exploded into ash. While hand-to-hand combat was one of her specialties, she knew that her special attack would have worked better against multiple opponents like this case. But right now she was not in a safe position to use that tactic. She and Neptune were separated in the group of youmas, and there was a chance that they might hit each other with their own attack. It wasn't a chance that Uranus was willing to take. Neptune wasn't all that comfortable with physical fighting herself, but she wasn't doing all that badly. The transformation into Sailor Neptune gave her far superior strength and agility than normal human beings. While these demons weren't normal beings, they were not even close to her level of power. Between the two of them, the monsters were no match, as they began to break down. The Outer Senshis had an upper hand in this fight. Until the new enemies showed up. Things changed suddenly, when Sailor Uranus was almost hit by the flying object. She swerved just in time and it flew past her, right into one of the youmas. Boom!! The explosion knocked the short-haired Senshi a few meters away. She was stopped by a concrete wall which was then cracked by the impact. Sailor Uranus fell down on her knees. "Uranus!" Neptune shouted and ran towards her partner. Fortunately for her, the monsters were all so confused by the sudden turn of events that they just stood there for a while. This gave Sailor Neptune enough time to reach Uranus. She kneeled beside Uranus with concern clear on her face. "Uranus, are you okay?" "Yeah... I am fine. That didn't hurt too much..." But Sailor Uranus was hurt more than she looked. If she hadn't transformed, her backbone would have shattered at the impact. Even with her improved endurance the damage done was not so minor. Her entire back was really sore and she had a hard time breathing. She had to lean on her Space Sword in order to stand up. Her organs inside the cavity weren't feeling good either. Not that she would show it though. Sailor Uranus slowly stood up to face the approaching threats. "I don't know what that was, but it seems clear that it wasn't on our side..." Sailor Neptune looked back to find that her fellow Senshi was correct. In the air, some sort of flying creatures, which looked like crows with a bad hair day, hovered above the monsters. Things didn't look so great for the Senshis. But Neptune realized that since both of them were together, they would be able to use their special attacks. With both of their power, the monsters would be no problem. Those things on the air, however, created a whole new problem. 'But we got to try...' "Uranus, use your World Shaking against the ones on the ground. I will try to take out those with my Deep Submerge." "Would that work? No offense to you, but those things can fly. Your attack might not be so effective against them." "But we have no choice. It's either we get rid of them, or they will get rid of us..." "I guess you are right. Okay! Leave those bastards to me! I'll make them regret messing with us!" "*giggle* I am sure." "Hey, what's that supposed to mean??" "*giggle* Nothing." The seriousness returned to both of their faces though, since the monsters were dangerously close to them now. "World Shaking!" Uranus's earth-based attack dashed towards the approaching enemies, and hit them in the middle. The first front of the monsters turned into pieces, and soon into ash. Uranus used her special attack again to destroy the next line of monsters that stepped over the ash. "World Shaking!" "Deep Submerge!" So far their tactic was working. Neptune's Deep Submerge brought a huge tide big enough to cover the portion of the air right above them, preventing the flying creatures from getting too close. Their ground strategy was doing even better, eliminating almost half of their opponents in mere minutes. But their defense over the air was being penetrated. It took some time for Neptune to prepare another attack, and even when the attack started, several seconds had to pass before it became effective. Ever so slowly, the flying creatures began to get nearer and nearer. Then one of the winged creature succeeded in catching up to the Senshis before Sailor Neptune could call another Deep Submerge. Whether it was coincidence or not, its target was Neptune herself. "Neptune, look out!!" "Eeeeeek!!" Between the loud warning of Uranus and the louder scream of Neptune, the creature began to descend, right into its prey... "Silence Wall!" A yell rang through their ears, and suddenly the creature exploded as if it was hit by an invisible barrier. When the dust had settled down, Uranus and Neptune saw the blade of Silence Glaive shining before them. "Hota... Saturn!" There she stood, with her glaive in her hand. After she took down her barrier, she turned to her comrades and gave them a brief smile before she spoke. "Sorry I am late." "Heheheh, no problem, kiddo! Let's fry these jackasses!!" "*sigh* Making us worried like that... Got hell of timing though." Hearing the casual response from Uranus and the caring concern of Neptune, Saturn smiled once again. In her mind the matter of Saotome still rang, but she knew she had to help them first. After that maybe they might allow her to search for him. She took a brief moment to pray that he would be alright, and then she cast her magic again to stop another group of flying attackers. "Silence Wall!" Boom!! A big explosion scattered in the air as many creatures were hit by the barrier at once. The aftershock created a chain reaction, as it caused the ones behind to collide with each other and to create an even larger blast. KABOOM!! The TV station helicopter was nearing its destination. The reporter had never been so excited in his life. "Finally!! The breaking news I've been waiting for!! I'll show him!! I'll show my boss who really is boss around here!! Mr. pilot!! Can't you go any faster?!" "Be quiet, MR. REPORTER. I am going as fast as I can. This is a helicopter, not a jet. Besides, we are almost there. There. Can you see?" The reporter jumped to the window. Down below he could see not one, not two, but THREE Sailor Scouts battling the mysterious creatures. "YES! YES! I CAN SEE THEM!! Get them on the camera! GET THEM ON THE CAMERA!!" KABOOM!! Today wasn't meant to be his break though, as the sudden large blast in the air caused the helicopter to lose its balance. "Aaaaack!! What are you doing?!?" "It's not me!! The helicopter is outta control! I can't keep its balance!" "Well, do something! I got to get those ladies on the camera!!" Beep beep! "Uh-oh" "Uh-oh?! What do you mean "Uh-oh!?!" What's wrong now!?!?!" "We are too close to the ground..." "SO?!?! What does that mean?!" "Well, it means we have to raise our altitude, or we might crash into the ground..." Wham!! "...or into a very, very tall tree..." "Noooooooooo!!!!" Despite the desperate scream of the reporter, the helicopter floated away from the Senshis, before it finally dropped out of sky and landed awkwardly on the ground. Crash!! Fortunately the helicopter didn't explode. But everyone inside would have felt less pain right now if it did. "Get them on the camera... Get them on... the camera..." Only the almost unconscious mumble of the reporter could be heard from the junk that once was a fine piece of technology. It was a good thing he was out cold, or he would have seen their OTHER fine piece of technology in the bits and pieces... The battle was intense. Almost nothing in the area was safe from it. Every lamp post was now merely a smoldering scrap of metal. The sidewalk had several craters. It was not a pretty sight. "Lightning Strike!" "Neo Skuld Bomb!" ZZZAAAPP!!! KABOOM!! "Oooff!!" "Eeeeeeeeeekk!" But the appearance of these two goddesses had to beat all of them all for the first place in the Award of the Worst Look of the day. Urd's face was covered with soot. Her clothes WAS the soot. It barely held itself together with what was left of the fabric. Although the goddess of the past had a killer body any male would kill for, she didn't look all that attractive at the moment. However, nobody would have told her that right now, nor would she have listened, since she was too busy trying to fry her sister. Skuld was no better. All of her hair stood on their ends. Her head now looked like a giant hedgehog, only with curly hair. Her blouse had holes in some places, especially around her back. This was due to her mallet acting as a lightning rod. She would have taken it off if she knew that. But she didn't for now, since she was too busy trying to blow up her sister. Through all this, Belldandy calmly sipped her cup of tea, which she got from only her FATHER knew where. After a while, both combatants were out of action. After almost emptying out her magic reserve, Urd finally collapsed from the blasts she had been hit with. Skuld was lying flat on her back, without a single bomb left in her pocket. She also had felt the burn from when all that electricity went through her body. They were out cold for more than half an hour. Through all this, Belldandy quietly read her book, which she also took out from the same place that teacup came from. By the time Urd and Skuld barely got back on their feet, Belldandy had gotten all the rest she needed. She stood up and spoke to her sisters with a smile on her face. "Now, shall we go and look for the source of the problem?" Both of the goddesses just stared at their always cheerful sister. They barely could keep standing up with all the sore muscles throughout their bodies, and there she stood, smiling. Didn't she know that they were in EXTREME pain right now? But then, even with this, they couldn't really get angry with Belldandy. "*sigh* Give us a few minutes, okay? I ain't feeling that strong right now." "Yeah, Belldandy-neesan. I know it's our duty and all, but I REALLY want some rest." "Oh dear. You guys are not feeling well? Maybe you guys are coming down with the flu or something." BAM!! Two new face prints were implanted onto the sidewalk of the park. Oh well, at least the faces were beautiful... Belldandy(whether she was oblivious or didn't care, nobody would know) sat next to her sisters and took out a picnic basket. "Snack, anyone?" "Hey, replacement! Get two more double chocolate buckets from the back!!" "Yessir!" Megumi ran frantically to the back of the store to obey the order. She wasn't very enthusiastic the first time when the clerk told her to do something. A long, painful lecture in front of large audience fixed that problem right up though. But she got to admit. These buckets weighed tons. Megumi wasn't a fragile lady, but she was a woman. 'How could HE tell a girl like me to carry something so heavy? No, forget that. Why do I have to do this anyway?' She sighed, knowing that the question wouldn't be answered for now. She had no idea what kind of an emergency Urd had, but it just wasn't fair to make her work instead. 'I am going to have a long talk with her after this.' With that thought in her mind, Megumi came back to the counter, where a large crowd suddenly formed around it. "I'll have a triple sundae!" "I want a extra-jumbo banana split!" "An eighteen-inch ice cream cake, please." "Give me twelve chocolate double scoop!!" The clerk was busily taking the order and scooping the ice cream. When he saw Megumi dumbly standing at the door with the bucket still in her hand, he scowled. "Whatcha standing there for? We got the crowd from Lose-tons aerobic club! It looks like we are going to have to bring out all the buckets from the fridge. Get right on it!" "Um, that's what? Five? Ten?" "Fifty. Now come on! We haven't got all day!!" Leaving that words the clerk returned to the customers, missing Megumi slowly slumping down on her knees. When her knees finally reached the ground, she just fell backward, her mind going into the bliss of oblivion. Back at the temple, a Mission Impossible was taking its place. "That's the onions right there." Keiichi, who had a six-years old body now by the way, stood on a chair beside the kitchen counter. He held a cutting board full of sliced onions over his head, and poured the contents into the large pot on the gas range. "Now, I put some sauce and boil it. It's simple!" Right now Keiichi was trying to make a kind of stew. He wasn't a cooking expert, and things were even harder in his current small body. But he somehow managed to put all the ingredients into this gigantic pot. It was hard, but he prevailed at the end. He was so proud of himself. He turned on the fire to start boiling. Then he got a bottle of soy sauce to put some taste. But Keiichi found another obstacle between him and a hot meal. "Uh-on. The pot is too high!!" He was right. Keiichi was relatively small for his age, before and after the change. The pot was really humongous. How Belldandy carried it around, he would never know. Besides, just putting the sauce wasn't enough. He would have to taste the stew in between the cooking, a task impossible with his current size. He needed a foot stool fast. Keiichi looked around the counter, and found just the perfect thing. There was an extra pot, one just as big as this one, put upside down on the counter. With an effort, he moved it beside the now-warm pot. He climbed up there with a large spoon in his mouth and the sauce bottle in one hand. Now Keiichi could see the contents in the pot from above. He put some soy sauce into the pot. The black color began to spread around, and soon the kitchen was filled with wonderful smell. "Now for the tasting..." Keiichi leaned down towards the pot to take a sip with his spoon, not realizing that he shifted his center of gravity a bit too much forward. Apparently NIT didn't teach him enough physics, as he fumbled and fell right into the pot. "AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" One Keiichi stew, coming right up. "!?" Belldandy suddenly looked up as she felt a sudden chill. She felt as if she heard Keiichi screaming for help. "Wha's wwong, Beww? Ba duh wai, cah I habe anodher cub?" "Oh, sure, Urd." Belldandy shrugged if off as she poured another cup of tea for her older sister. She put up a ward strong enough to repel any demons away from the temple. He should be safe in any case. There was still a small nagging voice in the back of her mind though......(3) The Masakis and co. were looking for Ranma when they heard a series of explosions not far away. "What was that?" "I don't know, Tenchi-san. But I think there is a battle going on over there." Nabiki jerked her fingers towards the source of the noise and commented. "I bet THAT's where Ranma is."(4) "Huh? How can you be so sure?" Tenchi's question brought the attention of the Ice Queen. She looked at him with a rather surprised face. "Boy, you REALLY haven't met your cousin for a while, have you?" "Eh?" "If there is any fight around, Ranma would show up there EVENTUALLY." Everyone from Tendo Dojo nodded their head in agreement, leaving others in puzzlement. Nodoka then spoke again. "Let's go there. Like Nabiki said, that's our best choice." Nodoka started to walk away, chatting casually with the Tendo sisters. The two men of the house soon followed, occasionally casting a nervous glance at the bundle on her back. Tenchi and his friends just stood there confused. Sasami finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Tenchi-niichan? What kind of person is this Ranma, anyway?" "I don't know, Sasami-chan. I thought I did, but I am not so sure now." "Tenchi-san? Are all of your Earth relatives so weird?" "She wasn't like this when we first met..." After he answered Minagi's question, Tenchi sighed and followed the family ahead. The Outers were still in the midst of the battle. Unlike before, however, they were advancing. The number and the resistance of their enemies increased as they advanced, but with all three of them present, the monsters had no chance of stopping them. "These monsters came from a light ball, you said? Then where did that light ball came from?" "I don't know, Uranus. We are just going to have to find out on our own." "We might be getting close. There are more and more of them coming. Look! There's another group." All three Outer Senshi took their battle stances. Whatever they were looking for must be near if these bastards kept showing up around here. They would finish up these bothersome crowd fast, and would soon get to the bottom of this. Boom! "Did you hear that? I think there is a fight going on." "Makoto's right. I bet it's the Outers." Minako agreed with Makoto, and all the Senshis nodded too. They could hear some faint battle noises and explosions from far away. The Outers must be already engaged in a battle. All the Inners and Chibi Usa were inside the park. Sneaking past the police guards was hard, but not impossible. They had been hiding their true Senshi identity for quite some time, so being sneaky was no problem for them. Usagi just wished that they could wait for Mamoru, but Luna INSISTED that they should leave right away. "What are we waiting for? Let's go?" "*sigh* I don't think you should come with us, Chibi-Usa. Why didn't you wait for Mamo-chan?" "Hey! I am a Senshi, too, Usagi! Besides, Hotaru-chan is my friend!" "But still..." "No but! Moon Crisis Make Up!" After a bright light, Chibi-Usa transformed. Then she spoke to Usagi before she took off alone. "I am going to fight whether you like it or not!" "He, hey! Chibi Moon!! *sigh* Oh well. Moon Eternal Make Up!" "Wait for us, Usagi! Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!" "Gee, aren't they in a hurry. Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!" "You said it. Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!" "*sigh* Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!" Soon all the Inners began to run after Chibi Moon, towards the beginning of new battle. They would have to help the Outers if they were in trouble, how unlikely that might be. The Outers were quite strong. It must be their fellow Senshis fighting over there. Who else could be powerful enough to stand up against youmas? They were right about the first part, but was wrong about the second... Urd and Skuld had gotten their rest, enjoying Belldandy's tea and snack, which they didn't DARE to ask where it came from. Sometimes ignorance was bliss. Besides they were too busy gulping down munchies. They were just so good. After they washed the snack down their throat with a cup of tea, they finally exhaled with contentment. Belldandy was very glad that her sisters enjoyed her cookies so much. But a serious expression returned to the middle goddess of Norn, as she began to speak about their situation. "The monsters appearing around here... Don't you think it's suspicious somehow?" "Eh? What do you mean, oneesan?" Urd rolled her eyes, and began to explain to her little sister. "What she means is, there isn't any gate through hell around here, not the ones we know anyway. Which means that there is SOMEONE with enough power to open a temporary one, who MIGHT be the one we have been looking for. That's what you've been thinking, ain't it?" "Not quite. I don't think this incident has anything to do with the one we've been searching for." "Huh?" "*sigh* I got one smart sister and one dumb one. I guess it evens out a little..." Suddenly the youngest goddess grabbed her mallet and waved it menacingly in front of Urd, who wasn't all that impressed. "Just WHAT are you implying?!?" "Nothing. *smirk* I didn't say anything much. Why? Does that bother you?" "Why you..." Skuld knew it was a losing battle though. Her supply of the bombs were all used up during their earlier fight. But Urd had gotten her magic back. If they fought now, she would be at a serious disadvantage. Sure, she could use that letter attack of her, but it didn't do much damage other than some minor embarrassment. Urd snickered at her fuming sister. She was just so fun to tease. But soon she changed back to her serious self. "I was thinking the same thing, Bell. This isn't the one we've been seeking. This one gives me chills. It's definitely on the evil side, not like the one we felt two months ago." "Then what do you think we should do?" "Well, we can't just ignore them. I mean, they are low-levels, but these mortals won't be able to handle them easily. Hey, WE had trouble with their numbers and the SLEEPING BEAUTY over here. We gotta do something. Somehow I get the feeling we are gonna find the answer over there..." Urd pointed her fingers towards where a loud boom was just knocked down a tree. Belldandy nodded with agreement. Skuld swung her mallet a couple of times for practice, even though her eyes were on Urd the whole time. The man who summoned the monsters was now furious. Even the addition of new creatures didn't help the situation much. Whoever these maggots were, they had been trying his patience far too long. It seemed that he himself would have to teach these impudent fools a lesson or two. "It will be the last thing you will ever learn! Hahahahahahahahahhh!!" While his diabolical laugh still echoed through the air, the man disappeared as if he melted into nothing. By the time Tenchi and co. reached the battlefield, the Outers were only steps away from the light ball. "There!!" Uranus and Saturn looked towards the spot where Neptune was pointing. They saw a gigantic light ball shining in the bushes. The Senshis could see more of the ugly creatures stepping out of the light. They got themselves ready for another battle, not noticing the arrival of additional companies. Sasami, however, recognized them. "Wow, cool!! It's the Sailor Scouts!!" "Sailor who?" "Gee, which mountain have you been living in?" Tenchi blushed at Nabiki's words. It was just that every time their TV was available, all of the women in the house wanted to watch blorple soap opera on intergalactic channel. So he didn't get much chance to watch any Earth program, despite having the most POWERFUL satellite TV in the entire planet, the courtesy of Washu-chan. He had no knowledge of what had happened on the Earth for past few months. Well, Sasami knew Sailor Scouts because she watched the Tokyo news time-to-time, but she didn't have to deal with Ryoko and Ayeka 24-7 like Tenchi did.(6) "Nabiki! Don't be so mean!" Akane's voice wasn't loud enough to penetrate the sound barrier over her sister's ears, but it was loud enough to attract the attention of certain fuku-wearing females. When Uranus turned her head towards the noise, the first thing came to her eyes was the mysterious boy from the ice cream shop. "Hey! It's YOU!!" Suddenly finger pointed, Tenchi blinked with confusion. "Um, do I know you?" "Of courmm. Mmmmmmm! Mmmm mmm mmm mmmmm?!"(7) Uranus tried to speak through her mouth, but it was difficult with Neptune's hand over it. "Sssshhhh!! Are you TRYING to reveal our identity?" A realization hit the hot-headed Senshi, as she understood what kind of predicament she almost got herself into. Still, it was rather humiliating to have another person's hand over her mouth in front of strangers. She waved her hands frantically to tell her partner to back off. "MMM MM MM MM MMMMM MMMMMMM!!"(8) "Um, guys?" "Mmmm!?!" Saturn would have cringed if Uranus could fully speak. However the look on her eyes was already scary enough to make Saturn step away a little. "Eh, that is..." "What she is trying to say is that you, or as I can see it from here, WE got company." Nabiki's words brought the two Outers' attention back to their surrounding. They saw that they were surrounded, again. The mysterious boy and his friends also had no where to go, since the monsters formed a circle around all of them. Neptune finally let go of Uranus's mouth, and took her stance. Uranus corrected the grip on her Space Sword. This was going to be another tough one. "Lightning Strike!" KABOOM!! Suddenly, loud thunder rang through the area as a bolt of lightning hit some of the creatures. When everyone looked behind their back, they saw three women, or rather, two women and a girl with weird face markings standing there. "Alright!! My magic is back!!" Urd shouted triumphantly after her magic wiped out almost half of the monsters. Belldandy smiled at her sister, happy that Urd was happy. Skuld muttered something about "violent maniac," but kept her voice barely audible. "Heheheheh... Wait a minute. What do we have here?" Urd and Belldandy could recognize at least one of the people surrounded by the evil creatures. There was the mysterious boy with great power whom they found at the ice cream shop. While the Moon Kingdom was well-known among the goddesses at its prime, the name was now merely a part of history. Urd didn't like history, so she had no idea. Skuld was too young to have learned it, so she also had no idea. Belldandy had learned that history but didn't watch too much TV, so she had no idea of whom these ladies were. So they were rather surprised to find some girls in costumes having such strong magic power. "Urd-neesan." "I know. This needs looking into. AFTER we get rid of those monsters though." "Eh? What are you talking about?" Urd smacked her forehead. Her youngest sister was book-smart and an engineering genius, but just wasn't as experienced in magic as herself or Belldandy. Sometimes she just wished Skuld would blow up things with something other than her bomb. But before she could answer to the inexperienced goddess, a low voice brought everyone's attention onto itself. "So, all of you gathered in one place. How convenient." "???" Collective confusion was clear on everyone's face. Who was this guy standing behind the light ball? Their hands were already full with the monsters and the mysterious stranger, or strangers in some of their cases, but this guy just had to add on their problem. Sailor Uranus took a step forward, and spoke first with threat evident in her voice. "Who the hell are you?" Other than three brief flinches at the word "hell," all of those present nodded with the same question in their mind. The man snickered at the short-haired Senshi before he answered. "My name won't do good in hell, so there is no point in telling you now." Urd then took a step herself as she shouted with understanding. "YOU are the one who summoned these monsters!!" "Why yes. Did you have fun destroying my minions? I hope you did, because soon you are going to meet them again!!" The man raised his right hand, and everyone responded by taking their respective battle stances. Tenchi and Minagi took out their swords. Soun and Genma stood protectively in front of their family. The Outers readied their attacks. The goddesses also prepared for a fight. But the man wasn't impressed at all, as he smirked on his now tense opponents. "Relax. You won't suffer... FOR LONG." Then his hand began to light up. At the same time, both the light ball on the ground and the one in the air began to shine more brightly. Soon more creatures began to pour out from the lights. Urd snickered. This was going to be easier than she thought. "Calling more of your stupid idiots? That ain't gonna help any, you know." But the man's expression didn't change at all. In fact it became more menacing as he answered. "You are right, but you are also wrong. They are stupid, yes. But within the close proximity of me, they become the best pawn in our little game..." Urd tried to speak again, but she was stopped by an incoming flying bomb. "What the?" The attack began just as suddenly as before. Tenchi and Minagi were moving at their full speed, slashing and stabbing with their swords. But the number of the monsters didn't go down a bit. Unlike the last time, they were having really a tough time just defending themselves. It didn't help much to have some non-combatants in their group. Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome were showing their amazing skills to deal with the ones that got past Tenchi and Minagi, but Tenchi doubted Sasami, Aunt Nodoka and the three Tendo sisters would be able to fight like them. "Kyaaaaahh!!" Crash!! 'Okay, make that Sasami, Aunt Nodoka, and TWO Tendo sisters.' "Haiyah!" Slash!!(9) 'Um, okay, make that Sasami AND two Tendo sisters, who are SITTING DOWN AND DRINKING TEA!?!?' "Kasumi, do we still have something to eat?" "Why of course, Nabiki. I made some extra just in case. You want some too, Sasami-chan?" "Um, okay..." 'This day just gets weirder and weirder' He soon wiped that thought out of his mind, as he lifted his sword to block another blow towards his head. "World Shaking!" "Deep Submerge!" "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The Outer Senshis repeatedly used their special attacks to fend off the monsters, but things were harder this time. Somehow many of them managed to penetrate their defense and came very close to hitting them. After each attack, the Senshis had to take a few steps back to avoid their enemies' claws. Despite their continuous use of the attacks, the distance between them and the creatures was beginning to cut down. "Damn! They are getting closer!" "Uranus, I can't use Deep Submerge in close range!" "I am going to have to use my Silence wall again. They are smarter than the last time!" Uranus looked up to see the smirking man in the black. "No, they are not smarter. HE is the smart one..." "...he is controlling the monsters! He is watching us from above and ordering the creatures through the holes in our defense!" "Aaaah!! Then what do we do?!" "Nothing much we can do right now!! But we gotta do something! Holy Bell's wind barrier can't hold up forever!" Urd shouted while casting another worried glance at her sister. Right now Belldandy didn't speak and instead focused all her mind on their defense. Compared to the last time, the monsters' attack was very organized. Too many of those flying creatures found the gap in between the wind barrier and came through. Skuld was busily knocking them down with her mallet, but it wasn't enough. Sometimes Urd had to summon her lightning INSIDE the barrier to stop one of the enemies from reaching Belldandy. The creatures in the air seemed to have focused their attack solely on Belldandy now. They ignored Skuld, who practically held no threat to them. Urd would have to help out Belldandy more, since the monsters seemed to have found the way to deal with her angel's barrier. But more the oldest goddess helped out with the enemy in the air, the closer the enemy on the ground got to the goddesses. The escape was also out of question. The goddesses were surrounded very tightly. 'I guess we got no choice... but to do this!' "Wall of Light!!" The massive rays of lightning landed in front of Urd. It cleared some of the monsters and winged creatures up front, giving the goddesses some room. But Urd didn't use this spell for the offensive purpose, since she already knew this would take out too much of her power. She had other reason. "Bell! Skuld! Let's run towards those girls!" Sudden loud explosion drew Minagi's attention towards the women with face markings. When she saw all of them running towards those girls in costumes, she quickly caught up with their idea. "Tenchi-san! Everyone! We gotta get close to those girls over there!" The Outers were confused when everyone there had gathered around them. What did they want? They had their hands full already with their share of the problem. Then the plantium-haired one spoke. Urd smiled when the other group also ran towards them. There must have been a smart one among the group. This made things much easier. "Hey you in the fuku! Make a circle around those ladies!" Uranus angrily replied. "Who are you? And who died and made YOU boss?!" "We got no time to argue! If we are going to get out of this, we hafta stick together!" "But..." "Got any BETTER idea?" The Senshi shut her mouth. She couldn't come up with an answer. Neptune quickly intervened and gave their answer. "Okay! We got it." "Neptune!" "She's right, Uranus! We can't hold much longer by ourselves! Saturn, you cast your Silence Wall and give us some defense. Uranus and I will take care of the offense with these ladies." "Got it!" As Saturn cast her barrier, Urd addressed Tenchi and Minagi. "Okay, sword boy! You and your lady friend help us with those monsters. Tell anyone who can't defend themselves to stay INSIDE the circle. My sister will put up a barrier to protect us and your other friends. Got it?" "Um, okay." "Gotcha!" Soun grabbed his youngest daughter's shoulder when he heard the conversation. "Akane, stay inside the circle with your sisters." "But daddy! I am a martial artist, too!" "NO! Don't argue with me, young lady! Stay INSIDE!" With a defeated look, Tendo Akane nodded to her father. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew this one was out of her league. She would have to listen to her father this time. The last thing she did before stepping away was to think about Ranma. 'Where in the world is that baka?! If he was here I wouldn't be so worried...' Whether she was worried about their situation or Ranma, she couldn't tell. The villain hissed when he saw all of his opponents allying against him. They made a circle around the apparent non-combatants of the group, and formed a better offense formation. But it only made him more MAD. 'So, these fools think they have a chance against ME?' With a nasty smile, he held his monsters back and watched his enemies getting into their respective position. "Be my guest and do your worst!! It will only make you suffer longer!!" The battle soon resumed. Their fight was intense and brutal. In their current formation, the majority of the group could concentrate their effort only on offense. With both Sailor Saturn's Silence Wall and Holy Bell's wind barrier up, their opponents were having hard time getting near them. For the first few minutes, the alliance had been a success. However, soon the creatures began to find the holes in between their attack and the protections. Slowly, but surely, the evil creatures made it closer to the group. The hero and the heroines were doing their best, but the combination of numbers and strategy of their opponents started to wear down their effort. Fatigue was also catching up to them, since all of them had been fighting all day. Things were looking more grim as their bodies began to feel heavier by the minute. Then a crucial moment came. The man saw an opening and sent one of his winged creatures through it. With his weapon inside their defense, he searched for a potential prey. He could have gone for the woman who had summoned that angel. He could have gone for the girl with a glaive in her hand. Heck, he could have gone for any of the woman inside the circle. But he was rotten to the core. So he went for the easiest one of them all. The youngest one. The death of the little girl would surely teach those fools a lesson for messing with him. The winged creatures flew straight towards the blue haired princess. Sasami froze when she saw one of the winged monsters coming right at her. Tenchi screamed, trying to run to her, knowing too well that he wouldn't make it. Minagi gasped, seeing the impending tragedy. The Outer Senshis' eyes widened, and Uranus gritted her teeth. The goddesses tried to cast a quick magic spell to help the girl. Tsunami, who had resided in the young Juraian's mind, felt the danger approaching her counter part. The goddess quickly floated up to the portal to the outside world, in order to protect Sasami. But when she tried to go through the gate, she was met by an invisible wall. "What?!" This was impossible. She couldn't go outside. There was some sort of power present, one that was nearly as strong as herself. Its pure force was preventing her from entering the gate. It was as if, as if...... As if someone very powerful had appeared before Sasami... KABOOM!! The smoke covered the area. Nobody could see. Nobody could move. Everyone just froze in their current position. Tenchi, feeling his knees weakened, slumped down on the ground. A tear drop slowly ran down his cheek. Minagi clutched her chest trying to hold off the pain. It didn't go away. Even the people and goddesses who didn't know the child were beginning to feel their eyes watering from witnessing the loss of an innocent. The monster roared victoriously. The winged creatures also howled with their comrades. The man also had seen the whole thing. In fact, he had seen more than the rest, through his link with the exploded creature. Everything from the startled eyes of its target to where it had collided and exploded on. He frowned. Then he spoke. "Who are you?" "Me? I am the coolest guy you will ever see!" "Huh?!" The voice snapped everyone out of their trance. It came from somewhere inside the smoke. When the scene cleared to reveal fine and alive Sasami, everyone's faces brightened. Then they blinked. In front of Sasami stood a man, who smirked at seeing their reaction. "What? Haven't you seen a good-looking hero before?" Chapter 4 ends. (1) You have no idea how right you are, Tenchi. ^^;; (2) Not to bother you again, Tenchi, but can you remember what had happened to you in the last few months??? -.-;; (3) Oooh!! It looks like Keiichi is on his own for now. Poor guy. Heheheh... The guy just wouldn't stay dead : But that's totally out of her character... A Line Cut!! *zap* Quiet you, or next time I am going to cut where you CANNOT undo. (4) Nabiki was GOOD, but not perfect. Heheheh. I fooled her, didn't I? Nabiki : One IOU, two IOU, three IOU... Aaaack!! I was just joking! I take that back! (5) True, she does the most of the kitchen work in the house, but Ryoko and Ayeka are bigger problem than dealing with the kitchen in Buckingham Palace... (7) Translatioin : "Neptune! What are you doing?" (8) Translatioin : "Let go of my mouth already!" (9) You can't be both a child of Katsuhito and be defenseless. Did you see Achika in "Tenchi Muyo in Love?" She was so cool!! ^_^ All of the previous chapter, and a copy of this draft can be now found at Phu's Anime Page! The address is http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/