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. Beside, 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 8.

< If you thought it was all over, you are wrong! It was just the
beginning. >




"Urgh......"

When Tenchi finally woke up, he was surprised to find himself in a
room. He was currently lying on a futon, but he had no recollection of
how he got there. 'Let's see... I was trying to catch that dirty old
man... but he did something with his pipe... and the next thing I
know...'

He was surprised again when the door was suddenly opened, revealing a
pretty woman in her early 20's. "Oh, Masaki-san! You are awake!
Sasami-chan will be so glad."

"Um, yeah... Tendo-san, right?"

"Oh, please. Kasumi will do fine."

Actually Tenchi forgot her name, but he wasn't about to tell her that.
"Um, okay... thanks anyway, Kasumi-san... where is this place?"

With her bright smile, the eldest Tendo daughter cheerfully answered.
"It's our house. Auntie Nodoka thought you might need a little rest
here, seeing as you are probably very tired from all that fighting."

"Oh... then I should thank you again. I really appreciate it,
Kasumi-san." Tenchi slightly bowed to Kasumi, who again smiled as she
spoke.

"No need really. It was mainly Auntie Nodoka and Dad's idea. I just
love having more people in the house. Normally This house is bursting
with Ranma's friends, so the dinner just wouldn't be the same without
some guests."

"Still, I am really sorry to be such a burden..."

"Oh, not at all! Sasami-chan has kindly offered to help me and Auntie
Nodoka in the kitchen. I must say, she is quite a wonderful cook. At
such a young age, too!"

"Heheheh... she's very good at it, yes..." Somehow the name of Sasami
brought out something in Tenchi's memory. 'Wasn't there someone else
there... wait a minute!'

"Um, where is Minagi?"

"Ah that alien lady, right?"

"Um, eheheheh... yes..." Tenchi facefaulted a bit. He was still having
a hard time understanding how they could accept Minagi's identity so
easily.

"She's sparring with Ranma right now."

"Oh... who?"

"Ranma, your cousin! He's Auntie Nodoka's son."

"Ah...... him... SHE'S WHAT?!?!"



Inside the Dojo, Ranma and Minagi was exchanging blows in the air,
before Ranma parted away and landed on the floor. With a snicker, he
spoke. "You are not half-bad."

"I should say the same to you." Minagi also smirked a little. While
she hadn't used her ability to teleport yet, because she didn't want to
use any special ability in this sparring, it didn't take long for her to
realize that this earthling was a very good fighter. His mid-air
techniques were also quite impressive, considering he couldn't fly. He
was almost on par with herself.

At first the sparring didn't go very smoothly. It was Minagi who first
issued the challenge. She heard he was Tenchi's cousin, and she also
learned from Akane that he was a very potent fighter. But Ranma
rejected her request down flat, saying he didn't 'fight girls.' Minagi
stood persistent though, and with some help from Akane,(1) Ranma finally
agreed.

The result had been unexpected for both. True, Minagi didn't use her
special powers, since her intention was to test her hand-to-hand combat
skill against him. But Ranma proved to be something very special. She
had rarely met a opponent such as him. This day was turning out to be
quite a surprise for her so far...

Ranma was also ecstatic. While he always claimed that he didn't fight
with girls, what he was doing right now was sparring, so it was okay in
his mind. But the best part was that this lady was quite good. He
hadn't had a good match like this one for quite a while. He was getting
a little bored with his everyday opponent. The only one that kept
giving him some challenge was Ryouga, but even the Lost Boy was getting
soft these days. For someone like Ranma, not having a good fight once
in a while was very irritating.

On the side, Akane had been watching their match since the beginning.
Although she still believed that Ranma would win, she couldn't help but
to feel a bit impressed with the lady. Minagi had been more than a
match for Ranma so far. Not only did she avoid his attack many times,
but she also landed some good hits on him. Best of all, she was a
woman. 'That would teach him for looking down on women.' Akane frowned
a little at the thought.

The combatants parted away for a brief moment. After they took their
stances, Ranma and Minagi again charged at each other...

SLAM!

When the door slammed open.

"Minagi! Don't hurt him!!"

"??" Both fighters stopped in mid-step and dumbly stared at Tenchi, who
now stood on the doorstep.

Akane also looked at the pony-tailed boy with a confused face. "Hurt
whom, Tenchi-kun?"

"Eh... that is... um..." Tenchi staggered a little when he realized he
had drawn their full attention on himself. But he was saved by the
cheerful voice of Kasumi, who now stood behind him.

"Everyone, dinner's ready!"

"Oh yeah! I'm starving. It was a good match, Minagi-san."

"I'd say it was! I am very impressed with you, Ranma-san. You are
quite a fighter."

"Don't praise him too much. His ego is already too big as it is."

Ranma rolled his eyes, before walking out of the dojo. Minagi and Akane
chatted with each other, also leaving the dojo behind Kasumi. All of
them walked past Tenchi, not noticing him on their way out.

A moment later, the only one left in the dojo was Tenchi, who kept
blinking with confusion. Soon, he slumped his shoulders and sighed. He
had no idea what just happened. Today really hadn't been so kind to him
so far. He didn't like being in the center of attention, since he had
enough of that at home, but being ignored was also not very pleasing.
He turned around with a defeated look on his face to go back to the
house when he found Nodoka, who stood right in front of him with a very
serious experssion on her face.

"Eh? Auntie Nodoka? Is anything wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Tenchi-chan... you got a minute?"

"Um... yeah, sure..." To be honest, he was a bit hungry. But the
expression on her face told him that it might be a good idea to hear
what she had to say.

When she saw her nephew nodding to her request, Nodoka smiled and
stepped into the dojo. She took a brief moment to look around the
outside of the dojo, as if she was expecting to find someone
eavesdropping. Seeing nobody near, she closed the door quietly.

Tenchi wondered about his aunt's behaviour. She acted like she didn't
want anyone to listen to their conversation. He had no idea what Nodoka
wanted to talk about, but it must be something very important.
Otherwise, she would never act this way.

Nodoka slowly walked to the center of the dojo, where she sat down. She
gestured to Tenchi to do the same, which he did. When Tenchi settled
down, she cleared her throat before opening her mouth. "How long has it
been?"

"Huh? Well, I haven't seen you since mom died... I'll say it's
about..."

"I don't mean that. I meant how long has it been since you found out
about your heritage."

That shocked Tenchi like no other. With his eyes widened, he asked his
aunt. "You... you mean you KNEW?! How?!"

Nodoka smiled gently and answered. "I found out when I was around your
age. Well, I guess I was a bit younger than you at the time."

Then her expression turned serious. "How did you find out? Did your
grandfather tell you?"

"Um, well, no... I sort of... eheheh... now I think about it... it's a
bit silly... but..." Tenchi scratched his head, embarassed. Nodoka
perked her eyebrow at his nervousness. Seeing his aunt quitely staring,
Tenchi felt a little uneasy.

Nodoka asked again. "Well? How did that happen then?"

"Um..."

"TENCHI-CHAN."

"Ehe... heheheh... I... kind of... accidentally... by mistake...
releasedRyokofromthecave..."

"? What did you say? I didn't get that."

But Tenchi's voice got smaller and smaller. Nodoka, a bit irritated,
narrowed her eyes. "TENCHI-CHAN..."

"I... released Ryoko..."

"You did WHAT?!?!" Instantly the Saotome matriach rushed up to Tenchi's
face, her eyes as wide as humanly possible. Tenchi couldn't help but to
cringe a little under his aunt's gaze.

"I didn't mean to... I thought the legend was just a myth... but... I
guess it wasn't... eheheh... sorry?"

Tenchi sweatdropped under Nodoka's rather accusing eyes. Thankfully,
she composed herself and sat back down. She sighed and shook her head
unapprovingly though. "You really shouldn't have, Tenchi-chan..."

Tenchi's shoulder slumped down at her words. "Trust me, I know now..."

"?"

"Ehhhh... forget about it! It's nothing, really! Hehehe..." Tenchi
waved his hands frantically, which made Nodoka all the more suspicious.
He was hiding something, and she knew it.

But before she could continue on her questioning, they heard a knock on
the door. Both Nodoka and Tenchi turned their head towards the door and
shouted. "Yes?"

"Tenchi-niichan! Nodoka-sama! Dinner is ready! Everyone's waiting for
you!"

"Coming, Sasami-chan!" Tenchi quickly stood up and ran to the door. He
was glad to escape this rather uncomfortable situation. He opened the
door, and ran away, with a confused Sasami under his arms. "Let's go,
Sasami-chan!"

"Huh? Wait, Tenchi-niichan! The house is over that way!"

All through this, Nodoka stayed in her seat. She just watched the open
door with widened eyes. "Nodoka-sama?!"



Ring ring! Ring ring! Click.
*"......Hello, you have reached the house of Haruka and Michiru. Please
leave a message after the beep."*
BEEP.

"Um, Haruka? Michiru? Are you guys there? Well, I am at this Tendo
Dojo in Nerima right now. Could you pick me up when you get home? I
don't exactly know my way around here. Thank you."

Tomoe Hotaru sighed as she put down the receiver. She was using the
phone in the Tendo Dojo right now. She had been calling her home ever
since she arrived here, but no one had come home yet. She sighed again,
defeated. "Where are they?"




In an alley of Tokyo, Sailor Neptune yelled angrily at the small figure
running in front of her. "Wait there, so I can kill you, you dirty old
man!!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL KILL YOU I SAY!!" Uranus was still shouting the
same words over and over again. She hadn's said any other word for an
hour now.

Happousai took a glance behind his back, where the Senshi and the
goddess still ran after him. "Geez, they are persistent. Women are
such an annoying pest!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?" The female pursuers exploded collectively at the
comment, except Sailor Mercury, who was trying to catch both her friends
and her breath.

"You are so dead!!" A furious Neptune screamed with frustration.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU..." Finally, Uranus used some different
words in her threat. "...I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL KILL YOU I SAY!!" But
she ended it with the same phrase...

"Nyaaaahhh!! Get your hands on... THIS!" Then Happousai threw
something between the girls, before running away again.

Seeing their ENEMY running again, the angry women tried to run after
him. But the urgent voice of Sailor Mercury stopped them in mid-step.

"Look out!!"

They all looked to see what Mercury meant by that. All they could see
was a small ball that the pervert threw though, which had a small
thread... with a spark on it?!?

"It's a bomb!! Duck!!"

Before Jupiter finished her sentence, everyone around ducked down. Not
a second later, the bomb blew up.

KABOOM!

The area was engulfed in a large flame, which soon went up to the sky,
creating a beautiful display. What it had left behind wasn't very
pretty though. When the smoke cleared, there were seven black and
rather curvy lumps on the ground......




The Tendo dinner table was rather crowded today. They usually had some
extra guest at the house, but today's guests were a little different
from the regulars who came to the Tendo Dojo everyday. Surprisingly, no
one in Nerima decided to invade, um, visit the Tendo house tonight. So
it was only the Tendos, the Saotomes, and the new guests sitting in
their dining room.

While they were not from Nerima, the guests were quite interesting
nonetheless. Nabiki observed their guests with deep interest. 'One
alien bounty hunter, one long-lost cousin of Ranma, one mysterious girl
whom Ranma brought, and one other mysterious girl whom his cousin
brought. Quite amusing, I must say.'

When Nodoka finally arrived after Tenchi and Sasami, they started to dig
in. The most enthusiastic one on the table was Genma, naturally. The
should-be second-in-line, in other words Ranma, wasn't working his
chopsticks as fast as he used to.

But there was a small difference in him today. He was actually moving
his chopsticks very busily. He wasn't doing it to get himself more food
though. His actions revolved around the black-haired girl, who was
sitting on his right. In fact, Ranma was protecting the girl's food
from Genma's Chopsticks of Terror. He was so into it that he rarely
took a moment to eat himself. This didn't go unnoticed by others.
Well, Genma didn't notice it, since he was too busy trying to steal a
piece of meat from a girl who was already too thin even for her
age...(2)

The Tendo family and Nodoka watched the exchange in keen interest. They
were glad to see Ranma back in action(?) but they were also very
curious. They knew Ranma was rather protective of others, but he seemed
so eager to protect the girl. Nodoka smiled proudly at her son's manly
act. So did Kasumi, thinking it was so nice of him to help the little
girl. Nabiki perked her eyebrow, but no one could guess what she was
thinking.(3) Akane berated herself a little when she felt a hint of
jealousy brewing up. After all, the girl was really young. Soun was
also there watching the chopsticks fight, but not much opinion came up
in his head.

Tenchi gang just stared in amazement. Ryoko and Ayeka sometimes
quarreled over food back at home, but not to this extent. If they
didn't know better, they would have thought that Ranma and Genma were
having a chopsticks duel.

On the other hand, Hotaru continued eating, but very nervously.
Everytime she picked up a food item, she did it very slowly and
carefully. With all those blurrs going around in front of her plates,
she was afraid she might lose a hand or something. She was also
blushing a bit, realizing that Ranma was doing it to protect her food.
When she thought about it it was rather funny, him fighting over food
with his father. But somehow, she didn't feel funny or stupid about his
actions, but rather, she was feeling very happy and secure...

When Genma finally withdrew his chopsticks reluctantly, Ranma glared at
his father one last time, before turning back to his own plate. He put
some rice in his mouth, and took a quick side glance to make sure Genma
didn't act up again. It was then when he finally noticed the
pony-tailed boy at the table. "? Who are you?"

"Um, I'm your cousin... Masaki Tenchi."

"Huh? When did I have a cousin?"

Akane, who sat on Ranma's left side, smacked her forehead. "We told you
about him back at the park, you baka!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I remember now! You were the one who was being
carried by that lady over there, right?"

Minagi smiled briefly when Ranma nodded his head to her direction, while
Tenchi blushed deeply, embarassed about his predicament before. "Um,
that was..."

"Hey, no need to explain. I always fight with Happousai so I know.
When we met the first time, that dork flipped me in the air, too. He's
a monster, I tell you. No need to feel bad 'bout it, really."

"Um, thanks... I guess..."

"Don't mention it." Ranma returned to his food, briefly swinging his
chopsticks to stop Genma's sneak attack on Hotaru's plate. He glared at
his father again, and went back to eating. But all of sudden, he
stopped his hands and looked up with widened eyes. Then he quickly
stood up with his finger pointed at Tenchi. "Wait a minute!! I
remember you! You are Ten-chan, right?"

Tenchi smirked. "Heh. Remember me now?"

"Of course I do! Long time no see, buddy! How you've been? Man, it's
been so long!"

"Well... nothing much..." Tenchi trailed off, not wanting to tell his
cousin too much about his current life. While the Tendos showed
incredible mental agility, he still didn't want to reveal his problems
with... women. "I am living with some of my friends now. We live near
grandpa's shrine. You remember grandpa, don't you Ranma?"

But his cousin's reaction surprised Tenchi. "Grandpa? Who? I have a
grandpa? Oh, you mean your dad's father, right?"

"Um, no... I am talking about OUR grandpa. YOUR mom's father, and MY
mom's father..."

"......" Ranma just dumbly stared at Tenchi.

"You don't remember grandpa? The one who lives in a shrine? The shinto
priest?"

"No... I don't..."

Tenchi was rather shocked. While Ranma and Genma rarely visited
Katsuhito, the old priest always welcomed the young Saotome boy very
warmly. The fact that Ranma took so long to remember his cousin wasn't
very surprising, considering how much Tenchi had changed. But not
remembering Katsuhito was a bit much. Tenchi couldn't believe that his
cousin didn't know about his own grandpa.

Before Tenchi could ask again, however, Nodoka chimed in, also very
shocked. "You don't remember grandpa Katsuhito, Ranma?"

But Ranma's answer stayed the same. "No, I don't."

The Tendos rolled their eyes. They knew Ranma wasn't very good at
remembering people, like Ryouga or Ukyou, but his own grandpa? That was
a new record, even for him.

The one who was shocked the most wasn't any one of them though.

"WHAT? You don't remember him? That can't be!!" Genma was in the
middle of another attempt to steal food off other's plate, this time
Ranma's, when he exclaimed in very loud voice. Hotaru cringed, covering
her ears. Genma didn't pay attention to the girl though, as he
continued to stare at his son with bewildered eyes. "You really don't
remember him?"

Ranma blinked, not expecting this kind of reaction from his father.
"Um, no... Should I?"

"Of course you should!! I took you to his shrine a couple of time when
we were on the road! The last time was only years ago! Right before
you went to the junior high, in fact!"

But Ranma only blinked more at his father's revealation. "Really? I
don't remember a thing."

"Bu, but that can't be!"

Before Genma could open his mouth again Nodoka interrupted, with a
curiosity full on her face. "But dear, I thought you didn't like going
to my father's place."

Genma flinched momentarily at the mention of Nodoka's "father," a fact
that made everyone blink in confusion. Tenchi and Nodoka didn't,
however, since they knew Genma's previous experiences with Katsuhito.

"I... went to his places whenever I was in the area. It was only right,
after all. Ranma is his blood. The boy has to know his elders."

That relieved some of the others' confusion, but cofused Tenchi and
Nodoka even more. Genma was pratically terrified of Katsuhito. Things
like proper manner wouldn't drag the Saotome patriach into miles near
Katsuhito's shrine. They didn't know what, but there must have been a
different reason.

Fortunately Nabiki was there, who smirked before adding on Genma's
words. "And the elder would have the responsibility to take care of his
blood under his wing, right?"

Now that made everyone's face clear with realization, except Nodoka and
Genma. The wife glared at her husband, who paled under her gaze.
"Dear... you went there to mooch off him?"

"Ah... eh... that is..."

"Dear!"

"Aaaaaahh!! Sorry!! But I didn't have money!! It was that or starve
ourselves!! I did the right thing anyway, didn't I?"

"How could you be so shameless? Why do you think my father doesn't like
you in the first place?"

"But, but I had no choice!"

Their conversation didn't last longer, as it was broken up by the voice
of their son. "Wait. Grandpa doesn't like pop? Wow, he sounds like a
cool guy! I wish I met him!"

Everyone now turned their face towards Ranma, who said, "what?"

It was Tenchi who first spoke, a bit hesistantly. "But Ranma, you met
grandpa before."

"Huh? When?"

"Um... Uncle Genma just said he brought you to his place before... don't
you remember?"

After hearing his cousin's question, Ranma scratched his head, confusion
clear on his face. "Well... I don't... actually, I don't remember much
about your mom either... what was she like?"

Tenchi's eyes buldged even wider. The reason why Tenchi remembered his
cousin so clearly was because of his mother. Achika always welcomed the
young Saotome so warmly whenever he came to visit. In fact Tenchi
clearly remembered one day...



"Auntie Achika!"

"Welcome, Ranma-chan." Achika smiled brightly at her nephew, who rushed
to her side. She gently patted Ranma's head. "Now, now. What did I
say about running so fast? You might fall."

"That's okay! I am strong! See?" Young Ranma then tried to show off
his strength by kicking Genma's leg.

"Ouch! Watch it, Ranma!"

"Bieeee! You don't scare me, old man!"

Achika giggled a bit at her nephew's display, but scowled a little,
although playfully. "Ranma-chan, you shouldn't be so rude to your
father."

The boy hung his head in shame at her words. "Sorry, Auntie Achika."

The aunt gently smiled again as she caressed the boy's hair. "That's
alright. Now, why don't you go and play with your cousin? Tenchi has
been so eager to see you. I'll bring you boys some snacks later."

Ranma's face brightened significantly at the mention of "snack." "Wow,
really? Thank you, auntie! Pop doesn't let me have snacks."

"Well it's okay. You are now in my home. You can have all the snacks
you want."

"Wow, really?"

Achika bent down a little to put her face close to Ranma's. "Really."

"Wow, thanks, auntie! You are my favourite aunt in the whole world!"

"*giggle* Ranma, I am your only aunt."

"Doesn't matter! I still love you the most!"



'... how could he forget about mom?' Tenchi thought while he kept
staring at his cousin, who still had that dumb look on his face. 'Is he
lying? No way. Why would he? He doesn't look that dumb... But then
how? How could he forget about not only grandpa, but mom too?'

As Tenchi was in a deep thought, the short-haired girl, the one whose
name Tenchi remembered as Akane, asked Ranma with a disapproving look.
"Ranma, you can't be that dumb. How can you forget about your own
grandpa and aunt?"

Ranma just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I can't help it if I can't
remember it. The last time I saw Tenchan was, what, when I was 5? 4?
It's been like ten years since I went to his house..." Ranma trailed
off, seeing his father and Tenchi staring at him again. "...what?"

Genma slowly opened his mouth, his face still confused. "Boy... we went
to Tenchi's house five years ago... right before we went to your
grandpa's shrine..."

"Yeah... I remember it too. It was during my sixth grade summer
vacation..."

"Huh??"



Now everyone on the table was worried. It was clear that something was
wrong here. It was understandable if he forgot about things in the very
old past, but Ranma couldn't even remember things that happened only
years ago! While Ranma might not be the brightest person in the room,
he wasn't definitely this stupid. Something was up...

Nodoka was especially worried. Ever since she saw Tsunami in person,
she had been preparing her mind for a small talk with her son. Ranma
had a right to know. She didn't want to shock him too much, so she was
going to break it to him slowly. But now things became very
complicated. If Ranma couldn't remember about his relatives, it would
be very hard for her to explain his heritage to him. He needed to know
just more than the names for this kind of news. He needed to know the
peole themselves. Nodoka hadn't expected this turn of event. Not only
she couldn't tell Ranma about her true family, she now had to worry
about Ranma himself. There was something definitely wrong with him.

Akane was also very concerned with her baka fiance. While she had no
confidence in his brain, she trusted his heart. But at this moment
Ranma was acting much like Shinnosuke. She had no doubt that Ranma had
forgotten about his relatives out of carelessness. With all the changes
in his behaviours, it was clear that there was a problem with Ranma.
Only if she knew what it was...

Nabiki's interest in the problem was out of curiosity only. She had no
deep concern for Ranma's forgetfulness. True, in her heart she cared
deeply for her family, but she couldn't see much harm in Ranma not
remembering certain things. It might cause some problems later. He
could forget Akane and his wedding anniversaries, Nabiki smirked a
little at this thought, but all in all, there wasn't much for her to
worry about.

It was then when Nabiki caught the pale face of Genma. She perked her
eyebrow. He was confused before, but now he was almost panicking.

At first Nabiki thought he might have been worried about Ranma's
condition. After all, if there was something wrong with Ranma AGAIN,
and if it was Genma's fault, he would have to face Nodoka and her
katana. But there was something else that caught her attention. 'He's
counting something with his fingers... maybe he remembers something...
What could it be? Whatever it is, it's making him very nervous...'
Nabiki slyly grinned. "This might be interesting..."

But before she could approach the subject, the gate of the Tendo Dojo
burst open.



"Where are thou, you dark sorcerer!?! Come out and face the righteous
wrath of Kuno!!"

"Brother! I won't let you lay a hand on dear Ranma-sama!!"

The entire Tendo household groaned when they heard the loud voices of
the Psycho Siblings, save for Kasumi. "Oh, we have more guests."

The other guests on the dinner table collectively blinked. 'Who are
they, and why do the Tendos look so miserable?'

Their thought was interrupted by a boy in kendo uniform and a girl in
gymnastic leotard, who ran into the room, shouting.

"There you are, you enemy of everything that is virtuous! No doubt you
fear the blade of justice in my hands! But alas, you shall be
banquished by mighty Kuno tonight! Prepare to meet your doom, Saotome!"

"What did I say about hurting my Ranma-sama?! You won't get away with
this, brother!!"

Ranma and Akane would have banged their head against the table out of
frustration by now, if it wasn't for the fact that they were so confused
to do so. While they knew exactly why the Kunos were here,(4) the look
of Kuno siblings actually surprised them. Kuno was covered with
scratches and claw marks all over his body. Kodachi's leotard was torn
in so many places that Tenchi blushed and looked away. Truth be told,
the Kunos never looked worse.(5)

Not paying attention to the confused audience, Kuno went on with his
gibberish. "Your dark magic was impressive, indeed. But the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan doesn't fall to such a cheap trickery! You only
managed to anger your worst nightmare, Saotome Ranma! Now you will pay
for all your crime..."

Everyone blinked and wondered what made Kuno stop in mid-sentence.
Especially Hotaru, since he was intently staring at her right now. It
was quiet for a while. Unfortunately it wasn't to last for long, as
Kuno screamed furiously.

"You enemy of women!! Have you no shame?!? Not only you hog the
beautious Tendo Akane and the ferocious pig-tailed goddess, you had
seduced numerous women into your harem. But this is too low even for
you!!"

"Huh?" As always, Ranma had no idea what the bokken-yielding idiot was
gibbering about. He just looked at Kuno, then turned to Hotaru, and
looked back at Kuno again. Then realization dawned on his face, which
soon contorted into one of anger. "Wait a minute!! What the hell do
you mean by that?!"

"I see only the truth, you fiend!! You have filled with your lust with
many poor victims, but it wasn't enough for you, was it?! So you have
brought a flower that has yet bloomed into your dark clutches!! Oh the
heaven weeps for the fall of such a innocent soul! I cannot let this
continue!! I will destroy you and rescue all those precious ladies
from... urk!!"

Kuno couldn't continue his speech with Ranma's foot embedded on his
face. He staggered back a bit, before yielding his bokken and charging
at Ranma. "Have at thee!! You shall receive the mighty blow of...
urgh!"

Ranma spin-kicked Kuno's head, sending him flying out to the yard.
Ranma jumped to follow him, but was stopped by Kodachi glomping on him.

"Oh dear Ranma-sama! It's been so long since we have been together!"

"You bugged me yesterday! Now let go!" Ranma tried to fry Kodachi
away, with no avail. He was set free when Kodachi jumped away to dodge
the dish flying towards her, but the dish hit him instead.

"You get away from him, you psycho!!"

"Tendo Akane, we should settle for Ranma-sama's affection once and for
all. Be prepared to be defeated! Ohohohohohohohohoho!!"

Ranma groaned as he stood back up, rubbing his head, when he saw Kuno's
bokken being thrusted towards him. "Whoa!"

"I fight on, Saotome!"

Soon the room became an intense battlefield, with the dinner table
intact in the middle. Tenchi and the other houseguests sweatdropped at
seeing their fights. They were surprised even more to see the Tendos
prompty ignoring the chaos, and went back to their dinner. Soun didn't
pay attention to his food though, as he started to cry with tears
flowing out of his eyes. "I am so proud of you Akane! Protecting your
fiance. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

Nabiki rolled her eyes at seeing her father in one of his 'mood' again.
But her eyes perked with interest when she saw Genma still deep in
thoughts. This was the perfect chance for the Saotome Eating Machine to
empty out his friend's dish. But he was now ignoring the food! Nabiki
grinned widely. 'Whatever it is, it's big.'

Her thought was interruppted by someone tapping on her shoulder. She
turned to her side, finding the Masaki boy with his face full of
confusion. "Yes?"

"Um... shouldn't we stop them?"

"Why? It's not like this hasn't happened before."

"Eh? Do you mean this happens often?"

At that moment, Kasumi briefly joined in the conversation. "Oh yes!
Ranma's friends come over to play everyday!"

Tenchi blinked at her words, and turned his head back to Nabiki. "Um,
'play?' Is she..."

Nabiki smirked a little before answering. "Yes, she's serious. Kasumi
is too trusting at times."

"Um, then shouldn't we..."

"Why bother? Kasumi will be Kasumi. There is no point in changing her
point of views now."

"But isn't it..."

"Masaki-kun, if you ask one more question, I am gonna have to start
charging you."




Back in her room, Belldandy now sat alone. But she was still very
worried. Not only was there danger of a war between heaven and hell,
there was also her personal concern for Mara. While their official
status was enemy, Belldandy deeply cared for her childhood friend.
Hearing the disappearance of the demon was quite a shock to her.

Even after Peorth went back to her office, Belldandy was having a hard
time swallowing the news. Mara was a first-class demon. Her power
aside, there shouldn't be any one who would dare to kidnap one of the
hell sprawns. The goddesses had the power to do so, but their nature
wouldn't let them. It was just not done! Belldandy had never heard of
such a crisis, in her life or in history of the Goddess Relief Office.
This wouldn't end peacefully unless something was done very quickly.

"Hello? Anyone home? Hello?"

Belldandy was still deep in her thoughts when she heard someone calling
at the gate. Although her mind was in a turmoil, she stood up to answer
the summon. After all, she was waiting for her sister to come home...



In front of the gate, three figures stood. One of them, the one who
stood on right, spoke to the one standing in the middle. "Are you sure
this is the place?"

"Yes, I am sure!"

"Are you absolutely, positively, definitely SURE??"

"Yes!! How many times do I have to tell you? I am sure!"

The one on the left grumbled. "It's very hard to believe now. You said
that for the last seven houses."

The one in the middle, who wore a long robe, turned to the other one.
"But I am VERY sure now! This is definitely the place!"

But the listener didn't look so convinced, as he snorted back at the
robed one. "Whatever. I ain't asking questions this time. Our cheeks
are running out of places to be slapped."

Indeed, all of their faces were covered with hand prints. There were
even some nail marks on them. The robed boy, who was in fact Mousse,
scratched his head nervously. "Heheheh... like I said, it was just a
mistake..."

"Just A mistake? You made the same mistake SEVEN times!! And each time
we asked the ladies in the house, they slapped us!! My face hurts so
much that I can't feel anything!!"

"Well, it's no wonder... you did ask them if they abuse their
children... you should have asked more subtly..."

"Shut up!! Why did I listen to you in the first place? I should have
known better when you were talking to the pole instead of us!!"

Before he could yell at Mousse more, the other one stopped him. "Now,
now, Kazaya-kun. It's not his fault that he has bad eyes."

The man who was called Kazaya turned to his friend furiously. "But
Hakima-san! Why do we have to be dragged by this blind idiot here?! We
are not paid to be slapped around by women all night!! We are already
busy as it is!!"

Hakima, who was in a police uniform, scowled at his partner.
"Kazaya-kun! The citizens pay their taxes to pay our salary! We should
pay attention to any small claim of danger. It's our duty as the proud
Tokyo police!"

"But, but this guy isn't even Japanese!!"

"Doesn't matter!! The abused boy is our citizen, and we should care for
the safety of that boy, not this man's nationality! Understand?"

Kazaya hung his head, defeated. "Yeah..."

"Well then. Now it's settled... what's taking so long in there anyway?"

Just then, the gate slowly opened, causing everyone to tense up. They
prepared for the worst, as they watched the gate quietly moved to reveal
a woman. Right at that moment, the cloud moved, letting the moonlight
shine on the woman.

"Oh hello. How may I help you?"

All the three men blinked. They looked at each other, looked back at
the woman, and then looked at each other again. Officer Hakima slowly
opened his mouth first. "Mousse-kun... are you absolutely sure this is
the place?"

"Um, yes... I do remember this gate... this is where I met that bad
lady..."

Kazaya, with his eyebrow twitching with annoyance, hissed at Mousse.
"You mean that lady over there has a child, and she's abusing him?!?!"

Belldandy blinked her eyes quietly. She was wondering what was going
on. Then she heard the sound of little feet tapping from behind,
followed by Keiichi's voice.

"What's going on?"

Belldandy turned her love, who was still in his child form, and spoke in
gentle voice. "Oh just these gentlemen were visiting. Nothing to be
worried about, Keiichi-san. Why don't you go back inside? It's chilly
out here. You might catch a cold."

"But..."

"Please Keiichi-san. I don't want to see you become sick." Belldandy
said to Keiichi with pleading eyes. Then she took off her jacket, and
put it around young Keiichi's body. "Go wait inside, and I will fix you
up some midnight snack later, okay?"

Keiichi sighed. He knew he was in a losing battle. "Okay. I'll wait
inside."

"Thank you, Keiichi-san." Belldandy watched the retreating back of her
love with a gentle smile, before turning back to the three men, who had
dumbly watched the scene before them. "Now, how may I help you? Are
you lost?"

Hakima regained his composure first at hearing her words. "No, no,
ma'am. I think we've seen enough. Sorry to bother you so late at
night, ma'am."

Belldandy smiled and bowed slightly at him. "That's okay. Please be
careful on your way back."

"Ah, ye, yes. Thank you, ma'am." Hurriedly Hakima bowed back, which
the other two quickly followed.

Once again, Belldandy smiled, as she closed the gate. The three stood
there, dumbfound. Then Hakima raised his hand, just to bonk Mousse on
his head. "You idiot!! You almost embarassed us again!! Have you no
shame? Blaming such a nice lady!!"

Mousse raised his hands trying to protect his head. "But, but there was
an evil lady here! I swear!!"

This time Kazaya smacked the back of Mousse's head. "You kidding me?!
I wish *I* was her son!! What kind of idiot are you?! I can't believe
we wasted all night listening to you!! Hakima-san! Let's go!"

"Yes! There is no point in spending any time with this moron!! Let's
go!!"

The two policemen turned around and walked away, leaving a bewildered
Mousse still rubbing his head. "But, but, I was sure this was the
place..."




DING DONG!

"Who is it?" Kasumi walked to the gate when she heard the sound of
their doorbell ringing. She wondered if Ranma's friends have come
back. After all, they left the place quite unexpectantly. That Kuno
boy looked too hurt to move again today, but that nice(?) Kodachi was
still alive and kicking when she and her brother flew away by Akane
Air...

But when she opened the gate, instead of the Kuno siblings, there stood
a tall woman with dark, luxrious hair. She could still be one of
Ranma's friends, Kasumi thought, since she had one of her arms in cast.

The woman quietly spoke. "I am here for Tomoe Hotaru."

Kasumi's face brightened. "Ah, you are Hotaru-chan's family! Nice to
meet you. I am Kasumi."

The woman bowed slightly at Kasumi's introduction. "Meiou Setsuna.
Likewise. Hotaru is...?"

"Oh, she's inside. Please, come in!" Kasumi invited Setsuna inside as
she opened the gate.

"Thank you." Setsuna smiled briefly back at the host. For Setsuna, who
had gone through quite an ordeal so far today, the kindness of this lady
was like fresh air. She bowed to Kasumi again before entering.



Inside the house, Hotaru was chatting with Sasami. Being the similar
age, the two hit it off right away. Although Sasami looked a little
younger than her, it didn't bother Hotaru much. After all, her best
friend Chibi-Usa was younger than her too. Being always alone, Hotaru
was just glad that she made another friend.

Ranma was also there, talking with the young girls. While he was much
older than the girls, he had lots of stories to tell them. Like the one
when he fought with some idiotic figure skaters, or the one with a ghost
cat, or the one about a guy who could swallow a entire meal in a
second. His stories were both amazing and funny. Of course, she didn't
believe any of them,(6) but she still appreciated his effort to
entertain them. Also, his presence gave Hotaru such a warm and
comfortable feeling that she felt as if she was at her home. True,
Haruka and Michiru were good guardians. But Ranma gave her something
different. Something... that she always wanted, like a brother.(7) She
was very happy there.

Naturally, Hotaru was both relieved and disappointed when she saw
Setsuna being led to the Tendo living room. Now she could go to her
real home, but she was a bit sad for having to leave this place, her new
friend, and Ranma. But she was never a spoiled child, and she stood up
to greet her friend. "Setsuna! How did you know I was here?"

Setsuna showed her gentle smile to the child. "I went to your home, but
Haruka and Michiru weren't home. I heard your message, so I came. By
the way, do you have any idea where they went? I can't contact the
others either."

Hotaru sweatdropped at Setsuna's question. "Um... I'll tell you
later..."

"?"

Then Hotaru noticed Setsuna's casted arm. "Setsuna! Your arm!! What
happened?!"

This time it was Setsuna who sweatdropped. "Um... I'll tell you
later..."

"??"

By his luck, it was at that exact moment when Tenchi entered the living
room. "Hey, Sasami-chan! There you are. I want to check on
others..." Tenchi couldn't finish his words as he saw the same lady
from the ice cream shop. His face paled slightly, but he waved his hand
a little, trying to be polite. "Um, hello there."

But Setsuna's reaction wasn't all that welcoming. "Do I know you?"

Tenchi was surprised. He was certain that she was the one who glared at
him with no reason back in the shop. Receiving her cold response, he
mumbled. "Um, no..."

"Then do YOU know me?"

"Um, no..."

"Then bye. Let's go Hotaru." With her tone as cold as ice, Setsuna
turned away as soon as she finished her sentence.

"Set, Setsuna!!"

Hotaru hurriedly tried to follow her friend, but stopped and turned to
the Tendo family. Then she bowed politely. "Um, thank you for having
me here. It has been a very pleasant evening."

Soun put down his newspaper, and answered back kindly. "You're
welcome. In fact, feel free to visit anytime. It was pleasant for us,
too."

Kasumi also nodded. "Yes, visit our home anytime."

"What a polite girl." Nodoka also smiled at Hotaru. The girl seemed to
have gotten very fond of Ranma, just like a sister. She made the
Saotome matriach almost wish for another child. Then she looked
disapproavingly at her husband, who quickly hid behind Soun again.
'Almost, that is.'

"Bye-bye, Hotaru-chan!" Sasami waved her hand very eagerly. She liked
her new friend very much. It was a bit disappointing to part with her
so quickly, but she was sure she could meet Hotaru again.

"Seeya later, Hotaru-chan." Ranma also waved at the young girl, who
blushed at his words. Somehow the girl gave him some very happy
feeling. It was like having a sister. Deep in his mind, he hoped that
he could meet her again. 'A sister... that would be really nice...'

Tenchi also raised his hand in attempt to say his farewell, when Setsuna
quickly came back.

"I appologize for any inconvenience. I thank you for your kindness you
have shown to Hotaru." Then Setsuna took a very brief moment to glare
at Tenchi, before walking away with Hotaru quickly following behind.

Tenchi stood there dumbly, his hand still raised up in the air. Ranma
blinked at the disappearing form of Setsuna, then asked Tenchi. "Man,
what didya do to that lady?"

"I have no idea..."



After they left the Tendo Dojo, Hotaru and Setsuna walked in silence for
a while. It was clear that Setsuna had a bad day so far, so Hotaru
didn't want to agitate her further. Occasionally, Hotaru nervously took
a side glance at her friend, who still kept a deep scowl on her face.

After some time of awkward silence had passed, Hotaru decided to ease
the mood with some conversation. She opened her mouth, "Um..." but was
interrupted by Setsuna who stopped in mid-step. Her scowl got deeper as
she gently pushed back Hotaru, who was a little bewildered by her
behaviour. "Is... is anything wrong?"

"Someone's coming."

"Huh?"

It was then when Hotaru noted a figure getting close to them. It was
dark so she couldn't distinguish the figure's face, but it was
definitely approaching them. She also noticed another figure following
the first one from not so far behind. It seemed very weird to find such
figures this late at night. Hotaru quietly took a step back, preparing
for the worst.

When the figure up in front got closer, the light of the street lamps
finally revealed it. It was a boy with long hair, who wore a long
chinese robe. He was running towards them as if his life depended on
it. He dashed really fast towards them, and...

SWISH!

...and ran right past them.

The two part-time Senshi blinked their eyes. They were staring at the
disappearing back of the boy, when the second figure also ran by them.
It was a young chinese girl who was swinging a big bonborri around.

"Stop so Shampoo can kill you, Mousse!!"

"I'm sorry Shampoo!! But I had a good reason for being so late!!
Please forgive me!!"

"Shampoo no care!! Shampoo did FIVE far delivery all over town!!
FIVE!! It all your fault!! Tomorrow special is Peking Duck!!"

"Please, Shampoo!! Have mercy!! It wasn't my intention to make you do
my job!! Eek!!"

CRASH!

"Darn, missed!! Mousse, be quiet and be Peking Duck!!"

But Mousse didn't stop. Why would he? He wanted to live. He just ran
faster, with Shampoo following not far behind.

"Help!!"

"Die, Mousse!!"

Hotaru and Setsuna stood there, dumbfounded. They had no idea what just
happened. They were worried that those figure might have been their
enemies, but it seemed that the boy and the girl were the worst enemy to
each other. Although relieved that they weren't in any danger, they
were still very confused by the event.

After some time Setsuna had regained her senses. She sighed with a
defeated look on her face. The guardian of the Time Gate wasn't having
a really good day. She turned her companion with a small smile. "Sorry
to scare you like that. It hasn't been a good day. What were you
saying?"

That also shook Hotaru out of her trance. Even though she had seen many
weirdness in the Tendo Dojo, she didn't expect it to be so common in the
area. Still a little rattled, Hotaru turned her gaze to Setsuna.
"Huh?"

"You were trying to say something before. What was it?"

"Um, well... I was just wondering how you hurt your arm..."

Hotaru stepped back a couple of steps when she saw Setsuna's eyebrow
twitching. "Um, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."

But Setsuna quickly explained, seeing Hotaru's fear. "No, no. It's not
you. It's just that this happened so unexpectedly that I am still
upset. I was going to explain this later. But not now. I'll tell you
when everyone is gathered. Speaking of which... where are they? What
happened in the park after I am gone?"

Then Hotaru's eyes widened. "You, you mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Setsuna's face became very curious.

It was the well-known truth among the Senshi that Setsuna, with her
power of the guardian of the Time Gate, always knew what would happen in
the near future. She just simply didn't participate in the most of the
events, since it might compromise the flow of time. While it was a bit
irritating that the powerful Senshi of Time didn't aid her fellow Senshi
much in their quest, they have accepted that it was her more important
duty to watch over the Time Gate. Ever since Setsuna joined them, they
had expected her to know about things happening around them. So it was
quite a shock for Hotaru that Setsuna sincerely had no clue to today's
events.

"Well, what happened?" Setsuna's tone turned more inquisitive when
Hotaru hesistated to answer. She was beginning to feel bad about what
the girl had to say, but she had to know.

"Um... after you were gone..." Hotaru mumbled a bit, still not sure how
to break the news to her friend.

"Yeeeeesss...?" Setsuna waited patiently for the next words. Her
instinct was starting to feel worse by the minute.

"...some youmas appeared in the park... and we fought them..."

"...I see..." Much to Hotaru's surprise, Setsuna took the news rather
well.

Actually, Setsuna didn't know how this had happened, nor did she
expected it. Setsuna just had prepared herself for the worst. It was
her motto to stay alert for any turn of the event. Even with the Time
Gate functional, anything was possible. The Time Gate was a mere tool
for observing time, not altering it.(8) For past millenia, Sailor Pluto
had stayed only as an observer of history, not a participant. She knew
very well that the damaged Time Gate didn't mean the time had stopped.
She just wouldn't be able to expect what would happen. But that didn't
discourage the Senshi a bit. After all, she also had other goal in her
mind, which she would have to concentrate on the most now that her
primary duty had been tempolarily suspended. 'I will have to protect
the princess and the others... I made a promise...'

Then Setsuna asked Hotaru again. "Well, then where are the others? Why
are you left alone?"

"Um, well..." Hotaru began to explain about her and Ranma's
experience. She also told Setsuna about Tenchi and her alien friend.
Surprisingly, Setsuna didn't seem to be bothered so much.

"I see. That boy knows an alien... very interesting." But her interest
didn't seem all that friendly, as Setsuna had a very deep scowl on her
face now. Hotaru was beginning to feel a little bad for the pony-tailed
boy. He seemed to be so nice...

Hotaru then asked a question. "Setsuna... aren't you bothered that
there is an alien here in Tokyo? I mean, Haruka-papa always said that
We the Outers had to protect the Solar System from any threat from
outside... doesn't that include alien invasion?"

Hotaru was shocked when she saw her friend laugh lightly at her words.
"She is right, other than the fact that I already know a couple of
aliens living here on earth."

"Eeeeeeehhhh?!?"

"What did you expect? The Outer Senshi had been dormant for several
millenia. It was inevitable that some life forms from outer space came
to visit the Earth during that time. In fact, I personally know a guy
who came here 700 years ago.(9) He was a prince of an alien empire who
was hunting down a space-pirate.(10) I found him all battered up after
his fight with the pirate. His spaceship was damaged so he couldn't
leave for his home. So I helped him a couple of times to get back on
his own. I think he still lives in the region near Okayama."

"Still alive?! But..."

"Apparently his race has ability to live longer than humans. Not much
difference other than that though. He got married recently, by which I
mean within last decades, and he even invited me to the wedding! Ah,
that brings back a memory." Setsuna smiled as she contemplated on her
recent(?) past. She was a loner, and although she lived for thousands
of years, she didn't have many memorable moments throughout her long
life. Most of the time she was sitting in front of the Time Gate,
fulfilling her duty as the guardian of the relic. As rare as it might
be, she still liked looking back at those occasional moments which she
cherished. Her heart began to warm up from all the fun she enjoyed
during the wedding of her alien friend.

"...heh..." Hotaru was speechless. She had no idea that there was an
alien living here on earth, much less that her friend knew one of them.
But she was surprised the most at Setsuna, who had very nostalgic
expression on her face. She had never seen her friend in such mood.
Even though she didn't know what kind of experience Setsuna had, it was
clear that it was a very happy moment for the lonely guardian of Time.
Hotaru couldn't help but to smile a little at that.

Setsuna continued on. "Ones from the other planet are not all bad.
Haruka might see them as threats, but they are much like you and me.
Some of them are powerful, but some of them are helpless. Some evil,
but also some good. You just have to watch who you associate yourself
with, just like you do with humans. That's all. I didn't meet this
alien woman yet, but that doesn't mean she is dangerous. We will just
have to be careful, but not antagonize her."

Hotaru quietly listened to her friend. She had always admired Setsuna
for her wisdom and maturity. Living for thousands of years alone
apparently made her wiser than the most of people, although Hotaru still
thought that her friend was probably already wise before those
millenia. Her experiences with the Senshi of Time had always taught her
something new. This time wasn't any different.

Setsuna leaned back on the wall of a house. "Still, we will have to
watch her carefully. We still don't know what that boy has to do with
the disturbance. According to your experience, they don't seem to be
hostile to us, at least on the surface. But it doesn't hurt to be
careful. Besides, if the boy IS the disturbance, we have to do
something about it. We might have to confront them later... but right
now, they are not our definite enemy." Then her face turned very
serious. "But those youmas are... a different story. Not only they
attacked people, they appeared AFTER the Time Gate became
disfunctional. There might be some link here..."

Setsuna stood straight, sighing. "Too bad you guys destroyed all of
them. We might have found some clue. Maybe I should talk to Ami. She
might have kept some data." The Senshi of Time was determined to help
her fellow Senshi through this crisis. Her job as the guardian of the
Time Gate was not needed, at least until the Time Gate repaired itself.
She was free for the time being, and the future of the Moon Kingdom
needed her help. She was going to give her best.

When Setsuna turned to leave, she noticed something odd in Hotaru's
behaviour. Curious, she asked the girl. "What's wrong, Hotaru?"

"Um, it wasn't us who destroyed the youmas..."

Setsuna was very shocked at this. "What? Then who did?"

Hotaru nervously began to explain fully. She told Setsuna about
Tromine, the man in black uniform. She also mentioned about the women
with face markings, who Setsuna also remembered from the ice cream
shop. Then she finished the story with the appearance of the Knight,
whom Hotaru claimed to be responsible for defeating the monsters.

Throughout Hotaru's story, Setsuna just stood in silence and listened.
Her face was getting more stern by the minute though. She briefly
perked her eyebrow when she heard the name Tromine. 'Now where did I
hear that name?' But she pushed back the question in her mind when she
heard about the Knight. Hotaru was eagerly trying to explain how
impressive he was. Setsuna noted this with interest. 'Whoever he is,
he managed to impress Sailor Saturn. That wouldn't be possible without
him being nearly as powerful as Saturn's own power. This is very
unexpected...'

Setsuna lowered her gaze. 'Too many unknown factors now. Who were
those three women? Which side are they on? How about that boy and her
lady friend? Who is this new enemy? Where did he come from? And...
who is this Knight character? All these new appearance in one
day...(11) Things are happening too fast. This time, we don't have the
Time Gate... This is going to be our greatest crisis yet...'

But the Senshi of Time lifted her face with firm determination. 'No
matter how hard is, I WILL get them through this. I promised to her...
and HIM...'

Then she stopped Hotaru, who was still going on with her story. "That's
enough for now, Hotaru. I get the gist of what happened. I will hear
it from everyone tomorrow. For now, let's go home and get you some
rest. You probably need it."

Setsuna turned and walked away. But when she looked behind, Hotaru was
still standing, reluctant to follow. "What's wrong now, Hotaru? You
are acting weird all of sudden."

"Um... Setsuna? The man who called himself the Knight?"

"Yes? What about him?"

"...he destroyed all the monster in one shot."

"So? You already said he was very powerful. What's the problem?" If
Setsuna knew how much trouble the Senshi had with the monsters, she
would have listened more carefully. Bur right now Setsuna was beginning
to feel a little impatient. She had lots of problems in her hand. She
wasn't in the mood for listening any more story on the street at such
cold night. She wanted to take a soak in furo as soon as possible.

But Setsuna's heart stopped mementarily when she heard the hesistantly
added words of Hotaru. "...but he used the Death Scream to do so..."

"?!?"




Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring ring! Click.

*"WHO IS IT?!?!"*

Sasami cringed at the screaming voice from the receiver. "Um,
Washu-chan? It's me, Sasami."

*"Eck! I, I mean, hey, Sasami-chan! How are you doing? Are you
okay?"*

"Oh I am fine. Thank you for sending us Minagi. She was a great help."

*"Eheheh... don't mention it... So, what's up?"*

"Oh nothing. We met Tenchi's cousin. We are at his house right now.
Tenchi's cousin is so nice. We had so much fun tonight!"

*"Re, really? Tenchi-dono has a cousin? Wow, I didn't know that.
Really."*

"?" Now that was unexpected, Sasami thought. She thought Washu would
find it very interesting to hear about Tenchi's cousin, with her
curiosity about Juraian Royal Family and all. Also, there was a hint of
guilt in the voice of the scientist. She wondered what was wrong with
her friend. "Um, anyway, I just called to check on you guys. You guys
have eaten yet?"

*"Eh, no, but we are heating some food right now! Nothing to worry
about, Sasami-chan! Really! Everything's fine!"*

"Um, okay..."

*Kaboom!*

"Huh? What was that, Washu?"

*"Eh... it's my new experiment! Yes! You called me when I was still in
the lab. I am using my lab phone. That's it! Ho-ho-ho..."*

"O, okay..." Sasami blinked. 'What's going on over there?'



In Masaki house, a fire had broken out, again.

"Aaaaaaaaahh!!! Mihoshi!! How can you blow up a microwave heating up
miso soup?!? That's just not possible!!"

"Waaaaaaaahhh!! Sorry, Kiyone! I don't know how I did that! I wasn't
paying attention! I'll tell you next time!"

"WHAT KIND OF EXCUSE IS THAT?!?!"

"Aaaaaaaaah!!! Kiyone, you are so scary!!"

Washu rubbed her forehead with the phone still in her hand. It was a
big mistake to let Mihoshi out of her sight, especially things happened
so far today. Her arms were still aching from all those needle
punctures they had suffered.

*"Washu, are you still there?"*

Hurriedly Washu answered through the phone. "Yeah, yeah I am here."

*"Oh, um anyway, Tenchi and I are going to sleep over here tonight, so
don't wait up! We will be back by tomorrow afternoon. That's all."*

"Okay! Have fun!"

*"I will! Bye!"*

Click.

Washu put down the receiver and sighed. Sasami was such a sweet kid.
She didn't worry the little girl with the chaos that was the Masaki
Mansion right now.

Behind her back, the fire had moved onto the living room. Nobuyuki was
trying to restrain Kiyone who had her murdering eyes solely on Mihoshi.
Mihoshi was just crying her eyes out, repeating "I'm sorry Kiyone."
Only people who were actually trying to put out the fire were Ryoko and
Ayeka, who were still trapped in their ice cubes. They were on the
ground, frantically twisting and turning their entire bodies in the
cubes, and rolling the ice on the fire.(12) It wasn't very effective,
but it worked. Sort of.



Back in Washu's lab, a lone figure was left, tied in a big machine.

"Hello? Washu-chan? Ryoko? Ayeka-chan? Nobuyuki-kun? Kiyone-kun?
...Mihoshi? Where is everyone? Hello?"

Katsuhito searched the area, trying to find a mean of escape. Seeing
none, he kept calling for help. "Hello? Anybody there? Hello?"

Then he heard a small noise from somewhere. He looked around, and found
Ryo-ohki, who now turned into her child-form, looking up at him with
curious eyes. "Myah?"

"Ryo-ohki!" She wasn't his best choice of rescuer, but at least she was
there. "Ryo-ohki! Get me down, quickly!"

"Myah?" Ryo-ohki blinked in confusion. She looked up at Katsuhito,
looked down on the machine, then looked up again.

"Get me down! Get. Me. Down. Ryo-ohki? You can do it. Get. Me.
Down."

Ryo-ohki was still confused though. She wondered what could possibly
disturb the old priest. He looked so depressed. Then a hint of
realization hit her face, as it brightened up. "Myah!"

"Yes! Now, go to that panel over there, and try to find the release
button... Ryo-ohki? What are you doing?" Now it was Katsuhito who was
confused, when he saw Ryo-ohki walking up to him. He just stared as the
child stood right in front of the machine, looking up to him.

Ryo-ohki smiled, and made the fists with her hand. Then she started to
sing and do her little dance. She knew this would cheer him up.
"Myah-myah-myahmyahmyahmyah-myah-myah-myahmyahmyahmyah-myah..."(13)

Katsuhito hung his head in defeat. "Oh crap."




Later, after midnight.

Inside the Tendo Dojo, two boys lied on the futons in Ranma's room.
Ranma was the regular occupant of the room, and the new one was his
cousin, Tenchi. Genma was sleeping in the dojo tonight, since Nodoka
told him so. The Saotome matriach hadn't quite forgiven her husband for
his rude behavior on the dinner table, not to mention him mooching off
her father while he was on the road. They both lied down quietly,
trying to go to sleep.

But today's events were too much even for Tenchi who always thought he
had his share of chaos back at home. He was having a hard time going to
sleep. He changed his position a couple of times, before finally giving
up. He wasn't about to go to sleep anytime soon and he knew it. So he
decided to talk to his cousin instead. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Huh?"

"You asleep?"

"*snort* If I was, would I be answering to ya?"

"Um, no. Sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I ain't that sleepy yet. Guess you wanna
talk, huh?"

"Well, yeah."

"Might as well. It's a bit weird not hearing pop's snoring here. It's
loud and annoying, but I can't sleep now it's gone."

"Heheh, Uncle Genma still snores loud, huh?"

"You have no idea."

Two boy laughed quietly at this. They sighed a bit, and went back to
their vain attempt to fall in sleep. After some minutes, Tenchi again
broke the silence. "Hey Ranma."

"Yeah?"

"You really can't remember anything? I mean about Grandpa and my mom."

"...no."

"Oh."

Silence again occupied the room, until Ranma opened his mouth. "Hey
Tenchan."

"Hmm?"

"You said your mom passed away, right?"

"Yeah."

"...what was she like?"

Slowly, a smile reached up to Tenchi's face as he remembered his mom.
"She was kind, and beautiful. I was very little when she died, but I
can still remember her smiling face. It was the most beautiful thing I
have ever seen."

Tenchi then turned his head towards his cousin. "You really liked her,
and she really liked you too. She got really excited whenever you came
to our house. While you and I would play together she would make some
snacks for us to munch on. Then we took a nap with our heads on her
lap. Heh. You said my mom was your favourite aunt, although she was
your only aunt." Tenchi laughed out heartily, not noticing his cousin
deep in thoughts.

"Oh." Ranma kept quiet for a while, before speaking again a moment
later. "You really liked your mom, huh?"

"Yeah..." Tenchi answered, with his eyes staring at the empty space
above. "I sort of envy you, Ranma. You have your mom here. It must be
so great for you to see her whenever you want."

"...it ain't as great as you think."

"Huh?" Tenchi turned to his cousin with wonder. 'What does he mean?'

With grim look, Ranma continued. "I've been on the road ever since I
was so little. Now I met my mom again, but I still can't remember much
about when I was young. Heck, I didn't know if I had a mother a year
ago. Pop never told me and I never asked. Even though she's right here
and I see her everyday, I sometimes wonder. Maybe I ain't got no
mother, and all this is just a dream..."

"......" Tenchi quietly listened to his cousin. Ranma went on.

"I mean, what am I supposed to do with a mom? What do I do now? I'm
too old to play a baby for her, and I ain't old enough to support her or
something. You had your mom when you were young, and you can still
remember that. I can't. I haven't seen her for 10 years. Only reason
I know she's my mom is because pop told me..."

"...Ranma..."

"Hey, don't get wrong idea. I love her. She's my mom. I never told
pop or aske him about it, but I've always dreamed about having a mom.
But now I DO have a mom, I don't know what to do. I, I..."

"...you don't know if she really loves you or not..."

"......" The silence was the only response Ranma gave, but it was more
than enough for Tenchi.

The pony-tailed boy sighed, then spoke to the pig-tailed girl. "Ranma.
You got nothing to be worried about. I clearly remember when I met your
mom when you were away. She was always worried about you. She wondered
if you ate alright, if you were sick, or if you were hurt. She loves
you more than anything, Ranma, just like my mom did with me. You are
lucky to have a mom like her..."

"......" Ranma was still silent, but Tenchi could see his cousin's
shoulders shaking a little bit. He pretended he didn't see it though.

Some awkward silence lasted between them, until Ranma spoke up again.
"You are lucky, too, you know."

"Huh? What?"

"You are lucky too. You said your mom was very nice."

Tenchi nodded at his cousin's words, but his expression changed a bit
sad. "Yes... she was... I really miss her... I, I just wished she
lived a little longer so I could show my appreciation..."

Ranma became quiet, but he again spoke. "That's alright."

"Huh?"

"That's alright even if your mom ain't here. You still have her with
you."

"What do you mean?"

"You loved her, right?"

"Um, yes..."

"And you know she loved you, right?"

"Yes..."

"And you remember her, right?"

"Yeah..."

"There you go. Even though your mom's gone, you still have her love in
you. And you still have your love for her too. AND you have both in
your memory. As long as you live, no one can take that away from you.
Her love will be with you always, and your love is gonna be with her
too. That's what's important."

If anyone of the Nerima Wrecking Crew was here, he or she would run out
screaming in terror. Ranma rarely showed any sign of wisdom, much less
opened his heart like he did right now. Even though Tenchi didn't know
about this, the Juraian Prince could still appreciate his efforts.
Tenchi smiled at Ranma, who turned his face away from his cousin. It
was obvious to Tenchi that he was feeling embarassed.

Tenchi warmly looked at his cousin, before speaking again. "Good night
Ranma."

"Good night Tenchan..."

Within minutes, the two boys fell in deep sleep, and had a very happy
dream that night...




In Akane's room, Akane was combing the hair of her guest for the night,
Sasami. "You have such nice hair, Sasami-chan. I am so jealous."

"*giggle* Thanks, Akane-neesan." She patiently waited as Akane shaped
her hair into two buns before she went to sleep. When she got into her
futon, Sasami turned to Akane with mischeivious grin. "So,
Akane-neesan... you like Ranma-niichan?"

Akane freaked out in her futon. "Whe, where did you get that idea?"

"Why not? He seems nice enough."

"Hah! That insenstive jerk?! You don't know him at all! He's an
obnoxious jerk and an arrogant pervert all in one! That's it! He's an
idiot!!" Akane answered with her fist trembling in the air.

Sasami blinked at the reaction, but shrugged her shoulders. "Okay,
whatever you say."

"I mean it!!"

As she lied down Sasami continued. "Like I said, whatever. Ah, I hope
I can be like you, Akane-neesan. I want to find a dreamy boyfriend when
I grow up, too."

"Ranma's not dreamy!!"

Akane's face paled when she realized what she had just implied. Sasami
just grinned slyly at this though. "Heheh, gotcha."

"...why you!"

"Aaaack! No, Akane-neesan! Heheheh! That tickles! Teehee! Stop!
Eheheheh! Give up! I give up!"

"Not yet, you trickster! How's this, and that?"

"Ahahahahah! No, eheheh, that, heehee, really tickles! Surrender!
Heheheh! I surrender!"

Outside the Tendo Dojo, the lights went off one by one in the
neighborhood houses, until only one was left. From the window, giggles
of a little girl and laughs of another rang through the air. A couple of
minutes later, even their voices stopped echoing, as the light in the
room was finally turned off. Soon only silence and peaceful darkness
were left to surround the houses in Nerima...




Chapter 8 ends.




(1) She swung a mallet a couple of times saying something about Ranma
being "a sexist." When it didn't work, she just teased him saying "you
probably won't last a minute against her anyway." Within a second,
Ranma accepted Minagi's challenge.

(2) He's Genma. He does not discriminate the old or young, fat or thin,
black or white, male or female, as long as the person has some food on
the plate...

(3) I am the author of this story, and yet I also have no idea what
she's thinking... -.-;;

(4) They were there because they were crazy idiots.

(5) Or better, in SOME points of views...

(6) Oh, but she WOULD. Oh yes. She would. Very very soon...

(7) Haruka was masculine enough, but it just wasn't the same... It was
like dressing up a Barby doll and pretending it was G.I. Joe action
figure.

(8) Truth be told, you could alter the future with the Time Gate. After
all, you could travel through time with it. It's just that it's
strictly forbidden to do so, and if you attempted it, you would get hit
by the Death Scream before you could reach the gate...

(9) Wow, who could that be? I am soooooooo curious!! -.-;;

(10) If you still don't know who this guy is, I suggest watching every
anime there is. Maybe you will find him... -.-;;

(11) Aaaaaack!!! She's right!! All these chapters, for one day!! I've
gone mad!!

(12) They were still trapped in the ice cube. Washu figured it would be
safe for all, both them and the rest.

(13) You remember this one, don't you? It's that cute song she did in
front of Misaki and Azusa. ^^



For the previous chapters, go to Phu's Anime Page!
At http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/