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RANMA 1/2 & SAILOR MOON
MOON MARTIAL MARITAL MELEE
BY VGAP
I know that a lot of you must be tired of usual disclaimers, but
nevertheless I somehow feel obliged to say it...... *DEEP BREATH* This
story was not meant for a profit. All the characters belong to
respective owners. This was written without anybody's permission, but
the author claims no responsibility nor copyright. This can be
distributed freely, but it is not to be used outside of nonprofittable
entertainment. There, you can all unplug your ears now.....
Comments would be appreciated. Criticism will be praised.
Ignorance awaits flames. Letter bombs will be returned. If you send me
cash, checks, or your credit card number, I will worship you! I can
be reached at <vg_ap@hotmail.com>. Or just visit my homepage at
<http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/thunder/181/index.html>.
Once apon a time, an aspiring author called Metroanime introduced
an innovative concept of writing various alternate universe fanfics.
Basically, a feline immortal sponsored a competition appropriately named
'The Bet'. The premise was simple; create a most dramatic change in a
timeline with least necessary interference. Gods, demons and other
powerful races were the competents. The winner would receive an enormous
power as well as a right to continue the timeline he/she/it/they
created.
Though most submissions were by Metroanime, several authors
found the concept to be profoundly entertaining, and either made a
submission of their own or offered to continue timelines that were
unfortunately not the victor. I am the former, and I made a last-minute
addition to 'The Bet'. It was simply intended to be a work of whim; a
whim which I had no intention to devote further effort. Alas, surprising
numbers of requests to continue it piled in my e-mail account, including
one from Metroanime himself. Encouraged by positive reactions, I have
decided to make it a series.
And now, without further procrastination, I humbly present
Moon Martial Marital Melee. Please enjoy!
Chapter 1:
"Destiny comes in with a nice loud BOOM!"
"Wake up, com'on, wake up already!"
She snuggled deeper into her warm, comfy bed and groaned, "Five
more minutes, big brother..." She stubbornly sank her head into the
pillow.
He sighed, once again forced to use the only method that could
succeed in the enermous task of awaking his sister. He hated to do it,
but there was nothing he wouldn't do for his sister.
He took a deep breath, lowered his lips to her ear, and uttered
the magic words:
"WAKE UP, MEATBALL HEAD!!"
In an instant, Usagi was out of the bed and leapt onto him.
"Ranma, you jerk!"
########################################################################
Ikuko did not even raise her head as she heard the sounds of
yells, crashes and other miscellaneous hazardous noises emanating from
the second floor. Ever since she had made it Ranma's responsibility to
make sure that the resident late-sleeper did not oversleep, such
racket had become a daily occurrence. At least this way, Usagi's tardy
rate dropped considerably. Too bad Ranma's rose slightly...
Picking up the newspaper, she quickly scanned the headlines and
found an interesting article. "Sailor V saves the day... Robber group
annihilated, a diamond worth 2 billion yen rescued... Hmm, looks like
she has done it again. If only my daughter could do something like
this..."
As if on cue, the siblings descended down the stairs; she was not
surprised to see both of them bickering like a dog and a monkey.
"Look, it's the only way I can get you to get up!"
"That doesn't give you any right to call me names!"
"So? Would you rather be late then?"
"I can get up on my own just fine!"
"Oh yeah? Then what about the time you slept till noon?"
"It only happened once! Besides, I only asked for five minutes!
Five lousy minutes! Is that too much to ask?"
"As a matter of fact, it is! You might make it to the school, but
in a hurry to do so you spill the toothpaste, knock over a flower vase,
and occupy the shower until you make ME late!"
"Why you-"
"Ranma, Usagi, your miso soups are getting cold."
Ikuko smiled as the duo immedeately quelled their argument and
dove into their breakfast. While they were different in many aspects,
the ways they prioritized food intake were identical. In a matter of
few minutes, the rather large army of breakfast was obliterated.
As Ranma took a shower while Usagi brushed her teeth (outside the
bathroom, of course) and combed her hair, he could not help but ponder
if his clumsy, annoying, and lovable little sister was adopted. All of
his family members, including himself, had their share of quirks and
faults, but none had so many nor so distinctive as Usagi did. Whether it
be time management or athletic abilities, Usagi was more often than not
inept at it.
Putting his thoughts aside, Ranma quickly finished preparing for
school and left the house with his sister. Their respective schools were
located in the same direction, so until Usagi arrived at Juuban Middle
School, they would end up walking together. They usually had an argument
or two along the way, but this morning it was different.
"Big brother, I just know that I did bad!" Usagi whined.
"Look, don't count your chicks before they are hatched, okay? With
the amount of help I gave you, you should get a decent score." Ranma
tried to alleviate her worry. "You are doing no good for yourself by
worrying about results."
"But I can't help it! I'm close to failing my English, so a lot of
my luck rides on the test yesterday!" Usagi continued ranting. "And
I still didn't understand-"
Usagi closed her mouth when she noticed him gesturing for silence.
Straining her ears, she made out several sounds she had missed before:
yowlings of pain, noises of a scuffle, and a few high-pitched voices of
children. Following Ranma as he rounded a corner, she saw a scene in a
vacant lot; three kindergarten kids were harassing a black cat.
"Take that!"
"Cry out more!"
"Hahaha!"
"Hey, you kids!" She yelled out loud. "Stop hurting that poor
kitty!"
"Oh yeah?" One of them challenged, unfazed by the older girl's
command.
"Why don't you make us?" Another one retorted.
"Alright, brats, you asked for it." Ranma cracked his knuckles to
illustrate his point. This had a far more immediate effect, as the three
children ran away while promising to send their fathers after them.
Meanwhile, Usagi picked up the abused feline and checked it for
injuries. Aside from a few dirt, messed up fur, and a
band-aid-crisscrossed forehead, she couldn't spot any abnormality.
"Hey, that's a cute cat." Ranma observed.
"Isn't it?" Usagi agreed and pecked it on the nose. This turned
out to be a mistake, as the cat presumably took offense at the
affectionate gesture and scratched her face. "YEOWCH!!!"
Ranma chuckled. "Jeez, even a cat is rejecting your advance."
"Well excuse me, Mr. Hot Stuff!" Usagi screeched at him, inwardly
jealous of the way girls kept asking him for a date. She turned back to
the cat, which was batting at its forehead with its paws. "What? You
want that band-aid off? Okay, here you go... OW!" Usagi exclaimed as the
now band-aid-free cat used her head as a jumping board to bound onto a
wall. Turning around, she saw that a crescent-shaped mark was on its
now-uncovered temples.
Then something caught her attention; it was its eyes. Eyes that
were far too deep, far too intelligent-looking for a domestic creature.
They seemed to gaze into her soul and communicate a message at the same
time...
"Um... Usagi?"
Usagi was brought out of her contemplation of the mysterious eyes.
"Uh, yeah, what is it?"
"Playing a staring contest is fine and all, but it's 8:25 already.
I don't know about you, but I have to run like crazy."
"ACK!!"
The sibling started running, Ranma in undeniable lead as he turned
right at the front of Juuban Middle. About a minute later, Usagi finally
made it to the school gate and saw that she only had two more minutes.
Stairs and doors flew past her as she desperately raced against the
tardy bell.
To her relief, her foot hit the classroom floor milliseconds
before the tardy bell rang. Miss Sakurada frowned, but let her take a
seat and started checking attendance.
"This is the eleventh time in row you managed to get here on
time!" Naru whispered to Usagi. "How does Ranma do it?"
"Do what?"
"You know, get you up on time."
Usagi frowned as she thought about the infallible method her
brother used. Idly, she wondered if he made it to the school in time.
########################################################################
Across the town at the Juuban High, Ranma Tsukino sneezed and
adjusted his grip on the buckets, grumbling about cats, brats and
sisters in general.
########################################################################
Lunchtime was Usagi's favorite time at the school. Today was
especially good, since she got a 65 on her English test. It was nowhere
as high as Naru or Umino's (85 and 95 respectively), but for her it was
a major accomplishment. She made a mental note to thank her brother.
She was sitting with her usual group consisting of Naru, Kuri,
and Yumiko. For some reason, the class nerd Umino was present as well.
"Did you hear?" Yumiko started a conversation. "Another jewelry
store was raided. It's becoming common these days."
"It's scary." Naru commented.
"There's no need to worry." Umino put in his two cents. "Sailor V
has captured the criminal."
Usagi put down her drink. "Sailor V? What the heck is that?"
Seeing an opportunity to show off his knowledge, Umino went into
his 'rant and rave' mode. "Oh, she's very famous! The sailor-uniform
clad bringer of justice; her reputation is rocking the city! It is
rumored that she is a special investigator from police, but no one knows
her true identity."
"Ohhh... Now that's weird." Usagi nodded in understanding.
"I suppose anything can happen these days." Naru agreed.
"Yes, robbery is not the only strange phenomenon; nowadays many
peculiar events are taking place one after another. You should pay
attention to news!" Umino finished his speech.
Yumiko looked at the sky dreamily. "Ah, but I can understand how
one would want to steal jewels and other valuables!"
"Jewels are so shiny and beautiful." Kuri agreed. "I wish I had a
diamond ring."
"Say, Naru, your mother owns a jewelry store, right?" Usagi asked,
thinking of her favorite ones. Ruby and pearl fought for the top
preference in her mind.
"Mmm-hm." Naru smiled. "In fact, we have been doing a discount
sale from yesterday. I think there are a few that are within our reach."
"REALLY?" The three girls squealed, while Umino looked out of
place.
"Let's go there after school!"
Usagi's suggestion was met by hearty agreements, and all of the
girls eagerly (not to mention impatiently) awaited the end of school.
########################################################################
The vending machine made some annoying noises before it spat out a
can of Pocari Sweat unceremoniously. Ranma popped it open and started to
sip as he pondered on his problem.
The karate club's members had recently accepted him as a worthy
captain, even though he was the youngest; having won the national
middle-school championship for three years straight had helped.
Unfortunately, Juuban High was never known for its competent karate
club, so most of its members were not up to his standards.
There WAS a competent member; one who had been his rival/partner
ever since they had met in middle school and could be considered his
equal. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it to the practice, or even
school for that matter, often enough to sharpen his skill. Worse, he
couldn't reach the tournaments unless someone was leading him. Thus, he
was anything but reliable.
That was Ranma's present dillemma; the missing member was in
danger of failing because of his too many absences. Many of other
members were complaining as well; why should someone obviously
unfaithful to his duty be kept as the vice-captain? Already one of the
senior members left when Ranma refused to designate him on the said
position. In short, the karate club was having a trouble.
Deciding that there was no clear solution available yet, Ranma
looked for something to distract his thoughts. He soon found it in the
shape of a building with big sign saying [Jewelry OSA. P]. It was
festooned with posters proclaiming a huge discount sale. The promotion
was working well, considering the horde of middle-aged housewives
acting like piranhas preying on the merchandises.
With no better methods to kill some time, he opted to spend some
time gazing at the jewels. He was inspecting a ruby ominously named
"Pigeon Blood" when a familiar screech interrupted his line of thoughts.
"30,000 yen!?"
He turned to the direction the voice came from, and sure enough,
there was his sister. She was looking at an expensive-looking diamond
held in hands of a lady in a dress.
Unknown to Ranma, his luck was at one of the lowest points in his
life today. Murphy's law was strictly being enforced, and so Usagi
somehow managed to see through the crowd of customers to find Ranma
looking at her way.
When Usagi wants something but can't get it, she tends to cry
and beg until she either got it or got tired enough. And Ranma was her
usual victim.
By the time Ranma noticed that Usagi was getting ready for her
usual routine, it was too late for him.
"Oooohhhhh, biiiiiggg brrrooootthhheeeeeeerrrr!!!"
Ranma 'ack'ed as Usagi zoomed into his face, her eyes growing
moist and shiny.
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasebuythisdiamondformeit's
onlythirtythousandyenIknowyouhavethatmuch!" Usagi stated in the way only
teenage girls can do. It was faster than human ears were meant to hear,
and Ranma, while having a set of perfectly healthy ears and many
experiences with her sonic-speed speech, couldn't decipher its meaning.
He was, however, able to make out "30,000 yen" and knew what she was
asking for.
"Usagi, stop that!" Ranma snapped. "Who do you think I am, Jacky
Chan? I'm a high school student for god's sake!"
"But you get twice the allowance I get!" It was true too; Ranma
got 6,000 yen a month while Usagi recieved only 3,000 yen a month.
"That's not the point! Do you seriously expect me to buy you a
piece of jewel whenever you ask for it, you crybaby?" As soon as the
insult left his mouth, Ranma wished that he could take it back; not so
much that he didn't mean it, but that he was playing right into her
hands.
"WAAAAAAGGHH!!" Sure enough, the famous Tsukino Dam flooded. The
torrent of tears and the storm of wailing started to attract attention
of others. Inwardly, Usagi was smiling; she only needed to keep up the
tears a little more, and then Ranma would be embarassed enough to obey
her wish just to get her to stop crying.
What she was unaware of was that her luck wasn't so high today
either. This came in form of a irritated Naru Osaka. "Usagi, please
stop crying! The diamond you wanted is already sold."
"What?!" The Tsukino daughter whipped her head around, scoring a
two-hit combo on her brother with her long ponytails, and to her horror
saw the jewel she fell in love with in the hands of an obese woman with
excessive makeup. "WAAAAAAGGHHH!!"
"I thought you wanted her to stop crying?" Ranma asked to Naru,
who could only blush.
At that precise moment, Ikuko suddenly appeared out of the crowd
of people. "Oh, Ranma, there you are!"
"Mom? How did you know I was here?"
"I didn't, I just heard Usagi crying and was going to ask her."
Usagi became embarassed enough to stop crying. "Anyway, I need you back
at home... now!"
"Huh?" Ranma noticed his mother's rugged breathing. "What's wrong,
Mom? Did Shingo fall into a well or something?"
"Very funny, Ranma, but I'm afraid this is serious." She grabbed
Ranma's hand and dragged him out of the store. Only when they were a
block away she noticed her daughter following behind. "Usagi, what are
you doing here?"
Usagi gave her a funny look. "I'm just going home with you. Is
that a crime?"
"Um, no. But you must not come with us."
The siblings blinked. "Why not?" Usagi was getting worried; for
her mother to be this absent-minded and hasty, the matter had to be
very serious.
Ikuko looked very uncomfortable as she replied: "There are
some... guests... and it would be ideal to involve the fewest people
possible." Her demeanor turned almost begging. "Please, dear, just hang
around the town, or go to a friend's house."
Usagi was about to object further, but Ranma beat her to it.
"Usako, this sounds pretty big. Do as she says, will you?"
Usagi pouted, but made no further objection as she turned around
and went back to the shopping district. They resumed going home, this
time somewhat slower as Ranma asked, "So, who are these 'guests'?"
"Uh... They aren't really guests. Well they are, in a sense of
the word, but we didn't expect them at all, and..."
"You are starting to sound like Usagi, mom." Ranma quipped, but
instantly sobered when she glared at him. The rest of the walk passed
in an unusually uncomfortable silence until they reached Tsukino
residence. On the garden, Ranma spotted three young women, appearing
to be sisters by their looks.
The tallest one looked to be about eighteen or so, wearing a
demure casual dress that looked good on her motherly atmosphere. The
other two were around his age: one wore rather liberal shirt and shorts
while the other wore a more modest one-piece outfit. All of them
were undeniably attractive.
"Oh, Mrs. Tsukino, you're back!" The eldest girl greeted them.
"So, you're Ranma?" The second girl said.
"Um, yeah." Ranma noticed something odd; the other girl was
glaring at him with open hostility. Considering his usual luck with the
members of fairer sex, this was rare indeed. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm NOT going to marry you!" She growled out. Ranma blinked
twice, incomprehension clear on his face.
"Judging from his expression, Akane, I don't think he knows about
our fathers' promise." The second girl commented drily.
"Promise? What promise?" Ranma asked.
Before any of the sisters could answer, Ikuko interfered. "Ranma,
we have to go in."
She pulled him into the house despite his protests. He saw three
men in the dining room, one of them which he recognized immedeately as
his father. He also took note of the other two: one was a bold, stocky
man with glasses and in a white gi; the other was tall with shoulder-
length hair wearing a brown gi. "Dad? What are you doing here?"
Kenji looked rather uncomfortable. "I'm here because... Well, as
your... father-"
"Adoptive, that is." The man in the white gi cut in, causing
Kenji to glare and Ranma to blink yet again. He turned to Ranma, and
his eyes were misty as he started to speak, "My son... It has been so
long."
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "Where do you get off calling me your
son? Who are you?"
Kenji coughed once before he spoke again, this time hesitantly and
slowly. "Ranma, I know this is rather sudden, but... Meet Genma Saotome,
your father. Your REAL father." He forced the last part out of his mouth
as if it tasted awful.
"....." As if he had suddenly turned into a puppet, Ranma
mechanically sat down. "This is... a joke, right?"
"I'm afraid it isn't." The man he formerly believed to be his
father sighed. "Neither I nor my wife related to you by blood."
Ranma neither spoke nor moved. He absently noted that his
mother... no, Mrs. Tsukino reappeared from the kitchen, carrying a tray
of a teapot and teacups. She did not look happy at all.
The four adults stared at pigtailed teenager, awaiting his
inevitable reaction. After several minutes of unsettling silence that
seemed to stretch into eternity, Ranma asked feebly "How did this
happen?"
Genma crossed his arms in what was meant to be a fatherly gesture;
in reality, it made him seem greedier. "It's a long and tragic tale
how you and I became separated."
"It's also all his fault, by the way." Ikuko added.
"Ikuko!" Kenji looked sharply at his wife, who did not show any
hint of calming down, much less apologizing. She scowled at Genma
without any attempt to hide the hostility.
Genma cleared his throat, trying to ignore the way Ikuko eyed
him. He hated wives; they tended to be the most annoying, frustrating,
and dangerous creatures. He turned back to his son. "You are the only
child between myself and Atsuko, your late mother."
"Late?" Ranma repeated as though he didn't understand the word.
"That's right, boy. Ever since your birth, I have been training
you in Anything Goes martial arts. Don't you remember it?" Ranma shook
his head faintly. "Well, I did. It was my dream that you would grow up
to be the greatest martial artist of all time. To realize this, twelve
years ago I decided to take you on a training voyage."
"In other words," Ikuko interrupted, "he was going to leave
his wife behind in poverty and risk your life along the way." Kenji
frowned, but did not say anything, silently agreeing with his seething
wife.
Genma glared at the woman, but quickly backed down it was returned
ten times fold and resumed his speech. "Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, it
was about the journey. One of the reasons for it was also to prevent a
mother's love destroying the edge you could have had. Alas, Atsuko did
not understand my ideals and ran away with you. The last I heard of her
was dying due to an automobile accident. I assumed you to be deceased as
well, but the truth was that Mrs. Tsukino here, who was my wife's old
friend, adopted you in."
Ranma was immobilized on the chair, his mind trying to deal with
the emotional overload. Slowly, it was starting to approach the limit.
########################################################################
Once she felt that her mother and Ranma had enough lead, Usagi
backtracked their route. She didn't know which roads they had taken,
of course, but she did know the quickest way to her house and assumed
them to be taking it.
She had absolutely no intention of missing whatever was happening.
As Usagi reached her home, she saw three girls, all apparently
older than her, in middle of a discussion. Showing a rare insight of
tact for once, she creeped along the wall until she could make out
their conversation.
"I still can't believe dad tried something like this. What is he
thinking?"
"I don't think he ever does that."
"Nabiki, that's not a nice thing to say."
"Can you deny it?"
"It doesn't matter whether our father's brainless or not. What
DOES matter is that he's trying to give away the dojo to a complete
stranger!"
"That's not entirely true, Akane."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I heard of Ranma Tsukino before. He has been the
national karate chamion for three consecutive years in junior division.
He even has the ninth dan classification already."
"So? I'm a ninth dan in kempo too. And I have several others.
That's not very impressive."
"He's also supposed to be quite a scholar. It's these factors
combined together that makes him impressive, at least to me."
"Well I don't care how strong or smart he is! I'm not going to be
his fiancee!"
The last word sparked and ignited Usagi's ever-present curiosity.
Without even thinking about it, she blurted out loud "Fiancee?!"
The startled sisters spun around. As they spotted Usagi, her hands
on the back of her head and sweatdropping, they frowned, some of them
more deeply than others.
########################################################################
"Fiancee!?" Ranma echoed his adoptive sister unknowingly.
"That's right, son." Genma made sure to place emphasis on 'son'.
"It is an old agreement between me and Tendo here to join our line
through marriage and strengthen the Anything Goes school. You, as the
youngest male member of the Saotome-"
"Tsukino." Ikuko drew everyone's attention to herself, her
expression even darker than before. "He's Ranma Tsukino, not Ranma
Saotome."
"Mrs. Tsukino, I appreciate you taking care of MY boy for past 13
years," Genma answered insincerely, "but now he must fulfill the duty
cast upon his birth."
Kenji scowled uncharacteristically. Feeling that the time for
formality had long since passed, he decided to intervene. "Engaging your
child to somebody he has never met before is your meaning of parental
love?"
Soun interjected, "It is a matter of honor between two schools. We
do not expect non-martial artists like you to understand."
"We may not be martial artists," Ikuko spoke with a rapidly
crumbling patience, "but we DO know a thing or two about raising a
child... SOMETHING YOU TWO HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT!!!"
"Waaaahhhhh!" Soun abruptly started crying in a way Usagi would
have approved, startling his hosts. "She's so scary!"
Genma realized that he wouldn't be able to count on his friend for
any support for now. Turning back to Ikuko he yelled, "And how do you
figure that we are clueless about raising a child?!"
Ikuko went into hysterics. "YOU DARE TO ASK A QUESTION LIKE THAT?!
YOU HAVE DRIVEN YOUR WIFE AND SON AWAY!!! YOU HAD THE GALLS TO ATTEMPT
TO TAKE RANMA ON AN INSANE CRUSADE AT THE AGE OF THREE!!! YOU MADE YOUR
LIVING BY SELLING OFF ATSUKO'S PROPERTY WITHOUT ASKING!!! YOU ARE THE
VERY SYMBOL OF WORTHLESSNESS AS A PARurk!!" Kenji had covered her mouth.
She was about to bite his fingers in order to continue shouting when
she noticed a sound of sobbing.
Ranma lay his face on the table, his shoulders shaking fiercely.
########################################################################
"Uh... Hi?" Usagi said nervously.
"You were spying on us?" The girl with short-cropped brown hair
looked particularly annoyed. "Who the heck are you?"
"I-I'm Usagi Tsukino. Ah, nice to meet you all."
"Nice to meet you." The eldest girl replied. "I'm Kasumi Tendo,
and these are my sisters, Nabiki and Akane." Akane smiled uncertainly
while Nabiki simply nodded.
"Right. Now, what's this about you becoming my brother's fiancee?"
Usagi asked Akane.
"I said I'm NOT going to be his fiance!" Akane snapped back.
"But..."
Nabiki faced Usagi and said, "Apparently his father and ours
promised to join the families before we were even born."
"Really?" Usagi's eyes became starry. "Wow! I can't believe my dad
pulled off something so romantic!"
The Tendo sisters sweatdropped in unison. "Romantic?"
"Yeah, romantic!" Usagi repeated enthuastically. "I wonder if he
engaged me to someone too?"
"You don't know about it?" Nabiki asked.
"Did he?! Wow! Is my fiancee cute?"
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Not THAT. You don't know the truth about
your so-called-brother?"
Usagi stopped smiling. "What do you mean 'so-called'?"
Nabiki smiled generously. Okay, greedily. "For just a 1000 yen, I
can tell you this top-secret information."
Akane groaned. "Top-secret?"
Usagi's eyes bugged out. "A THOUSAND YEN?!?"
Nabiki winced. "You don't need to yell out loud."
Usagi opened her mouth, but before she could whine about the
absurdity of the price, a loud yell erupted from inside. Now she had a
different line of speech. "That's my mom!"
More yelling thundered out. Usagi opened the door and rushed in,
followed by the Tendo sisters. Suddenly the clamors died down.
She reached the dining room and saw Ranma.
But it wasn't Ranma. It couldn't be. Her brother would never be in
tears, not while with others. He could never look as if the world was
ending as he stood up and ignored everyone as he climbed up the
stairs...
She blurted out, "Big brother! What's wrong!?"
Ranma turned around slowly, and Usagi was shocked by how agonized
his eyes looked. "I'm... I'm not your brother, that's what." He resumed
climbing upstairs.
"Son! Come down here right this moment!" Genma bellowed.
"Ranma! I'm... I'm sorry, I just..." Ikuko cried out.
"BIG BROTHER!!!" Usagi screamed.
The only response was that of a door slamming shut.
After few moments, Soun, having regained his composure, coughed
and said, "It seems we have overstayed our welcome. If we may be
excused... for now."
Genma didn't object as he followed his friend out. Kasumi bowed
and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. I will look forward to
seeing you again, Mrs. Tsukino."
Ikuko jerked as if coming out of a trance and muttered, "Um, yes,
right..." Inwardly, she was wondering if this polite young women was
truly a daughter of that mustached crybaby.
Kasumi went out, followed by a scheming Nabiki. Akane didn't.
"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" Akane asked.
"Go ahead." Ikuko replied in a tired voice.
"What... Why was that guy, Ranma? Crying anyway?"
Ikuko sighed heavily. "Do you know what Genma Saotome is like?"
"Only a little." She answered. "He is usually on a training trip,
and visits my home about once a year. He acts pretty much like my dad,
actually."
"I don't know how your father treats your mother, but Genma..."
Ikuko gritted her teeth. "Atsuko and I were old friends, and she often
told me how she was being treated. It was often... criminal."
Akane was about to ask some more questions when she noticed that
she was the only remaining guest. "Ack! Hey, wait up, guys!" She
abruptly ran out, leaving behind three Tsukinos.
Usagi couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't complete the puzzle,
but the pieces she had were more than a little disturbing. "Mom! Dad!
Just what was going on? What do you mean Ranma isn't my brother!?"
Ikuko looked at her husband in a mute pleading. Kenji nodded and
turned to the enermous task set before him. "I don't know where to
begin, Usagi..."
########################################################################
A little while later, a teary Usagi lay against her pillow,
sobbing softly. Ranma had locked himself up in his room, not responding
to any of her attempts for consolation. Who needed the consolation more,
she didn't know.
Ranma had always been there with her as long as she could
remember. He was the one who protected her from bullies, looked after
her at all times, and helped her with just about everything. Though they
teased each other on daily basis and sometimes fought, they loved each
other deeper than most siblings did. She had never thought that he might
have been adopted, that his family had broken up in such an ugly way...
A noise from the window caught her attention. She saw that it was
the cat from the morning, when her life seemed so easier. Giving no
thought about how it could have gotten here, she reached out and hugged
it to her chest.
"Oh little kitty, what am I going to do?" She began, desparate for
a company. Somehow getting the impression that the feline was listening
to her, she continued, "I just found out that my big brother isn't
really my brother, and his father was so mean and cruel, and he won't
let me talk to him and Idon'tknowwhattodo!!"
"That sounds bad, but I'm afraid we have a more pressing matter to
discuss." The cat's response threw the blonde girl off of her composure.
"I... You... What!?"
"I am Luna. I have been looking for you for quite some time, Usagi
Tsukino. I need you to... I need you to pay attention!"
Usagi, lying face-down on the pillow, repeated "This is a dream,
this is a dream, this is a dream..."
Luna sighed, somehow getting the feeling that this wouldn't be the
last time to be doing so. How was she to get this girl's attention? She
had the answer a moment later. "By the way, I have a present for you."
Usagi bolted awake with a big smile. "Wow! What a pretty brooch!"
Maybe this wasn't such a bad dream after all, she decided.
"Bizarre events are starting to take place all over Tokyo. Our
enemy is fast appearing. You are our chosen champion to fight these
evils. You also must... You still aren't listening, are you?"
"Nope!" Usagi adjusted the pin. There, perfect!
Luna restrained herself from screaming. "Will you do me a favor
then?"
"What is it?"
"Say 'Moon Prism Power, Make-up!'"
And so, after several milleniums, Sailor Moon was reborn...
########################################################################
He didn't know where he was, nor why. He did not even know who he
was. All he knew was that he had to go to HER.
Leaping from one rooftop to another, he reached the destination.
Unfortunately, a crowd was at the front entrance for some reason,
obscuring the view. He tried sneaking in from the back, but it was
locked. Fortunately, a window was conviniently open, allowing him to
enter.
The sight of HER crying in fear as the crowd of humans approached
her threateningly made his blood boil, though he didn't know why. His
hands blurred as he threw dozens of roses at once with deadly accuracy.
All of them hit the enchanted humans on the base of their necks,
rendering them unconscious.
Without an intention to, he called out to her, "Do not despair,
Sailor Moon. Believe that you never lose, and it shall come true!"
Again he didn't know why, but he somehow knew her name was Sailor Moon.
He watched in satisfaction as Sailor Moon cried "Moon Tiara
Action!" and decapitated the monster, turning it into a pile of dust.
"Very good, Sailor Moon. I am called Tuxedo Kamen; I will look forward
to seeing you again."
Tuxedo Kamen. He now knew his name.
He leapt out of the window before she could answer. He kept
traveling by way of rooftops until he knew no more.
########################################################################
After saving her friend Naru, Sailor Moon returned to being Usagi
and started home. Her head was a jumbled mess; now she was some sort of
a superheroine to fight the evil. The battle was scary enough, but
Luna's advice and the timely appearence of Tuxedo Kamen had saved her.
She sighed as she thought about the handsome man in black who had
appeared out of nowhere. Long, slender legs with slim yet tight muscles
and a long flowing black hair that matched his black attire was a sight
pleasant to female eyes, indeed.
Her dreamy reverie was interrupted when she noticed Ranma standing
before the front door of her house. Instantly her mood was dampened as
unpleasant things she had put away after hearing Luna speak returned
with vengeance.
"Where have you been?" he spoke.
"Um..." Usagi furiously struggled for an excuse. Luna, having
given her strict orders to keep her identity as Sailor Moon secret, was
glaring upward at her. "I ah, needed some time to, you know, think?"
"I see." He said in a lifeless voice.
"Where have YOU been?"
"Here and there, trying to clear my mind." His voice was flat.
"Um... This is hard for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Seeing him down like this broke something in Usagi's heart.
Without thinking, she wrapped him in a fierce embrace. She spoke with a
shaking voice, "Ranma, I never thought that things were like this. But I
want you to know that no matter what, you are still my big brother!"
She hesitantly released him to see that his eyes were sparkling
with unshed tears, although they were tears of joy. "Thanks... Sis."
Ranma smiled weakly; it was far from the usual, confident grin she
had gotten used to. Somehow she wanted to see it. Getting a mischievous
impulse, she spoke, "You know, there IS a way for you to become Shingo's
brother..."
He raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Marry me."
After blinking a few times, Ranma finally smiled in that cocky and
lovable way Usagi aimed for. "Yeah right, Meatball Head."
She smiled. THIS was her big brother Ranma. "Shut up you jerk!"
She playfully snapped before going inside.
"Sailor Moon... So cute."
Usagi whipped around, her motion being followed by her new
adviser. "Wha-wha-what did you say!?"
Ranma looked as startled as she did. "Huh? I didn't say
anything..."
"Are you sure?" Usagi persisted, even though the confusion on
Ranma's face was quite genuine.
"Positive. Is something wrong?"
"Uh, nothingnevermind!" Usagi quickly bolted inside. She blamed
her mishearing on the day's stressful events and went to bed.
########################################################################
"Wake up, com'on, wake up already!"
She snuggled deeper into her warm, comfy bed and groaned, "Five
more minutes, big brother..." She stubbornly sank her head into the
pillow.
He sighed, once again forced to use the only method that could
succeed in the enermous task of awaking his sister. He hated to do it,
but there was nothing he wouldn't do for his sister.
He took a deep breath, lowered his lips to her ear, and uttered
the magic words:
"WAKE UP, MEATBALL HEAD!!"
In an instant, Usagi was out of the bed and leapt onto him.
"Ranma, you jerk!"
Ranma nimbly dodged aside, letting his sister hit the floor.
"You're awake at long last. Get ready in five minutes." He went out of
the room before Usagi could stand up.
"What a weird dream I had last night." Usagi vocalized her
thoughts as she stood up, groaning in the process. "Talking Cats?
Monsters? Ranma not really my brother? No more snacks after midnight."
"Good idea." Luna deadpanned from under the bed. "It's not a
healthy habit."
Usagi stared at the black feline in a manner one would tend to
reserve for a naked Bill Gates. Finally she tore her eyes away, only to
see the magical brooch on her desk.
She drew a deep breath, in and out. Twice.
"Why me?"
Author's notes: After more than half an year's delay, the revised
chapter one of Moon Martial Marital Melee is finished. I would like to
thank all (that is, if there are any) that were patient enough to remember
my entry.
I have several statements to make:
1. Expect deviation. This is both a crossover and alternative
universe fic, so there is no way in the name of moon I can stick to
the original storyline close enough. The same goes for chracterizations.
2. My knowledge of Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon is almost entirely
based on manga, though I have seen some anime. If something doesn't
agree with you, it's probably because of this.
3. Yes, yes, this is a Ranma/Usagi fic. What can I say? That's
the whole purpose of this.
4. If things like why Nodoka isn't Ranma's mother or what
happenned to Mamoru bother you, please read the original version of
this, that is the one I submitted as an entry to "The Bet". Hopefully
it answers your questions.
I would like to thank Mark Christopher Boileau and Kenneth Lam for
pre-reading this, Metroanime for starting "The Bet", and YOU for reading.
See you again!
Tell me what you think:
VGAP <vg_ap@hotmail.com>
VGAP's weird page at:
<http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/thunder/181/index.html>