Hello Again,
     Well, here is the second of my two stories that I have begun to
write.  I hope Y'all like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Please
read the Author's Notes at the end for more from me.  Oh, and before
I forget, I would like to thank Donny Cheng (author of the Life &
Times series among others) for looking over this fic and pointing
out some areas that needed more fine-tuning.  I would also like to
thank Christopher 'God-Boy' Angel for allowing me to use his
characters in the prelude to this story.  I hope the story does not
make him regret giving me permission. :)

And Here We Go ...   
                         Second Star On The Right

Prelude

********************************************************************
Belldandy,
     I am sorry I had to say Good-Bye in this way, but I was afraid 
that if you knew what I was planning, you would stop me.  I want to 
thank you and the others from the bottom of my soul.  If it wasn't 
for you guys, I would have given up on life a long time ago.  Thank 
you.  I can only hope that you can understand why I am doing this.  
For a long time now something has been bothering me.  I could not 
figure out what it was until about five years ago when I traveled 
back to China to visit Ryouga's grave.  I realized, as I looked 
around, that nothing had changed.  It all looked the same as it did 
the time I visited before, and the time before that, and the time 
before that...well, you get the picture.  At first I denied to 
myself what I discovered, I traveled more and more, trying to help 
people as much as I could, trying to find new challenges, and became 
more depressed every day.  Finally, I could take it no more, so I 
sat down and did some serious thinking.  And so here I am.  I cannot 
die, but I am not living.  Not anymore.  I'm going to change that.
     I just want you all to know, I love you. You all have been the 
family I lost 2000 years ago, and Chris has been the older brother I 
never had.  This is not good-bye, I know that someday we will meet 
again.  Wish me luck!
                                               Ranma

********************************************************************

     Belldandy stood by her window with the letter held carefully in 
her hands.  She continued to look out the window toward the sunset 
until she heard a voice come from behind her.
     "Bell?"
     Belldandy spun around and ran to the owner of the voice, her 
brother. "Oniichan!"
     Christopher Angel, God Of Moments, held his sister as she 
sought comfort in his embrace.  After a while he spoke, "Do you 
understand why he did it, Bell?"
     "Some of it, but not all," she replied, stepping back and 
walking over to sit on her bed.  Chris was slightly surprised that 
her face was free of tears and that she seemed as calm as ever.

     Chris sighed and walked over to sit by her.  He impulsively 
hugged his sister with one arm as he chose his words carefully. "You 
have lived among mortals for a long time Bell, and usually you act 
so normal that it is very easy to picture you as human yourself.  
But you are not human, you are a goddess.  And there are several 
things a goddess cannot truly feel nor experience, which is for the 
best.  But Ranma, he is mortal, and he is feeling those things now.  
Can you imagine how tough it is being a mortal who cannot die by 
normal means?  How you constantly see friends die, and how you find 
it increasingly harder to feel attached to the people who replace 
them?  How humanity itself begins to look like a race of strangers?  
And, worst of all for someone like Ranma, what do you do when you 
have done it all?  When you have learned as much as the world's 
masters can teach you, when you have literally traveled to Hell and 
back, when you have experienced love, hate, hope and despair over 
the span of centuries?  How could an adventurer live on a world 
where there are no more surprises, no more mysteries to discover?  
In the end, Ranma was bored, and since he is not allowed to visit 
his friends in Heaven, he is lonely as well.  And now he is willing 
to do something, anything, to gain back his life the way it was, 
when he was young and had an unknown road ahead of him to travel.  I 
hope that he finds the excitement, and peace, he is looking for."  
     Bellbandy sadly nods her head, she knew that Ranma had not been 
enjoying life anymore, but had not known what to do about it.

     Belldandy looked thoughtful for a moment, "I know he has been 
unhappy for a long time now, but I thought it was because of the 
Fourth Impact and the loss of his friend, Ryouga." She looked down 
for a minute then glanced sideways towards her brother.  "That 
sounded very impressive Oniichan.  You seem to know a lot about it."  
She smiled at the suddenly blushing Chris and watched his left hand 
lift to scratch the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had picked 
up from Ranma after decades of friendship.
     "Well, we kinda talked.  I understood where he was coming from, 
I was mortal once too you know.  Sometimes I wonder, if I didn't 
have you girls and my duty, would I feel the same way?"
     "You helped him write this, didn't you?"  Belldandy guessed, 
looking at the wording and writing style on the letter in her lap.
     "Well, yeah.  You know he has problems picking the right words 
sometimes, and he wanted to leave on good terms with everybody, and 
not have them mad at him because of a misunderstanding."  Chris 
chuckled and saw his divine sister open her mouth to ask another 
question, "And before you ask, yes I am going to miss the jerk."  
His expression turned wistful and he looked out the window towards 
the night sky. 
     Belldandy stood up and Chris joined her as she started walking 
out the bedroom door, "Keiichi will be home soon, he can get word to 
Ranma's friends in Heaven tomorrow when he goes back."  Belldandy 
winced as she thought about the damage those friends will probably 
cause when they hear of Ranma's latest decision.  "How do you think 
Urd and Skuld are going to take this?" she asked, changing the topic 
slightly.
     Chris looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Urd will probably be 
upset because she was never able to seduce Ranma and now she won't 
be able to.  As for Skuld, well she kinda knew about this a while 
ago."
     Belldandy's eyes grew large. "She did?!?"
     "Yup," Chris smiled thinking about the view he had just seen 
out the window, of the stars that were starting to dot the black 
sky, "who do you think built the Starship?"


Chapter 1

     Ranma Saotome sat in wonder as he watched the majestic rings of 
Saturn pass by.  All the years of video, pictures, and virtual 
reality representations could not compare with the view that he just 
seen.  True, it would have been much faster for him to get where he 
was going had he gone straight 'up' from the solar system, but he 
had wanted to see the planets; to witness the seeming anger of Mars, 
the challenge of running the gauntlets of the asteroid belt, 
experiencing the huge storms of Jupiter, and now to see the infamous 
fields of ice that Saturn is well known for.  And for the first time 
in a long time, Ranma felt awe and the thrill of seeing something 
new and inspiring.  Sitting up in the command chair of the fairly 
cramped cockpit, he started to adjust his trajectory so that he 
would be able to sweep by Neptune and Uranus before truly starting 
out on his trek across space.  He debated whether or not to include 
flying past Pluto on his way out as well.  He knew that the Senshi 
of Time, Sailor Pluto, sometimes spent time on that barren chunk of 
ice, and the two of them did not get along very well.  In the end, 
Ranma decided to include the last planet, but he would pass it at a 
greater distance than the others.  Ranma then settled back into the 
chair and watched the view shift dramatically as the new coordinates 
were fed into the navigational computer and the tiny vessel made a 
wide turn and head towards the closest of the three planets to where 
he was now.  As it turned out, it was Pluto.
     It is a widely known secret that the universe is run by a 
computer called the Yggdrasil System.  This computer system is 
nominally overseen by many goddesses who make sure that the system 
runs smoothly and efficiently.  Unfortunately, like any computer 
system no matter how well maintained, the Yggdrasil still 
experiences glitches now and again.  These glitches are called bugs.  
In your everyday software package a bug is annoying, but is usually 
not very destructive.  However, when you are talking about bugs in 
the most powerful computer in existence, you are dealing with pieces 
of chaos that can, and will, do massive damage to anything and 
everything.  With the installation of a partial AI into the 
Yggdrasil System in the late 30th century, the number of bugs created 
had drastically dropped.  However, those few that did pop up, tended 
to be more sneaky and destructive.  One such bug resided in Ranma's 
ship.  Physically it resembled a large furball with many legs and 
sharp teeth, and it was nestled securely behind the bulkplate 
separating the ship's cockpit from the main drive section.  And it 
was playing its new favorite game, 'Lets Eat The Pretty Yellow 
Wires'.
     Ranma was busy thinking about the adventures that were now 
before him.  *I hope I get to Jurai quickly.  Man, its been what, 
1500 years, since they cut off contact with us?  Hee hee, I can't 
wait to see Tenchi's face again! He's gonna freak when I land!  I 
hope Sas-chan is ok, though with Tsu-chan looking out for her, I bet 
she is.  Maybe I can get Ryoko to spar...* Busy with his musings, he 
failed to see several of the gauges on his right hand control panel 
go haywire.  He _did_ notice the sparks that shot out of the main 
navigational screen in front of him however.
     "What the hell?!" he yelped, startled out of his reverie.  
Several more sparks jumped out, causing him to flinch back in 
surprise.  The bug decided to see if the blue wires were tastier 
than the yellow ones.  A long arc of blue energy shot out of one 
control panel and connected to another, lasting for a total of about 
five seconds.  "Damn!" Ranma muttered as he started to wave his 
hands in the air a bit, quickly punching random buttons whenever it 
looked safe enough to do so.  "Skuld didn't say anything about this 
when she was showing me how to fly this stupid thing!"  The bug, 
having finished with the blue wires, decided that the red ones 
looked pretty good.
     Suddenly the sparks and arcs of energy stopped.  Ranma blinked 
twice and started to relax, thinking the worst was over.  Then the 
power went out.  With the cockpit only illuminated by emergency 
lights and the displays for two systems that were self-sufficient, 
he looked around with a sinking feeling.  He could hear the powerful 
engines of the craft still operating at full throttle, but none of 
the power seemed to be getting to the systems in front of him.
     One of the two remaining systems spoke in a pleasant voice #Now 
entering objective coordinates for the planet Pluto#.  The bug, 
having finished off all of the wires in its immediate area, decided 
to see if the astronavigational circuit was as crunchy as the 
backups had been.  The voice of the navigational computer spoke 
again, #WARNING.  Coordinate lock has been lost.  Interrupted feed 
from main circuit, trying emergency backups.#  The message 'Trying 
emergency backups, please hold...' appeared on the nav-screen and 
stayed there.  Ranma could only stare at it for about 30 seconds 
before the message vanished and never came back.  The ship started 
to spin.
     Underneath Ranma's seat was a gravity pad anchoring him firmly 
to the floor of the ship, so when the ship began to spin he did not 
really feel much inertia.  However, the spinning stars outside his 
windows were more than enough to make his stomach slightly queasy.  
And Pluto was slowly growing ever larger whenever he could see it 
zoom past his cockpit's windows.
     "OK Ranma," he started to say to himself, "lets see what we 
got.  OK.  One, we got no power.  Two, we have no control over the 
ship.  Three, we are a billion miles from anybody that can help.  
Four, we seem to be headed straight towards a reeeealy large chunk 
of ice.  On the plus side... ..." Unable to think of anything good in 
the situation he sunk deeply into his seat.  "Heh," he chuckled, 
"shoulda known Pluto was gonna be the end o me."  He slowly started 
to increase the level of chi in his body, not really knowing why he 
was doing it, but it felt comforting all the same.  Like being held 
in a friend's warm embrace.
     Ranma Saotome was a remarkable person.  Physically he looked 
like an Asian male in his late teens, but he had bright blue eyes 
instead of the typical brown or black.  His black hair was shoulder 
length in the back, and kept in a loose ponytail.  He had long ago 
mastered his Chi, the spiritual energy that flows inside all living 
things, and it could be seen as a bright blue aura that surrounded 
him at all times unless he was deliberately trying to hide it.  He 
was also immortal, meaning he could not die.  Or, at least, he had 
not yet found anything that could cause him to die.  But right then, 
staring out at the crazily spinning stars, planets, and sun, he 
seriously doubted that he would be alive in ten minutes.  He would 
be correct in his assessment.

Meanwhile, back on Earth

     Sailor Pluto walked quickly through the halls of the Crystal 
Palace.  Anybody who saw her would see nothing but an expressionless 
face and a steady stride.  However, inside she was seething.  
*Another one!  Another one rejects us!  This is not supposed to be!  
For every city that accepts our protection and guidance, two more 
turn down our offers!  Damn you Saotome!  WHO ARE YOU?!?*  Setsuna 
paused to collect herself after shouting that question inside her 
mind.  It was a question that she had asked countless times over the 
centuries.  She could clearly remember a time when Serenity ruled 
the Earth with benevolent power and the world in return looked up to 
her as the savior and Queen she was.  *These memories are a lie!  
They never happened!  And all because one _boy_ and his friends!  
All my work, all of the pain I have suffered, is as nothing!  
History was changed anyways!*  Logically Setsuna knew she was wrong 
to hate Ranma Saotome.  She really was happy that so many people's 
lives had been saved because of Ranma's interventions, after all she 
was neither a monster nor as cold-hearted as some would believe.  
But she had suffered much to try to ensure that the future she knew 
would come to be.  And now her life's work is in ruins, her memories 
are mostly wrong, and her beloved Queen was not getting the 
recognition that she deserved.  Oh, Queen Serenity was far from 
powerless and unknown.  She ruled all of Japan and part of what was 
once Asia, and she was very much respected for her willingness to 
help those in trouble, but she was not the Queen Of The World that 
Setsuna believed she was supposed to be.  And the only difference 
between the world she remembered and the world as it was now was 
Ranma Saotome.  A man she did not remember from her 'previous life'.  
*I cannot face the Queen with my mind in this state.  I must find a 
way to find peace...*  Suddenly she broke off her thought and looked 
up, there was something wrong, something was happening at her 
ancient home... *By the Crystal, NO!*  Summoning her time staff she 
vanished from the hallways of the Crystal Palace...
     ...and appeared on the surface of the planet which was her 
namesake.  Looking around she could see a few vague ruins dotting 
the surface of the tiny planet.  Searching the sky she saw what had 
summoned her here.  Something powerful (she could not tell what it 
was) was hurtling towards the very center of what was once the home 
of her race.  At the rate it was descending, and with the power it 
was radiating, if it hit the surface nothing would be left of the 
ruins; the last vestiges of her people would be gone.  There was no 
time, she had to get rid of it!  Quickly summoning her power, she 
unleashed the most basic attack she knew, therefore it was the 
quickest to create and send towards its target.  "Time Distortion!" 
she shouted, pointing the end of her staff towards the bright object 
that was moving swiftly towards her.  A large purple sphere broke 
from the tip of the Time Staff and shot straight at the intruder.  
Compared to her more sophisticated attacks, such as the Dead Scream, 
the attack was large, sloppy, wasted energy, and highly random.  But 
it was the best she could do with the time she had.
     By this time Ranma had found that if he sent short bursts of 
chi through the sides of the ship, he was actually able to stop the 
crazy spinning and rotating.  However he was still unable to control 
where he was going, he just could see his path now.  The planet was 
growing larger by the second.  Suddenly the second of the two 
unaffected systems activated. #WARNING, a massive distortion field 
is heading for the ship.  WARNING WARNING WARNING, interaction of 
distortion field and engine coils would have unknown consequences.  
Probability of destruction of ship greater than 90%.  Initiating 
Primary Safety Protocols now.  Cryogenic freeze activated in three�# 
(Ranma's eyes widened) #�two�# (His chi, already amplified, suddenly 
increased exponentially as he instinctively built it up) 
#one..activating.  Have a nice sleep.#  *Skuld, what in the hell 
were you ....* Ranma was unable to complete the thought as his world 
turned to ice.  Due to his new popsicle state, he was unable to hear 
the computer's next statement.  #Initiating Secondary Safety 
Protocols, ejecting cockpit.  WARNING, distortion field will hit in 
five�four�three�two�one#
     Setsuna had to turn away and shield her eyes with her arm from 
the explosion her attack had caused.  Whatever that thing that had 
threatened her home had been, it was completely destroyed.  She then 
smiled and stretched her arms above her head, feeling good.  Maybe 
launching that type of attack was like a soul cleansing scream, but 
whatever it was, blowing up that thing made her feel a lot better.  
She once again disappeared, now looking forward to her audience with 
her Queen.

35,000 Years Ago

     A bright flash of light appeared on the rim of the solar 
system, leaving behind one badly damaged cockpit and one very frozen 
Ranma Saotome.  The bright flash caught the attention of a passing 
ship, a ship that was a scouting vessel for the race known as 
Xel'Naga.


Author's Notes:
     Whew, well that is it for now.  I would like to thank those
people who C&C'ed my Ranmanji storyline.  I look forward to seeing 
what C&C this title elicits from people.  This is the second story
I have begun to write, but is the story I am focusing on for right
now.  Please note that I did indeed get permission from Christopher
Angel to use his characters, so do not flame me for that.
     Now I have something I need to ask.  If anybody out there thinks
they can describe the various creatures in the Starcraft game 
reasonably well, please let me know.  I look at the Protoss Zealot 
picture and think to myself 'How in the world am I going to describe
THAT??'  I do not know exactly when I will need to get these 
descriptions done, but it is something to start thinking about.
     My title is supposed to be part of a quote from Peter Pan, but
I am uncertain in I have it correct.  If you know the correct line, 
please e-mail me with it so I can change the title!
     Oh, and one more thing about this story.  Yes, the Ranma in this 
story is very powerful.  However he will not remain at this level for
long.  He is neither going to be unbeatable nor invincible.  He will,
however, be more powerful than the normal Terran found in the
Starcraft worlds.  At least that is the plan for now. :)

Ohmen1@aol.com

Damn, here I am once again, staring at the Send button.  At least
this time I have the e-mail address correct!