Process of Elimination -- Chapter Five

  Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

  Additional tinting provided by: Kitty Films, and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku), Takashi Yabara, Viz, SNK (Fatal Fury). The easel is mine. That's all.

  Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2 in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs, not Dash or TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but it's something of an alt anyway. This fic uses the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.

  If you have it, I recommend playing 'Sou Gan' during... well, you'll know where it should be played.

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  Yosho glanced at Ranma expectantly as the boy rejoined the southbound group. When Ranma made no immediate move to explain what he had found, Yosho asked, "What happened?"

  Ranma blinked, startled. "Oh, I uh... I was saying goodbye... to a friend," he explained slowly, eyes downcast, focused on a small and much-worn scroll in his hands.

  The older man made no move to press Ranma further. "Ah. Well, let's keep moving."

  Ranma nodded, offering the scroll to Yosho. "Can you hold this for me?"

  Yosho nodded, pocketing the scroll in a fold of his robes before the other boy who claimed to be Ranma could get a good look at it. The boy frowned, asking, "What was that?"

  Ranma glanced at him, grimacing. "My father's legacy," he muttered. "Now let's get moving south. Who knows what's going to happen next?"

  Yosho snorted, running a finger across the radio he still wore, as the group moved on.

  Mousse broke the silence nervously, "It's quiet," he mumbled. "It's weird."

  Ryouga shrugged, looking over his shoulder for a moment, guided on the correct path by the dog leading him onwards. "I've been places that were this quiet before," he said. "But... I've never seen that many cities this quiet. It is strange. A city... a place this big, and now it's empty." He grimaced, shivering. "I'm used to quiet, but the... the emptiness just feels..."

  Ranma nodded in agreement, while the boy claiming his name remained sullenly quiet. "I've been places this quiet before," he said suddenly, surprising Ranma. "A few outlying places still standing, a few... not. I haven't seen any of the monsters myself, but I've heard about them."

  Yosho glanced at the boy briefly before adding, "We came in through Okayama, Ranma. We saw a few abandoned cities, too. Some of them simply leveled. You must not ever underestimate the reavers' ability to destroy."

  They all fell silent again after that, trooping along as quickly while Ranma shivered. "There's a reaver coming," he warned. "Maybe more. Ran-oh-ki senses something else south of here, too." He rose into the air, grimacing. "Where are we, anyway?"

  Yosho frowned, picking up the pace and moving from a slow trot to a fast run. "The last sign I remember said we were in Azabu."

  Ranma nodded. "I'm going to scan ahead and check out what I'm sensing, you guys hurry."

  Yosho grumbled, but led the rest of the boys onward, following Ranma's lead from overhead.

  And in the distance, the last vestiges of the sunlight vanished, and the first stars began to emerge.

  ***

  Tsunami watched the Earth, joined by the still shell-shocked Tenchi, and the somewhat recomposed but still off-balance Ayeka.

  Not that she could blame them, of course. Rulership of Jurai was not something one expected to have handed to them that suddenly -- or at all, in Tenchi's case. The boy was ill equipped, and barely ready to handle the situation. Ayeka was better trained, but completely taken off guard by the whole affair.

  And Ryouko... now that would be a tricky situation, Tsunami mused, watching the planet Earth recede in the distance, as the former Emperor sullenly piloted his ship. The schedule needed to be adhered to, of course, and the fleet framing the Throne was filled to maximum capacity...

  Of course, the second they got back, Tenchi would be swamped with would-be advisors and ne'er-do-wells trying to ingratiate themselves upon the 'impressionable' new royalty. Tsunami sighed, but managed a smile when Ayeka suddenly raised herself defiantly, most likely already planning for what would happen next.

  Until Tenchi could officially instate Ayeka and Ryouko as the Inspector General of Information, and the Supreme Commander of the royal bodyguard respectively, he would have Funaho and Misaki to help him manage things. The two were standing a short distance away, a bubble around them keeping the rest of the Court at bay already as they whispered to each other -- doubtlessly preparing for their return to Jurai.

  Tsunami schooled her expression, quashing down a sudden and unexpected surge of panic as the Throne opened a gateway, and the Home fleet crossed through it. She raised one hand, halfway, as though she were going to wave to someone on Earth, but instead lowered it. "Why did I do that?" she mused, nearly silently.

  ***

  Makoto glanced around the otherwise deserted street. She had no family of her own, but from the plan they had discussed earlier, those who did have family were sent away to safety. Minako lounged against a lamppost, bored.

  The blonde sighed, looking upwards. She brightened suddenly, and opened her mouth to say something. At that point, triggered by some unknown mechanism, the light turned on. Minako blinked, and smiled at the light, lowering her face to look at Makoto. "Hey," she asked cheerfully, "isn't that good luck?"

  Smirking, Makoto spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "I have no idea," she said. "But the others should be here soon. Should we transform?"

  "Yeah, it's not like there's anyone around to see us."

  Two brightly colored flashes of light later, and the girls had vanished, sensible and warm clothing vanishing in favor of brightly colored fuku. "Okay!" Makoto exclaimed. "Once the others get here, we'll be ready."

  "Ready for what?"

  Makoto rolled her eyes. "To defend the city."

  "Oh, right."

  The rest of their allies arrived in short order, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune arriving together, followed swiftly by Mars, and Mercury. Endymion hadn't shown up yet -- likely because of the wounds the monsters were creating in the Earth. The wounds that effected him, as well, making escape impossible. Which was why Moon was absent, as well. Someone needed to take care of him, moving him to the harbor, and to safety. They all would have been happier if they could _all_ have helped, but they needed to stay behind.

  "Where's Pluto?" Jupiter asked, confused. "I thought she was supposed to meet us here and tell us what we were supposed to do next."

  Mercury pursed her lips thoughtfully, offering, "Perhaps she was delayed?"

  Further speculation was cut off, as Mars glanced about herself nervously. "Um, I sense something very strange approaching," she said worriedly.

  The entire group fell into a careful silence, spread out into a wide circle. Saturn leaned against the Silence Glaive near a storefront, while the rest of the senshi fanned out from her, each peering about cautiously, and making as little noise as possible. The moon cats finally made their presence known, climbing atop an abandoned car for a better vantage, and sniffing around themselves cautiously.

  Mars sighed softly, shivering. "I guess it was a false alarm," she murmured. The rest of the senshi shrugged, but before any of them could speak, a voice shattered the quiet, "Look out!"

  Jupiter whipped her head around to locate the speaker, but he was already gone, and Saturn's shrill cry of alarm distracted her. She spun again, only in time to see a man, or something _like_ a man, though she didn't have enough time to make out his facial features wrap his arms around Saturn, lifting her off the sidewalk, and then simply vanish. Only a half-second later, the storefront where she had been standing exploded violently, and a mass of black carapace and shattered glass tumbled through.

  ***

  Ranma hefted the girl in his arms carefully, trying not to hurt her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She squirmed around, trying to get a good look at him, and he lit upon the roof of a nearby building, setting her down.

  She spun to face him, holding her polearm before her protectively. "Who are you?" she asked mistrustfully.

  "Name's Ranma." He removed Ran-oh-ki from his shoulder, allowing the creature to hop to the roof. "This is my partner, he'll keep an eye on you. I'd like to know what a bunch of cheerleaders are doing out here right now, but I gotta go. Try not to hurt yourself."

  With that, he gracefully leapt backwards off of the building, somersaulting through the air to land in the middle of the street, creating a three-meter-wide crater and startling the rest of the cheerleaders back with cries of, "It's a youma!"

  Good, he decided. If the cheerleaders were scared away from him, then he wouldn't have to worry about them being hurt. Though the reavers should be scary enough, really. Time for that thought later.

  He stood slowly from the crouch he had landed in, glancing up some twelve stories to see the cheerleader he had taken to safety staring down at him over the edge in consternation. Shrugging, he turned his attention to the reaver before him, as it straightened, skittering towards him in a fast sideways arc, probably attempting to get the better of him.

  But this time, Ranma was prepared -- the battle against Ryouko had taught him a few things about how he could better use his abilities.

  He dove towards it, sinking through the ground, and floating back up behind it, while it spun to face him. Taking advantage of its momentary surprise, he launched a powerful roundhouse into the joint between its abdomen and one leg, throwing all of his strength and cheating a bit by adding all of the power his levitation afforded him into the blow.

  The reaver was thrown back violently, soaring through the air to impact jarringly against the side of an office building, two stories above the ground, and disappearing inside. The excess force left Ranma spinning, and he landed unsteadily to reclaim his balance. "Heh, the old momentum trick," he said slowly, dizzy from the sudden motion. "Masu surprise."

  Bits of glass, twisted steel, and masonry rained to the ground noisily, as the reaver exploded from the building again, all claws and violent motion. Ranma instantly sank beneath the ground, Ran-oh-ki's linked senses allowing him to avoid the reaver while phased. He rose to the street again, next to the cheerleader with long black hair in a mane down her back, red skirt and all.

  She stared at him, eyes wide, and he grinned cockily, aware of the reaver's location as it resurfaced further down the street. The girl pointed suddenly over his shoulder, yelling a warning, and he dove towards her, alerted again by his partner. Gathering her in his arms, he teleported again, this time staying just above the street. He couldn't afford to leave the field of battle when a pair of reavers were attacking defenseless girls, after all.

  The reaver he narrowly dodged backpedaled furiously, tearing long gouges of the asphalt up in its wake. "Alright, bugs. You and me, 'cause I got a lot of anger, and you're about the only thing around that can take it!" He set the girl down, reeling and dizzy. "You just stay out of harm's way," he advised her.

  The pair of reavers charged together, halted by a shout of, "Mars fire, ignite!" With the sudden battle cry, a river of flame poured from the hands of the girl who he had just moved -- the one with the red skirt -- bathing both of the reavers in angry, searing heat, and setting a parked car ablaze.

  Ranma's jaw dropped, and he blinked. "What the hell was that?" he asked, stunned.

  The girl turned to look at him cautiously, her eyes traversing his body from head to toe, then back up before she responded, holding her hands towards him in a ready stance. "I'm Sailor Mars," she declared, "one of the--"

  The rest of the declaration was cut off as Ranma grabbed her, lifting her and teleporting across the fire again. Both reavers emerged from the flame unscathed, charging blindly. It could be that the fire had obstructed their vision, but Ranma knew that fire didn't work as well as cold against them. Washuu had explained quite a bit about the reavers to him on their journey to Tokyo.

  "Sorry," he said, setting her down as she blinked in confusion at the two undamaged reavers. "Fire doesn't do a lot to those." The rest of the girls had drawn closer towards him, most of them unhappily. Yosho emerged from a nearby alley, Ryouga, Mousse and the other boy right on his heels.

  One of the girls -- one that reminded Ranma very much of Ukyou, only with a green skirt -- pointed suddenly, exclaiming, "RANMA!"

  And over the crackling flames, a single word rang out, "Oh, KUSO!"

  ***

  Ranma stared upwards, falling through the bay. It wasn't deep, once she neared the bottom. But then, she had always gauged 'depth' to be a function of how long she could last without air, not how far from the surface she was. Not needing to breathe rendered that system moot.

  Her eyes shifted opening and her vision seemed to swim for a moment, a flurry of colors eventually resolving into something else. She blinked, shivering. Vague memories of seeing infrared scenes from a movie surfaced in her mind, and she nodded to herself, trying to take the visual shift into account.

  Seeing in a spectrum not normally visible to humans was disorienting, but she concentrated on getting used to it. The ships above her had warm/bright spots near the engines, slowly brightening as the massive propellers whirred to life. Her hearing had changed, too, so that the disturbances of the ships' sonar and the noise of the propellers of the ships that were already pulling out registered as a kind of audible static.

  Her first thought was that it would interfere with her senses, but her second was that it was just another reminder of how far she was from human. She shook her head, trying to avoid the distraction of her other half, and his actions. Time enough to deal with that later.

  There were reavers beneath the bay, though she couldn't see them at the moment, or sense them, either. Probably hiding nearby. She closed her eyes, and tried to ignore the sounds of the ships above, focusing on her other senses.

  She could sense things better through Ran-oh-ki, but he was elsewhere at the moment. There was a vague... tickling sensation at the edges of her perception, though. She drifted upwards slightly, not wanting to fight near the mud, which would obscure her vision. Could, she thought. She might be able to hear them through the mud, but the risk was not likely to be worth it.

  Still, Ran-oh-ki's sensors would be useful... if her other half didn't need them to search for survivors.

  As if summoned, two murky black shapes swam through the mud at the bottom of the bay, and upward. Like sinister, hard-shelled squid. The things were _far_ too heavy to be able to swim, in Ranma's estimation, but they didn't seem to let that bother them.

  She cracked her knuckles experimentally. She'd only ever fought reavers one-on-one before, excepting the one she and Yosho battled together. She'd also only ever won at a cost.

  Time to win, she decided. Time to change the balance of war. The reavers had destroyed her life, and for that, they would pay.

  Summoning her blade proved to have an unexpected side effect, as she shot towards the pair of reavers, ascending towards the ships hungrily. Not touching the blade, but in a swath wherever she passed it, ice formed, floating upwards in her wake.

  Glancing at the ships overhead, she grimaced. No hiryuu-shouten-ha, this time. There was too much potential to damage the fleet above her.

  ***

  Ryouga backpedaled, staring around at the scene in consternation. Ranma was there, hovering next to a number of cheerleaders, while a swath of fire burned in the street, a nearby car already ablaze from the conflagration.

  Ranma shook his head, ignoring the girl who had called his name for the moment, and pointing at Ryouga. "Ryouga! Mousse! You guys get ready." With that, he spun, facing the fire. The flames died down, revealing the pair of unscathed reavers.

  Yosho dashed onto the field of battle, interposing himself between the girls and the monsters. "Stay back," he cautioned. "These things are very dangerous."

  One of the girls -- the one with an orange skirt and a long mane of golden hair -- rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, we noticed that."

  Ryouga snorted, drawing up and bracing himself at Ranma's left, while Mousse took the position on his right.

  A girl that looked somewhat like Ukyou, wearing a green skirt, marched towards the other boy -- the one who had called himself Ranma. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said warningly.

  While he was curious to see what would happen between the two, the pair of reavers chose that moment to charge. There was an eerie dual humming sound, resonating from a few nearby points, but Ryouga didn't have time to look, instead bringing up his umbrella to deflect an errant claw. Mousse rolled to one side, lengths of chain exploding outward from him to tangle in the reaver's limbs, while Ranma simply shot straight up.

  The reaver tripped, missing Ranma and Mousse, and not able to get through Ryouga's defenses, though he found his strength challenged by the monster as it barreled towards him. Mousse's chains had fouled it up, making the creature stumble.

  Ranma descended on the fallen creature like the wrath of some angry martial arts god, in Ryouga's eyes, snarling and wielding a glowing blue bar of... something. Whatever it was, it slammed into the reaver's carapace, and frost began to spread across it immediately, centered around the point of contact between Ranma's blade and the reaver. Blue-white motes of light exploded away from the center, turning into drops of ice, spreading their own frost where they fell.

  Ryouga's jaw dropped, and he stepped back, eyes wide. Mousse's eyes were wide also, and the cheerleaders were all simply frozen in place, mixed expressions of incredulity and fear evident more prevalently than any other emotion.

  The girl with the red skirt, and long black hair said, "Um... I don't think he's on the same side as the monsters."

  The reaver sank into the ground abruptly, leaving Mousse's chains lying on the street, and Ranma to rebound upward, seething. Ryouga had never seen Ranma to look so furious before in his entire life, and reflexively stepped backwards. Mousse did the same, both of them looking up towards the boy who had once been their chief rival with a newfound respect.

  ***

  Yosho glanced briefly at Ranma, but trusted the boy to hold his own -- he had backup from his friends, and they couldn't afford to just ignore one of the reavers. While Ranma squared off and prepared to attack, Yosho summoned his blade and shield. The second reaver hissed softly, barely audible over the burning car, and charged.

  Diving towards the reaver, Yosho slid beneath it on his shield, stuck to his hand, but frictionless to the street. Swinging with his other hand, he scored a glancing blow to a leg, tripping himself to a roll after he passed beneath it, landing crouched on his feet. He grinned, leaping towards it while it turned, and lashed out to blind the creature before it could react.

  His strike was true, but faster than he could react -- faster than he thought the reavers _could_ move -- it smashed a limb into him, striking not with the barbed point, but clubbing him. The crushing blow knocked the wind out of him, launching him across the street towards a building.

  Dazedly, he thought of the idiocy of the situation. How had he allowed himself to be taken by surprise? He reoriented himself, preparing to recoil off the building, and shook his head. It wouldn't happen again. He struck the cement divider between two large windows squarely, bones and wooden slippers groaning under the strain, but holding, and launched himself back at the reaver, which had already turned away from him. A mistake, in Yosho's mind, and one he would make the reaver pay for as dearly as possible.

  He was silent, giving no warning shout as he sailed through the air towards the creature, bracing his blade. His aim was true, and his blade drove through the hide, piercing it with a hideously loud crackling noise, and tearing a long, jagged gash deep into it before Yosho rolled free, narrowly evading another solid blow. He landed crouched, in front of the girls, arms extended. The reaver before him struggled forward a step, thick yellow ichor spurting from its wound.

  Unexpectedly, the thing shambled forward, a lumbering half step. Yosho grimaced, knowing that the wound he had gotten would plague him terribly enough as it was, but ignoring it for the time. Bruising, probably, possibly internally, but he knew from long experience that no bones were broken or cracked.

  One of the boys with Ranma gave a loud shout, and Yosho whipped his head around to look. The more solidly built one, who Ranma had addressed as Ryouga, punched the still-burning car. It flipped, flying in a neat arc towards the reaver. The reaver ducked low, and Yosho raised his shield, dispelling his blade to extend its protection to the girls behind him. The car slammed into the reaver, striking near the long wound Yosho had left, and crumpled around a limb raised for self-defense.

  The reaver's piercing claw ruptured the gas tank, coating the wound, and the carapace near it in flaming gasoline. While fire and heat didn't affect reavers very well, the wound allowed the gasoline to enter its body, still burning. The hulking mass of metal that had once been a car was shrugged off, as the burning reaver gave a piercing shriek, sinking below the ground hurriedly.

  Ryouga glanced around, confused, as the other boy -- Mousse -- began gathering up his chains, stuffing them into his robes with a few deft motions that spoke of years of practice. "I guess we won?" Ryouga ventured, turning to look at the girls.

  Some of them probably older than mere girls, as Yosho looked. Not that it was important at the moment -- battleground was not a place for people who weren't warriors. "I'm not so certain," Yosho cautioned, looking to Ranma for confirmation. Ranma crouched low to the ground, concentrating.

  The boy looked up, his vibrantly blue eyes seeming almost luminous momentarily. "They're close by. I think they're preparing something." He grimaced sharply, clapping one hand to his shoulder as a narrow gash formed, bleeding for a heartbeat before his bodysuit sealed it. "I'm having a lot of trouble in the bay right now," he mumbled.

  Yosho nodded, shifting the balance of power between shield and blade back. "Thank you, Ranma."

  The boy claiming Ranma's name and the girl in the green skirt turned to look at Ranma. The boy frowned, commenting, "I thought your name was Tanma."

  "Yeah," Ranma muttered. "Today. Yesterday, my name was Saotome Ranma, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." He grinned slightly, rising to his feet, and then further, floating above the ground. "It's my father's legacy, even if the name's not mine. He left me a scroll, earlier today, you know..." He trailed off thoughtfully, and glanced at Yosho.

  Yosho nodded slowly, fishing the scroll Ranma had handed him out from his robes, and examining it. He shrugged, stowing the scroll. "Well, Ranma, it looks like your father left you a scroll labeled 'Umisen-ken'. Is it important?"

  Ranma glanced at the boy claiming his name. Clearing his throat, Ranma nodded. "I think so, Yosho. I think it might explain why this guy," he jerked his thumb at the other boy, "is claiming to be me."

  Ryouga nodded, and a moment later, Mousse did as well. The bespectacled boy asked, "Who are you, really?"

  Glancing worriedly at the girl in the green skirt, who had had hands on her hips and was frowning angrily, and then at the other cheerleaders, just staring in confusion, he admitted, "My name is Kumon Ryu."

  Ranma snorted, shaking his head, "I should have known--"

  Whatever else he was going to say was cut off suddenly by an angrily shouted, "Silence Glaive Surprise!"

  ***

  Ranma threw herself into a barrel-roll as she approached the reavers, and they both spun away, leaving her to create a thin wall of spiraled ice in her wake, between the two. Catching herself, she flipped, arresting her momentum.

  The creatures oriented themselves to face her. She wasn't certain, but suspected they were surprised to see her. She smirked, banishing her blades for the moment. It was tricky, managing the situation, but her other half needed them more than she did. At least, he was in a better position to use them.

  And sharing them with her other half would only make the battle more difficult. She struggled for a moment, not liking the balance, and eventually settled on summoning one blade -- her other half could carry the other.

  A moment of experimentation allowed her to reshape it into a jo, a good defensive weapon for dealing with the reavers when peripheral damage wasn't a worry for the moment. She'd just need to avoid making too much ice.

  A battle plan formed in her mind quickly -- she could ignore gravity, being underwater and being able to float anyway. The only worry was ice, but she could phase through that anyway. Okay, she thought to herself, time to get busy.

  She flung herself in a sideways arc, ignoring up and down for a moment, as the reavers were oriented 'downward' at the moment. As long as they fought in a single plane, she'd have a bit of an advantage... except for their adaptability.

  With that thought in mind, she resolved to strike as decisively as possible. A few good hits might be all she would need. The reaver's claws were a blur as she wove between them, jamming the end of her jo into the point where one limb joined to the carapace.

  Ice began to spread from the point of contact instantly, frozen seawater hardening into a shell encasing the joint, limiting the reaver's movement. Well, she thought, that changed things. The reaver seemed stunned, and its partner was still not in a position to react, so she swiftly struck the next joint, focusing more on cold than strength.

  The bloom of ice was violent, and rapidly enveloped the reaver's joint.

  Shrugging, Ranma shifted the weapon from pole to mere hand-width blade, and pressed it against the expanding ball of ice.

  Displaced water surged around her, but she was phased, as the bloom of ice swelled, engulfing not just the one, but the other reaver, and then continued growing. Surprised, Ranma drifted back, releasing her blade and admiring her handiwork. That was quite impressive, she thought, watching the ice drift upward momentously, slowly picking up speed as it went.

  ***

  "Commodore! There's a blip on sonar, coming up about seventy five meters astern."

  Norris scowled at the man who had given the information to him. "More bad news," he muttered. "What is it?"

  "Um, Sir... it looks like... ice."

  The redheaded scientist who had claimed to be in charge of the Japanese civilian force chortled, "Ranma's a clever one when it comes to combat, and an absolute genius for adaptation." She nodded, arms crossed over her chest. "Not as much of a genius as me, of course," she added after a moment.

  Norris simply stared, until another crewman rushed into the cabin, eyes wide and breathing heavily. "Sir!" he reported. "A large, um, block of ice has surfaced, eighty two meters astern by laser sight. It... it has one of the monsters stuck in it, and there's some girl standing on it."

  Washuu's hand darted to her bracelet. "Ranma, levitate out of the way. You don't want to be at ground zero."

  A moment later, a small effeminate voice sounded from Washuu's wrist, replying not in English, as Washuu had spoken, but in Japanese, "Okay, Washuu. I'll stay above them."

  The crew looked at Norris expectantly. Swallowing, he nodded, giving the order he knew they wanted to hear. "Have the Maine proceed as planned, order the Chancellorsville and the Cowpens to stand by -- I want them on high alert, and get me Lieutenant Commander Patterson."

  The crew rapidly shifted from the downcast attitude that had plagued them since their retreat from America, to one ready for battle, calling out, "Aye-aye, Captain!"

  A moment later, the communications link crackled to life, Patterson's voice asking, "Orders, Commodore?"

  "Lieutenant Commander Patterson, you have permission to open fire on the reavers in the bay that are encased in ice."

  "Aye, Commodore. Men, bring us about, prepare tubes one and four."

  Norris nodded in approval, and motioned with a hand gesture for the communications link to be terminated. For a long, breathless moment, there was absolute silence; the crews busy monitoring their instruments and control panels attentively. Washuu turned to the window, staring out at the harbor, even though it was too dark to see.

  The seconds continued to tick away, the helmsman muffling a cough worriedly, as they waited for a status update. One of the officers spoke suddenly, "Torpedoes away, Commodore. They are proceeding on course, ETA in thirty-six seconds."

  Grunting approval, Norris nodded again. Patterson should be able to manage his submarine just fine. The scientist pulled a small pair of spectacles from a pocket, and continued watching the sea. Not, as Norris had learned, that she would be able to see anything that spectacular.

  The seconds passed, and the crewman grinned, looking up from his display. "Louisiana reports a hit, Commodore, our instruments confirm." A split-second later, a loud, 'crack' rang out through the air, the explosion echoing through the bay, and through the still open door to the deck.

  Washuu shook her head before the crew could celebrate, interrupting, "Sorry, the reavers survived, though you might have stunned them. They phased and dropped through the ice at the last moment."

  Norris looked around at the crew, and they blinked, having no way to confirm what she had suggested. "Are you sure?" he asked weakly, hoping somehow she was wrong.

  "No," Ranma's voice called from Washuu's bracelet. "They sure seem mad, though. They're heading towards the ship that fired at them."

  Washuu shrugged helplessly, whispering, "Don't get cocky, Ranma."

  The effeminate voice and a masculine one responded in tandem, "This time, we will."

  Norris sank into his seat, dejected. "What else can we do?" he whispered.

  "Have faith in Ranma," Washuu suggested. "And pray."

  ***

  Ranma gritted her teeth, shooting downward. The reavers had to be stopped, and the Americans had been unable to do it. That left it up to her.

  Hair snapping behind her like fire, she dove, phasing through the sea again. The reavers were intent on ignoring her, this time, heading straight towards the ship. She summoned her hand-blade again, suddenly remembering what had happened the first time she had faced off against a reaver.

  The mouko takabisha. It might not compare to the ferocity of the hiryuu-shouten-ha, or have the pure force of Ryouko's attack with the little points of light, but it did interfere with their ability to phase.

  That was the plan, then. Get into position, hit them both with a mouko takabisha, and freeze them again. If they were cold enough, the Americans' weapons might break them, as easily as her own fists could once they were frozen. It was just a matter of accomplishing the task.

  Teleporting in front of the reavers, she took her stance, drawing in her ki, and released it in a shuddering wave. Mouko takabisha, she thought, unable to verbalize underwater. The sparking energy of her life essence flared, bright and golden, shooting out to slam into one of the reavers. The other swam wide, making Ranma wonder if, perhaps, they were afraid of it.

  And they should be, she decided, gathering her energy. The second reaver was moving too fast; she'd need to get closer to it. She gathered her energy, preparing for another strike, when she remembered -- too late -- that she was ignoring the reaver behind her. Her body twisted to the side, changing a strike that might have severed her arm into a gash several inches deep.

  Her other half took part of the injury away, and it lessened in severity, but it was still too close. Belatedly, she realized that she had allowed herself to be trapped between the two reavers. The situation was decidedly dangerous, she decided, trying to evade sixteen whipping and razor-sharp limbs.

  ***

  Ranma wheeled, sensing the reaver rearing up behind him, and braced himself, preparing to leap out of the way. He couldn't afford to dodge far, though, that would entail leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

  But the reaver paused for a moment. Dark, chaotic swirls of power bled around it, as though it were standing before a blast furnace of chaos, spattering the unused energy aside. It stood for a single moment longer before simply exploding, splattering acidic ichor across an invisible barrier of force behind it, and another, before Ranma.

  His shield, he realized belatedly. "I didn't know I could do that," he mused, his control of the shield slipping away. As the larger chunks of the reaver's carapace collapsed, Ranma saw the young cheerleader -- the one he had rescued first, lowering her polearm and smiling in satisfaction, Ran-oh-ki perched comfortably on her head.

  That would have to be it, Ranma decided. "That was pretty good," he said aloud, wondering if he had perhaps abandoned martial arts cheerleading too quickly. The ability to throw fire around might have been nice, in the end, though he wasn't sure it would be worth having to wear a cheerleading outfit. No, he decided, glancing briefly at the green-skirted girl, when it came right down to it, he had enough problems trying to sort out honor and love, without adding more confusion to the situation.

  The girl beamed at him, traipsing casually around the desiccated hulk of the reaver. "Thank you!" she exclaimed.

  He nodded wordlessly, as the crowd behind him remained silent, apparently stunned at the whole ordeal. Not that he could blame them, really. Ran-oh-ki's senses linked with his, showing him where the other reaver was hiding nearby -- preparing to strike again, undoubtedly. "I didn't want to do this," Ranma grumbled. "I _really_ hope you guys don't get mad at me for this. Ran-oh-ki? I see those large rats on the car over there," he said, pointing to the one car left undamaged from the battle. "Go ahead and let go of the control."

  And even if he didn't need it, his other half would.

  Ran-oh-ki keened a soft, unhappy, "Miyah," but nodded in approval. And then Ranma's world was swept away in a sea of confusion.

  ***

  Makoto stepped back a full step, staring at the strange boy in confusion. The real Ranma, she supposed, though it was hard to think of the name without instantly thinking of... Ryu...

  But whatever he was, he didn't seem to have any evil intent. Hotaru blinked, and the moon cats looked offended when he called them rats, but everyone bided their silence. Perhaps, she thought, because of the unreality of the situation. Maybe it was all some strange, odd dream, and they'd wake up with the problem gone... but no, pinching herself hurt, and didn't wake her.

  Venus stood, blinking in surprise, her chain dangling from her fingers limply. The rest of the senshi fared little better. Killing youma and the like was not traditionally so... messy. And the crew standing near them, they seemed to simply take it in stride.

  She eyed Ryu appraisingly. "Ryu?" She asked, "Why did you lie to me?"

  Ryu looked around worriedly, then calmed himself, offering the same pleasant smile she remembered -- the one that made her knees weak. "Mako-chan," he said smoothly, "I can explain _everything_. Now, why are you wearing that silly outfit?"

  The older man with the sword snorted, pointing at Ranma. "You'd better," her warned, "unless you want to make him mad. And, uh, I'll explain that part later."

  All attention returned to Ranma again, now crouched on all fours, and growling low in his throat. He unleashed a single, loud yowl, then leapt straight into the ground, and... disappeared. Makoto scratched her head in confusion. "What the heck?" she asked.

  The older man frowned, and his armaments vanished into the air. "I really wish he wouldn't do that," he muttered. "Well, I believe introductions are in order. I'm Masaki Yosho, and the lad who just went off to fight a reaver alone is the honorable Ranma, formerly of clan Saotome."

  The strongly muscled boy with the umbrella and bandana sighed, stepping forward. "Right," he said uncertainly. "My name is Hibiki Ryouga..."

  ***

  Washuu shivered suddenly, as a feeling of cold... otherness... swept through her. What was Ranma up to?

  One of the crewmen suddenly shut straight up from his seat. "Commodore! Sonar's catching what looks like ice forming about twenty meters from the Louisiana!"

  Norris raised an eyebrow. "Ice? Again? What's happening this time?"

  "We're... we're not really sure yet. It's very diffuse--" He fell silent, grabbing for his control console to steady himself as the ship gave an alarming lurch. "And it seems to be displacing a lot of water. I have Lieutenant Commander Patterson, Sir."

  Norris's face was a mask of disbelief. "This is impossible. This is a cheesy sci-fi movie, not my life!"

  Washuu shook her head, heart racing. "Ranma," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

  ***

  "No," Terry said slowly. "That's very kind of you, but you don't have to sing for me."

  "Are you sure, Bogard-san?" Eimi asked him yet again. "I know how to sing, 'To be in Love', among other songs."

  Terry shrugged. "I've never heard that," he said. "But I need to keep my ears open to make sure none of the monsters get up here. My job is to protect Nuku, after all."

  Eimi was silent, at that. "There are only three decryption cycles remaining, Bogard-san. Would you like to select a target?"

  Terry shrugged again. "You know what we're after, don't you? The reavers. Just hit them, if you can."

  A soft 'ping' noise sounded from the speakers. "Understood, Bogard-san, though Atsuko will have the final vote in control, initially."

  Terry sighed, drumming his fingers across a deactivated terminal. "So," he asked, tired, "can you tell me where the reavers are?"

  The views of Tokyo at night, from far above suddenly vanished, to be replaced by a view of northern American continent. "Certainly," Eimi replied pleasantly. "I can deliver any information you require on the reavers -- this facility was redesigned to accommodate research on them."

  "Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Can you tell me where they came from?"

  A crosshairs appeared on the map of North America, scanning across it and locking on a point deep in the Rocky Mountains. The crosshairs expanded into a small square, which abruptly zoomed forward to show a more detailed view. The image continued to expand until the square occupied the entire screen.

  The process repeated a number of times, until Terry was able to see a flat, featureless basin. Eimi's voice offered an explanation, "This basin is located near the base of Gannet Peak, in the United States province of Wyoming. This image was taken last night, while the sun was still up over the Americas."

  "Gannet Peak?" Terry murmured, leaving his seat to approach the monitor and see it more clearly. "I've been to Wyoming." He shook his head. "I don't remember that mountain, but I think I know the area. They just crawled out of that hole, then?"

  "No, Bogard-san." The image shifted, overlaid with a grainy black and white image, not a basin, but a short hill. "This image was taken some weeks before the first news of the 'reavers,' as you call them, reached us. We believe it's a research facility, though according to the U.S. military network, they were unaware of its existence." A few roads and small outbuildings lined the hillside, and a larger heli-pad sat atop it.

  "Just like area fifty-one," Terry grumbled.

  "Oh, no. That's real, but vastly misunderstood. It's nothing more than a launch facility for secret and otherwise experimental aircraft. At least, it was. Would you like to see yesterday's image of the territory?"

  Terry shrugged. "Why not?"

  The scene shifted, both the color image of the basin and the grainy black and white fading away to be replaced by an expanse of yellow sand. "Well?" Terry asked after a moment. "Where is it? I don't see anything but desert."

  "You are correct, Bogard-san. At this point, that is all that remains."

  Terry shot a scowl at the screen. "Show me San Francisco," he ordered. "I have friends there."

  The screen image shifted again, showing the Bay Area as he remembered it, only with far less greenery around the edges. It zoomed in on the peninsula. San Francisco. Where once a city had lain, there was nothing. Small piles of rubble, casting only the barest hints of shadow against the sun.

  Terry's hand reached for the screen, trembling. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "It's... it's gone. The... the bridge. The buildings... HOW?"

  Eimi was silent for an extended moment. "The final decryption cycle is complete." The image shifted to a picture of San Francisco, still intact, casting its shadows across the land. In time lapse, it showed the progress throughout a week. "It took a pair of reavers a full seven days to demolish the city, though I do not believe that they devoured as much as they could have. They seem to seek out the living before eating mineral, though it is known that they will eat nearly all the dead they create."

  Terry shivered, feeling queasy at the thought. His friends... "Did anyone get away?"

  The screen shifted again, moving towards the city's harbors as he watched building after building crumble in slow motion. Masses -- throngs of people -- swarmed onto the ships waiting in the harbor. Cargo, cruise, military... all kinds of ships would be filled and set sail, only to be replaced by another, but the flood of humanity never ended, not before the number of ships did.

  Terry took a deep breath, screwing his eyes shut. How horrible it must have been, crowded up at the edge of the docks, waiting for a ship that would never come, with nothing but death awaiting you behind. Families separated, desperately hoping that they would be able to join again. It was all he could do to resist collapsing to the floor in tears. He had known tragedy in his life; he had seen the women he loved die, one after another. But he could not imagine how horrible it would have been, to be there, surrounded by that, and with no way to fight back.

  "Mae West was destroyed," Eimi explained, "but we were able to discern that the Americans named their fleet 'The Last Hope', before they departed. It's not widely publicized, but several of the ships in Tokyo Harbor arrived with the American Military vessels."

  Shaking his head, Terry rubbed at a faint moistness in his eyes. "That's enough," he said. "I've seen enough. Find the reavers nearest to us, and destroy them. Do it NOW."

  The same soft 'ping' sounded, and the visual display zoomed out to a map of the entire planet. "This map is realtime, and we are currently tracking two hundred and fifty seven reavers. We suspect that there are more we cannot scan, and many are outside of out targeting range." The map zoomed in on the bay again, rushing in close enough to show a grainy image of a small crowd standing around the ruptured remnants of a reaver. "This is unexpected. It would appear as though this one was destroyed. However, I detect nearly a dozen more headed towards the same location, and one beneath this very tower. I cannot strike it without damaging myself."

  Terry grinned wickedly. "Fine," he said. "Do what you can, I'll take care of the one here."

  Eimi chirped softly, yet another 'ping' sounding. "Please take a communicator so that I can remain in contact with you, Bogard-san." A small light flashed, indicating the location of the communicators, and Terry grabbed one, looking at it. "The back opens, and you can pin it to your collar."

  Nodding, Terry did just that. "Now," he said, testing the small metal pin, shaped in the logo of Mishima Heavy industries, "I'm ready to go."

  "Affirmative," the communicator chirped in Eimi's voice.

  He dashed down the stairs, preparing to meet with the enemy. He had a score to settle, after all.

  ***

  Hotaru, winded from her use of both the Silence Glaive Surprise, and then the Silence Wall, sat on the curb, while the boys made a round of introductions. The moon cats simply stared, unable to speak without giving away too much, for the moment. Yosho seemed like a nice man, though Hotaru could tell he was worried about Ranma. The boys nodded skeptically to the senshi's explanations of who they were.

  Ranma was interesting, she decided. Very interesting. She'd thrown more into the Silence Glaive Surprise than she had meant to, but he had blocked it somehow.

  Hotaru felt a vague shiver down her spine, and turned to look at the still deserted street behind her. A massive, reaver-sized segment of the street spontaneously exploded upwards, full of writhing reaver, and still being pursued by a yowling Ranma. The reaver reached the apex of its leap, probably a good fifteen meters above the ground, and fell backwards, but Ranma continued upwards, flashing blue claws carving a path before him. He hung for a moment, still in the air, above the mass of the body he had just tunneled through.

  The reaver plummeted like a greasy comet, black legs waving limply behind it, trailed on all points by fluttering streamers of thick yellow ichor. Ranma landed gently on the street only a short distance away from the senshi, on all four limbs, and behind him, the reaver impacted in the crater with a moist sounding, 'thump', a small fountain of ichor fountaining upwards briefly to spatter against the street.

  He sniffed disdainfully at the slain reaver, small wounds covering his body from the battle. Silence reigned, no one able to break it for the moment, as everyone watched the boy-turned-beast.

  Pluto chose that moment to show up, which Hotaru thought wasn't terribly bright. The senshi of time stepped through a portal in the middle of the street, shaking her head and grumbling. "What the _hell_ is going on here?" she exclaimed, staring at the boys in abject confusion.

  Ranma growled low in his throat, and pounced. The green-haired woman had only enough time to turn around before she was driven to the ground by Ranma. He sniffed at her mistrustfully, and growled again, pinning her in place and sniffing her suspiciously.

  Hotaru hid a small smile, almost enjoying the way Pluto's eyes bugged out at the sight of Ranma. "Eeep!" Pluto managed. "I thought I just _dealt_ with you-- no, wait, the ears... Who _are_ you?"

  Ranma growled again, and Hotaru called to him, "Ranma, leave her alone. Come here, instead."

  At her voice, Ranma bounded over, and paused, eyeing Ran-oh-ki. The creature gave out a put-upon sigh, and jumped from Hotaru's lap. Seeing that his destination was clear, Ranma curled up into a small ball, resting his head on Hotaru's lap, and purring slightly.

  Dead silence rang out, while Pluto climbed to her feet, and dusted herself off. Venus was the first to break the quiet, "That boy's got issues." Hotaru smiled happily. Maybe he did, but she liked that. He was very interesting -- and he had tried to protect her, too.

  ***

  Washuu blinked, staring through her spectacles at the harbor. Small chunks of ice littered its surface liberally, as though someone had tried to make stew with ice, using the harbor as a great cauldron. The light amplification and zoom features of her spectacles allowed her to see that some of the icy bits contained chunks of the reavers that Ranma had torn apart, and more just solidified and frozen ichor.

  "Wow," she mused, feeling the chill breeze waft in and rustle her hair. Ranma shivered, crouched as she was in Washuu's lap, like a great big redheaded kitten. "I did not see this coming."

  Norris trembled, though Washuu wasn't certain if it was from anger, or fear. "Next time you kill a reaver," he asked, pointing towards where one wall of the bridge had been, "please ask her to avoid tearing apart my ship when she comes back?"

  Washuu cocked her head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "Oh?"

  Cologne snorted, having just reentered the bridge. "I see that Ranma's found a solution after all," she commented. "I think he should be congratulated on damage control, considering how much a mess he normally makes.

  Norris paled, and sat down in his chair, hard. "I'll be quiet," he mumbled.

  ***

  "Um," Sailor Venus began, cocking her head as she looked at Pluto, "where were you? Weren't you supposed to be here?"

  She shook her head, drawing her attention away from the softly purring... creature... that Hotaru had managed to collect. Well, the rules on pets might have to be relaxed a bit, but if it were controllable, then there were no worries. "I'm sorry," she grumbled. "I had to go back in time a few centuries to chase after an amateur and her pet half-demon. She thought she could re-arrange the time stream to prevent all this from happening without being aware of the side-effects."

  Mercury raised an eyebrow at that. "What did you do?" she asked.

  Pluto waved a hand dismissively. "After I subdued her pet, I explained to her that she couldn't change anything without me stopping her. I think that _that_," she said, pointing at Ranma, "smelled the thing that I fought." She shook her head. "But I'm digressing. What the hell is going on here? Did that girl _already_ do some damage to the time stream?"

  Shrugging philosophically, Mercury commented, "We'd have no way to tell. However, you said you would tell us the plan when you got here, and we'd defend the city. So what's your plan?"

  Pluto nodded decisively. "That's fairly simple. We'll stay here, and defend the city, protect everyone who's left..." At the blank stares she was receiving, she hung her head. "Damn that little girl! What did I miss?"

  The oldest of the males interjected before anyone else could answer, "That's probably going to be something of a surprise to you... And it's probably just as well for you. My father wouldn't care to rescue a rebel faction, but I suspect my grandson will be far more lenient."

  Pluto stared at the man in confusion. "'Rebel faction'?"

  The man's smile widened. "Yes. I'm Masaki Yosho, former Emperor of Jurai."

  "Jurai?"

  "It's a long story, I'll explain it when we set out to sea. For the time being, however, my people have come and are in the process of evacuating the people of this planet. Most of the population of Tokyo was already evacuated via a small fleet of Juraian warships earlier today." He turned to Saturn, who was experimentally scratching the back of Ranma's ear. "Now, Saturn-san, if you could wake Ranma up, we should probably hurry back to the docks."

  The girl nodded, pouting slightly. "Can you wake up, Ranma-san?"

  The small furry creature at Saturn's side hopped onto Ranma's head, and batted him with his paws. Ranma fell limp for a moment, then struggled to his feet -- two feet, like a normal human. "Ugh," he groaned. "That didn't feel too good."

  Yosho shook his head. "I don't imagine it would. Are you okay?"

  Ranma waved a hand dismissively, scowling, and hovering a short distance above the ground. A moment later, redheaded female appeared at his side, dressed identically, save that the blue flare was on her left arm, where his was on his right. The two faded out of sight for a moment, and then it was only Ranma, with a blue flare encompassing each arm, instead of just one.

  He flexed, and the blue flare faded from his left arm, leaving him with a small blue gem hanging from one ear. "I think I've had worse, Yosho. Did anything happen?" Yosho shrugged, but not before Saturn dropped her Glaive, jumping into Ranma's arms. He reflexively caught the girl, and looked around, bewildered. "Huh?"

  "You're my boyfriend now!" she exclaimed happily. Ranma's face spoke volumes of incredulity.

  The boy standing near Jupiter's side muttered, "And I thought that _I_ had it rou--" The rest of his statement was cut off as Jupiter's elbow found its way into his gut.

  Ranma shook his head, setting Saturn down, and motioning for everyone to be silent. "Uh, say that again, Washuu?" he asked. His eyes widened, and he turned around to look behind him, Ran-oh-ki scrambling up onto his shoulder. At the far end of the street, barely visible in the distance, three reavers were scrambling towards them. "It just gets better and better," he remarked bitterly. "Do you have any _good_ news for me?"

  ***

  Terry backpedaled from the base of the stairs, narrowly evading a massive claw, one that rent the door he had been unable to dent, and reduced it to gleaming scrap. "Oh," he muttered, "you want to play hardball, huh?"

  He reached deep within himself, towards that rarely tapped reservoir of energy that he knew would let him win any battle. The reservoir of anger. Rage. And righteous fury.

  Blue flames ignited about him, not merely a battle-aura, but hot enough to warp and melt the stairs beneath his feet. He was protected from his own power, as was the pin that Eimi asked him to wear. But the reaver was balked, and skittered backwards, crashing through the piles of discarded computer pieces, junk food, and whatever else Durant had scattered about before he left.

  He was more than just Terry. He was a _power_. One that would crush the reaver before him, at any cost.

  Screaming, he flung himself into the abyss, deeper into that reservoir of strength, and burst into a sudden leap towards the reaver, absently batting a massive, black, contusion covered limb out of the way. He landed a kick that cracked its carapace, knocking it back into the wall, and followed up with another carapace cracking punch.

  The reaver lashed out violently, and Terry was forced back to the defensive, trying to avoid four pair of slashing claws, finally simply grabbing one of the limbs roughly. The spines and contusions melted beneath the onslaught of the fire that surrounded him, and Terry simultaneously kicked out and yanked backwards, tearing the limb off. The reaver shrieked, a high-pitched, keening noise.

  Bellowing out in rage, Terry's fist descended again, cracking the carapace a third time, finally opening it enough to cause the creature to bleed across the floor. He stepped back and spun, a violent roundhouse cracking open the carapace completely, tearing the creature's armor clean off, and removing the remaining three limbs on its left side. "Hah!" Terry shouted, staggering backwards, off balance.

  But the thing was beyond fighting back, merely able to thrash about in its death throes, and spurt acidic ichor across the room. Despite all that, Terry wasn't satisfied. Yelling again, he kicked the unarmored yellow membrane hidden beneath the thing's armor, tearing it easily and releasing the entirety of its innards to flow across the floor. One final, spastic twitch sent a limb slamming into Terry, knocking him free of the deluge of toxic ichor, to slam into the steel of the staircase. It conformed to his body, softened by the flames surrounding him.

  Flames that flickered, and died once the battle was over. He coughed, and tried to get up, but his chest refused to expand enough to give him a full breath of air, and the steel staircase was wrapped around him too tightly for him to move. His eyes flickered to the pool of acid, slowly flowing towards the tower. "I'm sorry, Eimi," he croaked. "I think I screwed up."

  Her voice was clear across the communications pin on his collar. "Bogard-san, I am trying to contact someone to help you, but do not know when help will arrive."

  "It's okay," he said softly, pain slowly blossoming in his chest. "It's... it's what I wanted, Eimi. Don't you get it?"

  "Get what, Bogard-san?" Eimi's voice sounded nervous, nearly on the verge of tears. Not, Terry thought, that that could be possible. She was just a computer, after all.

  "I won," he managed, coughing weakly. "This time, I saved the girl. I think the Gods cursed me, but this time... this time I saved the girl."

  "Bogard-san? What about Atsuko? How will she escape, now?"

  Terry grimaced. "Use... use the radio. Ask Ranma to come get her... and tell him to hurry. I have to say something to him before it's too late."

  "Very well, Bogard-san."

  ***

  Ranma took a deep breath, Yosho moving to stand at his side. "This is going to be bad, isn't it?" Ranma asked the older man.

  Yosho nodded gravely, watching the trio of reavers charge. "Yes, Ranma," he said softly. "Unless someone up there really likes us."

  A squeal of static sounded briefly in Ranma's ear, and the radio there picked up a transmission, a young feminine voice asking, "Is there a 'Ranma' on the radio, anywhere? I'm afraid that there's a situation. Please respond, over."

  "Did I mention that it just keeps getting better?" he grumbled, one hand rising to the jewel on his ear. "Yes, this is Ranma. What's going on?"

  "Ah, Ranma-san," the voice greeted him. "Bogard-san and Atsuko are with me, and need your help."

  "I'd love to help," he snapped, "but there's a small army of reavers here that's kinda going to be keeping me _busy_ for a while!"

  For a long moment, there was nothing but silence, and Ranma thought that whoever he was speaking to had left. But she answered, after a moment. "I will deal with them for you, Ranma-san. Please advise anyone with you to hurry to cover -- the positronic laser array may have unknown localized side-effects. Over."

  Ranma blinked, as a brilliant spear of green fire lanced through the sky, spearing the clouds hiding the stars, and striking the lead reaver head on. Impossibly, a hundred meters away and more, it was smashed into the ground, twitching, while the line of green fire remained trained on it, until it exploded messily, with an easily audible 'pop'.

  Jaw hanging, Ranma took a moment to collect himself. "Okay," he said, touching the gem. "I'll be right there, over." He dropped his hand and turned to Yosho, who looked equally stunned. "Yosho, Atsuko and Terry need me. Washuu's on an American ship called 'Kitty Hawk'. I'll meet you back at the harbor, use the radio if you need me."

  Yosho nodded, galvanized, and spun towards the still-frozen senshi, and assembled martial artists. "Okay, everyone, by now probably half of the ships have already left. Let's go!"

  Not wanting to face the possibility of being left behind, or worse, caught in the path of destruction from the heavens, they all wheeled and ran, Yosho just barely behind them, making sure none were abandoned. Ranma groaned, looking behind him. One way or another, the battle was a mixed success at best.

  Shaking his head, he closed his eyes, teleporting back to the harbor, where the Kitty Hawk had been. The ship remained where it was when he had last been there, and he stumbled, catching himself. "Running low on energy," he muttered, glancing around. Where was the facility? He had gotten a glance at it on Washuu's terminal... there. He nodded decisively, flying towards a large metal tower tucked away into a subtle corner of the harbor. "Okay," he said, touching the jewel, "I'm Ranma, so who are you?"

  "My name is Eimi. I'm the computer that operates Mishima Heavy's positronic laser array. I'm monitoring it now, and they are nearly guaranteed to burn out of power within the next three hours. I'm firing the three on a rotating frequency to maximize their usable time, but I fear that when I am destroyed, they will become useless. Over."

  Ranma blinked, reaching the tower, and phasing through it. He took a step back when he saw Nuku's body, suspended in a vat of green liquid, though whatever it was, was draining away. A voice -- Eimi's voice, he decided -- came from the speakers in the room's ceiling. "I'm curious to know how you did that, but don't have any time left, I'm afraid. Nuku will be ready to go in a few minutes, Bogard-san is at the bottom of the stairs."

  Nodding dubiously, Ranma watched Nuku for a moment before heading for the stairs. "Terry?" he called out.

  Hearing no reply, he sank through the stairwell, halting suddenly, eyes wide when he found the man. "Terry?" he asked, worried.

  Terry's eyes were half-closed, his breathing was labored, and his chest was a bloodied ruin. The man was trapped in the decimated remnants of the staircase, but he smiled when he saw Ranma. "Ranma," he said weakly. "I hoped... I hoped I would see you... before it was too late."

  Ranma shook his head, testing the edges of the iron wrapped around Terry. "Don't talk," he insisted. "I'll get you out... KUSO! If I could phase you through this... I can't teleport you while you're in here--" He realized he was babbling, and shut himself up, working at the edge of the staircase, slowly, painfully slowly, bending it back.

  "No, Ranma," Terry whispered. "Don't bother. I let... I let this happen to me. I'm... tired. So very tired. I need to tell you something. It's very important. Are you ready?"

  Ranma's hands slowly fell from the staircase, hanging limply at his side. He nodded slowly, choking back tears. It was just so unfair... He reached up slowly, removing the gem from his ear. "Yes," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm listening."

  Terry's expression became stern, and he hissed in pain, before saying, "Ranma... fight to protect what you love. Never... never ever let yourself forget to love what you protect."

  "I... I don't understand."

  Terry smiled softly. "You will. Remember what I told you, Ranma. Never forget what I said."

  "Fight to protect what you love. Never forget to love what you protect," he repeated solemnly. "But, Terry--"

  "No," Terry overrode him. "It's time. I'm... I'm going to stay here, Ranma. My path... it's ended. Take care of your... take care of Nuku..."

  Swallowing tearfully, Ranma nodded. "I promise, Terry. I'll protect her..." Understanding suddenly blossomed. "Yes. I'll protect her forever, if I can help it, Terry."

  Terry's breathing slowed, and his eyes began to drift shut. "I'm... glad, Ranma... now go..."

  Nodding, Ranma shot upwards, rising to the uppermost level of the tower. Nuku was outside of the glass cylinder, already dressed again, but on her knees. She breathed slowly. "Tired," she managed. "Nuku-Nuku is so tired..."

  Ranma knelt near her, taking her hands in his. "Atsuko? It's... it's time to go."

  She looked up at him, impossibly innocent eyes dim with sadness. "Where is Bogard-san?" she asked.

  Ranma glanced towards the staircase, but couldn't find words for a long moment. "He's... He didn't make it, Atsuko. We have to go."

  Drooping further, she nodded, barely able to climb to her feet, and collapse into Ranma. He lifted her gently, the pair hovering over the ground. "Eimi?" he asked. "Are you going to be okay?"

  "I... think so, Ranma-san. An archive of all the command files to control the positronic laser array has been uploaded to Atsuko's memory, so that it may be used for defense. I... cannot leave this place. I will continue to operate the positronic laser array as long as possible. Goodbye, Atsuko."

  Nuku's face fell, and she sniffled, "Goodbye, Eimi-chan... will I see you again?"

  After an extended moment of silence, Eimi responded, "I will stay with Bogard-san."

  Ranma nodded, steeling himself, "Goodbye, Eimi. Okay, Atsuko, let's go." Concentrating, Ranma managed the strength for one final teleport to the deck of the Kitty Hawk, before collapsing, too weak to move further.

  ***

  "Bogard-san?"

  Terry swam up through the layers of darkness that bore down on him. "Yes... Eimi?"

  "I'd like to sing a song for you. It's not the song that Kyusaka-sensei taught to me, but I think you will like it."

  "Sure," he said, too tired to complain. "What's it...?

  "It is called 'Sou Gan', Bogard-san."

  "Terry. Name... Terry."

  "Very well, Terry." Eimi took two seconds to compose herself, and then her voice sounded, lyrical and sweet, not just one voice, but thanks to her synthesizers, a choir, nearly angelic in quality.

  The music flowed through him, lifting his spirits. He knew he was dying. He had been asking for it, ever since the Armor of Mars. That he had finally managed to beat the odds, and be the one to die, rather than the one forced to survive was merely something that would allow him to perish happier.

  An odd surge of momentary strength surged through him, and he smiled, ignoring the dried and caked blood flecking his lips. "Thank you, Eimi, that was beautiful."

  "Thank you, Terry... I wish... I wish I could go with you."

  "Got... got enough women... waitin' for me... on the other... side..." His eyes became heavier, the strength fleeting and leaving him sapped. It was soon, he was sure. Soon, he would fade away. He had never thought that death would be like that. "But... you're... welcome, too... Eimi..."

  And with that, his eyes drifted shut, one last time. "Thank you, Terry." Were those sobs he was hearing? But he couldn't be sure... "Thank you..."

  ***

  Ranma lay on the deck, Nuku sprawled atop him. He groaned. "Okay," he managed. "I'm... gonna get up... gonna keep on fighting."

  Nuku rolled off him, climbing to her knees, but no further. She managed half a nod.

  A hand grasped Ranma's, helping him to his feet. "Come on, Ranma," a voice called out to him from the darkness. "You've had a long day. Why don't you get some rest?"

  Ranma shook his head, peering through the dimness at Washuu. "Washuu? Uh... no, can't... can't stop fighting."

  "Yes," she reprimanded him, helping him walk along, "you can, and you will. I'll keep working on the problem, but _you_ will get some rest." He found himself sat on a bed, while he was dimly aware of Nuku having been maneuvered to sit next to him. "Now--" she cut herself off suddenly, stifling a powerful yawn. "Now, I'm going to inject you with something that will ensure you a restful sleep."

  Ranma winced, feeling a prickling sensation in his arm. "But," he complained, feeling his strength drain. "Not... fair..." Bolstering what little strength he had, he reached forward, grabbing Washuu before he collapsed onto the bed.

  "Ranma!" she yelped, pulled down on top of him, his hand on the back of her neck, and their faces close. "What are you doing?"

  "Shiatsu," he mumbled. "Ghoul taught me. Used on Shampoo."

  "What's shiatsu?" Washuu asked, not attempting to wrest herself free of Ranma's grip.

  "Lotsa stuff," Ranma mumbled, finding the point he wanted, and jabbing it gently with his finger. Washuu collapsed atop him, asleep instantly. "That one... makes you go to sleep..." he concluded, drifting off.

  -----------------------------
  Author's Notes:

  'Sou Gan' is from 'Empire of the Sun'.

  There are a few cameos in here, ranging from the blatant, to the subtle. Try to find them all! Collect, save, trade for swell prizes!