First Born
by Pervert and Switch

Chapter 1: Wild Horses and Moon Rabbits


***

Now.

The sun reached across the sky with golden rays of morning.  The moon, 
not knowing better, stayed in the upper horizons, more a cradle than a 
ball, Fate smiling a crooked, gap-toothed smile.

Ranma stood, facing the sun, feeling its curiosity caress his face.  He 
kept his eyes closed, his face a serene mask, breathed in the softly 
baking air, raised his shoulders slightly from their heavy-set posture.  
With the motion of raising both arms at the elbows, he turned on his 
heels, to the right, snapping in to position to perform a lower block.

Drawing himself upward and forward, he lashed with a front kick, 
completing the front stance then executing alternating punches.  Turning 
about to his right, he went into an upper block with his left forearm, 
another front kick with the left, followed by a roundhouse kick with the 
right, meeting the left hand above and to the front of his head.

Returning to the front stance on the left, he quarter-turned to the 
right, executing a downward block, then stepping forward with an upward 
block - then he performed two turning backfists from the back foot, his 
short ponytail flailing behind him, shouting a terse "Cha!" after the 
second.

Closer now to the house, he heard the sound of oil on a hot pan.

Ranma smiled and opened his eyes.  He walked into the house, picking up 
the towel he draped on the arm of the couch, and stepped into the 
kitchen, where his mother was cooking breakfast.

"'Morning, Mom!" he started amiably, "Need any help with breakfast?"

Ikuko Tsukino turned from the fish on the pan to regard him with a warm 
smile.  "Not right now, Ranma - but could you wake up Usagi?  You know 
you're one of the few people who can wake her up this early."

The fleeting image of a catatonic Usagi clinging onto her pillow with a 
deathgrip gave Ranma a disgusted look - **blech** - he did not share.  He 
did, however, start to the stairs as he called out, "all right, Mom."

At the first step, he took one deep breath, then held it, counting off 
each of the fifteen steps as he shifted his weight onto it, trying to 
feel the creaking.  At the top of the stairwell, he let the gust out of 
his lungs.  Continuing his stealthy approach, he tiptoed to the left 
side, edging toward the door closest to him.  Closer - then jumping to 
the other side.  He gingerly took the knob in hand, turned it, then 
pushed in.

The morning light from outside the window on the far side of the room lit 
the pink of the wallpaper in its pastel tinges.  Releasing the door, 
Ranma stalked across the carpeted floor, not minding the dolls that sat 
on the headboard, silent watchguards.  He did mind the ten-pound weights, 
which lay between him and the headboard, strewn between the bed and the 
cabinet.  After that, he locked his gaze upon the immobile lump on the 
bed, covered by blankets.

Ranma slid right next to the bulk and sighed.

"Alright, Usagi!  Time to wake up!"  Ranma pulled the bed covers, hoping 
to give his sister a very rude awakening - only a bunch of pillows rolled 
out of the cloth.

"What the-?"  Then he turned to the door.

Had Ranma's instincts kicked in earlier, and had he looked up, he 
would've noticed a rather silly sister of his, looking silly as she 
flattened herself against the ceiling of the room, hanging onto the 
rafters like some kind of pajama-clad ninja, from the much-afeared Bunny 
clan, as her clothing would suggest.

His instincts, however, told him that his sister was outside the door.  
To the credit of those instincts, however, their timing was just right, 
as he turned just when Usagi was swooping down for the kill.

Ranma glided to her right, allowing her just enough ground to roll into a 
standing position.  She turned, clipped her arms up, and threateningly 
(though carefully) held the two dumbbells out to her brother.  A high-
pitched scream alerted Ranma to her charge, which he rolled to the side 
of, moving closer to the windows.

To her credit, Usagi converted the momentum of her charge, barely 
avoiding the wall, and turned toward the wall, holding the weights closer 
to her shoulders, lashing out with her back foot into a turning long 
kick, which barely grazed Ranma's chest as he leaned back slightly.

Thinking that it was time to seize the offensive, Ranma grabbed her ankle 
- almost to his undoing, as Usagi twisted, suddenly unleashing a back 
kick from the pivot foot, causing him instead to lean into her leg, which  
he also leaned to avoid, as it soon followed the arc of her kicking foot 
- ending her execution in an almost-perfect two-point landing.

It was that margin of error that allowed Ranma what he did next.  He 
shouted a low "ha!" and rushed his sibling.  Still compensating, Usagi 
lashed out with her favored arm - her right.  Smiling, Ranma pirouetted 
to her left on his right foot.

Usagi had just registered the fact that she had completely missed Ranma 
and that she could not locate him.  Too bad - in her periphery, Ranma had 
stopped his spin by holding the wall, and lashed out at her.

His pinky touched her nose softly on the left nostril.

Usagi broke down, letting go of the weights, as she fell on her haunches 
in a crying jag.  "Waaahh!  And I woke up so early just to surprise you!"

Ranma, who was kind of used to all this aggravation, looked at her with a 
slight amount of brotherly consternation, ignoring the pools that were 
forming.  After a moment, this was replaced by a benign smile, as he 
scooped her up in his arms in a hug.

"'s alright, Usagi."  To emphasize the statement, he patted her on the 
back.  The waterworks trickled down gradually, and her sobbing trickled 
down to sniffling.  "It was a pretty good try."  Ranma heard the sobs 
stop altogether, and grinned.  "Besides," he added, "you didn't REALLY 
think you'd win, did you?"

Usagi didn't see the smirk that she washed off quickly by throwing her 
brother straight outside her door.

"Oww," he elaborated, as he rubbed the part of his back that landed on 
the floor.  The quick shot he afforded the doorway was not too kind, but 
not too nasty, either.

"Come on down, kids!"  Ikuko's tone of voice implied the calmness of 
demeanor of the inured or the oblivious.  "It's time for breakfast!"

Usagi peeked out into the hallway, her trademark ponytails now unbound.  
"You..." she directed once she located the crumpled form, "are such a... 
MEANIE!"  She trudged out, and down the stairs.

Ranma raised his head, rubbing it ruefully.  "Can't she take a joke?"  He 
shook his head, then went to get some breakfast.

***

At the kitchen table, the Tsukinos convened for their morning meal.  It 
was evident who were usually up and about for the hour, and who were not, 
by their clothing: Ranma still wore the practice gi, next to him was 
Usagi in her pink pjs, Kenji wore a long-sleeved, collared shirt and a 
tie, with the jacket draped on the back of his chair, Ikuko wore a 
sweater and a long skirt, rounded out by Shingo, in the shirt and shorts 
he slept in last night.

Usagi and Ranma proceeded to chow down in their usual, exuberant manner.  
Their mother's resigned look told of how much their table manners belied 
her efforts against.  Soon, though, Ranma pushed off the table, followed 
by his siblings in the matter of moments.

"That was great, mom!"  He wiped at his mouth with a tissue, which he 
rolled into a ball in one hand.  "By the way, Ryoga called and I'm 
supposed to guide him, so that he doesn't get lost at the airport."

Kenji thoughtfully sipped at his coffee.  "I thought Ryoga was already in 
America."

"Well, according to him, he got lost and wound up here."

Everyone else at the table stopped to stare at him.

Father was the first to reply.  "He got lost... and wound up here?"  His 
tone was clearly disbelieving.

Ranma smirked lopsidedly and shrugged.  "You know Ryoga."

Kenji nodded.  "Hmm... well, are you sure you don't have classes?"

"Yes, Dad."

"All right, then."  He turned to his daughter.  "Usagi, since you're 
awake early *for a change*," he waggled his eyebrow a bit at that, "why 
don't you go see Shingo off to school?"

Shingo, on the other hand, looked about to protest that he didn't need 
his clumsy sister to accompany him when he noticed that "Dad" look of 
authority on the command - he decided, wisely, to shut up.

Usagi, however, plodded on.  "But, Dad!  This is one of the few times I'm 
awake early enough so that I don't have to hurry to school, and I still 
have to hurry?  That's so unfair!"

Ikuko chose to favor her with a glance.  "Now, dear, it's only a short 
distance away.  I'm sure you can still walk with Shingo to school and 
still make it in time for your class."

"As if I'd want *that* to happen..." Shingo muttered under his breath.

Usagi turned from one parent to another, as though looking for an ally 
amongst a den of thieves.  "But..."

Kenji put the empty cup down, and set his brow.  "No buts, Usagi - 
please, just do this."

The slump in her shoulders overemphasized the resignation she felt.  
"Yes, Dad."

With breakfast done and over with, picked up and cleaned, the siblings 
went to their respective rooms.  Noting that the children were upstairs, 
Kenji stands up, picking up his briefcase near the window, and kissed 
Ikuko on the cheek as he was putting on the jacket.  "Goodbye, dear."

Ikuko returned the kiss.  "Goodbye, dear.  I was wondering, though... why 
did you make Usagi go with Shingo this morning?"

He was at the shoe rack when he turned and regarded his wife's question.  
"I just feel like Usagi and Shingo should go with each other more.  They 
hardly spend time together these days."

Ikuko tilted her head to a side, a nudge of understanding.  "I guess 
so....  See you later, dear."  She watched him go out the door before she 
went back to her chores.

***

Later, Ranma was at the foyer, wearing a collared red shirt and blue 
jeans.  Ikuko was watching the morning news.

"Bye, Mom," he said as he approached the front door, "I'm going to see 
Ryoga now."

"Isn't it a bit early for that?"  She noted the light tint of sunlight 
from the window.  "What time is Ryoga's flight, anyway?"

In a sheepish voice, Ranma replied, "4:00 in the afternoon."

"Hmmm," Ikuko checked the wall clock, in the hallway: 7:00, "in that case 
you'd better hurry or you won't be able to catch him in time."  She 
smiled appreciatively.

At that, Ranma left in a semi-random direction, consistent with the 
scheme he devised in searching for Ryoga.

Several minutes after, Shingo and Usagi bustled downstairs to get their 
lunches, to say goodbye to their mother, and to be on their way.

***

Usagi left Shingo at his school and was going down a route she did not 
usually use when she came upon a couple of eight-year-old toughs kicking 
something around in an alley.  Upon closer inspection, as she was always 
the nosy little girl, she saw that they were kicking a black cat around.  
It was unremarkable, save for the bandage on its forehead.

"Hey!" she said, taking a rather scary-looking expression to face, and 
arms akimbo in that universal older-female pose of non-approval.  The 
kids wisely took off, not willing to take their chances with the junior 
high student.  She picked the cat up, brushing the filth off of its fur, 
and looked at its face.

"Are you alright, kitty-cat?"  For a moment, she took the cat's squirming 
as straining to answer.  "Well, you certainly seem like an intelligent 
cat.  I wonder what's with the bandage?"

At that, Usagi removed the bandage on the cat's forehead.  It seemed to 
be covering a strange moon-shaped bald spot.

Usagi was aghast.  "Poor cat!  Why'd those nasty kids have to give you 
that really ugly bald spot?"

The cat seemed to take offense and started to claw at Usagi's face.  "Ow!  
Hey, don't do that!  Just because somebody gave you that bald spot 
doesn't mean you have to pick on me!"  The cat continued to ignore her 
mewing and continued the scratching.  "Great!  This is the thanks I get 
for helping you out!"

It seemed that the cat considered this, because it slowed down.  Usagi 
took the opportunity to put the cat down on a covered garbage can.  "Wow!  
You seem to be really smart!  I wonder if you can do tricks!"

The cat gave her a disapproving look, or so it seemed.

"I wonder if I can..."  Suddenly, she remembered something that was 
important.  To confirm, she took a glimpse of her wristwatch.  "Oh no!  
I'm gonna be late!"  Usagi quickly took to a sprint down the street, 
almost immediately at breakneck speed.

The cat looked at Usagi's trail of dust.

***

3:00 p.m., Narita International Airport.  Ranma stood in line in the main 
lobby of Narita International Airport with another young man in a 
business suit who was holding a briefcase.  One who was standing nearby 
would have thought that the two of them were twin brothers: similar open 
faces, the keen eyes, which upon closer inspection would show the 
former's blue and the latter's brown, the same brown-black hair, although 
the latter wore his shorn and dapperly, the former longer and ruggedly 
boyish, the same lean build, the brotherly demeanor.

Ryoga didn't seem to be comfortable in his suit and was fidgeting 
nervously.  Ranma smirked at his companion, crowing, "You really should 
have packed an extra set of clothes in that briefcase.  You really should 
have known better."

"You shut up!"  Ryoga's composure would be best suited if he did not move 
at all, but his irritation was evident.  "The boardroom was only two 
corridors away!  How was I to know I'd get this lost."  A grim look on 
his face made his own smirk into a shadowy scowl.  "It's a good thing I 
don't beat up on the weak, or you'd be flat on the floor right now!"

Ranma bowed at the neck with both hands, flapping down and up in a mock 
appeasing gesture.  "Hai, hai, sensei."  He brightened as they got in 
line to check in for the New York flight.  "Which reminds me... what new 
tricks have you learned?  And could you teach me?"

Ryoga sputtered, "Tricks?!  The things I teach you are powerful 
techniques to be taken seriously!"

Ranma fought hard to hide his grin.  "Sorry.  It's just that you really 
should name your techniques differently."

A raised eyebrow.  "What's wrong with my names?"

Ranma sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward.  In a singsong voice, he 
recited, "'Fox dancing around living room while blind heron watches Ally 
McBeal on cable television'," here he faced Ryoga in all-seriousness, 
"really doesn't inspire confidence.  Not to mention the fact that it's a 
mouthful to say.  You really should go with stuff that inspires 
confidence, like 'Fierce tiger domineering' or something like that.  It 
sounds way cooler," he concluded.

Ryoga nodded, conceding the point to his friend, "I guess."  A shrug.  
"Blame it on personal influences."

Ranma just shook his head - a typical business answer, a typical power 
answer, a typically Ryoga answer - all meaning that he did not know.  
Ranma knew that he could not understand how his friend's mind worked, but 
neither did he - the fact was he got by, and that was more than enough.

They had first met in a martial-arts competition, of course, back in 
junior high.  What set Ryoga apart were exactly his unorthodox maneuvers, 
where he looked lost in his own body, but somehow got it together to make 
devastating combinations of off-balanced kicks, punches, elbows and such.  
It took most of Ranma's will and skill, and in part due to the fact that 
Ryoga had to shout out the full name of each attack before executing it, 
to defeat him for the trophy.  He had only to appreciate that the other 
boy knew what he was doing, and did it well, and they'd been friends 
since.

Ryoga was in the family business, of course, but his family was the 
prestigious Hibiki clan, owners of the Hibiki overseas trading company, 
which was in charge of the Japanese import/export trade with the most 
countries across the globe.  It surprised Ranma that the members of the 
family were directly involved in the expansion of the business - here was 
Ryoga, in training, to be the "executive field correspondent", in line to 
inherit the business from his father.

The only explanation Ryoga could come up was the fact that his family had 
the unusual knack of getting lost.  (It didn't take long for Ranma to 
believe that, because at the time Ryoga was telling him this, they had 
already been halfway to Hokkaido, on foot.)  This could have been a 
drawback, Ryoga confided, until his father realized that going to 
different places was a good thing, noticing the lack of this and that in 
the area, and the way the houses looked, and how their fish tasted.  
Perceptiveness was the key, and the business was built.

Now, Ryoga always had a beeper and a cellular phone with unlimited credit 
and complete global roaming (they had their own satellite for that) so 
that wherever Ryoga might end up, he could be picked up and a marketing 
representative can pick up where he left off.

Popularity has its toll, of course - where he can be recognized, Ryoga 
could always be the target of kidnapping or extortion or bad checks.  
Hence, the martial arts.

The wait in line was slightly long, but eventually they reached the 
counter and Ryoga was able to book in first-class on the 4:00 p.m.  Since 
Ryoga had no baggage (other than his briefcase), they skipped the check-
in and went directly down a corridor to the gate.

Along the way was a lobby, one of those random places inside an airport 
where you could buy stuff and/or eat.  What (rather, who) Ranma noticed 
was a girl with long blonde hair tied with a yellow ribbon sitting on one 
of a row of chairs - she couldn't have been older than fourteen, or 
fifteen.  He slowed, and scanned her sleeveless yellow sundress and her 
white pumps.  He took particular notice of the white cat carrier right 
next to her - it was open and the white cat that usually rode inside was 
on the girl's lap.  It had a weird moon-shaped bald spot on the its 
forehead.

Ranma squinted as he drew to a complete stop.  *Now where have I seen 
that girl and cat before?*  He scratched his chin.  *Oh well, might as 
well ask.*  He pulled on his companion's sleeve suddenly.  "Hey, Ryoga."

The wandering salesman was already on his way to New York, without the 
aid of propelled flight.  "Hmm?"

"Hold up a bit," he turned back to the chairs - she was still there, hair 
aflutter, "there's somebody I wanna talk to."

"Okay."  Ryoga was barely able to notice his friend's distraction.

Ranma started to walk off, when he shouted, "And don't even think about 
moving!" leaving his friend to glare at him as he headed toward the 
strangely familiar girl.

***

Minako Aino pouted prettily and yawned, stretching the kinks the 
uneventful flight from China might have set into her muscles.  For the 
second time, she had to recall which of the god-awfully expensive places 
in the airport her parents chose to tide their sudden cravings.  Her left 
arm fell back to her side, and she poked at the cushions of the armrest 
of the lounge chair, her right hand directed the traffic of air into her 
agape mouth.

With a start, she noted that her cat might be uncomfortable - she 
unlocked her cat carrier to let Artemis out.  The feline complied 
graciously, endearing itself to stretch upon her lap.

She looked around.  "Wow, Artemis, it's been so long since I've been in 
Japan.  Everything seems so new again!"  She turned, eyeing the people 
rushing along the spacious corridor to their gates and their flights 
outward.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something.  "Hey, look at 
the pair of cute guys over there!"

Artemis languidly took to the chair, climbing to the back to deign a look 
of disinterest at the pair that she gestured, one wearing a slightly 
rumpled business suit, the other wearing a red collared T-shirt and blue 
jeans.  Minako, then noticed that the casual guy seemed to be staring at 
her - and then started in their direction.

*Omigosh, he's heading this way!*  She tried to composed herself - which 
was not helped by the fact that she looked so surprised that she could 
pop.

"Excuse me, miss," she heard the voice (his voice!) say, "but have we met 
before?  I think I've seen you somewhere before."

*Omigoshhe'stryingtopickmeup!*  She turned to stare in semi-shock.

The guy smiled, slightly embarrassed by something.  "Err, miss, what's 
your name?"

The question snapped her out of her stupor.  "Hi! my name is Aino Minako, 
but you can call me Mina-chan since all my friends call me that, and 
you're my friend, right? and you can contact me at 03-3604-1441.  I 
really like volleyball, do you? and I'm really glad to be here instead of 
stuffy old China and I can't wait to go make new friends and..."  She 
suddenly stopped as her cat scratched her hand a little.  "Ow!  Artemis, 
stop that."

Artemis, in response, just glared at the guy.

The guy was quick to notice it.  "I don't think your cat likes me."

Minako waved quickly, with a quick smile thrown in.  "Oh, don't mind this 
ol' cat, he's just being protective."  Another quick glare, this time to 
the feline, said "You're gonna get it from me later."

He smiled back, much to her delight.  "I see... so, are you sure we 
haven't met before, Minako?"

She shook her head.  "Mina-chan."

He nodded imperceptibly, and corrected himself without skipping a beat.  
"Mina-chan?"

"Umm, no, uh..."  She actually took a while to gauge the truth of her 
answer, all the while staring into his blue irises.  She breathed in, 
slowly, then plied, "I don't think I was able to get your name."

"Tsukino Ranma," he answered automatically, then shrugged.  "Oh, well, 
I'll see you later, 'k?  I have to bring somebody to his terminal."

Later, she noticed, and smiled to herself.  "Can't he go by himself?"

The way he snickered made her wonder about his darker side, with much 
relish.  "Not this guy."  He made a motion to go.  "Well, I'll see you 
later, Mina-" he stopped in mid-stride and in mid-sentence at the look 
Minako gave him, "-chan."

Minako brightened, the picture complete.  "Okay!  See you later."  She 
gave a little emphasis to the last word, at which Ranma nodded, before 
turning back to go to his friend.  All that left her in quite the giddy 
haze.  "C'mon, Artemis, Mom and Dad are probably done eating."

With that, they packed up and left.

***

Ryoga was tapping his foot in impatiently as Ranma returned.  He didn't 
notice, though.  *Why can't I shake the feeling that I know her?  Oh, 
well, I suppose I'll just talk to her later.*

As he reached Ryoga, though, the latter wasted no time in asserting 
himself.  "I don't believe you, Ranma - hitting on a junior-high-
schooler!  Aren't you a bit too old?"

"Shut up!"  He couldn't quite explain the burning sensation in his 
cheeks, though.  "I just thought I saw her before... and I am not too 
old!"

Satisfied at the blow, Ryoga started off.  "Yeah, right..."  But, 
smirking, he couldn't help himself or leave this one alone.  "... enemy 
of all women."

"Will you stop calling me that?!"  They continued on to the terminal.

***

At around 5:30 p.m. at Crossroads Junior High School, students were 
filing away, and outside.  Usagi and her best friend, Naru Osaka, are 
walking out the building - all the while, Usagi looked downcast.

Naru said amiably (which was the way she seemed to do most things), 
"Cheer up, Usagi - what you got wasn't so bad."

Usagi knew better than to turn on her brunette friend - so she grabbed at 
the test paper and made like a barbarian.  "I got a 75!  It's so 
annoying!  And the worse part was the way Haruna-sensei was looking at 
me, like she couldn't believe Ranma's sister could get so low."

Naru was staring at the red 70 on the upper right of her sheet and 
sighed.  "Ummm, at least you're not being pestered by the Ranma 
Appreciation Society anymore, like before, when we were kids."

Usagi glowered at the paved walk.  "They'd better not."

The Ranma Appreciation Society, mildly put, were the in-house fan club 
dedicated to her older brother.  Not so mildly put, they were the largest 
bunch of pains in the neck that ever crossed her path.  Their credo was 
that Ranma Tsukino was the most perfect specimen of manhood on the face 
on the planet, and their mission was to make him their own personal god-
king, master and servant.

The problem was that they were not the only misguided (insane) women on 
campus - no one she knew who knew that they had the same family name had 
not asked whether or not they were related, what their address/phone 
number was, and if she really knew how lucky she was.

So what if he was a face, or if he was a brain who held high marks 
consistently throughout his schooling, or if he was being fought over by 
the coaches of no less than five varsity teams, which he had been under 
and won for at one point in time or the other?  Who cared if his was the 
name she saw most often in the bathroom graffiti, or if he was best 
friends with the heir of the Hibiki empire, or the star of the high 
school martial arts district circuit?  Or, more to the point, if she was 
his only sister - was that equivalent to painting a bull's-eye on her 
back?

Naru smiled, a small one, at the look on her friend's face.  "It must be 
hard to be related to Juuban's most eligible bachelor."

That made her choke on a cough.  "M-Most eligible bachelor?!  Him?!  But 
he's just..." she gesticulated wildly, her ponytails mimicking her arms, 
"oniichan!"

Naru shrugged, her wavy hair bobbing with the motion.

Exasperated, Usagi suddenly brightened up again, although slightly.  
"Whatever - c'mon, let's go to the arcade, I wanna let off some steam.  I 
think they got this new Sailor V game today."

The set in Naru's shoulders tipped her off that her friend had other 
plans.  "How about we go to the Osa-p instead?  Mom's having a special 
sale today, I think."

Usagi shrugged - one hangout was as good as another.  "Okay."

They were off.

Along the way and through another set of disagreeable thoughts, Usagi 
decided to crumple up her test paper and threw it over her shoulder.  
Unbeknownst to her, the wad hit someone - a twenty-ish someone with short 
black hair, whose athletic build was best complemented by his brown-
jacket-black-shirt-and-slacks square on the head.

Since this clashed terribly with his sense of style, this someone called 
out, "Hey, you!"

The young Tsukino erked, stopping to look at who her awful luck had run 
across.  Naru stopped a few steps ahead, a curious and slightly nervous 
look on her face.

"Watch where you throw your stuff!  What is this, anyway?"  He made a 
show of uncrumpling the test paper, eyeing it meticulously with cool 
eyes.  "75?"  He re-crumpled it, nonchalantly.  "Not bad - now just work 
on your aim."  Easily, he threw the wad, hitting Usagi on the noggin, 
with the wad bouncing off and into her waiting hands.

"See you around, litterbug."  He turned, leaving the two teens to stare.

Usagi was shocked for quite a few moments before her annoyance took over, 
evident from the effort it took to say each word.  "Why... that... 
overdressed... pompous... argh!"  She raised both hands in righteously-
shaking fists.  "C'mon, Naru, let's go!"  She pulled the pondering Naru 
as she led the march to the Osa-p.

***

The big banner at the Osa-p declared a big 50%-off sale, the type of 
heavensend that melted the stones of antipathy in Usagi's gut.  She found 
herself one of many bargain hunters milling about, admiring the jewelry.

It was easy to note that one of the collections, a group of opal-like 
stones, in the center, was drawing the most attention from the assembled 
masses, probably because they looked nice and were the most heavily 
discounted of the displays.  The case was simply labeled "Dark Crystals", 
without any elaboration.  The only reason why Usagi wasn't one of those 
considering that particular bargain, was her preference for clear 
crystals.

Mrs. Osaka was heavy on the draw, though, as she held a megaphone and 
stood off to the side of the center display, booming, "COME ONE! - COME 
ALL! - TO THE SALE OF THE YEAR.  BUY THESE WONDROUS DARK CRYSTALS FOR 
ONLY 2500 YEN!  BUY NOW!  TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR AMAZING OFFER.  DARK 
CRYSTALS - THEY TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!"

*Hehe..." she thought to herself, *with these dark crystals, my lord will 
surely get plenty of energy for the dark kingdom!*  Her eyes started 
gleaming in a decidedly evil light.

"Excuse me, miss?"  She looked down to see a kid tugging at the end of 
her skirt.

"Yes?" she started, with a strained smile on her face.

The kid looked up with wondering eyes and asked, "Why are your eyes 
glowing?"

"Haha..." Mrs. Osaka put her hand behind her head in a fit of embarrassed 
laughter.  "Haha... er... um... no reason."

***

Usagi came home from the Osa-p, sporting a new set of pearl earrings.  At 
the doorstep to greet her was Ikuko, stepping out with a bag of refuse in 
one hand.

"So, how did you do in your exam?"

Usagi's expression of contentment was quickly replaced by a flash of 
acute disappointment.  "I only got a 75!  Wah!"

Ikuko gave her a reassuring pat as she passed by her.  "That's okay - I'm 
sure you can do better next time."

>From outside, Shingo's footsteps clopped on a predatory spring.  "A 75!  
That's pretty low even for you, meatballs-for-brains!"

Usagi turned back, causing Shingo to sidestep away from the lashing whips 
of blonde hair.  "Why, you!"  The youngest Tsukino took this as his cue 
to exit, stairs, with his sister in hot pursuit.  Lucky for him, Shingo 
managed to reach his room first, audibly locking the door.

For a moment, Usagi stared at the door as though she was going to kick it 
down, and almost did.  Resisting temptation, she went to her room in a 
dark huff.  The sight of the bed suddenly made her really sleepy.

"What a yucky day!  And I woke up so early, too."  A yawn.  "Oh, well, I 
think I'll take a nap."  And she did.

***

Usagi sat up.  Bleary-eyed, she noticed the cat with the bald spot on the 
windowsill, looking at her.  She rubbed her eyes, getting up and she went 
up the cat.

"Hello, cat," she waved, then bowed, face to face with her visitor, "do 
you want me to do something about your bald spot?"

The cat stared at her.  "Bald spot?!  What a rude thing to say!"

Eyes wide, Usagi didn't take long to faint.

***

At the closed Osa-p, Mrs. Osaka seemed to be glowing.

"Now is the time to use the dark crystals to turn their owners to my 
slaves!"

All across Juuban, women noticed their bargain jewelry glow in their 
natural black light.  None were able to scream, as the strange glow 
enveloped them.  When the glow dissipated, all that remained was the 
jewel, pulsing on the pale skin of the victims, who in turn trod an 
eerily straight path back to the purchase origin of the dark crystals.

Mrs. Osaka's eyes gained their fullest illumination.  "As soon as they 
arrive, I will suck their energy for the Dark Kingdom and my dark lord 
Jadeite!"  The store reverberated with her maniacal laughter, shrill and 
inhuman.

A few minutes after, the door in the back opened.  Mrs. Osaka turned 
expectantly.

"Mom," Naru started, "I was wondering if you..."

She stopped, gaping at her mother - or what she had turned into.  The 
only reason Naru believed that the long-limbed, mottled-skinned, oddly-
glowing creature making cackling noises in the center of the room was her 
mother was the dress it was still wearing, the same dress she saw her 
mother wearing.

It was then that the youma stared at Naru, a jagged neon-sketch grin 
growing.

Predictably, Naru started screaming her lungs out.

***

The next thing Usagi knew, she was on the floor, and the cat from the 
alley was scratching her on the shoulder.

"Owie!"  She located the cat, and gave her a curious glance.  In a 
careful voice, she asked, "You didn't just talk, did you?"

The cat gave her a level gaze.  "I did."

Usagi would have had an encore, if the urgency was not evident in the 
cat's tinny voice.  "Please don't faint, I have something important to 
say."  She had to sit up on the floor, as the cat jumped on to the end of 
her bed.  "My name is Luna and I'm a moon cat..."

"Moon cat?" she echoed.

"... and you have been chosen to be the pretty soldier, Sailor Moon.  
Here."  Luna did a backflip and out popped a brooch, seemingly out of 
nowhere.

Usagi grabbed it as it fell.  "Oh, wow," she marveled, "this brooch is 
really pretty!"

Luna shook her head, indicating that there was more.  "Yes, well, use it 
to transform into Sailor Moon."

The teen turned it around in her hands.  "So how do I do that?"

"Just hold up the brooch and say the first thing that comes to mind."

Usagi nodded, licking her lips.  With both hands, she raised the brooch: 
"Moon Crystal Power make up!"

The brooch erupted in a flash of light, so sudden and intense that Usagi 
had to close her eyes - only for a moment.  The light has somehow 
enveloped her completely, covering her in a mystical and strangely warm 
rainbow aura.  From the inset gem, ribbons of energy snaked out - 
suddenly cocooning her bodice.  With a flash, there was a single piece of 
white cloth where the ribbons were, except for the front, where the 
brooch was nestled.  A few more ribbons made up the blue skirt and blue 
collar and the white, heeled leg boots.  A simple white tiara with a ruby 
inset on the middle and two red jewels set themselves along her crown and 
in the balls of her hair, respectively.

She stretched her arms, feeling an amazing rush of energy, similar to 
when she was in meditation during practices, hundred-, no, thousand-fold 
in sheer power.

She turned to regard the moon cat, looking over her shoulder.

The black cat nodded approval.  "In that form, you're faster and stronger 
than you were before.  You also have several powers, like..."

Usagi cocked her head suddenly, making a slashing motion for Luna to be 
quiet.  "Wait - what's that I hear?  Is that screaming?"

"That's one of your special powers.  Your gems," she raised a paw, 
indicating the jewels in her hair, "have the ability to sense and 
pinpoint danger.  Just focus on them."

"Okay... Omigod!  It's Naru!  She's in danger..." she furrowed her brow, 
"... in the Osa-p... from... Osaka-san?!"  She took a step forward in 
surprise.

Luna turned, uncannily in the direction of the jewelry shop.  "She must 
have been replaced by a youma!"  She turned back to the pretty soldier.  
"Quick, Sailor Moon, we have no time to..."  She was already talking to 
the latter's retreating back, as she leapt out of the open window, 
curtains fluttering goodbyes.

"... waste."  As she started after her, Luna muttered, "Kids today..."

***

Sailor Moon ran as fast as could, which was considerably fast, just as 
she landed from her casual two-storey jump.  *My god, I feel so ALIVE! I 
feel like I can do anything!*  To test the theory, she eyed the top of a 
nearby house and jumped.

Across the rooftops, it only took her a few minutes to reach the Osa-p.  
She entered the ajar backdoor in time to see a ghoulish parody of Naru's 
mom strangling the hapless teen.

*I have to distract that monster from Naru!*  "Stop!"

The youma dropped Naru, leaving her to gasp greedily for breath on the 
floor - the youma turned to look at the costumed fighter.

Sailor Moon took a stance, bringing herself to her fullest height.  "Gems 
are supposed to be things of beauty, not instruments of evil."  She 
crossed her arms.  "I am the pretty soldier, Sailor Moon, and, in the 
name of the moon, I will punish you!"  She turned to the other side, 
pointing at the monster.

At this point, the zomboids chose to arrive through the front.

"I don't think so."  The youma smiled evilly as she stretched her span, 
gesturing for the assorted possessed females.  "Attack, my minions!"

With clear intent, the zomboids started to move toward her.

Setting her jaw, Sailor Moon leaned on her back foot, watching the pale 
women, deadly marionettes, counting ten of them and watching their 
positions.  *Damn, have to remember that these are innocent victims.  
Can't be too rough on them.*

She somersaulted backward, apparently planning on a spectacular and 
systematic retreat through the back door.  She did not, though - she shot 
her legs outward, kicking the door into place and herself back into the 
fray, literally head over heels as her flying kick landed on the stomach 
of housewife in an apron who was carrying a knife.

The zomboid went down as the heroine leapt over her, easily avoiding a 
clumsy punch from a zomboid in smart clothes - that was quickly rewarded 
by a knee to the gut, and a chop to the back of the neck.

Pausing momentarily to carefully lay the last one on the floor, Sailor 
Moon quickly pirouetted into a full moon kick, catching a schoolgirl in 
the face.

Unfortunately, this somewhat flashy move allowed a nurse to get behind 
her and grab her.

Thinking that she was now going to be easy prey with her arms pinned, a 
policewoman ambled towards her -  she got the wind knocked out of her as 
Sailor Moon lashed out with a double-barreled kick, pulling at the arms 
that were pinning her.

After placing both legs on the ground, she then flexed her arms, breaking 
free from the somewhat surprised nurse-zomboid, allowing her captive to 
elbow her in the gut, followed by a grab at the scruff of her neck.  She 
was thrown directly into the path of another glassy-eyed schoolgirl.

Unfortunately, she was not able to keep track of all the zomboids, one of 
which was directly behind her.  She also hadn't kept track of the knife.

***

At a window into the store, a figure decked in a tuxedo, a top hat, and 
costume mask was looking at the ensuing battle.  He had been the fight 
from the very beginning, observing.

"Magnificent..."

He noticed the zombie stalking Sailor Moon, who had raised the knife, 
ready to slash at the back of the fuku-clad defender.

*Not if I can help it.*  He grabbed a rose from nowhere, and threw it 
right in front of the sneaky zomboid, startling it for a moment.

That was enough to alert Sailor Moon, who quickly sidestepped the slash, 
hugging the wall.

They all stared out the window from where the rose came from.

***

A sensation crept along the hairs of her neck.  She turned to see a rose 
sail through the open window to her right, embedding itself on the floor 
- just as a spectacled office worker was about to slice into her back.  
She stepped right next to the wall, then turned to look at her savior.

Her eyes were hearts.  *wow, he's dreamy!*

*Damn it,* he thought, *the holy silver crystal isn't here.  Very well, 
might as well cheer on the good guys.*

He considered Sailor Moon with a glance.  In a clear baritone that 
carried through the night and through the window, he admonished, "Take 
heart, Sailor Moon: know that, with skill like yours, you will prevail!"

She blushed deeply, embarrassed and enamored at the same time.

He turned and jumped to leave, startling SM out of her state of bliss.  
She called out, "Wait!  Who are you?!"

He hesitated - producing another rose, he turned to throw it at Sailor 
Moon, slowly enough for her to catch.

"Tuxedo Mask."  At that, he left and disappeared.  Growls behind her told 
Sailor Moon that the ghoulish women were going to press their assault 
once again.

*Finally,* thought Luna as she jumped in through the window.  She went up 
to Sailor Moon, panting.  "Why didn't you wait?!  I was going to tell you 
about your other special powers."

She turn to look down at her sponsor.  "Who needs special powers?  These 
guys seem easy enough to beat."

"Look again."  Luna nodded at the zomboids.

She turned back to see that the zomboids she has felled start to get up 
again, none the worse for wear.

"HAHAHAHA!"  The youma glowed even brighter with fiendish delight.  "No 
matter how good you are, eventually my minions will get you.  You tire, 
they do not.  Surrender and I will spare your life!"

Sailor Moon stomped her foot.  "Waahh!  That's not fair - why don't you 
monsters stay down?!"

"Quick, Sailor Moon!"

"What?!"  This time, she could not afford to take her eyes off of the 
onrush to look at her benefactor.

Luna instructed: "Grab your tiara, yell 'Moon Tiara Action" and throw it 
at the youma."

"Okay," she replied, pulling the tiara as the zomboids started getting 
really close.  *I sure hope this works.*

To avoid the rush of one zomboid, this one a grocery clerk, she pulled 
back, yelling, "Moon Tiara Action!"  The tiara glowed, a pure white 
luminescence that grew into a pillar, then composed and collected itself 
into the tiara.  She eyed the youma, then let it go, with as much force 
as she could muster.

The tiara flew past the pack of women, arced straight into the youma, 
catching it in the chest before it had a chance to avoid it.

"Noooooo!" it screamed, as it was blasted from inside with the white 
brightness, darkness dissolving against the unyielding illumination.

When the light subsided, all that was left of the monster was dust.  Like 
dropped puppets, the zomboids then fell to the floor, gradually regaining 
color in their features, their unconscious state merely sleep.  The dark 
crystals start dissolving.

Luna and Sailor Moon turned to leave, but not before being spotted by a 
semi-conscious Naru.

***

Somewhere, there was a dark throne room.

A woman seated on the throne, wearing a blood red dress was not happy at 
the man bowed before her.  The tall man had a boyish face and short 
curly, almost tousled, blonde hair, giving him an effeminate air.  He 
wore a drab grey uniform and studs in both ears - he would have had an 
attractive face if he didn't have a scowl on most of the time, as he did 
at this point, obscured from the woman.

"So, your youma has failed, Jadeite."  Her voice was chilly, grating 
without losing a base melody, which was no consolation.  "Do you have any 
excuses to offer?"

Her tone belied any excuse would indeed be excusable.  "None, Queen 
Beryl.  I was unable to account for this Sailor Moon person.  Rest 
assured, this will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't.  I will forgive you this time, Jadeite - do not 
fail me again."

"Yes, Queen Beryl."  He quickly took his leave.

As soon as he was out of earshot, he muttered in seething tones, "You 
will pay for this indignity, Sailor Moon.  This I swear!"

***

In Usagi's room, the once-heroine closed the window she had leapt 
through.

Luna looked at her appraisingly.  "That was a very good first effort, 
Usagi.  Now, remember, we must always be on the look-out for other plots 
of the dark kingdom."

Usagi was exhausted, and Luna's news was not good.  "You mean there's 
more?!"

"Yes.  This is not just an isolated incident.  We'll talk about this more 
later."  She did not say, *Besides, I can't seem to remember much, 
myself...*

Usagi yawned, too exhausted to argue.  "Okay, Luna, whatever you say."

After changing into her bedclothes, she started to prepare to go to 
sleep.  The last thing she registered as she lay on the bed was the sound 
of her mother's and her older brother's voices in conversation.

***

"Young man!  And just why are you so late today!"

Ranma wore a contrite expression as he stood in the doorway.  "Sorry, 
mom.  It's just that Ryoga's flight turned out to be about four hours 
delayed."  He bowed his head.  "Sorry."

Ikuko relaxed, sighing in relief.  "That's okay, Ranma.  We just worry 
about you."  She gestured for him to come.  "You'd better go on upstairs, 
you have school tomorrow."

"Yes, mom."  Ranma went upstairs.

***

In another bedroom in Juuban, another blond teenager was sitting on the 
end of her bed, brushing her hair and talking to her cat.

"... and I'm really excited to go back to school, Artemis!  It's been a 
really long time, too.  Since I've been to school here, I mean.  I hope 
the guys don't think I'm a snob anymore."  She stopped brushing and 
turned to regard the white feline curled up on the carpeted floor off to 
the side of the bed.  "What do you think, Artemis?"

The cat made no indication that it understood the tirade.

Minako wore an ominous look.  "Artemis, are you listening to me?"

Artemis raised his head, as though he had just woken.  Turning to his 
companion, he said, "Who, me?  Of course I'm listening."

Minako brightened.  "Good."  The moment passed, and she saddened yet 
again, "'cause you're one of the few friends I have left, Artemis."

Artemis unfurled and jumped to the bed in a languid, fluid motion.  He 
rubbed his back to Minako's side, against her brush hand.

She smiled, grateful.  "Anyways, do you remember that guy in the airport?  
He was really a cutie, wasn't he?  I mean, he looked 'To kill for.'"

Artemis snorted.  "That's 'to die for.'"  His latter tone became one of 
concern.  "And don't you think it's still too soon since-?"

"Stop."  Her voice was barely a whisper, her expression hidden by shadow 
and bangs.  "Please, don't talk about him."

She took a long moment to compose herself.

"Anyway," she continued, as though Artemis had not interrupted, "I 
wouldn't mind a date with that Ranma guy."  She glanced at her Sailor V 
alarm clock, on the headboard.  "Oh, well, I think it's time to sleep 
now, Artemis.  We have a big day tomorrow and, as they say, 'An early 
bird is worth two in the bush.'"

"That's 'The early bird catches the worm.'"  Artemis nuzzled her hand one 
last time before leaping off of the bed.

Minako wore a disgusted look.  "Why would anyone want a worm?  Oh, well, 
goodnight, Artemis."

With a tap, the light went out, and Minako stepped over to the bed to lie 
down.  Artemis watched her silhouette in the moonlight, and listened to 
her breathing grow deeper and even.  Pulling at the end of her comforter 
with his teeth, he tucked her in.

Finally, Artemis curled up on his spot on the carpet, and slept.

***

Thanks for this episode go to Allan Yonge for providing a comprehensive 
list of Tokyo phone numbers, to Bastet's Chosen (mostly), Kayu-chan and 
David Johnston for assorted information and for providing a montage of 
descriptions for Jadeite for our comparative purposes.  :)  Still, to 
Video Game Addicted Person, for the basic premise of this story.

END (Chapter 1)

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