Here's chapter three. (Now, get off my back! ^_^) It's more Ranma focused
than before. but then again, Paragon is really more about Ranma than the
Senshi-- although they are a major part of it. It IS Paragon's fight, after
all... isn't it?
Kenko/Robert Haynie-- Author of Girl Days, Paragon, Redheads,
and War and Peace-- Gomen, no the last was Leo Tolstoy. Well,
I was CLOSE...
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: paradr.txt
If there was a person in Japan who was as big a weirdness magnet
as Ranma Saotome, that person was Naru Osaka. Unlike Ranma, however,
who attracted paranormally powerful martial artists, bizarre curses,
wandering amazons, confused ghosts, dim witted demons, and the
occasional small shriveled up pervert, all Naru ever seemed to
attract was monsters.
She was very very good at that, though.
Whenever a new enemy would appear to bedevil the Sailor Senshi,
it was pretty much a sure thing that eventually said enemy would get
around to Naru-chan sooner or later. For some reason, evil beings
from dark dimensions seemed attracted to her in much the same way
that one certain small shriveled up pervert was attracted to panties.
Only worse.
If it weren't for the mysterious Sailor Moon, who had saved her
on more than one occasion, she'd probably be dead a dozen times over
now. Well, her or her boyfriend, Gurio Umino. He'd been attacked
once or twice himself.
Most people didn't understand what Naru saw in Umino. They
looked at the surface and saw a geek.
Well, fair enough. He WAS something of a geek. But he was a
geek who was loyal, affectionate, brave, unfaltering, and-- the last
two factors being Naru's personal secret-- had the most gorgeous eyes
under those coke-bottle glasses and was a fantastic kisser.
Naru allowed herself a small smile at that thought. She wondered
what Usagi would think about Umino-kun if she knew THAT part. But
although they were the best of friends, there were some things she
was NOT planning to share with Usagi. Like eyes and lips.
Idly she wondered what Usagi was doing right now.
Idle wondering was interrupted by something that seemed... odd.
Even for Juuban.
"Come back here, you baka monster!"
Naru had seen monsters before. None quite as odd looking as this
one, though.
It seemed to be female-- they nearly always were, for some
reason-- and made entirely out of Lego blocks. It was also, contrary
to what monsters usually did, running for its semi-life.
And it was being chased by...
Well, whoever that was, in the skintight silver and black gear,
she wasn't a Sailor. For one thing, Sailors wore, well, more modest
attire. And considering the typical Sailor gear, that was saying a
LOT about the outfit THIS person was wearing.
Also, Sailors didn't usually chase monsters while carrying
telephone poles. Heck, she didn't think they COULD carry something
that heavy, or unwieldy. They were strong, yes, but...
But as far as Naru Osaka was concerned, the strangest thing was
that the monster wasn't after her.
So she just watched as Legolette was being chased by the person
who was becoming known to Juuban as the Paragon.
Nice to be on the outside for once, she mused, as she took
cover...
####
Robert Haynie Presents
A Sailor Moon / Ranma 1/2 Crossover Fanfiction
PARAGON
(Standard disclaimers apply. Duh.)
Episode Three: A new ally? Unexpected return of an old friend!
####
It was supposed to be simple. There had been nobody anywhere
around. Just the target, a person of great focus. Send the
Ur-demon, seek the soul, find out if the StarGem was there, kill the
target if it wasn't-- didn't do to leave lose ends, after all-- and
go to the next.
Of COURSE that Paragon bitch had popped in out of nowhere,
spouting something about judgment and being wanting and all that. As
bad as a Senshi, she was.
Well, Legolette had been crafted for just such a thing. She
could reform herself into almost any weapon she could envision. So,
it should have been simple.
Ferriko groaned. SHOULD have been. But no, the Paragon was so
damn fast that Legolette couldn't get a chance to form a weapon,
except once. And then she hit, not a Paragon, but a telephone pole.
The telephone pole had almost hit some girl with really strange hair,
and Paragon went berserk. Who KNEW that such a tiny girl as the
Paragon could pick up and wield a damn telephone pole?
Who knew she WOULD?
The Master was NOT going to be happy. Things were going not at
all as planned...
####
Sailor Moon wasn't exactly happy herself. Baka monster almost
dropped a telephone pole on her. If it hadn't been for the
unexpected arrival of the Paragon, she'd probably have been crushed.
But there she was-- fast as lightning-- just in time to knock her out
of the way.
Lucky Usagi. Unlucky monster, because Sailor Moon was angry at
nearly being squashed. Now she had to somehow catch up to Paragon.
But how to find her?
(Hmm... sounds like a fight around--)
"MONSTER NO BAKA!"
WHAM!
(I guess that's her, and-- WHOA.)
"My GOD. She's a monster herself! NO-ONE can be THAT strong!"
exclaimed a girl in a stylized green and pink seifuku.
The Sailor Senshi had arrived on the scene. And Jupiter was
freaking.
Of course, a short girl in a skimpy costume waving a telephone
pole around and trying to beat the hell out of a female form made out
of toy blocks is something that would freak anyone. Sailor Moon was
willing to bet that even the normally unflappable Sailor Pluto would
have reacted in the same way.
"Um... should we help her?" asked Venus.
"YOU wanna get close while she's waving that thing around?" Mars
retorted.
"Point taken," replied Venus. "But we can't just stand here...
That's funny. Doesn't Paragon usually use magical blasts or weird
martial arts?"
"I think she's just really really mad," Chibi-Moon said. "Wow,
look at her! Sugoi!"
Mercury shook her head. There was something magical about the
Paragon, no doubt, but there was an insane amount of non-magical
energy about her also. Her visor was getting scrambled readings
every time she tried to scan the red-headed magical girl.
Meanwhile, said Paragon DID have a reason for using a telephone
pole instead of her usual martial arts and Para Volts. She was
testing herself to find out just how strong she was.
As best as she could figure, right now she probably was as strong
as Akane had been under the Super-Soba and twice as good a fighter as
the Do-Gi incident. Not too shabby. And no unsightly whiskers
either. Heh.
Sometimes she wondered if the incredible physical boost she got
as the Paragon was cheating, in some way. But then, she wasn't using
it against other human opponents in honorable martial arts combat,
but against, well, really silly looking demonic creatures trying to
suck the lives out of people. In a case like that, anything goes.
She allowed herself an internal snicker at that thought.
No, she's never use the Power of the Paragon against a human
being. Well, except maybe Happosai. Heck, for all she knew he was
an evil extradimensional entity himself-- it would explain a lot.
Hmm... and Pantyhose Tarou... Have to ask Star about that...
Well, enough indulging her muscles. Now to finish it.
Tossing the telephone pole up in the air, Paragon let out a Para
Volt, followed it up with a leaping kick, and finally suplexed the
Ur-demon. Which shattered.
"Huh. Didn't have a lot, did it? Hey, Chainmail-chan, where you
hiding? Aren't you going to start some rant about how you'll win
next time?"
"Why should I," a voice from apparently nowhere said, "When this
time will do just nicely?"
For a moment Paragon was annoyed-- after all, it was clear that
the victory here was hers-- and then heard an unpleasant rattling
sound. She turned around, and groaned. Legolette was reassembling
herself.
"This we've seen before," murmured Sailor Mercury. "Looks like
she's playing Nekoneru's game there..." She raised her voice,
calling, "Paragon! That thing won't stay broken-- we've fought
something like that before!"
"Oh, goody! You can have it, then!" replied the now dodging
Paragon. "Damn thing's somehow doubled in speed! At least there
aren't any--"
There was a sound of many whiny-grunty voices coming down the
street.
"Ur-golems," Paragon finished miserably. "I'd ask if you ever
had one of those days, but I just know you have... YOW!" She dodged
a sudden knife-like arm. (How did she get a sharp edge from Legos?)
Mars and Venus began on the Ur-golems, while Jupiter glared at
the monster. She had heard a rumor that that perfect boy was in the
area again, and was NOT happy with monsters distracting her from her
hunt. As far as she was concerned, monsters were made for taking out
frustrations.
"Get back, Paragon!" yelled Jupiter, following up with the cry of
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" The ovoid of electrical energy smashed
through the air, causing Legolette to grunt, but not to break- and
Mercury noticed something.
"Some of it's blocks fused! It really IS made of Legos-- and
that means plastic! Mars?"
"Got it! BURNING MANDALA!"
Hoops of elemental fire spun out at the Ur-demon, which screamed
as her body began to melt and fuse. Paragon grinned at that. "Hey,
that's pretty good! You guys want to see something with hot and
cold?"
"I'll show you something instead," Mercury replied, adding,
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" The already half-molten Ur-demon suddenly
froze, unable to move at all, it's structure now brittle from the
extremes in temperature.
Paragon blinked. She'd thought the Soul of Ice technique was
something, but this? "Okay, I'M impressed. Now--"
Paragon had worked carefully on this one. It had occurred to her
that her normal Ranma-mode attacks could be used if she just called
them something different and varied the delivery a tiny bit.
(Actually, it had occurred to Star. But magical mascots are supposed
to take a back seat.)
"PARA IMPACT STORM!"
Mercury, who had been monitoring Paragon as well as the creature,
gasped. Paragon had punched it one thousand, six hundred and
thirteen times in less than five seconds, each time with a force
capable of shattering prestressed concrete. There was a stuttering,
thundering crack as her fists shattered the sound barrier repeatedly.
Paragon blinked. She knew she was stronger and faster in this
form, but... Oh, MAN, Cologne would freak out...
"I think I've gone deaf," complained Venus.
"What? I can't hear you, I've gone deaf," replied Mars.
"Speak up, Mars, I can't hear you," Moon added.
"It's all right, it's just temporary, I don't think she meant to
do that," said Mercury, who could read lips a little.
"What?" said Mars.
While the Senshi tried to sort this problem out, Paragon left,
her job, as it were, done. She realized that she needed to talk to
Star about this side effect.
Well, as soon as she could hear the rabbit, anyhow...
####
"THAT'S a side effect I hadn't expected," Star murmured.
"Speak up, I still can't hear you very well," complained Ranma.
"But MAN, it worked great! 'Course, I gotta admit that Mercury's ice
thingy helped also, and that Mars has got some pretty good moves with
that fire stuff. Shame they don't trust me yet... except Sailor
Moon. Wish I could find something to tell them..."
"Well, you can't. You know that. Mercenary Alert," the rabbit
added, in a whisper. Ranma didn't hear the last, but had noticed
Nabiki anyhow.
Nabiki stormed up to Ranma, repressing the desire to frown, it
would be bad for her image after all, and assuming her patented
sardonic smirk instead. "And where have you been all day?" she
demanded.
"Why?"
"I'm asking the questions, Saotome," she grinned, confidently.
"Your point being?"
"Look, you're hiding something-- and we both know that I'll find
out eventually what it is. So you might as well stop this game and
tell me straight out."
"And if I am, and do, then you'll sell whatever it is to the
highest bidder. Well, I ain't in the mood for that any more."
"Is that any way to talk to a friend?" Nabiki said, grinning.
"No. But what does that have to do with you? No WAY are you my
friend."
Nabiki's grin faded.
"What do you mean by that? Of course I'm your--"
"Then why do you pull all that crap on me?"
"I treat everyone the same, you know that, Ranma."
"I do. That's why I don't think you're anyone's friend. I don't
have time for this, I'm outta here."
Before Nabiki could protest, Ranma skipped to a nearby rooftop
and started his dash back to the Tendo residence. She stood there,
in shock. She didn't know what had made this new Ranma, but she knew
damn well that she didn't like it one bit.
Because Ranma was supposed to forgive and forget like the sap
she'd always known him to be. And for some reason, he'd stopped
being a sap. Instead, he'd grown a spine.
She had always, in her own way, considered herself a friend to
Ranma, and had assumed that he felt the same. But... now she wasn't
so sure.
For the first time she considered the possibility that Ranma
might actively dislike her.
And she liked that even less.
####
Ami Mizuno was usually a calm and peaceful sort. Of the Senshi,
she was the most mild mannered, the calmest, and the least likely to
become unduly frustrated.
Thus, it was a very bemused group of girls and cats that were
watching the blue-haired girl bang her head on the table.
"Ami-chan," Minako said uncertainly, "Aren't you...
over-reacting?"
"They make no SENSE! They make no SENSE!" Ami whimpered.
"What's she on about?" murmured Makoto to Rei.
"The readings on Paragon," Rei replied sotto voce. "She's been
getting new ones every time we meet her and she can't make them make
any sense. It's like there's two entirely differing forces powering
her, and she says they shouldn't be able to work together. And no, I
don't understand what that means either."
"Ami-chan," soothed Usagi, "She's just a different kind of
warrior. She's not one of us, so maybe she isn't like us in how she
does things."
"Usagi, she threw over fifteen hundred punches in five seconds--
each able to crack concrete! I don't care HOW much magic she has
augmenting her, there's no WAY that muscle and bone can stand the
kind of stress that would create-- not to mention that her hands
should have been bloody pulps! She can't be human, nothing human can
do that! I don't think there was ever a daimon that could do that!
She can't be human!"
"Maybe she's a strange visitor from another planet, like in the
American Manga I got?" Chibi-Usa put in.
"No! That's the problem-- she's human!"
"But you just said--" Minako asked, a confused expression
settling into her face. Joined by similar ones on the rest of the
girls.
"I KNOW! But all scans say she's human, but she CAN'T be human
and do what she does, but she IS, and... I have never felt so...
so..."
"Depressed?" asked Makoto.
"Frustrated?" suggested Rei.
"Stupid..." despaired Ami.
"Ami-chan, just because you can't figure it out doesn't mean
you're stupid about it-- it just means there's something you don't
know yet," Usagi said, with a trace of sharpness. She didn't care to
see Ami belittling herself.
"Thank you, Usagi-chan... but... I just can't figure out what she
is..." Ami HATED being this much in the dark about the mysterious
warrior.
"I don't see what it matters," Minako said. "She's on our side,
right?"
"We don't know that for sure," Luna interjected.
"She seems to be so, though," added Artemis.
"We can't be sure about her at all," Rei said. "She's not a
Senshi, so we can't be sure."
"Her enemies are our enemies, right? As far as I'm concerned,
it's six of one and two in the bush," Minako retorted.
There was a pause.
"That's six of-- oh, never mind," Artemis sighed.
"I trust her," Usagi said. No emphasis, no challenge, just a
calm, serene confidence. "She is on our side-- or we're on hers.
Remember what she said-- this might be her fight? We might be the
outsiders in this conflict?"
Makoto cracked her knuckles. "Hey, it's all the same to ME. If
she's a good guy and they are bad guys, then we help the good guy. I
want to see if I can learn some of her moves."
Rei scowled, but said nothing. To her annoyance, that argument
made perfect sense.
"Besides, she dresses neat," added Chibi-Usa.
"Now you do NOT go there, ninjin-atama," Usagi said. "I won't
have it now, and I KNOW I won't have it in a thousand years. You are
NOT dressing like her!"
"Spoilsport."
####
Akane was becoming very worried about Ranma. He'd started to
change after the battle with Saffron. He'd had to do something there
that he had never had to do before.
He'd had to kill.
Never mind that Saffron had been reborn, like the Phoenix he
was-- Ranma had killed him. Had, in fact, frozen him solid and
broken him into bits. Had used the Art not only to kill, but to kill
in an incredibly gruesome fashion.
Never mind that he had no other recourse in the battle-- it was
kill or be killed, kill or let Akane die, kill or allow a madman with
incredible power to do who knew what-- Ranma had killed him.
Something in Ranma had died that day, she knew. Somehow the
purity of the Art had been sullied in his eyes. Somehow, a certain
innocence that had always been a part of Ranma throughout two years
of unrelenting insanity had been erased.
Then came the wedding.
She didn't know if Ranma had wanted to get married-- she knew SHE
had, but... She BELIEVED he did, she believed it would have worked
out, she believed it would have all been right...
But apparently the rest of Nerima hadn't agreed.
She'd always assumed blithely-- well, perhaps not blithely, but
confidently-- that all Ranma had to do was to make a choice, or have
someone make it for him in this case, and all the other suitors and
lunatics would vanish away.
But Shampoo and Ukyo throwing exploding food, Kodachi popping up
to steal the wedding ceremony, Kuno trying to marry BOTH of them,
Happosai drinking the Nannichuan while Mousse, Genma, and Ryoga-- the
last for reasons she couldn't figure out-- fought over it... That
pretty well proved that Ranma had been right in one thing-- there was
no simple solution.
Things had begun to get strained over the next few weeks. Ranma
had become sullen and depressed. He'd become almost impossible to
talk to, simply because he wouldn't answer. He wouldn't talk to
Ukyo, or Shampoo, or even Akane herself.
He had been becoming lost.
Then one day, two days before school was to start again,
something had happened. Akane suspected that Ranma wasn't telling
everything, but he'd come home that night with a pet rabbit and no
curse.
No Curse. It was hard to imagine Ranma without a curse.
And then, Ranma had cheered up-- but he'd also changed. He
didn't seem to be worried about the various fiancees, or the stable
of enemies, or anything of the sort.
It was as though he had more important things to worry about.
He'd disappear for hours on end, and return without saying where
to. If asked, he'd only shrug-- and not reply. This was driving
Nabiki insane, Akane mused. It wasn't doing much for her peace of
mind either.
The one time Akane had asked, his reply was, "Akane, I'm sorry,
but it's private. And no, it's not another fiancee or another girl
or anything like that, so you can forget that part of the argument
right now. Heck, forget the argument."
Akane had been stunned. But she hadn't asked again-- because she
could see that the young martial artist was completely resolute.
Whatever he was involved in, he was NOT talking.
All she knew for certain was that this new Ranma-- this Ranma who
was studying in school, who was apparently unconcerned with the
multiple girls, who would quietly talk about things in a calm and non
insulting way (and who would simply cease talking if she insulted
him, breaking off the conversation right there, refusing to argue)
and who most of all had decided that in contrast to the past two
years he had a right to a private life of his own-- This Ranma scared
her a little.
Because this Ranma wasn't playing by the rules that the world had
set for him.
####
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuno, but we do not rent time on the SETI array
to private citizens."
"Hmmmph. Peasant."
####
"Getting along better with Akane?"
Ranma sighed. "Don't know, Star... it's easier to be not
insultin' like you said to be, but... I can't help but feel like I'm
changing inside, y'know? Like I'm turning into a different person."
"Hmm... let's take a look at the last two months of your life.
Jusendo. The wedding. Becoming the Paragon. No longer having to
worry about water. The fact that you actually passed an English test
with more than a minimum grade. Those are experiences that can
change anyone."
"Please... don't remind me about Jusendo." Ranma shuddered.
"That was the worst day of my life."
"Oh? I would have thought the Nyannichuan would have been in
that spot."
"Who cares about that? I almost lost--" Ranma broke off. "I
mean..."
"I know what you mean. So do you. Even though you would rather
have your teeth pulled with rusty steel chopsticks than admit it. Of
course, considering your upbringing, that's not so surprising. I
can't see Genma teaching you anything about interpersonal
relationships."
"Whatever... anyhow, I don't mean that when I say I feel like I'm
changing. I feel... I don't know what. Just today, well, you heard
me with Nabiki. I don't believe I SAID that! I mean, I've thought
that for a while-- deep inside-- but I never thought I'd SAY it!
Man, what if I hurt her feelings?"
"Would she care if she hurt yours?"
"Not a bit, but that ain't the point. I don't like to hurt a
girl's feelings... I don't like to hurt people, really."
"THIS from the man who regularly beats the crap out of a certain
half-pig?"
"Bunny no baka. Fights are different. That's just the body, not
the soul. It's flesh and blood, which heals easily-- not spirit,
which heals more slowly. And he starts them anyhow."
"Hmm... awful poetic for you, Ranma."
Ranma blinked. "Aw, MAN, it's happening again. I'm saying
things that are all fancy and stuff! Next I'll start waving a bokken
and chasing those girls instead of ducking them!"
Star chuckled, a rather unnerving sound coming from a rabbit.
"No, it's more that you're growing up at last. I don't think you've
ever really been allowed to grow up for real, you know... but the
Paragon effect is having more effect on your 'normal' self than I'd
suspected it would."
"You mean this thing is turning me into someone else?" Ranma
stared in sudden apprehension at the amulet.
"No... I mean it's allowing you to finally BE you-- the you you
have the potential to be, the you that your father's training in
nothing but martial arts and your mother's rather... extreme
expectations and the pressure from practically everyone you know
hasn't let you be. You're becoming Ranma."
"What if I don't like this... Ranma?"
"I don't think that will be a problem. Hmm... I smell You Know
Who coming this way... want to have some fun? I think it's your
turn."
"Which You Know Who?"
"The fat one."
Ranma cracked his knuckles. "OOOH, yeah."
####
"WHAAHAHAHAIIIE!"
SPLASH!
"GROWF!"
"Honestly, old man. You're getting lax in your training."
Genma-panda rose from the koi pond and fumed. How the HELL had
the boy gotten that fast?
####
In Juuban, two girls were laying very careful plans to catch the
Boy.
Minako and Makoto had seen him from time to time in the streets
of Azabu Juuban. Tallish but not too tall, well built, with dark
hair in a pigtail and the most incredible blue eyes either of them
had EVER seen. He affected Chinese garments, which only added to his
mysterious allure. Exotic, see?
It wasn't exactly that he was handsome-- although that was
certainly part of it-- it was rather that he radiated a casual
masculinity that was just plain the most enticing thing they had ever
experienced.
While Minako dreamed about his cute pigtail and those incredible
eyes, Makoto was more fascinated by the amazing grace that his every
move had and his wonderful physique. And neither of them could get
close to him.
Every time they'd seen him, he'd go into a tea shop or an
alleyway or something and never come out. It was as though he was
able to vanish off the face of the earth. Normally that sort of
thing would have started to trigger suspicions-- and they had a lot
to be suspicious about-- but when a girl is under the effects of a
full blown crush, deductive reasoning goes out the window.
To date, they had had no success whatsoever. They didn't even
know the Boy's name. They just knew that they wanted him.
This wasn't actually unusual for either. Minako had run through
many a crush in her time after Alan, and Makoto had a way of falling
in love on a regular basis. But somehow this was different. The Boy
was, they knew, by far a cut above the rest.
The Boy was also not cooperating.
The usual methods-- bump into him, or ask his name with a careful
expression of shyness, or the like, were not exactly working. After
all, it's hard to be properly flirtatious with someone who has a
nasty habit of going poof-i'm-gone on you. So, other, more drastic
methods had to be taken.
Well, in Minako's opinion, anyhow.
"Mina-chan, that's silly."
"No, really. See this book about this Chinese tribe in the
Byankala range? They use all sorts of methods to meet boys. We can
set up a snare here, and--"
"I'm NOT going to start setting traps to catch him! That's
silly! Besides, I think all that stuff is made up, anyhow. Chinese
Amazons in a valley next to a magical martial arts training ground
and all... it's ridiculous!"
"Well... it was just a thought."
"And this stuff about marriage by combat is nuts! By that logic
we'd have been married to all four Generals, Wiseman, Diamond,
Sapphire, AND Professor Tomoe if that applied to us! What are you
thinking?"
"I'm thinking that I want to meet the cutest boy that ever walked
the face of the earth, is what I'm thinking, Mako-chan."
"So do I. But I'm not going to be THIS silly to do it. Where
did you get that book, anyhow?"
"From that new doctor that started practice last month. Tofu
Ono. He's pretty cute himself, for an older man..."
"The one with the skeleton? That does all those meditation
exercises?"
"Hai. I think it has something to do with a girl."
"Girl?"
"Well, I heard him mention a name a few times. Betty."
"Pretty name..."
####
"Damn, I was right! I THOUGHT I recognized that shingle! Been a
year since I last saw you, Doc-- where'dya go anyhow?"
Doctor Tofu Ono looked up, startled, and then grinned. "Ranma!
What brings YOU to Juuban?"
"Aw, um, personal business. Nothing important, really. But
you?"
Tofu frowned slightly. "I... had to leave. You may not be aware
of this, Ranma, but whenever I saw Kasumi, I would become a little
erratic..."
Ranma stared at Tofu. "I kinda noticed."
Tofu gave a wry, almost bitter chuckle. "Oh, who am I fooling.
It was far beyond erratic. Every time I saw... her, I'd lose
control. I was becoming a danger to my patients. I've been on a
training journey, to learn how to control myself. So I can speak to
K-K-Kasumi without... you know."
"I see... so, why not set back up in Nerima?"
"Too many memories, and I want to take it very slowly in getting
to know her... if I moved back then I'd see her far too often. And I
might... slip. I want to take this carefully... Ah, Ranma, she
isn't... isn't seeing anyone, is she?"
Ranma shook his head. "Nope. Never even tried. Far as I know,
you don't have any competition..."
"I... I need to be very careful... remember the training and
meditations I have learned..."
"Hey, if there's any way I can help, be glad to. Not that I'm an
expert on relationships, or anything..."
"Yes, I'd heard about the wedding attempt. I've been keeping
tabs on you, Ranma. You were always the most interesting medical
case I knew of. I even heard you were cured of your
aquatransexuality."
"Yeah, cured. Big load off my mind, I can tell you." (Or it
would be if I wasn't a magical girl who's stronger than an elephant.)
"You wouldn't mind if I tested that for myself? For purely
purposes of record, I mean."
Ranma grinned. "Hey, no prob. Let me take my shirt off first,
though-- for once I don't wanna be running around in wet clothes."
As Ranma began to remove his garment, Tofu turned to fill a
beaker with cold water. He turned back, froze, and dropped the
beaker, which shattered on the floor.
"Doc? Doc, what's wrong?" Ranma was, understandably, perplexed.
And in a voice filled with shock and amazement, Tofu stammered,
"Wh-where did YOU get the Paragon Amulet?"
(HOO-BOY,) thought Ranma.
####
In a place that wasn't a place, an elderly man and a young boy
peered into a pool of water and smiled.
"Perfect."
"Of course. About the only one of his friends that did not have
an ulterior motive regarding him. A man who can be trusted with the
secret, and who can help him cover. As well as a skilled physician
should our Paragon be injured. And he IS a member of the Brotherhood
of the Paragon, sworn to aid her should she arise again."
"Do you EVER make a mistake?"
The boy shrugged. "Well, once I THOUGHT I had..."
The old man waited.
"But... I was wrong."
The old man groaned.
####
There were some things that Ranma was not prepared for.
An apparently insane Doc Tofu shaking him by the shoulders and
screaming "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT AMULET?!?" was one of them.
"G-GEEZE, DOC! The kid GAVE it to me!"
Tofu released the somewhat baffled Ranma and sat, shaking.
"But... if you were still cursed, I could possibly see it...
possibly... but if you're not cursed anymore, why would you have it?
It makes no sense..."
"You... know what it is?"
"Since I was a young man. And a boy is NOT supposed to have it!
The Amulet is strictly for females!"
"Wait a minute. How do you know what this is, anyhow?"
Tofu blinked. "I... I can't tell you. It doesn't matter.
Ranma, you have to give me that amulet right NOW! It's not meant for
a male!"
"Doc, I CAN'T give it to you, even if I wanted to. And how do
you know what it is?"
"Hey, Ranma, I've been looking all over for you-- I just
remembered that you're supposed to have an ally, his name's-- Oh,
you've met already."
Ranma stared at Star, surprised that the rabbit would break his
cover and speak in front of another human.
Tofu stared at Star, surprised that a rabbit could talk. Then he
slowly toppled over.
"This is going to be complicated, isn't it?" sighed the rabbit.
####
After Tofu woke up from his faint, and after a LOT of
explanation, the doctor was still in denial. "But... if the curse is
cured..."
"Not cured. Controlled. It's not a curse any more." Ranma
sighed. "I guess I'll just have to show you."
Tofu had seen many strange and peculiar things in his life, and
not all of them were due to his residence in Nerima. But when Ranma
closed his eyes and... Well.
It wasn't like the old get-splashed-and-instant-girl
transformation of the curse. Rather, there was a wavering distortion
for a moment, a visible shift, and then Ranma was standing there,
female, dressed female in a black miniskirt and white blouse, with
her hair free-flowing instead of the ubiquitous pigtail. "This...
this is incredible..."
"It is, isn't it? Oh, and Doctor, please call me Naoko when I'm
like this. None of the old crowd recognizes the girl side any more,
so I'm keeping it as a secret..."
Tofu blinked. She was even using nearly perfect feminine speech
patterns. "Ah, well... certainly, Naoko. And... you ARE... Her?"
You could almost hear the capitalization.
"Oh, yeah. No doubt about THAT. And... well, I have to admit,
it's a rush."
Star nodded. "Oooh, yeah! She LOVES it! Biggest and best fight
she's ever known except for Jusendo."
"Don't mention that place, Star-chan," the neo-girl groused.
Tofu stared at the rabbit. "They never mentioned talking rabbits
when I took the Oath."
"What oath is that?" asked Ranma.
"Well... since I was sixteen, I've been a part of a very small
circle called the Brotherhood of the Paragon. We knew that someday
one would arise, to save the world from something terrible. It's
part of why I studied all that obscure magical stuff, so I could be
of help. But... I was thinking..."
"Thinking what?" asked Star.
"Well... a political leader, or a great scientist, or even a
soldier-- a female general. But... a magical girl? You're a real
magical girl, Ra-- ah, Naoko?"
Naoko shrugged. "It's the best thing I can think to call it.
Hey, I'm not the only one. You should see the Sailor Senshi. Now,
THEY have a funky act."
Tofu's jaw sagged. "What-- THEY'RE real? They actually exist?"
"Yup. They actually exist. And gotta admit it-- they are good
at what they do. Especially Sailor Moon. Now, SHE can really beat
up on an Ur-Demon-- given a clear shot. I like her." Naoko
shrugged. "Besides, she's the only one that seems to trust me."
"The others don't?"
"They seem to be a pretty close knit group, you know? And face
it-- the Paragon is NOT a Sailor Senshi. That outfit alone..."
"Is there something wrong with it?"
"Well... Star, is it okay if I just show him?"
The rabbit shrugged-- a fascinating process to Tofu, who was well
aware that rabbits did not have the musculature to shrug. "I
suppose. But Doctor... you had better lock the door. No sense in
people connecting you and the Paragon, is there?"
"Of course..." After doors had been locked, drapes drawn, and
such precautions taken, Naoko took out the Amulet, and said...
"PARAGON NO POWER-- HENSHIN!"
Lights. And Tofu almost passed out again.
"In... incredible..."
"Yeah, I know... pretty spectacular, isn't it?"
"Not the light-show, the outfit. You DO realize that that's
nearly as revealing as anything Masamune Shirow could come up with?"
Tofu's meditation training was allowing him to restrain a nosebleed.
Even knowing the complete truth (As far as anyone did) it was
still... Then a bad thought hit Tofu, and he began to shiver.
"You okay, Doc?" asked Paragon, concerned.
"Please... please change back..."
Paragon shifted to Naoko again. "What's wrong?"
"I... I just had a image of K-Kasumi dressed like that... almost
lost it... oh, GOD..."
Naoko couldn't help it. Neither could Star. They both collapsed
in laughter... and after a moment, Tofu joined in.
####
"Then it did work out."
"Yep. And Ranma has a valuable ally in his battle against the
Dark."
"He-- and she-- will need every ally they can GET."
"I know..."
####
To Be Continued.