Insertion

 

 Part 80

 

 The Secret Technique!

 

++++++++++++++++

 

  Ranma smirked as he looked at the pair opposing him and flexed his 
arms experimentally. His cobalt blue eyes stared the shining golden auras that 
surrounded them down coolly as he simply floated there and watched them. 

 

"What should we do?" growled Chibi-Usa as she eyed him for a moment.

 

 "That body is new to him, we have the advantage," replied her father 
calmly. Dark Ranma growled and looked at his daughter. "You know you're stronger 
than me right now. You distract him. I've got something up my sleeve I bet even 
he isn't expecting." He turned his eyes on the Level Two Super Saiyan and 
frowned deeply.

 

 "Are you going to talk about this all night? I've got places to be," 
taunted Ranma casually as he wiped his thumb against the side of his nose.

 

 "Don't try to kill him, you'll die if you do," replied Dark Ranma 
calmly as he nodded at the little girl.

 

Chibi-Usa frowned at this and slowly floated forward.

 

 "What? Only one of you?" said Ranma with a sort of dismissive tone to 
his voice. "I was hoping for a real challenge, both of you at once."

 

 "Not even you could take us both," growled the little girl 
irritably.

 

 "Which makes me wonder why both of you aren't coming to fight," 
replied Ranma as his smirk fell away. He glared at his dark side and then 
flicked his eyes back to the little girl as she moved up in front of him in a 
mid air combat stance.

 

 "Heh, you forget that I am from the future, I know the outcome of 
this battle already."

 

 "Then why were you so surprised to see me?" said Ranma as his smirk 
returned again.

 

 Chibi-Usa grit her teeth and growled in anger. She had no answer for 
that and he knew it.

 

 "I saw the future child, I was there. I killed the both of you 
already, and now I've come back to set things right," he said calmly as he moved 
into a combat stance. "I've been gone longer than the two of you idiots 
realize."

 

 Chibi-Usa gasped and stared at him. "What?"

 

 Dark Ranma stopped his slow circular motion around the battle and 
stared at them. "That's not..." His shocked look fell and he glared at the boy 
in front of them in a growing fear and anger. "That explains the 
transformation!" his mind screamed back at him. 

 

 "He's bluffing," growled Chibi-Usa irritably.

 

 "Come on now, show us the real you. Dark Lady wasn't it?" said Ranma 
with his smirk growing to a full-blown grin. "You don't have to pretend to be a 
little girl anymore you know."

 

 That got her attention and she started to back off.

 

 "Don't," growled Dark Ranma angrily.

 

 She looked at him and noticed he had something gripped in his hand. 
Her scowl returned and she glared at him. She had to fight him now, this would 
be the only chance they got to beat him. She knew he wasn't going to let the 
both of them escape, and she couldn't run off on her own. If he managed to beat 
her father, she'd simply blink out of existence. She was stuck and she knew it. 
"Damn."

 

 "Trying to decide if you should run? You can, but all I have to do to 
get rid of you is kill him," said Ranma as he noticed the indecision on her 
face. He had her trapped here and knew it.

 

 Without another word Chibi-Usa lunged forward suddenly, lashing out 
at him with her tiny legs and arms as fast and hard as she could. Ranma danced 
around her strikes, but kept a close eye on the evil him as well. He kept 
turning the battle so that he was facing him at all times.

 

 Chibi Usa couldn't do a thing about it the way she was going at it, 
and a hard right hook that looked almost casual sent her flying through the air 
and almost through one of the metal beams that made up Tokyo Tower. She crawled 
out of the impact crater painfully and shook her head. "Damn it."

 

 "This isn't working," growled Dark Ranma as he looked at his daughter 
irritably. His eyes flicked back and fourth between the pair. Ranma was watching 
him still, but not doing anything. He simply floated with his arms crossed in 
front of his chest and a superior smirk on his face.

 

 "Care to try your luck? You can't escape you know, I won't let you 
run away."

 

 He growled and floated back a bit.

 

 There was an explosion of pink light as Chibi-Usa roared forward and 
lashed out at him with a kick. 

 

 Ranma blinked in surprise as he realized that the leg was much too 
long to be a child's and he turned to look at his opponent again. The woman 
growling at him in anger was still wearing the same clothes, but they fit much 
tighter now. Her black leotard now only went to her forearms and knees, it was 
quite a sight to behold really. Absently she reached inside her shirt and pulled 
out the torn child's bra from the front of her, now very low, neckline. 
"Bastard."

 

 "Well, I must say I disapprove of that outfit young lady," said Ranma 
as he smirked at her calmly and backed away a few feet. 

 

 "I'm going to destroy you!" she snapped angrily as her hair flared 
out a little more. Her power rose a little as well, but she still wasn't a match 
for him. It was little more than an angry strength that would fade as soon as 
she calmed a bit.

 

 "Best not to let her figure the rest out," commented Ranma to 
himself. The woman before him blinked, not quite understanding what he had 
said.

 

 This time it was Ranma who took the offensive. Chibi-Usa screamed as 
she tried desperately to block and parry as much as she could, but Ranma was 
absolutely relentless as he pounded her. Her face contorted with repeated blows 
and her body jerked about as her arms finally failed her, leaving her wide open. 
Ranma frowned as he cupped his hands at his side while she was stunned and 
concentrated his power into a single point.

 

 "No!" snarled Dark Ranma, more out of fear of taking the other him on 
alone than actual concern. He started to move forward before he noticed 
something the other him didn't. His daughter had a smirk on her face as Ranma 
powered up his attack.

 

 "Kame..."

 

 Dark Ranma's face turned into a smile as he continued to move forward 
and put his arm in front of his face.

 

 "SOLAR FLARE!"

 

 Ranma screamed in pain as the woman set off the attack at point blank 
range, blinding him instantly. He felt something slam into his side as well, but 
he barely felt it. That was when he realized that his arm was restrained. "What 
the..." Anything more was cut off as he felt a hand over his mouth. He struggled 
slightly, still dazed by Chibi-Usa's attack, not realizing why someone was 
pinching his nose and covering his mouth at the same time.

 

 That was when he swallowed and realized that there had been something 
in his mouth. In an instant he was released and he fell to the ground, impacting 
with a mighty smash that buckled the concrete. Slowly, he staggered out of the 
crater and groaned in pain, putting his hand up to his forehead. "What the hell 
was that?" 

 

 "I don't know!" growled Dan in shock.

 

 "What happened?" muttered Ranma.

 

 Carrot blinked. "Um, guys...why aren't we fused?"

 

 "Feeling a little disoriented?" said a familiar voice in 
amusement.

 

 Their vision was back now and they blinked as they looked up to see 
both Chibi-Usa and Dark Ranma floating over them with smirks on their 
faces.

 

 "What did you do?" growled Ranma angrily as he glared at the pair in 
defiance. Inside him there was a struggle going on. They couldn't transform 
again, something was definitely wrong.

 

 "Having a little trouble with something? I wasn't sure if it would 
have the same effect it had on Goku in Dragon Ball. I must say, I'm rather 
pleased with the results," said his dark counterpart with an evil chuckle.

 

Carrot realized that the pair looming over them looked rather intimidating, 
more so than they should have. "We're really screwed up! What the hell happened 
to us?"

 

 "I don't know, but that ass is really enjoying this," growled Dan 
angrily.

 

 "I had planned on using that on Ryoga. I got the idea about an hour 
after I killed you, it wasn't as difficult to find as I thought it would be. 
Truth be told, I stumbled onto it in only a few hours. I had planned on giving 
my daughter a little present, a toy of her very owned to keep her occupied. 
She's grown rather fond of the lost boy."

 

 The woman standing over them blushed slightly at this but still 
smirked malevolently at them. "Really father, you shouldn't have."

 

 "Thought he might keep you out of my hair for a while actually," 
replied Dark Ranma calmly. "In any case, I don't see subduing him being any more 
difficult now. You'll just have to keep a tighter leash on him."

 

 "He is rather adorable though," said Chibi-Usa as she frowned down at 
the still fumbling Ranma. The boy had managed to stagger to his feet and seemed 
to realize that there was something wrong with his clothes.

 

 "What should we do with him?" asked Dark Ranma.

 

 "I don't like adorable things," snarled Chibi-Usa.

 

 "All right, we should put him out of his misery. It's a shame, he 
doesn't quite seem to have realized what has happened to him yet." Dark Ranma 
chuckled in amusement and turned his eyes back down towards Ranma. They both 
landed on either side of them, and immediately the boy realized something was 
wrong.

 

 "Magic mushrooms my dear boy. You remember, eat them and you become 
the same age as their length? Ring any bells?"

 

 Ranma's eyes went wide as he looked at himself, he was standing in 
the nude now, having dislodged himself from this clothes after realizing that 
was what was keeping him from standing. He simply stared down at himself for a 
moment and then turned his eyes back up at the pair leering down at him with 
their hands pointed at him menacingly. He was about six years old. "Fuck."

 

 "Such language! Can we spank him now father?"

 

 "Of course, I'd keep him around as well, but he's too dangerous to 
keep as a pet," said Dark Ranma as he narrowed his eyes. Twin balls of power 
formed in their hands and the young boy tensed himself. 

 

 "Spank this! Solar Flare!" He mimicked the same move used against him 
moments before, and to his great relief it worked. The evil pair staggered back, 
blasting their chi balls in random directions before clinging to their eyes in 
pain.

 

 Ranma didn't waste a moment, he flew into the air, relieved that that 
particular trick still worked and moved away from the scene at top speed. "Damn 
it!"

 

 "Now what?" growled Ranma angrily.

 

 "We've got to find help!" said Carrot angrily. 

 

 "What about those mushrooms?" said Dan hopefully.

 

 "Hey! We can't fly around naked like this! We need clothes!" cried 
Pissant prissily.

 

 "Alive first, clothes later!" snapped Carrot angrily as the 
irritating voice tried to redirect their flight. Luckily he didn't have enough 
control to do more than make them slow down very slightly. "We need to find that 
damn forest! There should be more mushrooms there!"

 

 "Are you sure?" asked Ranma.

 

 "Positive!" said Carrot as he flew high into the air over Japan. 


 

 "How are we going to find this place?" asked Ranma.

 

 Carrot was about to answer when they stopped suddenly when they 
noticed something below them.

 

++++++++++++++

 

 The boy landed on the ground and simply stared with his jaw hanging 
down. Tears came to his eyes, but he fought them back bravely and simply made a 
small whimpering noise. 

 

 "Is this...?" asked Ranma quietly.

 

 "I think so," said Dan with a surprising calm.

 

 "Damn, I should have known he'd done something like this. He 
explained too much to us before," growled Carrot angrily.

 

 In front of them was a huge burned out crater. All that remained of 
the forest that had once contained the magical mushrooms. A small broken looking 
tourist shack was a few feet away from them. A large sign with the words "As 
seen in the 'Cursed Tourist Attractions of Asia' magazine!" 

 

 "What do we do now?" asked Ranma as he looked down at their body 
again. 

 

 Carrot moved over to the shack and glanced around. It didn't take 
very long for them to find the dead body of the man who ran the shack. They took 
his shirt and put it on. It was dusty, but largely undamaged. His head had been 
burned off, which made it a little easier to do really. 

 

 They stood in silence for a moment while tying a rope around their 
waist and glanced around. 

 

 Carrot was the first to speak. "We need to leave, it won't take them 
long to come looking for us here."

 

 The others agreed silently and they flew off into the air again, 
staying low to the ground as they vanished into the streets of Japan.

 

++++++++++++

 

 "What now?" asked Pissant as they stood on top of a small building in 
the suburbs of Tokyo.

 

 "We've got to find a way back to normal, but we've also got to warn 
our friends about him before it's too late. How do we get to them though? He'll 
be watching for us."

 

 Dan said nothing as he looked out over the streets. "We've got to 
train then. We already know how to do this stuff right? It shouldn't take near 
as long this time."

 

 "There's no 'Room of Time and Space' here," said Carrot irritably. 
"We don't have time for this. Plus, we've got to figure something out."

 

 "I've got an idea," said Dan.

 

 "What?" muttered Carrot in confusion.

 

 "Don't say it," grumbled Ranma.

 

 "Fine, what is it? Spit it out?"

 

 "We can't go to Akane and the four morons. They won't be much help, 
and we'll have a hell of a time convincing them of this with the other us 
running around. That's the first place they'd expect us anyway."

 

 Ranma nodded their head. "What about..."

 

 "Nerima is out too, we spend too much time around there, but there is 
one group we tend to avoid. They're probably the strongest group of people we 
know, but they just lack training."

 

 "We aren't going to do anything about that, we don't have time," said 
Dan irritably.

 

 "I know, but they're our best chance," said Carrot calmly. 

 

 "What can we do though?" asked Ranma. "We know those stupid chicks 
can't protect us!"

 

 "You're right. They can't, it won't take long for the other us to 
come looking for us there either," agreed Dan.

 

 "That's why we aren't hanging around. We've got allies, elsewhere 
also. Akane and the generals are relatively safe at the moment I think. He 
didn't really start for a few more years."

 

 "He knows about us Carrot, that makes him more dangerous, and 
unpredictable," said Dan with a low growl in his tone.

 

 "True, but he also needs the resources they can provide him for a 
time. We also aren't sure how he got his hands on the fleet yet. That may be 
what he needs our General friends for."

 

 "The fleet? Hey, that's right! They were using the old Silver 
Millenium Starships! How did they get them? They were sealed away, a long way 
away too! It'd take months for them to make it all the way back here!"

 

 "There's our window then," said Carrot with a smirk on his face. 
"We've got six months, give or take, depending on whether or not he's summoned 
them already or not."

 

 "How do you know?" said Ranma dumbly.

 

 "We're connected the most, remember?" growled Carrot irritably.

 

 "Oh. Right," said Ranma sheepishly.

 

 "So? What are we going to do?"

 

 "We're getting the hell out of here, and we're taking some friends 
with us," said Carrot calmly. "We've got to work fast, we don't have much 
time."

 

 They landed in front of a small house in the suburbs and stared up at 
the window in the moonlight. The light was still on.

 

 "Well Dan, what's this plan?" asked Carrot.

 

 "All right, here goes..." said Dan.

 

+++++++++++++

 

 Usagi Tsukino was brushing her hair in front of the small mirror on 
her wall. She was sitting in a small chair and humming cheerfully to herself as 
she prepared to go to sleep. She really enjoyed sleeping, it was one of her 
favorite pastimes, that and eating, especially if it was something sweet, and if 
it was sweet and cute...she'd just have to die and go to heaven then!

 

 Her somewhat ditzy train of thought was derailed as her eyes fell on 
a pair of photos stuck into the side of her mirror. One was of the man she had 
thought was her destiny, her true love. The other was of the man who she now 
knew to be her future. There was little doubt in her mind of that now. Mamoru 
Chiba, and Ranma Saotome.

 

 She blinked when there was a small tap at her window and turned to 
see Luna sleeping soundly at the foot of her bed. The tap came again, and she 
noticed the cat's ear twitching.

 

 "Huh? What on earth..." She stood up and jumped back when the tapping 
sound came again. It was quick, as if something tiny was striking the 
glass.

 

 "What is that?" said Luna as she sat up and looked around. She 
appeared to be wide-awake now. 

 

 "I'm not sure," said Usagi dumbly.

 

 A huge rock, about a foot in diameter crashed through the window, 
followed by a young sounding voice that cried out at her angrily. "You stupid 
old bat! Open the damn window!"

 

 Usagi and Luna managed to pry themselves off the wall after jumping 
away in fright. Gingerly stepping around the glass, the pair slowly peered 
outside at the figure that had yelled at them.

 

 It was a tiny boy of about six years old. He had unruly black hair 
tied back into a ponytail, and was currently hefting another huge rock over his 
head to lob at her room.

 

 "Eep!" cried the girl as she ducked away, narrowly avoiding having 
her head knocked off. "Who are you!? What do you want?!" 

 

 Luna simply stared at this, unable to speak.

 

 "Huh? Oh, it's open now!" said the boy cheerfully as he jumped onto 
the roof from the ground.

 

 Luna and Usagi skittered across the floor and both became stuck 
against the wall again as the little boy climbed into the room and grunted as he 
looked around. The glass at his feet crunched under him and he didn't seem to 
notice or care.

 

 "Who are you?" said Usagi dumbly.

 

 "My name is Trunks, and I've come from the future," said the boy as 
he stared at her seriously with his pale blue eyes. "I'm your son."

 

 Usagi passed out cold, and Luna simply gaped. "Another one?"

 

 The boy chuckled humorlessly and stared the pair down. "I'm afraid 
I'm going to have to ask you to call the Senshi together. We don't have much 
time, he's going to track me down soon."

 

 The cat blinked at this and said nothing.

 

++++++++++++++++

 

 "Okay Usagi, this tears it," growled Makoto irritably as she stumbled 
into the room and glared at the blonde girl sitting sheepishly around her 
irritated friends.

 

 Rei glowered at her the most, even though she didn't really have to 
do any more than wake up. They were using the Hino Temple for this meeting, and 
none of them looked pleased to be there. Makoto was the last arrival.

 

 "Why did you call a meeting at this hour? I had just gone to bed!" 
cried Minako angrily.

 

 "I didn't!" cried Usagi as she looked at Luna.

 

 The cat simply stared at them all, not saying a word. Her face was 
serious and she nodded as Artemis hopped off Minako's lap to look at her in 
confusion. "I'm afraid this boy has called us together. He say's it's very 
important."

 

 "It's not like you to be this trusting Luna," said the boy 
calmly.

 

 "If you were one of the enemy, you'd have tried to kill Sailor Moon 
away from the others," replied the animal calmly.

 

 "Unless I didn't know who anyone else was, then I'd wait and call you 
together before I tried anything," he replied calmly.

 

 The animal's jaw dropped and she stared at him. "What?"

 

 "Lucky for you, I'm not the enemy," said the boy as he shook his 
head. "We are going to have to leave immediately, the real enemy has been 
watching you for some time. It won't take them long to realize that you're not 
in bed anymore."

 

 "What?!" was the collective response to this.

 

 "Who the hell are you kid?" said Makoto as she looked at the boy. 
"Isn't it past your bedtime?"

 

 "This child!? He's the one who's making me lose my beauty sleep?!" 
cried Minako.

 

 "SILEMCE!" cried the boy sharply. "I'm going to tell you a story, 
it's a story you're not going to like one bit. You're going to listen, because 
it involves all of you."

 

 "You little brat! How dare you speak to me like that?!" snapped 
Rei.

 

 "Because I'm your prince, and I'll speak to you any way I like!" 
snapped the boy.

 

 "Prince? What planet is this kid from?" said Rei hotly.

 

 "The Moon," said the boy calmly. "About twenty years in the future. I 
am Usagi Tsukino's son. My name is Trunks."

 

 That got them all quiet. Usagi almost passed out again, but the 
others simply looked at each other.

 

 "Another kid? You woke us up for another kid?" said Minako. "This 
could have waited!"

 

 "Shut up! I've come back to stop Chibi-Usa, and Ranma Saotome from 
destroying our world!"

 

 Once again, complete silence.

 

 "Ranma Saotome isn't the man you think he is, he's a monster! He's 
killed all of you but Usagi. His bitch of a daughter, Chibi-Usa, or Black Lady 
as she's more commonly called, was sent back in time to make sure things went 
the way they were supposed to."

 

 "Wait, I thought Ranma was supposed to marry her," said Ami 
quietly.

 

 "That's what he wants you to think, at least for now," said Trunks 
coldly. "Usagi Tsukino is the wife of Mamoru Chiba. Chibi-Usa is the only reason 
she's still alive. She's had her eyes removed and was raped and beaten 
repeatedly to ensure that Black Lady would be born."

 

 "But...you're not his son?" said Minako dumbly.

 

 Trunks glared at her with such a hateful stare that she froze and 
didn't utter another word. "Don't you dare ever suggest that to me again."

 

 "He doesn't seem that bad..." muttered Usagi.

 

 "He's been spying on you, and he's summoned the fleet out of its 
seal. It'll take a few months for it to arrive. After that, he'll destroy 
everything and take over the planet. He's actually in league with those Youma 
you've been fighting."

 

 "That's crazy! He killed that one, and saved us!" snapped Rei. She 
blinked when she realized just who she was defending.

 

 "Takibi was an internal power struggle. He was in Ranma's way, he 
wanted to destroy you all now, but Ranma had plans, and didn't want to be 
revealed just yet. You see, he still had to make sure his daughter was born. 
After that, he brutally raped and murdered the rest of you. Didn't you think it 
was a bit odd that Beryl's generals suddenly switched sides? They just did it 
out of the blue one day. No reason at all, and all four of them are suddenly 
against Beryl? What are you, stupid?"

 

 This caused another long silence in the room.

 

 "I never liked him," grumbled Rei.

 

 "What are we going to do!?" cried Minako in shock.

 

 "This...it all makes sense!" muttered Ami under her breath.

 

 "It does...doesn't it?" agreed Artemis with a slight quiver of fear. 
"We almost fell for it!"

 

 "Distrusting twits," thought Carrot to himself merrily. It was 
extremely difficult to keep a straight face through all of this.

 

 "What are we going to do?" repeated Minako.

 

 "Run," said Trunks calmly.

 

 "What?!" cried Makoto.

 

 "We've got no choice. He's too powerful to fight head on, he'd 
slaughter all of you, and I'm not strong enough to fight him myself."

 

 "Of course you're not! You're just a boy!" said Luna with a 
scandalized gasp.

 

 Trunks's eye twitched and he said nothing. 

 

 "Where will we go though?" muttered Usagi fearfully as she glanced 
around.

 

 "Jurai," said Trunks calmly.

 

 "What?" said Luna.

 

 "There is a Juraian Prince on this planet now, and a ship that can 
take us there," said the boy calmly. 

 

 "The Juraians! They were powerful allies!" gasped Luna.

 

 "Yes, and they can be again," agreed Trunks with a short nod. "We 
must move quickly though. It won't take much time for them to figure this out 
and find me. They already know I'm here, and they're trying to hunt me down and 
kill me. Once those starships make it here, it's all over for the planet. There 
will be no hope, and everything will be destroyed."

 

 "Where is this place?" asked Luna.

 

++++++++++++++++

 

 Pluto was pulling at her hair in frustration. She stared into the 
Gates of Time and pounded her fist against the side of it. "No! You idiots! 
Don't follow him! He's leading you away!"

 

 She slumped down to her knees, powerless to do anything. Behind her, 
in a tank of liquid that slowly repaired the damage to the Time Staff, the key 
like staff floated silently. It would be a day before she could retrieve it and 
travel to the Earth to do anything about it.

 

 Setsuna was powerless. She couldn't even contact her daughter to 
instruct her to stop them. The girl was walking through the streets of Tokyo 
towards the small apartment they had rented there. She had no idea what was 
going on, and didn't care to think about it.

 

 Setsuna winced at the look her daughter had on her face. Horror, 
rage, fear, anger. She was suffering under the weight of the revelation the boy 
had given her during the battle. There was nothing she could do about that at 
the moment either. 

 

 Sailor Pluto, for all that she had accomplished in her lifetime, all 
her training, wisdom, and power. She was completely helpless at the moment. She 
simply leaned against the Gates of Time and sobbed.

 

 "What has he done?"

 

+++++++++++++++

 

 To say that Tenchi Masaki was surprised to find five young girls 
standing in his yard in the middle of the night would be a bit of an 
understatement.

 

 Ryoko and Ayeka didn't look too pleased with the development either. 
Luckily, the young Trunks stood between the two groups and stared them down with 
his most serious face.

 

 "What's all this about? It's a bit late to be coming to a temple for 
prayer isn't it?"

 

 "My name is Trunks and I'm from the future. Yosho, First Prince of 
Jurai, we need your help."

 

 The man stared at him for a long moment before he spoke. "Eh?"

 

 "Well, so much for that secret," said Ryoko with a lazy 
stretch.

 

 "I'm afraid it's not that easy. You see, in the future, all of you 
have been banished from this planet by an unspeakable evil! An evil that we 
cannot hope to stop even now!"

 

 "Who the heck are you kid?" said Ryoko as she stared down at the boy 
in annoyance. 

 

 "Ryoko please! You might frighten him!" hissed Ayeka.

 

 "What? If he's scared of anyone it'd be you prune face!"

 

 Trunks stood between them with a frustrated frown. "This might take 
longer than I'd thought."

 

 "That's enough!" snapped Yosho as he glared at the girls. "We have 
guests. Now, tell me what this is about."

 

 Ranma started his tale of woe once again.

 

++++++++++++++

 

 "What?! That's crazy!" said Ryoko as she snorted and dismissed the 
story immediately.

 

 "These girls are hardly..."

 

 Ranma got a flat annoyed frown on his face as he looked over his 
shoulder. "Transform, don't ask why, just do it."

 

 The girls all looked at each other nervously and then back at the boy 
again.

 

 "Oh what is it? I already told them who you were. It's not like 
you're giving anything away you nimrods!"

 

"Colorful isn't he?" muttered Ayeka with a slight blush on her face.

 

 "Errr..." muttered Tenchi in embarrassment. "Look, you really 
shouldn't talk that way. It isn't nice for kids to say things like that you 
know."

 

 Trunks wanted to rip someone's head off he was so frustrated. "Damn 
it! We don't have time to sit around like this! We've got to escape to Jurai 
before it's too late!"

 

 "Hey, I ain't going nowhere," muttered Ryoko.

 

 "I..." started Yosho.

 

 Trunks finally grit his teeth and sighed. "Son of a bitch! What is 
with you idiots. Are you all just being dense, or is it just some lemming like 
desire to die?"

 

 "Well, you have to admit this is a bit of a stretch," said Ami 
nervously. It was obvious she wasn't used to that kind of language from a boy 
his age. "Even for us."

 

 "I'd listen to him if I were you," said another familiar voice from 
the shadows.

 

 Trunks turned and frowned at the bushes around the clearing they were 
standing in. "Urd."

 

 The woman walked out of the shadows with both of her sisters standing 
at either side of them. Skuld looked somewhat nervous as she stared at the 
little boy in front of them.

 

 "Who are you?" growled Ryoko as she moved into a defensive 
stance.

 

"She is Urd, Goddess of the Past, and those are her two sisters, Skuld and 
Belldandy," said Tsunami as she stepped out from the house and looked around at 
everyone gathered there. "If those three are backing this boy's story, I highly 
suggest you pay attention."

 

 Trunks blinked and looked around at the goddesses for a moment. Last 
he remembered about them, they were all trying to kill him still. Well, everyone 
but Tsunami that is.

 

 "Oh yeah, the boss..." said Trunks to himself as he thought about it. 
"Um, yeah! What they said!" he agreed with Tsunami. He halfway expected Nephrite 
or Jadeite to show up as the Mazoku again. Thankfully they didn't though, and 
Yosho was suddenly being very agreeable.

 

 "I see. With this kind of support, we have no choice but to believe 
him."

 

 Trunks nodded as the group gasped.

 

 "This is crazy!" snapped Ryoko.

 

 "What's crazy is staying here," said Ranma coolly. The Goddesses said 
nothing and merely stood around looking at everyone.

 

 "I cannot return to Jurai," said Yosho.

 

 "Then stay here," said Trunks. "If we fail, you'll only be 
banished."

 

 "You will need me, if only to deal with the Emperor," said Yosho with 
a heavy sigh. He was about to take off his aged disguise when Trunks spoke 
up.

 

 "I suggest you enjoy that while you can." 

 

 The man blinked and nodded with a cheerful smile on his face. "I see. 
Very well then."

 

 "So, we're leaving?" muttered Tenchi.

 

 "Interesting," said yet another familiar voice.

 

 Washuu was peering at the Senshi, making them all look nervous.

 

 "Are you coming along as well?" asked Trunks as he turned to look at 
her.

 

 The redhead turned to smile at him. "I don't see why not. After all, 
another adventure in space might be fun for once. I doubt if I'll need anyone 
rescuing me this trip."

 

 Trunks blinked and smiled at her a little. "She knows," he thought to 
himself. "Of course she does. What was I thinking?" he muttered with a 
sigh.

 

 "What was that?" asked Yosho.

 

 "Nothing. We should get going soon," said the boy calmly. He checked 
his watch and smirked. "Hey, it's been so long, I'd almost forgotten."

 

 "What's that?" asked Tenchi.

 

 "We'll meet you in orbit, take Ryo Ohki and wait. I've got one more 
pick up to make."

 

 "What's going on here?" muttered Usagi as she walked forward.

 

 "The Juraians are going to help us," said Trunks.

 

 "Who were all those people?!" snapped Rei angrily.

 

 "You mean the Goddesses?" replied Trunks.

 

 "What? That's crazy!" snapped Makoto.

 

 "What do you mean? Where do you think all your powers come from?" 
said Trunks as he started walking.

 

 The girls looked at one another and said nothing.

 

 "He's got a point," said Minako with a shrug as she started after 
him.

 

 No one else had any idea what to say, and quickly followed after 
her.

 

++++++++++++++

 

 "What is this?" said Usagi as she stared at the ship. "...something 
I've seen before!" she muttered mysteriously.

 

 "What a piece of junk!" cried Rei.

 

 Usagi felt a slight twinge of irritation at this, but she wasn't sure 
why.

 

 "It's the Mikon Taka," said Trunks calmly. "This is Ranma's ship. The 
same one he used to rescue Usagi back in the Silver Millenium."

 

 Everyone stared at him blankly.

 

 "It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve 
parsecs!"

 

 More blank stares answered him. "I've outrun Imperial starships, not 
the local bulk cruisers mind you. I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now. 
She's fast enough for you."

 

 Once again, no one said anything. 

 

 "Huh? I thought you said he was evil!?" said Minako.

 

 "He is, he had to do it so his other daughter, Ryoko, could be born. 
Luckily, she doesn't side with him. She was banished with Prince Tenchi, sent 
away from the planet."

 

 Silence reigned once again as everyone looked at the ship. Finally, 
Ami spoke up. "Are you sure that's safe?"

 

 "What a piece of junk!" repeated Rei. "There's no way I'm getting on 
that thing!"

 

 Trunks sighed and seemed to conveniently forget that he was supposed 
to be from the future. "She'll make point five past light speed. She may not 
look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I've made a lot of special 
modifications myself, but we're a little rushed, so if you'll just get on board, 
we'll get out of here."

 

 No one seemed to notice and they all climbed on board. 

 

 "This is fun!" cheered Pissant.

 

 "It still amazes me how few people here have seen that movie," said 
Carrot as he walked on after Minako.

 

 "Who's going to fly this thing anyway?" muttered Usagi from 
inside.

 

 "Me," said Trunks cheerfully.

 

 There was the sound of footsteps rushing for the door as it closed 
them all in with the boy. "Oh quit complaining," said Trunks as he hopped into 
the pilot's seat and blinked. He couldn't see over the dash. "Shit."

 

+++++++++++++++

 

 Nabiki Tendo frowned as she looked around in the darkness. It was 
early still, and her meeting with Sailor Mars wasn't for another hour. Still, 
she wanted to get a pretty good idea about the surroundings in case something 
went wrong. She doubted it though. Nervously she checked her watch again and 
sighed. "Damn. I'm too edgy."

 

 Having a space ship land almost on top of you is not the best way to 
start a meeting. Nabiki Tendo simply stared up in awe as the huge disk like ship 
floated noisily through the air. It took a moment for her to realize that it was 
descending.

 

 "Crap."

 

 She bolted away as fast as her legs could carry her, the park was 
empty otherwise. Even though, it was rather hard to miss something like that 
happening in the middle of Tokyo. Her eyes were wide as she managed to scurry 
behind a large statue and press her back against it.

 

 "Nabiki Tendo, please step on board. Especially if you'd like to be 
rid of Ranma Saotome," said a voice that sounded like it was coming from 
loudspeakers.

 

 "Huh?" She peered around the corner of the statue and blinked. "What 
the?"

 

 The ship was just sitting there, with the ramp down. Slowly she 
staggered around the statue and simply stared. "Wow."

 

 "Nabiki Tendo, this is your meeting. Would you please be kind enough 
to step on board," said the voice again. She realized that the ship had some 
sort of speaker system on it that she couldn't see. Slowly she staggered forward 
and peered into the ship.

 

 "If you do not board immediately, Ranma Saotome, along with a group 
of men in black suits are going to appear. They will kill you, and destroy this 
ship. Needless to say, I will not wait for you if that happens. Please board 
now."

 

 That seemed to snap her out of it. She stepped forward onto the ramp 
and walked up it.

 

 "NOOO!" screamed a familiar voice. Nabiki turned and blinked as Akane 
rushed up from behind with an odd weapon in her hand. She gasped as the door 
closed her inside the ship, it was too late to run now. 

 

 "Akane!" she cried as she tried anyway. A lurching sensation toppled 
her over and she was sprawled out across the ground.

 

 Five young girls were looking at her from a small table in the 
corner. They blinked and stared at each other for a long moment, not saying 
anything at all.

 

 "Hey, you might want to strap in back there," said a young voice that 
Nabiki recognized as the same voice that had ordered her to board the ship. 
"It'll get a bit bumpy in a minute."

 

 She blinked and looked into the cockpit as she staggered to her feet 
and froze.

 

 "Excuse me? Are you all right dear?" said a small black cat as it 
passed her and looked her up and down.

 

 There was a little boy at the controls, he had a gold ring floating 
over his head, and a pair of thick books under his rear as he worked the 
controls. Not knowing what else to do, her eyes rolled into her head and she 
passed out cold.

 

 "She took that rather well," commented Luna.

 

 "I wonder who she is?" said Artemis as he walked up to the girl and 
peered at her face.

 

 In the cockpit Trunks smiled to himself as the window slowly faded 
into a sea of stars. "Man, that was more fun than I'd thought...maybe we should 
go pick up Hanna too?"

 

 "We don't really have time," grumbled Dan.

 

 "I don't think he'd be very happy to see us," muttered Ranma.

 

 "Right, it's settled then!" said Carrot cheerfully. He turned the 
ship back into the atmosphere over the North American continent.

 

++++++++++++++++++

 

 George Lucas was having a nice day. It was quiet, and people were 
already forgetting about Episode One. Anticipation for the upcoming release of 
his next movie, Star Wars: Episode Two was already high. He sighed in 
contentment and relaxed a bit. Surely a name like 'Attack of the Clones' would 
pique everyone's interest. It couldn't possibly sound lame like the marketing 
people had told him. It fit the movie so well!

 

 Of course, his thoughtful session of self-congratulations was broken 
by a loud rumbling noise just outside his home. He staggered to his feet and 
stared at the bright blue light that shined through his windows. His jaw hung 
rather slack as he looked outside. Sitting in his lawn, on the dew covered 
morning grass, was the Mikon Taka. "My ship..." he muttered to himself 
dumbly.

 

 A small boy jumped out of the open hatch and waved at him cheerfully. 
He was shortly followed by another familiar figure. A blonde girl with her hair 
tied into two long pigtails. "What the?"

 

 The boy actually rose off the ground and flew up to his window. 
Without thinking, he opened it and leaned out. "Hey George! We're goin for a 
ride!" said the little boy as he pulled him out the window.

 

+++++++++++++++

 

 Back inside the starship, the Senshi all moved around uncomfortably 
as the man stared at them in horror. He backed away from them edgily, moving 
closer to Usagi. She was the only one he didn't seem fearful of.

 

 "Who is this old guy?" muttered Makoto in confusion.

 

 "I'm not sure," said Minako nervously.

 

 "I've gone to hell!" muttered George as he stared at the girls.

 

 "Um... I think I know who this guy is... but I'm not sure," said 
Makoto.

 

 "Really? Who?" asked Minako.

 

 "George Lucas, the famous movie director," said Makoto.

 

 Everyone looked at the man, and Minako was the first to greet him. 
"Really!? Can I be in your next movie!?"

 

 "ANYTHING! PLEASE DON'T FREEZE ME AGAIN!" cried George 
fearfully.

 

 The Senshi all froze and stared at him in confusion as he clutched 
Usagi's shoulder and tried to crawl into her lap. 

 

 Up in the cockpit, Trunks was smiling to himself and talking about 
how much fun he was having at the moment. He had no idea how amusing his little 
act would be.

 

+++++++++++++++++

 

 Akane stared at the scene in shock, slowly lowering her weapon as the 
starship blasted away into the sky. "Nabiki!" she whispered to herself in shock. 
"No!"

 

 Within a half-second's time, Nephrite and Kunzite were beside her. 
"What happened?" asked Nephrite.

 

 "A ship came and picked her up!" said Akane as she turned to glare at 
them. "Why wasn't I told of this?"

 

 "Ship?" said Nephrite in confusion. "There wasn't supposed to be any 
ship."

 

 Kunzite frowned as Ranma appeared with Chibi-Usa at his side. "What 
happened here? Where is Nabiki?"

 

 "We aren't sure what happened yet," said Nephrite as he nodded in 
acknowledgement at his arrival. "Someone came and picked her up in some sort of 
starship."

 

 Ranma scowled at this, but said nothing.

 

 "What can we do?" gasped Akane.

 

 "Nothing at the moment," said Ranma. "My ship has been stolen, The 
Masaki shrine is abandoned, and I've discovered the third Youma Lord."

 

 Everyone looked at him in surprise.

 

 "Why weren't we told about this?" said Kunzite angrily.

 

 "Because it just happened over the past few hours. Where do you think 
I've been all evening?"

 

 "Another Youma Lord?" muttered Akane irritably.

 

 "Yes, this one looks like a small boy, about six or so. He's very 
dangerous," growled Ranma as he looked up at the sky for a moment. "Spore, we're 
leaving." He whirled around and stalked off. Akane and the two men simply 
watched him for a moment with frowns on their faces.

 

 "He's acting weird," grumbled Kunzite.

 

 "Well, you heard him, he's had a bad day," replied Nephrite with a 
small shrug.

 

++++++++++++++++

 

 Urd sighed as she walked down the street with her two sisters. "I 
don't get him at all."

 

"Well, you know what they say...L-sama works in mysterious ways," replied 
Belldandy cheerfully.

 

 "I kind of miss Father," grumbled Skuld.

 

 "The new guy isn't so bad, he bothers us less than Father did. Plus, 
he treats his wife well," replied Urd with a small shrug. "We didn't exactly get 
off on the right foot though...not when I met him anyway."

 

Belldandy chuckled at this. "He likes you Urd. I'm not sure why, but he 
does. Auntie Hotaru is nice as well. I'm sure everything will turn out 
fine."

 

 "Yeah, but he's so... informal," grumbled Urd with a slightly 
confused looking frown on her face. "It kind of creeps me out."

 

 Skuld had frozen in her tracks and was now staring at something 
nearby. Her face slowly broke into a smile and she squealed in pure euphoric 
joy. 

 

 "Huh?" said Skuld as she turned to look at what the young Goddess had 
found. "Oh man."

 

 Sitting proudly in the window of a small shop was a sign. "Eat your 
own weight in ice cream, and it's all free!" Oddly enough, the store was still 
open. A rather pathetic looking man was sitting just outside with his head in 
his hands. He looked somewhat downtrodden, but lightened up when he saw the 
little girl approaching him. "Hello!"

 

 "Is that sign true!?" cried Skuld as she grabbed him by his 
collar.

 

 "There's no way it could possibly happen twice in one day!" thought 
the man with a somewhat evil grin on his face. The child in front of him looked 
absolutely scrawny. There was just no way she could eat that much. "Yeah, it 
is."

 

 "Come on! We've got to get started!" cried Skuld as she pulled him 
inside the building.

 

 "Oh my!" muttered Belldandy as she watched the scene.

 

 "Well, I guess there's no point in hanging around here," muttered Urd 
as she continued to walk away.

 

 Belldandy fretted nervously, but didn't argue. They weren't very far 
from home now anyway.

 

 An hour later, yet another angered and broken cry echoed through the 
streets of Tokyo. Jiro's Ice Cream's challenge had fallen once again.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 TBC...

 

 Next Time: Yet Another Space Adventure!!


 

--- Carrotglace

--- carrotglace@mindspring.com 

--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.


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