Lines Of Destiny

   A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2  Crossover

   By Louis-Philippe Giroux
   <Phoenix@upc.qc.ca>

   A big thanks to REM for giving me a wonderful idea!  (I can't tell you
what it
is, because it would spoil things).  Among other things, I arbitrarily placed
the end of the Moon Kingdom at 1500 years ago.

   Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko
Takahashi.  Please don't sue me.


Chapter 2

   Hotaru Tomoe was depressed.  Since Chibi-Usa had gone back to the future,
she had lost the only friend who was close to her.  Sure, Haruka, Michiru and
Setsuna were far from bad company, but they *were* older than she was.
Besides, they had other things to worry about than play baby-sitter to a
teenage girl who could easily level the planet.
   She missed her brother.
   Following her rebirth, Hotaru had grown up for a second time at a
phenomenal rate, though she still ended up smaller than the others (much to
her annoyance).  Only this time, she remembered things from her days in the
Moon Kingdom, 1500 years ago.  Among other things, how everyone had
different names back then; Serenity, Endymion...  One of the things she now
remembered is that she had had an older brother, named Kanma.  She
remembered...

   <Moon Kingdom, 1500 years ago>

   Verika was watching her brother work the family forge.  He was a strange
person; even though there was no need of it, he spent his days at the forge
near their house, wielding enormous forge hammers. He kept saying pounding
things made him relax.  He had black hair, tied in a pigtail-type braid and
muscles that would make any man jealous.
   "Did you hear the news?" Verika asked with a look of anticipation on her
face.
   "What news?" asked Kanma, somewhat amused by her "baby" sister's
antics.  "The healers told you you were going to gain another inch after all?"
   Verika scowled.  "I can't help it if I'm short, okay!?" she said
testily.  The
look of anticipation quickly came back, though.  "What I'm talking about is the
nominations of Sailor Terra and Saturn!  The royal seer said that the girl who
becomes Saturn will know it because the sigil will appear on her forehead
today!"
   "Don't tell me you *want* to be Sailor Saturn?" said Kanma incredulously,
letting his hammer rest beside the forge.
   Verika was a bit miffed at her brother's comment.  "Why not?  Saturn is
supposed to have great healing powers.  I'd very much like to be a great
healer."
   Kanma shook his head.  "You've never bothered to read the prophecies, have
you?"
   "What prophecies?"
   Kanma took on a lecturing tone.  "Many things have been said about the
legendary Sailor Saturn." Nodding towards his sister, he continued: "The
prophecies do say she is supposed to be a great healer, but the very fact that
she will be chosen means other things."
   "Like what?" asked Verika, leaning forward.
   "It's said that Saturn has also more than enough power to wipe off an entire
planet if she chose to.  It's also said that she would only awakened in time to
fight off the Moon Kingdom's greatest threat."
   Verika paled a little and Kanma nodded.  "Do you see now?  Even though
Sailor Saturn is fabled to have wondrous healing abilities, she is generally
portrayed in the prophecies as Saturn The Destroyer, not Saturn The Healer.
Sorry to disillusion you like that, but you should be careful what you wish
for."
   Verika, now uncomfortalble, changed the subject.  "What about Sailor
Terra?"
   Kanma snorted.  "No contest there.  It's old news all over the Kingdom that
it's Earth Prince Endymion's sister Akana who will be Sailor Terra.  Almost
every seer in the Kingdom said so. It's rumored that she will be the strongest
Senshi next to Saturn."
   Verika nodded absently.  She had seen pictures of princess Akana, before.
She wasn't bad-looking, although they did say she had a bit of a temper...

   Later that day, the sigil of Saturn appeared on Verika's forehead and
her life
was changed forever.

   <Back to the Present>

   Hotaru was interrupted from her reminescing by the sound of the
appartment's front door being opened.  She got up and looked towards the door.
Haruka and Michiru were already taking off their coats.
   "So how was the concert, Michiru?" asked Hotaru.
   "It went okay," Michiru replied.
   Haruka grinned and put an arm around Michiru's neck. "She means it went
perfect as usual."  Haruka then gave a playful kiss to Michiru.
   Hotaru sighed. It was a strange relationship betwen those two, but at least
they had each other.  She, on the other hand, didn't have anyone close to her.
   Hotaru gave herself a mental shake.  She had to stop whining to herself like
that.  Suddenly, she noticed something, or rather, someone, was missing.
"Hey, where's Setsuna?"
   "She said she had some buisiness to attend to," said Haruka. "And you know
from experience that if she doesn't want to tell us, she won't."  She shook her
head.  "For all we know, she's removed herself from the time stream again and
God knows when she'll be back."

   In a rare moment of peace, the two Moon cats were asleep, while the girls
were all out shopping, so they never noticed the Guardian Of Time walking up
to them.  Sailor Pluto silently raise the Time Staff and a tiny beam of light
shot from the Garnet Orb to the two cats' crescent moons.  The crescents
shined, but the cats merely stirred and stayed asleep.
   A ghost of a smile touched Pluto's lips.  *At least now, Luna and
Artemis will
be able to answer Mamoru and the others' questions.*  The ageless warrior
slowly shook her head.  *I doubt they realize just how hard awakening Terra
will be, but they will surely need Terra's help in the weeks to come.*
   A swirling portal opened behind Pluto and she stepped inside it, disppearing
into thin air.

***

   Akane had fallen asleep early.  Whether she wanted to admit it or not, the
stress related to her wedding had taken its toll on her.  She dreamt of Ranma
and how they had finally admitted that they loved each other and how they
would spend the rest of their days together.  But gradually, the dream became
something else; images she had never seen or imagined before were floating in
her mind.  Strangely, the face of a young girl often repeated itself.  The girl
sometimes wore a simple old-fashioned dress and sometimes what looked like
an ridiculously abbreviated sailor suit.  The strangest thing of all was that
she felt some kind of kinship to the girl, but she didn't know exactly what.
   Soon, the images disappeared and she dreamt of Ranma again.

   In his room, Ranma also had dreams of his own.  He dreamt of college and of
his marriage to Akane, how he would make sure she was happy for the rest of
their lives.  And like Akane, his dreams drifted to those of a young girl whose
face he could not see.  He saw images of the girl running and somehow, he
knew her.  He knew that inexplicably, he had once been very close to this
girl.
Suddenly, her face cleared...

   ...and he was rudely awakened by an oversized panda who nearly crushed
him.  Ranma cursed silently.  *Damn! it's the third time in three days I've had
this weird dream and at last I was this damn close to figuring who the hell
that
girl is.*  Ranma got up and walked to the window and looked out at the starry
sky.  *I thought I had that dream because of pre-wedding jitters, but now I'm
not so sure...*  He smiled and snorted softly.  *Huh... If it gets worse,
maybe I
can always ask cousin Rei about the dream.  Maybe her priestess training
might help."
   Ranma yawned and went back to sleep and to his dreams of Akane.

   The following morning, Ranma and Akane had what would probably be their
last meal at the Tendo Dojo for a long while.  For the occasion, Kasumi and
Nodoka had prepared a such a feast that even Genma and Ranma could not eat
everything and perhaps most surprising of all, a smiling Akane not passing a
single comment on her husband's eating habits.  Afterwards, Ranma and Akane
finished packing their belongings and prepared themselves to take the train.

   Then came the tearful goobyes.

   "Take good care of yourselves, okay?" said Kasumi
   "We will, I promise." answered Akane
   "If you need a loan, don't hesitate to call me, okay?  I have special
rates for
family." said Nabiki with a sad smile on her lips.
   "Uh... we will, Nabiki." said Ranma.
   "Oh my daughter is growing up!  She's married and going to college!" Soun
wailed.
   Ranma extricated himself from the knot of Tendo sisters and walked to his
parents.
   "Be sure to tell your cousin Rei that we're grateful for what she's
doing, and
try to keep your water curse a secret if possible." said Genma, with a proud
smile on his lips.
   Ranma chuckled: "It's not as if I want everyone to know about the curse,
dad.
It's just that sometimes, it's like Akane says: I'm a water magnet; you should
know it better than most.  As for Rei, I'll be sure to tell her; but we
won't see
each other for a long time.  We'll only see each other at the temple,
remember?"
   "What are you talking about, Ranma?" asked Nodoka, a bit puzzled.  "Rei
will be going at the same college as you are!"
   "What?"  Ranma looked confused. "But... I was always told Rei was younger
than me..." he trailed uncertainly.
   Nodoka looked bemused.  "Well, yes, of course she's younger, but only by
three months!"
   Genma cut in.  "What does it matter, son?  Just be sure to keep up you
training and come to visit us one in a while, okay?"
   Ranma tried to cast aside the thoughts of his cousin.  "Yeah, sure!" he
said,
half-distracted. "We'll come back as often as we can, I promise."
   Akane approached Ranma and put her hand on his shoulder.  "It's time to go
if we want to catch the train, Ranma."
   Ranma nodded and soon, the two newlyweds were on their way to the train
station.

***

   Mamoru was sitting in the train, reading a magazine on the strange and
unususal.  He chuckled softly.  One of the magazine's top stories this month
was the popular mystery of the Sailor Senshi.  As he read the article, hoever,
one passage caught his attention:

   "... another one of the mysteries concerning the Sailor Senshi is that every
planet in our solar system has a Senshi named after it, except on Earth,
where, oddly enough, the Senshi, who happens to be the leader of the group, is
named after the satellite.  Is there or has there ever been a Sailor Earth?
Only the Senshi could answer this question, and they have never been known
to stick around for interviews."

   Mamoru closed the magazine and put it back on the tray where he had found
it.  A Sailor Earth?  The name sounded wrong somehow.  Unwittingly, he found
his thoughts drifting back to the girl in his dreams while the speakers warned
people that the next stop was Nerima station...

***

   Ranma and Akane boarded the train along with other passengers.  Moving
inside the cart, Ranma caught a magazine on a tray, as did Akane.  The found
seats across a handsome young man in his early twenties who looked
preoccupied by something.  For a moment, Ranma thought the man was staring
at him and Akane, but when he looked up from his reading, he found the man
looking away.  Ranma shrugged and went back to reading an article on a bunch
of mysterious girls calling themselves the Sailor Senshi...

   Mamoru was still zoned out when two teenagers sat in front of him. When he
looked up, he couldn't help but stare at them in puzzlement.  He didn't
understand, but they seemed very familiar, somehow... almost like...
   He quickly changed the focus of his gaze, when he saw the young man lifting
his head.  Luckily, the teenager didn't pursue the matter any further and went
back to his reading.  Mamoru looked out the window and started thinking about
Usagi, who had promised she would be waiting at the train station.

***

   Minako, Ami and Artemis were arriving at the train station.  They weren't
really surprised to see that Usagi and Luna were already there; Usagi had
probably arrived here a long time ago, since Mamoru's train was due back in
less than fifteen minutes.  They were surprised, however, to see Hotaru.
   "Hotaru-chan!  What are you doing here?" exclaimed Minako.
   Hotaru turned towards the voice.  "Minako!  Well, I was bored sitting around
Haruka and Michiru's appartment doing nothing, so I decided to come here
with Usagi to greet Mamoru when he comes back."
   Minako nodded. "That makes quite a few of us to greet him then."
   Ami looked up from yet another book she was reading.  "Say, isn't Rei's
cousin supposed to arrive on this train as well?"
   "Cousin?" Usagi, Hotaru and Minako exclaimed in unison.  Luna and Artemis
wisely refrained from saying something out loud, seeing as they were in a
public place, but their faces clearly showed surprise as well.
   Ami spent the next few minute explaining that Rei would be housing her
cousin and his girlfriend at the Hikawa Shrine for the next few days.
   Minako was clearly disppointed he wasn't single, while Usagi and Hotaru
wondered what Rei's cousin would be like.  Luna and Artemis looked at each
other and exchanged a look that promised further questioning when they were
in private.
   Hotaru spoke up: "I wonder why Rei didn't come by to welcome him?"
   "She told me she had special shrine duties today," Ami answered.  "Anyway,
she said her cousin had the address of the Temple, so he shouldn't have any
problems finding it on his own."
   "What does he look like, anyway?" asked Minako. "We could always
accompany him to the Temple instead of letting him go there on his own."
   Ami thought for a second.  "You know, I don't believe Rei ever told
Makoto or
myself what he looked like, although she did say the last time she had seen
him, she was only 4 or 5 years old.  I don't think she could have given us a
decent description."
   "Do you at least know his name?"
    "Err, I forgot." said Ami sheepishly.
   Usagi broke into an eager smile.  "We'll see what he looks like later!  The
train is arriving!"
   The others sighed good-naturedly.  If nothing else, Usagi was always
obssessed with her "Mamo-chan."

   The train pulled in the station and people started flowing out.  It
wasn't long
before Mamoru got out of the train.
   "Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried, running into Mamoru's arms.  "I've missed you
so much!"
   "I've missed you too, Usako."
   While Usagi was busy gushing all over Mamoru, the other girls looked at the
other passengers.  Minako was trying to spot herself a hunk and she soon
found one.  A young man about her age, who was wearing loose black pants and
a red Chinese shirt.  His wild black hair was tied down in a pigtail-style
braid.  *I'm in love!* Minako told herself.
   She nudged Ami and Hotaru.  "Hey girls, look at the major hunk over there!
Isn't he gorgeous?"
   Ami looked where Minako was pointing, looked around the boy and quickly
brought her friend back too Earth.  "Look right behind him, Minako.  I think
he's already taken."
   Minako shook herself out of her dreams and realized there was a girl holding
his hand.  A girl who bore a faint resemblance to Ami, at that.  "Awww,
it's not
fair," she pouted.
   Hotaru wasn't merely looking at them.  She was staring at them.  *Masaka!
He... she... they look so much like...* she shook herself.  *You're imagining
things, Hotaru.  Neither of them could be alive today.  They both died before
the end of the Moon Kingdom.  Besides, the genders are all...*
   Suddenly, something beeped urgently in Ami's purse.  Startled, Ami took out
her computer compact and her eyes widened.  She grabbed Usagi's shoulder
and turned her around.
   "Usagi!  My computer's detected a... "

   "WWRRRRAAGGHHHHHHH!!!!"

   "monster nearby," she finished weakly.
   Usagi cursed under her breath.  She thought they were finished with this.
They had not had a monster attack in over a month and a half. Much to Luna and
the other girls' surprise, Usagi's grades had picked up strength during that
time.  Usagi said it was because she was no longer interrupted by constant
monster attacks.  The girls had been inclined to believe her.
   And now, the attacks were starting up again.  Damn.
   "All right," she said, her face darkening.  "Let's find a place to transform
and thrash that thing..."
   Usagi got no further when all hell broke loose.

   End of Chapter 2.

Autho's note:  Ain't I a stinker?  I will only have time for one more
installment before I start choking on schoolwork.  I go to the university full-
time and also have a 25-hour/week job starting Monday, so I may be quiet for
the next few weeks.  But do not despair!  I will not abandon this story!
   In the meantime, if people have plot ideas they wish to share with me,
they're welcome to do so!

   I can be reached at <Phoenix@upc.qc.ca>

**********************
* The Phoenix Reborn *              Jordanite and Mystical
**********************                  Freak at Large

Louis-Philippe Giroux

Phoenix@upc.qc.ca
Phoenix@cmq.qc.ca