The disclaimer, practically every character here is NOT mine.  They all 
belong
to their respective company.  I am using a lot of them, so I can't list them
all.  Beside, I am gonna add more series to the story later on.  Don't sue 
me.
Pleeeeeeese!  I haven't got a penny!  For others, there are SOME characters 
I
made up, but who cares?  I don't.

Ranma Crossover fanfic

WARNING!
Some of the contents might damage your stomach from laughing too much.  Read 
at
your own risk.





STALLION

Chapter 12.



< The More they gather, the noisier it gets... >




In an alley behind a downtown building.  Not a sound could be heard except 
for
the scurrying of mice.  As to be expected in any alley in a city the ground 
was
littered with garbage and the stench  in the air was absolutely horrible.

Suddenly, a circle of light appeared on the ground, startling the mice which
were scavenging for food.  By the time the little creatures had fled the 
scene,
a figure rose from the circle.  The figure, who was wearing some kind of a 
high
millitary officer uniform, looked around his surroundings silently.

Sadowine, the man who rose from the circle, took out something from his 
pocket
after he made sure the coast was clear.  It was a small dark marble.  
Without
hesistation, he threw the mable at one of the corners.  Then he turned 
around,
walked into the still shining circle, and disappeared just as quietly as he
appeared.

The marble now layed right beside a dumpster.  It stayed motionless until 
the
circle of light disappeared.  As soon as the portal ceased to be, however, 
it
began to shake violently.  Only seconds later, a dark frame burst out of the
marble and began to solidify.  Soon instead of a small marble, there stood a 
10
feet tall monster, growling.


********************


Inside the Masaki Shrine, Katsuhito poured tea into five cups.  Then he 
served
one to each of his visitors, leaving one for himself.  Afterwards, he sat 
back
down on his seat and calmly sipped the tea, quietly enjoying the aroma.  It 
was
very peaceful.

'Well... it would be more peaceful if that short-haired girl would stop 
glaring
at me.  It's like she's trying to burn a hole into my face.'  He put an 
amused
smile on his lip as he confronted her.  "Is there anything on my face, young
lady?  Or are you just interested in older men?"

"Wha-what?!?  Why you!!"

Haruka was about to explode, when an arm stopped her.  She looked back to 
see
Setsuna calmly restraining her.  The Senshi of Time spoke with a small 
frown.
"I told you not to cause any problems, didn't I?  And Katsuhito, don't tease 
her
like that.  You two have only met."

Katsuhito shrugged his shoulders.  "I couldn't really help it.  It's been a 
LONG
while since a young girl looked at me so intently like that."

Setsuna chuckled.  "Excuse me, but you sound like you are turning into 
another
Happousai."(1)

"Don't even say that name, Setsuna!"  Katsuhito shivered.  "It's not even
funny."

Setsuna smiled playfully.  "Relax.  I'm only teasing you.  Besides, if you 
ever
do turn into a pervert like him, I'll beat you senseless until you change 
back.
You have nothing to worry about."

"Is that so?  Hahaha!"  Katsuhito laughed out loud.  "My my.  I better be
careful then."

"You got that right!"

Setsuna also laughed with him, which made the rest of the Outers dumbly 
stare at
her.  They had never seen this side of Setsuna before.  Even in front of her
fellow Senshi, Setsuna had always acted so cool and composed.  But right now 
she
was acting like...  'She's... she's acting like a... a GIRL!'

Not noticing the confused and bewildered look of her friends, Setsuna began 
to
introduce them.  "Oh, these are my friends.  This girl is Hotaru..."

"...nice to meet you, sir..."  Hotaru quietly bowed to the priest who nodded
with a smile.

"...and the one beside her is Michiru..."

"Hello."  Michiru greeted Katsuhito with a smile, which he returned with his
own.

"...and the one whom you were teasing earlier is Haruka."

"Hmph!"  Haruka snorted and turned her head, but Katsuhito only smirked at 
this.

Then his face suddenly turned serious as he lowered his voice.  "So... they 
must
be your... acquaintances from the... Moon Kingdom.  Am I correct?"

The Outers gasped, except Setsuna who nodded with a faint smile.  "Yes, they
are."

Katsuhito solemnly nodded his head.  "Does this mean you found your 
princess?"

"My my.  You remembered a lot.  You must've been really paying attention to 
my
story back then."  Setsuna seemed impressed with Katsuhito's memory.  "I 
didn't
think you'd remember all that, since I told you the story only once."

"Wa-wait a minute, Setsuna!!"  Haruka quickly leaned toward Setsuna and 
hissed
angrily.  "You told HIM about US?"

"Well, yes."  Setsuna answered calmly despite receiving an angered look from 
her
friend.  "I have known him for 700 years.  Of course I told him about me and 
the
Moon Kingdom."

"To HIM?  This jackass from who knows where?  For what?"  Haruka pointed her
fingers at Katsuhito.  "He has no right to know!  This guy isn't one of us!  
He
isn't even from this Solar System!"

Katsuhito just sipped his tea calmly.  "It's not polite to point at anyone,
young lady, especially to an elder."

Haruka glared at him.  "Shut up!  This doesn't concern you!  This is OUR
business, so butt out!"

Katsuhito didn't even flinch under the gaze of the short-haired girl.  "My 
my.
Young girls these days really don't know how to respect their elders.  It's
really a shame."

"What?!  You..."

But Michiru gently held back her partner.  "Now now.  There is no need to 
get
upset that fast.  After all, Setsuna said he's her friend.  But really, 
Setsuna,
is it wise to discuss our problem in front of him?"

Setsuna calmly replied to her fellow Senshi.  "Of course.  It's not like 
he's
going to tell anyone.  Even if he does, I got more dirt on him than he has 
on
me.  Basically, he has more to lose than us, so he won't tell our secret to
anyone.  Isn't that right, Katsuhito?"

Katsuhito smirked.  "Ever so cunning, eh Setsuna?"

"I can't help it.  My job and duty require me to be."  Setsuna turned to the
others.  "Beside, even if you DO attack him, you guys are no match for him, 
even
with your Senshi power."

Michiru was mildly surprised to hear this, but Haruka was...  "WHAT?!?" 
...plain
mad.

"I said, he's a better fighter than both of you combined, so it's just not 
worth
it.  So calm down, will you?"  Setsuna calmly explained, which actually 
fueled
Haruka's anger.

"What?  That rusted old piece of alien would beat ME?!  Me, Sailor Uranus, 
the
defender of the Solar System!?  Don't make me laugh!  An old vagabond like 
him
wouldn't last a minute against me!"

Michiru smacked her forehead.  'Great.  Now he knows she's Sailor Uranus.'

If Katsuhito caught Haruka's slip, he didn't show.  He just kept sipping his
tea, casually conversing with Hotaru.  "So, you live with them and Setsuna, 
eh?"

"Um... yes."  Hotaru fidgeted her fingers.  Shy in front of a stranger as 
ever,
she didn't feel very comfortable talking to the old priest just yet.  
However
his seemingly close friendship with Setsuna and his kind gaze toward the 
young
girl told her that he was someone whom she could trust.

But before Hotaru could gather enough courage to speak to Katsuhito, Haruka
yelled at him again.  "You!  Didn't you hear me?!  This is OUR business!  
You
are not welcome here, so get your butt outside!"

Katsuhito again sipped his tea before answering.  "Don't be so rude, young 
lady.
After all, this place is MY shrine and this room is also MY room.  You have 
no
right to kick me out of my own room, do you?"

Haruka shut her mouth tightly as she realized her mistake, although she 
wouldn't
admit it.  Michiru shook her head disapprovingly, while Setsuna just smiled
faintly.

"However..."  Katsuhito spoke as he put down his teacup.  "...if you win a
little bet with me, I'll gladly remove myself from your presence.  How's 
that?"

"Oh?"  Haruka's eyebrow perked at the offer.  "And what is this... little 
bet?"

"Simple."  Katsuhito grinned.  "If you succeed in getting me out of this 
seat
then you win."

"Hah!  Then it's no contest!  I'll get you outta here in no time!"

Wasting no time, she lunged at the old priest.  Michiru and Hotaru gasped in
surprise, although Setsuna simply smirked.  Katsuhito himself didn't even 
raise
an eyebrow as he just sat there watching Haruka almost reaching him.  Haruka
smiled as her finger almost touched his robe.  'Gotcha!'

At the last moment, however, Katsuhito simply twisted his body, letting the
startled Haruka simply fly by him.  Not being able to even grab him, Haruka
turned her shocked eyes to her back, not noticing a pile of book in front of
her.

_CRASH!_

Michiru and Hotaru shut their eyes as the crashing sound rang through the 
room.
When they opened their eyes, Haruka had buried herself under a heavy pile of
books.

The priest put down his cup and turned his head to the short-haired girl.  
"Oh,
by the way, you have to clean up any mess that you make during this bet, 
okay?"

Haruka stood up abruptly and angrily hissed at him.  "Fine!!"  Then she 
stomped
up to the priest who simply sat and watched.  This time she quickly lunged 
and
grabbed his robes.  "I got you..."

But she couldn't finish her words, as Katsuhito gently twisted her arm and 
threw
her away, amazingly his lower half still in the seat.  Haruka flew up in the
air, before crashing down on the floor.

_BAM!_

"Urgh......"

Katsuhito tsked as he spoke.  "Not yet, not yet.  I'll give you one more 
chance.
Use it wisely."

"Shut up!"  Haruka, showing amazing recovery, this time ran up to him and
grabbed his throat.  "I'll make you regret messing with me!"

But Katsuhito didn't even look threatened, as he casually grabbed Haruka's 
ankle
and flipped her over.  The short-haired girl was again up in the air, before
crashing into the closet.

_CRASH!_

"Haruka!"
"Haruka-papa!"

While Michiru and Hotaru rushed to Haruka's side, Katsuhito sipped his tea
quitely.  "She still needs more practice, Setsuna."

"I agree."  Setsuna smiled back at him, who grinned widely.

---------------

A while passed.  Haruka grumbled as she organized the room during which 
Setsuna
explained her current predicament to Katsuhito.  Michiru and Hotaru offered 
to
help the short-haired Senshi, but she refused.  Not wanting to hurt her 
pride
any more, the two sat silently and watched their other friend and the priest 
in
deep conversation.

"So you mean there is a disturbance in the timeline and it somehow damaged 
your
Time Gate?"  Katsuhito wondered out loud.  "It's hard to believe... I didn't 
see
the Time Gate myself, but I gathered it was very powerful from what I heard 
from
you."

Setsuna nodded as she continued to explain.  "It IS very powerful.  But the
disturbance itself was even more powerful.  For now, the Time Gate is...
unavailable.  This puts me and my colleagues in a great disadvantage.  Our
future... and the Moon Kingdom's fate... are no longer certain..."

"...what do you need me to do, then?"

With a serious look, Setsuna calmly replied.  "I want you to find someone 
for
me."

"Oh?"  The priest raised his eyebrow at this.  "And who might be this...
lucky(?) person?"

"I do not know who he is or where he came from.  We only discovered him
yesterday.  All we know is that this boy has incredible amount of energy
residing in him, and that he has an alien friend.  We do know that some of 
his
relatives lives in Tokyo, but we cannot ask them since that would expose
ourselves.  We need to find out more about him and his friend in secret..."

"Hmm..."  Katsuhito nodded his head in understanding.

Setsuna continued her explanation.  "We are not certain if he's the one who
caused the disturbance, but at least for now he's our prime suspect.  With
something as great as his power he might have caused the disturbance without
knowing it himself.  Either way, we need to know where he stands.  If for 
some
reason he was to stand against us in the future, there is no telling what 
might
happen.  We need to find him and make sure that he is no threat to us, or 
all
the things we've done so far might end up being... an wasted effort."

Katsuhito again nodded his head.  "I understand.  So you want me to find 
that
boy and his alien friend, right?  Okay, I'll see what I can.  I know someone 
who
might be able to help...  By the way, what did he look like?  I mean, I need 
a
description if I was to find someone..."

Michiru cut in during the conversation to give the description of the boy.  
"The
boy looked around 16 or 17.  He has his hair in a ponytail, and he used some
sort of energy sword, with a hilt made out of wood."

Right at that moment the door opened, revealing the boy in question.  
"Grandpa,
you got company there?"

"!"

The world, at least the one inside the room, stood still for a moment.
Katsuhito had just realized that the one her friend was looking for was no 
one
other than his grandson himself, while the Outers were simply too shocked to
even speak as they stared at the ponytailed boy.  Tenchi?  He had no idea 
why
the woman with the dark green hair was here, but he knew deep in his heart 
that
he wasn't going to like this at all.

"Um... hi..."  Tenchi finally found courage to break the tension as he 
nervously
waved his hand.  'What is SHE doing here?'

But Tenchi's thought was interrupted by an angry yell of Haruka.  "Hey, 
you!!"

"Eh?"

"You're that one from... mmm mmmm... mmmm mmm mmm mmmmm?!"  Haruka glared at
Michiru who had her mouth covered with a hand.

"Shhhhhh!  Are you TRYING to reveal our identity, AGAIN?!"

Haruka finally calmed down a notch.  She didn't stop glaring at him though, 
much
to his nervousness.

Hotaru didn't know what to do in this awkward situation, so she just greeted 
the
boy quietly.  "He-hello, Tenchi-san..."

"Huh?"  Tenchi blinked in confusion at first, but smiled when he recognized 
the
girl's face.  "Ah!  Hotaru... right?  What are you doing here?"

"Well......"

But before the girl could answer, she was interrupted by a cold emotionless
voice of Setsuna, which sent chill down to everyone's bones.  "I should ask 
you
the same thing.  What are YOU doing here?"

Tenchi staggered back a little in fear.  "Um... I... live down there... 
and..."

It was then when Katsuhito suddenly spoke up.  "Tenchi.  You don't have to 
do
any chores today.  Go home and rest for now."

"Eh?  Re-really?  But..."
"Don't make me repeat myself.  Now leave."

Tenchi cringed a little at the priest's low tone, before muttering in a 
quite
voice.  "O-okay..."  He was about to leave the room when the woman's cold 
voice
again stopped him in his mid-step.

"Stop."

Actually, it was more like he froze in fear rather than he obeyed her words
consciously.  As he turned his head slowly, Tenchi put on his best 
nonchalant
smile.  "Ye-yes?"

But Setsuna didn't answer to the boy, and turned her attention to the old
priest.  "What's the meaning of this, Katsuhito?  I thought you were going 
to
HELP me find this boy."  Everyone in the room gulped audibly when they saw 
the
cold anger in both her tone and her eyes.  She was upset, to say the least, 
and
it was now directed straight to Katsuhito.

Amazingly, Katsuhito himself didn't even flinch.  "I'll explain later, 
Setsuna.
Well, go on, Tenchi.  Ah!  Also, I'll be joining you guys for dinner tonight
with the ladies here, so be sure to tell Sasami to prepare some extra 
meals."

Tenchi took a quick glance at the woman who now had a deep frown on her 
face.
"Um... are you sure...?"
"Yes, I am.  Now go!  Sasami will need some extra time to prepare those 
meals."
"O-okay!"  Tenchi quickly opened the door and ran out as fast as he could,
leaving only dirt left on his trail.

"..."  Setsuna silently gazed at her friend before speaking up again.  
"...well?
What do you have to say for yourself?"

Katsuhito smirked.  "I am amazed you didn't recognize him, Setsuna.  But 
then
again, it's been a long while since you saw him last time."

"...what are you talking about?"

"Setsuna, he's Tenchi."

"So what......"  Setsuna suddenly shut her mouth tightly.  She just stared 
off
for a while, before pointing finger at the direction to which Tenchi had
disappeared to.  "...you mean?"

"Yes, he's my grandson.  The very same one you helped me naming him.  You
totally forgot, didn't you?"  Katsuhito chuckled, amused.  "I knew that
description sounded somewhat familar.  I can't believe you forgot about him,
Setsuna.  He even peed on your dress once."

But his face hardened when he heard the still cold voice of the Senshi.  
"So?"

"So?  What do you mean...?"  Katsuhito's eyse widened in surprise.  "You...
don't really think Tenchi's the one who caused the disturbance, do you?"

Setsuna smiled again but this time it was one that was menacing and cold.  
"What
if I do?"

"Setsuna......"  Katsuhito gazed at his friend in disbelief.

Time elapsed slowly inside the room.  For a long while all the two friends 
did
was to glare at each other coldy.  The rest of the Outers in the room felt
really uncomfortable.  Michiru nervously casted glances between the two, 
while
Hotaru shivered feeling scared.  Even Haruka, who obviously didn't like
Katsuhito, wasn't all that happy to see Setsuna glaring at him.  They felt 
as if
the room temperature had gone down a notch.

The one who broke the silence first was Katsuhito, giving the Outers much 
needed
relief.

"You DO know where I'll have to stand if you were to fight with Tenchi, 
don't
you?"  But the content of his words scared them even more.

"Of course.  And YOU do know that I'll show no mercy to anyone, your 
grandson
nor even you, when and if that time comes, don't you?"  The reply of their
fellow Senshi sounded meaner than before, making the room even colder than
before.

The silent glaring match between the two old friends resumed, straining the
already outstretched nerve of the rest of the people in the room.  No one 
dared
to break the silence though, since they didn't really know what to say.  The
uneasy and threatening silence lasted for a while.

Again, it was Katsuhito who broke it up.  "Well, that time hasn't come yet, 
so
let's drop the subject.  Why don't we go down and meet some of our friends,
Setsuna?  I also want to introduce Tenchi to you more properly.  You haven't
seen his house yet, have you?  It's Nobuyuki's work, you know."

Setsuna smiled as she stood up.  "Oh, is that so?  He finally finished that
house, huh?  I don't think I have met your son-in-law in person yet.  I 
think
I'll do that right now."

_BAM!_

The rather loud and hard facefault did the damage to the Outer Senshi only a
very few of their previous opponents could.  The turn of the event was that 
much
unexpected, unbelievable, and unprepared for.

"Hey, wait a minute!"  Haruka, being the toughest one there, stood up first 
and
yelled at the departing two.  "That's IT?!  You two were ready to tear each
other apart only a moment ago!  But you just shrug it off like that?!  
That's
insane!"

However Katsuhito only blinked at the frustrated Senshi.  "So what?  It's 
not
like she already attacked Tenchi or anything."
"But, but......"
"Geez, you sound like you WANT us to tear each other apart.  Do you really?  
Two
close friends like us?  You are more cruel and cold-hearted than you look, 
young
lady."
"I'm NOT!  And stop calling me young lady!"
The priest only smirked at her outburst.  "Oh, so you want me to call you an 
OLD
lady?  You have a weird taste, OLD lady."
"Why you!!"

This time Setsuna interrupted in a calm voice.  "It's not certain if his
grandson IS the one who caused the disturbance or not.  We cannot determine 
that
until we know more about him.  Now, what's the point in antagonizing him, 
when
we can find more about him in a friendlier fashion?  I am just doing what I 
am
supposed to do, only in more subtle way."
"But!"
Setsuna put on a smile again, the smile that was playful and more cheerful 
like
the one before.  "Also, I haven't seen Katsuhito for a long time.  So I want 
to
enjoy myself today somewhat.  Anything wrong with that?"
"But!!"
"Let's go, Katsuhito."  Setsuna turned away and walked off, leaving the
dumbfounded Outers behind.

Katsuhito followed after his friend, pausing only enough to speak to the 
Outers.
"Oh, you can come too if you want to.  But only after you finish cleaning up 
the
mess, okay?"

"..."  Haruka replied with absolute silence.  She was too stunned to speak,
which was the same for the others.  Michiru and Hotaru just dumbly stared at 
the
departing form of Katsuhito and Setsuna, who chatted lively as they walked.

By the time she could no longer see the two friends, Haruka was ready to 
pluck
out all of her hair in frustration.  "What the heck is going on here?!  This 
is
NOT like her!  Is she some kind of a fake?"

"Probably not.  I think it's HIM what's different, not Setsuna."

"Huh?"  Haruka blinked at Michiru.  "What do you mean?"

"I think that Katsuhito person brings out the happier side of Setsuna.  The 
part
that even Setsuna herself normally doesn't remember..."
"What?!  That jerk?!  Give me a break!"

Michiru replied with a faint smile.  "I understand you perfectly, Haruka, 
that
you don't want to admit that there is someone who's closer to Setsuna than 
us.
But it's true.  You saw her just now, didn't you?"
"..."

Michiru sat down and continued to speak.  "When the Moon Kingdom fell, all 
of us
died once.  We Senshi returned as the reincarnations less than only a couple 
of
decades ago.  But it was different with Setsuna.  She... survived.  She has 
been
alive for the last several millernia... alone..."

"..."  Neither Haruka nor Hotaru could speak.  They realized that they had 
never
thought about Setsuna's life in such a manner.

"Alone...  How can someone stand being alone for such a long time?  
Millenia...
the word is short but its meaning is larger than anything I can imagine.  
She
must've been really lonely...  I don't know what part of him really clicked 
with
Setsuna, but that man gave her something she hadn't had for a very long 
time.  A
friend.  The companionship.  Someone she could talk to.  I can't really 
blame
her for acting so friendlier with him than she does with us...  He gave her 
his
support when WE couldn't.  I actually think we should thank him for that..."

Haruka and Hotaru slowly took in Michiru's words into their mind.  It was 
then
when they realized that they didn't know much about their long haired 
comrade.
'She never told us anything... but we also never asked...'

The silence lasted between the Outers for a moment.  Even Michiru herself, 
who
had said such things, was beginning to feel a little guilty.  None of them 
had
anything to say.


"Hellooooo?  Is anyone hereeeee?"


The Outers blinked simultaneously.  That voice just rang through the air 
somehow
sounded... familiar.  'It can't be...'

---------------

"I don't think anyone is here right now, Rei-chan."  Usagi turned to the 
rest of
her friends.  "There isn't a person in sight!  No one's answering my calls,
either."

"That's because normal people wouldn't shout their lungs out in a shrine!"  
Rei
screamed at her friend out of frustration.  "Can't you keep your mouth shut 
for
just a second?!"

"Bu-but I just wanted to help!"  Usagi replied with tears dwelling up in her
eyes.

"If you wanna help then BE QUIET!"


"I think it's YOU who should be quiet."


"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Aaah!  It wasn't me, I swear!"  Usagi held up her hands in a defensive 
posture.

"THEN WHO DID... huh?"  Rei blinked when she realized Usagi was right.  The
sudden voice came from behind her, not from her friends.  The widened eyes 
of
her fellow Senshi, which were dumbly staring at someone standing behind her,
also proved her right.  Rei slowly turned her head to see the smirking face 
of
Haruka, who stood there with the Outers.

"Yo!"

--------------------

Katsuhito and Setsuna were talking about the old times as they walked 
through
the shortcut.  About midway to the house, Setsuna suddenly raised her 
eyebrow
and stopped in her steps.  She turned her gaze to the forest and frowned a
little.

Noticing that his friend was no longer following him, Katsuhito asked in a
curious voice.  "What's wrong, Setsuna?"

"Huh?"  Setsuna turned her head back to him, and smiled a bit.  "Ah, 
nothing.
Nothing at all."

"?"  Katsuhito wondered what was up with her now, but decided to drop it 
anyway.
He continued to walk down the path, which Setsuna soon followed.  But the 
frown
on her face lasted a little longer.

'I think I felt something from inside the forest... but I'm not so sure.  
Ever
since the Time Gate was broken, my time sense has been somewhat out of
control...  *sigh* I can't even trust myself nowadays...  I have to do 
something
about it... or...'

--------------------

"Huh?"  Ranma stopped in the middle of his spar with Minagi.  "...weird..."

"What's wrong, Ranma-kun?"  Minagi also stopped her movement and asked him 
in
confusion.

"I don't know why... but I think I felt a tug."

"Huh?  Who?  There are only two of us here."

"I know that, but... I definitely felt something... pulling my shoulder."

"Really?"

"Yeah..."  Ranma replied, as he gazed toward a certain direction.  "I think 
it
was from... over there."

"Over there?"  Minagi blinked.  "That's where the path to the shrine is...
but...

"Hmm, must be my imagination."  Ranma hesitated a bit before returning to 
his
stance.  "Let's go!"

"Okay!"  Minagi smirked as she held up her sword again.  "Be ready!"


********************


Morisato Keiichi was an expert mechanic.  Well, he might not be the best, 
since
he was never the best at anything, but he was at least a very reliable one.  
So
whatever he built, the machine would be as reliable as him.

Skuld was... a different story.  True, she was the maintainer of the most 
grand
and complex computer system in the universe.  She had forgotten more than a
master mechanical engineer could remember in his lifetime.  There could be 
no
human being that knew more about a machine than her.  Absolutely not.

The problem was that her ideas were acutally even greater than her skills.  
Some
of her creations left much to be desired mainly because of this.  She always
thought that she could make anything.  She could, really, but just not as 
many
as she believed she could...

Keiichi knew this well.  Too well.  Not surprising, really.  It wasn't very
often that Skuld screwed up, but whenever she did, Keiichi was the one who
usually ended up with injuries.  It was acutally a miracle that he had 
survived
through all those disasters.  Truth be told, he didn't want to remember any 
of
those moments.  Everytime he looked back to the incidents, he had to 
re-taste
the unavoidable sense of doom.

Just like the one that Keiichi was feeling right now.

"Skuld, are you sure this thing works?"  Keiichi asked the young goddess as 
he
nervously eyed the plate-shaped machine he was currently standing on.

"Of course it will!  Are you doubting my skills?"  Skuld glared at the 
mortal,
who cringed a little.

"No, not at all!  It's just that I've never been on a... what did you say 
this
is again?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?!  It's <Poof Poof Teleport 300>!"

"Um, yes, that...  I've never been on... one of them before, so I'm kinda
nervous..."

"Don't worry!  There's nothing to be worried about.  You don't see my sister
being so nervous, do you?"

Belldandy, who was examining the machine in curiosity, held up her head.  
"Hmm?
What was that about me?"

"Nothing, nothing.  Now, I'm gonna press the start button, okay?"

"Okay."  Belldandy smiled as she answered cheefully.  Keiichi sighed in 
defeat
and also nodded.

"Good, here we go!"  Triumphantly, Skuld raised her hand up high.  But she
paused all of sudden, turning her head toward Keiichi with a curious look.  
"By
the way, where's Urd?"

Keiichi, who had tensed up, expecting something disastrous to happen, eased 
up a
bit.  "Um, she said she had business to take care of.  I think she'll be 
back by
dinner time..."

"Oh, okay."  Not wasting a moment, Skuld lowered her hand and slammed her 
palm
on the red button in front of her.  "Let's go!"

The machine started to shake as it sounded some weird humming noise.  It 
also
began to glow, and the light surrounded the three standing on it.  While the
machine itself looked plain, its operation was somewhat spectacular.  Skuld
beamed with joy as she put on a wide victorious grin.  Belldandy blinked a 
bit
first, but soon smiled also, happy that her sister's creation was working 
fine.
It was then when Keiichi realized something.

"Um, Skuld?"

"What?"

"Um, you said this thing will send us over to Yokohama, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Just us?  It's not coming with us?"

"Yeah.  What about it?"

"Then how do we..."

The light suddenly burst out, totally covering the three.  When the light 
died
down, the machine still stood, but there was no one standing on it...

--------------------

"...get... back?"

Keiichi managed to finish the question.  But it was a little too late.  They
were now standing by themselves on a road in who-knows-where.

Skuld blinked, not being able to process the question right away.  When she
finally did though, she wasn't very happy about it.  "Keiichi!  You 
should've
asked me that earlier!"

"What?  Don't be ridiculous!  You were the one who made it, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but I made it for YOUR convenience!"

"But I didn't ask you, did I?"

"Oh, so now you don't want my help, is that it?  Is that it?"

"No-not that... but..."  Keiichi scratched his head nervously.  He knew he 
was
fighting a losing battle, and he knew that it would be better if he'd give 
in
already.  Then he realized another crucial fact.  "Wait, where's the 
package?"

"Huh?"  Skuld blinked in confusion.  "What package?"

"The package I was supposed to deliver!"

"Oh."  Skuld scratched her chin.  "You were supposed to... bring that, too?"

"Of course!  That's what a delivery is supposed to be!"

"Ah, don't worry, Keiichi-san."  Belldandy raised her hand, interrupting the
two.  "I brought it with me.  See?"

Both Skuld and Keiichi relaxed when they saw the big box which Belldandy was
sitting on.  Unfortunately, more problems came up in his mind.

"Wait a minute.  Where in Yokohama are we?  In fact, are we even in Yokohama 
at
all?"

Offended, Skuld almost screamed at him.  "Of course we are!  I've set the
coordinates myself!  There's no mistake!"

"But..."  Keiichi nervously looked around.  "...Yokohama is a port...  But I
don't see any ocean... and I don't think it has any mountain road like 
this..."

It was then when Skuld noticed her surroundings for the first time.  They 
were
currently standing on a road surrounded by a forest and not a hint of ocean 
in
sight.  A bead of sweat rolled down on the back of her head.  She quickly 
shook
off her doubt though, and claimed in confidence.  "Don't worry!  We must be 
on
the outer part of the city.  You know, the part AWAY from the ocean.  All we
have to do is walk a little!"

"A little?"  Keiichi's shoulders sagged in defeat.  "Yokohama is not a small
village, you know.  It's a big city..."

"Or until we find a bus stop!  Geez, Keiichi.  You are always too 
pessimistic."

Keiichi sighed, as he lifted up the box over his shoulders.  "Yes, yes.  
Let's
go."

Belldandy, who had been watching the whole thing quietly, smiled.  'They 
sure
get along.'

Suddenly, the nearby bush shook.  The three froze, and watched the bush
cautiously.  The movement got larger and larger, until the bush parted away.
Much to their relief, it was just a boy.  He carried a big backpack, and 
wore a
bandana around his head.(4)

The boy blinked when he saw the three people staring at him.  Then he 
blinked
some more as he looked at the road.  He looked down at his map, as he 
scratched
his head in confusion.  "Weird.  I thought this would lead me to the city...
Where did I go wrong?"

Keiichi and the goddesses also blinked.  When Skuld noticed the map in the 
boy's
hand, her eyes widened.  "Hey, you got a map!  Do you know where we are?"

"Eh?  What do you mean?"

"We are a bit... lost ourselves.  Do you know where this place is?"

"Um... I think we are somewhere near Yokohama."(5)

Skuld smiled victoriously as she turned to Keiichi.  "See?  It worked!  We 
are
in Yokohama!"

"Okay, okay.  We are in Yokohama."  Keiichi rolled his eyes, and asked the 
boy
again.  "But where in Yokoahama are we?"

"Um, I'm not so sure myself.  I was acutally heading for Tokyo myself, but I
somehow ended up here..."  The boy put on a shy smile as he fidgeted his
fingers.

Keiichi didn't like the sound of that for some reason.  He still had some 
doubt
about their whereabouts.  However, Skuld didn't.  She was confident they 
were in
Yokohama.  "Okay, then let's go!  You have to deliver that by tomorrow, 
don't
you?  Come on, Keiichi!"

"Wa-wait up!  Don't walk so fast!  This thing's really heavy!"

Keiichi hurriedly tried to catch up with Skuld, who walked away in a random
direction.  Belldandy followed them silently with a smile, while the boy 
wearing
the bandana blinked for a while, before going after them himself.  "He-hey, 
can
you guys lead me to the city?"

If any of them paused for a moment to look up, they would have seen the road
sign that clearly said "Welcome to Okayama!"...


********************


_Ring-ring_  _Ring-ring_  _Ring-ring_  _click!_

*"Hello?"*

"Hello.  I'm calling for some info?"

*"About what?"*

"Sailor Scouts."

*"Sorry.  We don't deal with any supernatural stuff.  Takes too much 
research.
Good day to you, ma'am."*

"Wa-wait!  This is not about their supernatural power!  I just want some 
basic
statistics!"

*"In that case, it'll cost you extra.  It won't be easy to measure the 
bodysizes
of those girls, you know."*

"Body...size?  What are you talking about?"

*"Hey, it's our policy not to be concerned about customer's lifestyle.  We 
don't
judge, as long as we get our cash."*

"What does that got to do...  Oh no!  It's not like that!"

*"Whatever.  Like I said, it's our policy not to be..."*

"I'm telling you, it ain't like that!"

*"Whatever."*

"Grrr...  Anyhow!  All I need is some statistics of the Sailor Scouts.  Like
when they first appear, and where did they appeared, etc, etc."

*"So you want the simple stats about their activities?"*

"Yeah, that's right."

*"Okay, in that case...  Let's see.  Basic fee, labor, informant fee, 
business
expense..."*

"...um, business expense?"

*"We're not running a charitiy here, ma'am.  This is a legitimate 
business."*

"...a legitimate UNDERGROUND business?  You don't even pay taxes!"

*"Oh, that reminds me.  Tax..."*

"HEY!"

*"We need some numbers put down on our book.  You know, just in case."*

"Don't they usually put down some fake numbers there?  Why do I have to pay 
for
those numbers?!"

*"Hey, if we write down fake numbers on the book, we won't be legitimate."*

"But you are NOT!"

*"Well, the government doesn't know that, does it?  Look, you want the info 
or
not?"*

"Why you dirty swindling..."

*"Thank you.  We do appreciate your compliments on our performance."*

"That wasn't a compliment!"

*"Nor was mine an appreciation."*

"You little...  Alright.  How much?"

A number was returned as the reply.

"WHAT?!"  ...actually, rather a very large number was returned as the reply.

*"My apology, but my partner and I decided on the payment amount.  I cannot
change the fee without a permission from my partner."*

"Grrr...  Alright!  I'll pay!  As soon as I get the info!"

*"Sorry, ma'am.  50% advance payment required.  Store policy."*

"...fine!"

*"Good day to you, then."*

"You already screwed up my day!"

*"Then a screwed up day to you."*  _click_

"Ooooooooh, that stuck-up, arrogant, ripoff..."  Urd was about to slam down 
the
phone, but decided against it.  "Well, I guess it's no big deal.  It's not 
like
I'm paying her with my own money..."

Urd hung up the phone and walked away, with a bankbook in her hand.  A 
bankbook
which had Morisatio Keiichi's name on it...

--------------------

In the Tendo Dojo, Nabiki was about to walk away from the phone when Soun's
voice caught her.

"Nabiki, can you go out and buy me some beer?  I'll pay the usual 15% labor
fee."

"Sorry, Dad.  I have to go up and tell my partner to gather some info for 
me."

"Huh?  You had one of your friends come over?  Odd.  I didn't see anyone in 
your
room.  I only saw your computer left on there."

"Precisely."


********************


"Odd...  Where did she go?"  Mamoru hang up his phone, scratching his head.

He had just called Usagi's house, Rei's shrine, and even the arcade to check 
if
his soulmate was there.  However, she was nowhere to be found, nor was any 
of
her fellow Senshi.

"She must be with her friends... but where?"

Chiba Mamoru was not the sort of a man who wanted to have absolute control 
over
his girl.  If Usagi wanted to hang around with her friends alone, that was 
fine.
To be honest, even Mamoru himself would prefer it that way.  Just like the 
last
experience had taught him, there was nothing more pathetic than a man stuck 
in a
bunch of girls.

However, the current situation didn't really leave him at ease.  He and 
other
Senshi had encountered a mysterioius enemy just yesterday.  While the Inners 
and
himself didn't fight the new enemies until the last minute, the Outers were
engaged in a battle with them with quite some difficulties.  The appearance 
of
new youma was not a good sign of peace, not to mention...

'...that annoying jackass in a cape!'

A rather big vein popped up on Mamoru's forehead.  While he wasn't the 
nicest
guy in the world, it took a lot to offend Tuxedo Kamen.  The man whom they 
met
yesterday achieved the task in mere seconds.

'When I get my hands on that...'

Mamoru shook his head to clear his head.  He had more things to worry about 
than
an obnoxious, revulsive, pain in the... he had more things to worry about 
than
one mere annoyance.  Right now, his main concern lied with the safetly of 
Usagi.

'Where could she have gone?  Without telling me, no less!'

Usagi, in other words Sailor Moon, had become stronger than when he met her 
for
the first time.  Back then, she always needed a save from Tuxedo Mask.  
However,
after the fight with Sailor Galaxia, she was more powerful than himself now. 
  It
was true for the cases of other Senshi, too.  Strengthwise, Mamoru had no 
need
to worry about Sailor Moon.

'But she's so clumsy...'

...her personality-wise, he had plenty reasons to be concerned.  With a 
short
sigh, he sat and leaned back on his sofa.

"Well, I'm sure other girls are with her.  I guess I'm just being too
paranoid...  Usa-chan is taking a nap, and things are peaceful as it is.  I
should just take easy and relax for a change..."

He sunk deeper into his soft sofa, and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. 
  He
figured he should listen to what was going on with the world more.  Because 
of
his involvement with Sailor Scouts, often he felt he was losing his 
connection
with the outside world.  He had a lot of catching up to do.

_click_

("...this report just came in.  In downtown right now, there is a monster on 
a
rampage!  There hasn't been any injuries yet and the police force was 
dispatched
immediately.  However, the monster hasn't been under control, and has 
already
destroyed many stores!  The current estimated property damage is...")

Mamoru covered his face with both of his hands.  "...crap."


********************


("...currently, the monster is in the shopping district, where the crowd has
already been evacuated to the shelters thanks to the quick response of the 
Tokyo
police.  However, so far nothing the police has tried succeeded in stopping 
the
monster.  The emergency strategy meeting has...")

Soun put down the newspaper and watched the TV screen with a concerned face.
"Saotome, look at that."

"Huh?"  Genma looked up from his bowl of ramen which Kasumi had kindly 
cooked up
for him.  He had a light lunch, or so he claimed, so he needed something to 
fill
his stomach before dinner time.  If his wife was here, she would have 
rejected
the idea down flat since dinner was only three hours away.  However, Kasumi
rarely turned down a favor, a fact Genma knew so well.

Being used to the size of Genma's stomach, or rather having already given up 
on
stopping it, Soun paid no heed at the bowl.  "There's a monster roaming 
around
in downtown.  We should do something."

"Eh?  Like what?"

"Saotome!  It's our duty as martial artists to protect normal people from 
any
harm, even one such as a monster.  This is our chance to do what's right!  
We
have to go there and fight off that monster!  How often do we get a chance 
like
that?"

"...you mean like the one we had yesterday?  You know, when we kept running
until we had nowhere to go?"

"...that's because we had women among us!  We had to run.  But today is
different!  We can go there by ourselves and show the world what two real
martial artists can do!"

"You're right, Tendo!  A martial artist should never back down from a fight, 
no
matter what kind of peril and danger is in the way!  As the two masters of 
the
Anything Goes, let's go and fight that monster!"

At that moment, Kasumi came in with another bowl of streaming ramen.  "Here 
you
go, Mr. Saotome.  Here's the second bowl you wanted."

"...right after I finish that bowl!"  Not wasting a second, Genma quickly
grabbed the new bowl and began to devour the noodles.

"Saotome, this is not the time to fill up your bottomless stomach!  We are
talking about the lives of so many innocents here!"

Genma grinned.  "But Tendo, it'd be such a waste to throw out such a 
tasteful
food, especially Kasumi's cooking.  Isn't that right, Kasumi?"

Kasumi, with her usual all-happy smile, replied.  "Yes, a bowl of ramen must 
be
eaten when it is hot.  It'd be a waste if you leave it to cool down."

"But Saotome...!"

("...ah, we are connected to the camera at the scene!  We finally have a 
visual
of the monster up close!  Everyone, this is the monster at the rampage!  
This is
the danger that is striking the downtown of Tokyo right at this moment!  
Anyone
with a heart condition, please look away from the screen.  The creature that 
has
brought horror and terror to Tokyo this afternoon is about to be revealed 
for
the first time on air!")

The TV screen flickered, and changed into one with the head of a growling
animal.  It soon zoomed out to show the entire body of the beast.  Its sharp 
and
huge claws, its big and wide mouth, its shining teeth, and 10 feet tall body
frame... and how it was tearing down a 3 stories building in less than a 
minute.

Soun blinked for a while, and then sat down quietly.  "Kasumi, make me one 
bowl
of ramen, too."

"But Father, dinner's only 3 hours away."

"Bu-bu-but, you made one for Saotome!"

"Well, Mr. Saotome can... handle it.  He'd still be able to eat more at 
dinner.
But in your case, you'll just spoil your appetite."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!  My daughter is refusing to make me a ramen bowl!  
Waaaaaaah!"

"Oh Father."

Beside the wailing Soun, Genma slurped down another lump of noodles into his
mouth and down his throat.  "Ah, this's life."


********************


"Natsuki!  Please, I beg you!  Put it down!"

"Relax, Miyuki.  This is the perfect chance to test this!  Don't worry, I 
ain't
gonna break anything."

"How can I trust YOU not to break anything with a ANTI-TANK weapon in the 
middle
of DOWNTOWN?"

"Okay, then.  Let's see if I break anything or not.  If I don't, you owe me 
a
dinner."

"And if you do?"

"Well, too bad."

"What do you mean, "too bad?!"  This is not an arcade!"

Right now, Officer Kobayakawa Miyuki was trying to accomplish the almost
impossible task, retraiing her partner, Tsujimoto Natsumi.  No one else was
brave enough to do this.  Actually, very few would go against someone who 
was
holding a six-feet long bazooka cannon.  Where Natsumi had acquired it, 
Miyuki
had no idea.  She didn't even think the Tokyo Police Department had such
equipment.  But then again, Natsumi had a knack at finding this sort of 
things
in almost any situation.  So Miyuki decided on more urgent matter that was
Natsumi herself.

Miyuki knew that deep in her heart, Natsumi was only doing what she thought 
was
the right thing to do.  However, letting Natsumi walk around downtown with a
bazooka cannon was more dangerous than a monster on a rampage.  In fact, 
Miyuki
had no doubt that anyone who had met Natsumi at least once would prefer the
monster over Natsumi.  At least with the monster there was a slim chance to
limit the damage.  With Natsumi, even a blank government check wouldn't be
enough to cover the damage at the end.  Miyuki loved the girl, but Natsumi 
was
often too much to handle.

"Natsumi, put it down already!"

"Just one shot, that's all I ask!  Let me get just one clear shot at it!  I
won't ask for more, I promise!"

"I said no, and I mean it!  Please, put it down!  If you don't put it down, 
I'll
tell the Chief!"

That made Natsumi froze for a moment.  The mention of the Chief had that 
effect
on her.  She hesitated a bit before finally putting down the cannon 
reluctantly.
Miyuki sighed in relief.  "Good.  Now put it away.  It's not something you 
can
use in the middle of a city."

"...alright.  But what are we gonna do about that ugly thing?  Our guns had 
no
effect on it.  We're gonna have to stop it somehow..."

"Well...  We'll have to think about it.  But absolutely NO bazooka cannon,
okay?"

"Okay, okay."

It was then when Nakajima, who was trying to control the crowd behind them,
approached the two.  "Hey, you guys have any ideas?  I've just received the
transmission from the 2nd squad that they also failed to restrain the 
monster."

"Hmm...  Well..."

"We can use this cannon!"

"Natsumi!  I said NO cannon!"

Natsumi pouted disappointed, and Nakajima sweatdropped as he nervously eyed 
the
cannon lying next to her.  Miyuki slightly scowled at her partner again 
before
continueing to speak.  "...well, first thing first.  Where's the monster 
right
now?"

"The last place 2nd squad encountered it was in the shopping district, but 
it
was 10 minutes ago.  We have no idea where it is at this time.  Some TV 
camera
crew has been chasing after it, but their van got hit by the monster.  No
serious injuries yet."

"If we can lure it near the redevelopment area, I think we can bring it down 
by
buring it under an abandoned building."

"That's a good idea, Miyuki!"

"Yeah, and we can use my cannon to blow up that building... alright, 
alright."

Miyuki stopped glaring at Natsumi, but kept her serious face nonetheless.  
"The
problem is, how to lure it?  We need some bait..."

"...now that I think about it, I think we used all the explosives at hand.  
The
reserves won't be arriving for another half an hour."

"That's why I'm saying..."

"No, Natsumi.  We are definitely NOT using your cannon."  Miyuki cut Natsumi 
off
immediately.  "*sigh*  Where are those Sailor Scouts when we need them?"

"You're right.  They usually show up by now..."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?!  And you two call yourselves cops?!  
They
are the menaces!  We shouldn't rely on them!  We can get rid of the monster 
fine
by ourselves!"

_KABOOM!_

Just as Natsumi finished her sentence, one of the building that was a block 
away
from them blew away.  The three cops turned their head slowly towards the 
now
broken pieces of concretes and steels.

Miyuki was the first to open her mouth.  "Um, Nakajima-san...  You said the
monster was somewhere in the..."

Nakajima slowly moved his mouth to finish her sentence.  "...shopping 
district."

Natsumi gulped audibly and spoke.  "...now, where are we?"

The three turned their head to one side, and saw the continuous blocks full 
of
stores and malls.  They turned to the other side, and again discovered the
endless shops and stores.  Then they looked at each other, and muttered 
softly.
"Uh-oh."

"Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Suddenly, one of the buildings beside the wreckage also blew up, revealing 
the
giant monster.  It growled as it stepped on the rubbles and pieces of its 
work,
and slowly turned its head as if it was looking for its prey.  When its eyes
rested on the three cops, it growled loud once again.

Miyuki almost panicked.  "It found us!"

Natsumi was about to raise her cannon again when Nakajima's hand stopped 
her.
She turned to him and hissed.  "Why are you stopping me?!"

"Calm down, Natsumi!  We have to evacuate the crowd first!  Saving the 
citizens
is our top priority!"  Nakajima then looked behind him and shouted.  
"Everyone,
please calm down and evacuate... according to..."

Nakajima couldn't finish his words as he found the crowd already retreated 
about
5 blocks away.  The crowd was now yelling at the three to run.  The cops 
blinked
incredulously.  Sometimes, the cops felt that they weren't really needed at
times like this.  Tokyo citizens knew too well how to deal with such a 
crisis...

Then they heard the growl of the monster once again, but only this time, it 
was
a lot louder.  The three turned back, only to find the monster only a couple 
of
feets away from them.  They gulped simultaneously.  Only the word 'crap' 
passed
through their mind.  The shock seized them, and they just stood there as the
monster slowly raised one of his foot to take another step towared them.  
Even
Natsumi wasn't able to respond.

But before the monster could put down his foot, an object came flying and
stabbed the ground before it.  That forced the monster to take a step back 
in
surprise.  However the greater surprise was that the object was nothing more
than a red rose.

"People enjoy their times together, and their memories together.  In this 
broad
daylight, when this place is supposed to be filled with such people, you had
came to force them out.  I, the Champion of Justice, cannot let your deed go
unpunished.  Be prepared to face I, Tuxedo Mask!"

The three cops looked up to see a figure in a tuxedo standing on the top of 
the
building.  He had a mask on his face, and wore a black cape around his
shoulders.  In other words, he was Tuxedo Mask.  Before they could react, 
Tuxedo
Mask jumped and landed behind the monster, which also turned around to face 
its
new opponent.

The monster wasted no time as it quickly striked at him, but it only cracked 
the
ground as Tuxedo Mask easily evaded.  He landed a couple of feets behind, 
and
jumped again when the monster tried to grab him.  The monster repeated its
assualt, only to hit empty space.  Slowly it moved away from the cops, 
chasing
after him.

Relieved that they were now away from the immediate danger, three cops 
slumped
down on the ground with a sigh.  But Natsumi almost immediately stood up, 
and
shouted.  "Go get it, Tuxedo Mask!  Destroy it!"

Nakajima blinked in confusion.  "Um... I thought you didn't like the Sailor
Scouts?"

"He's not one of them.  He's a man."

"But... isn't he doing the exactly same thing as them?  You know, 
interfering
with police job."

"Well, yeah.  But I can forgive him for it."

"...dare I ask why?"

"Why, because he's good looking."

Miyuki sweatdropped.  Nakajima just shook his head.  "...I knew it."

It was then when they noticed that the crowd had somehow gathered behind 
them
again.  While Tokyo citizens knew how to evacuate fast during the crisis, 
they
also had gotten used to those situations well.  They were no longer afraid 
of
the monster, and were curious to see how the hero would fight off this 
opponent.
The cops decided to go back to their job and started to regulate the crowd.

For Tuxedo Mask, the approaching of the crowd was somewhat of a bother.  He 
just
had succeeded in luring the monster away from those frightened cops, but now 
the
crowd had come a little too close for their safety.

'I have no choice but to finish him off quickly.'  Tuxedo Mask took out 
another
rose in order to initiate his attack.

"Hey, isn't he the guy who used to come out with Sailor Moon before?  What 
was
his name?"

"Tuxedo something.  I forgot."

"Hm, didn't he use to come out almost everyday before?  Why did he stopped
coming?"

"Duh, that's because he's a wimp."

_Bam!_

Tuxedo Mask struggled off the ground from his rather hard facefault.  The
murmurs of the crowd was within his hearing range, and he didn't like what 
he
had just heard.  Heedless to his reaction, the crowd continued to talk.

"Is he really a wimp?  I thought he was one of those superheros?"

"Well, not exactly a wimp, but more like a sissy.  He's nothing compared to 
the
Sailor Scouts these days, not to mention those new monsters.  He used to be 
the
strongest of them all, but that's an ancient history.  He got nothing now."

"It's not really his fault.  Those Sailor girls are really strong these 
days."

"Yeah.  I'm sure any one of them can kick his ass any time of the day."

_Bam!_

Tuxedo Mask rubbed his nose as he lifted his head off the dirt.  '...are 
they
aware that I am trying to save their lives here?!'

"A shame, really.  A hero would be nice.  I have nothing against them, but 
being
saved by girls all the time is somewhat disturbing."

"True.  I'm a girl, and I rather be saved by a knight than some girls in
costume.  But then again, Tuxedo Mask used to be so cool, but not any more.
He's just a decoration for those Sailor Scouts."

_Bam!_

"Shhh!  He'll hear you guys!  Some truths are better not heard."

_Bam!_

"Well, I think he should hear us.  He needs to learn some lessons from those
girls.  They were getting stronger everyday, but what did he do?  Probably
goofed off on some sofa watching TV, like all men do!"

_Bam!_

"I really hate to admit it, but even for us guys, that Tuxedo fella don't 
look
so tough.  He should be ashamed of himself, losing to some girls."

_Bam!_

"Come on.  Give him a break.  He's not just cut out to be a real hero, 
that's
all.  I mean, who's stupid enough to fight with a rose, other than him?  It 
was
obvious from the day one that he wouldn't make the final cut.  Not really 
his
fault.  He just didn't have the talent for it."

_Bam!_

Miyuki and Natsumi sweatdropped as they tried to hush down the crowd.  While 
the
crowd was on their own world as they conversed, it was apparent that their 
hero
at the time had heard every single bit of their conversation.  Even Nakajima
couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy.  In fact, even the 
monster
seemed confused watching its opponent bash his head onto the ground by 
himself,
not once, but seven times.

Finally, Tuxedo Mask got up, staggering.  He held his now crushed rose in 
one
hand, and his cane trembled with fury in his other hand.  When he raised his
head, there was a fire his eyes.  His aura was flaming with anger and rage, 
so
much that the monster itself felt a little afraid and took a step back.

"Growf?"

Between gritted teeth, Tuxedo Mask calmly, but firmly spoke.  "I got nothing
personal against you... but it seems I'm gonna have to show an example to 
those
people... by defeating YOU!"

The brain of the monster, despite being so primitive, was able to produce 
two
short words as it saw the flickering flame in Tuxedo Mask's eyes.  'Uh-oh.'


********************


"I can understand why Haruka and the others are here...  Well, actually I 
can't.
But really, why are YOU of all people here?!"  With her eyebrow twitching
restlessly, Rei asked Setsuna in an irritated tone.

After hearing from the Outers the whereabouts of the priest , the Inners 
also
came down despite their tiredness, and were now in the living room of the 
Masaki
House.  Haruka and the others stayed in the temple though.  When they asked
Haruka about the priest, she started to have a fit, yelling something about 
"an
old vagabond jackass."  Michiru stayed behind trying to calm down her 
partner,
while Hotaru did the same although she looked like she wanted to join the
Inners.

Truth be told, the Inners were rather glad to leave the Outers, or to be 
more
precisely, the upset Haruka.  They didn't want to be around when she was 
like
that.  It would be really dangerous.

However, when they arrived at the Masaki House, they were somewhat surprised 
to
find Setsuna there.  Rei was the most shocked, and she was also the most
annoyed.  While she didn't want to come alone, she really didn't want to see 
the
Messenger of the Doom here.  It was really bad for her mental health.

Setsuna, acting as if she didn't notice the irritation clear in Rei's voice,
quietly took a sip of her tea.  The Inners couldn't help but to giggle 
quietly
as they watched Rei beginning to glow with anger.

Rei, now more irritated that she was ignored, hissed in a rather upset tone.
"Really, why are you here, Setsuna?!  This better be good!"

Setsuna didn't even turn her head though.  "I just came here to see one of 
my
friends.  Anything wrong with that?"

Of course, Rei didn't take this very lightly.  "Are you kidding me?!  I 
don't
see any friend of yours here!"

It was then when Katsuhito entered the living room, followed by Tenchi.  
"Oh,
you must be the granddaughter of Hino.  Welcome."

Rei, quickly changing her face, smiled brightly as she bowed to the priest.
"Thank you, sir.  I really appreciate your kind and warm welcome."

A big bead of sweat rolled on the head of the Inners.  'She's good...'

Setsuna smirked as she spoke up.  "My my my...  I didn't know you knew Rei's
grandfather, Katsuhito."

"Hmm?"  Katsuhito blinked.  "You mean you know this young lady?"

"Why yes.  She's one of my... acquaintances, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, is that so?"  Katsuhito's face cleared with realization.  "What a small
world, huh?  I honestly had no idea!"

"Neither did I.  I am quite surprised myself."

While the two friends talked to each other, the mouths of all the Inners 
were
hung in the air.  They were both shocked and somewhat scared to see Setsuna
acting so friendly with someone.  She didn't even act like this towards the
Outers!

However, the one who was the most shocked was again Rei.  Her eyes were 
buldged
wide as they blinked in real confusion.

Heedless to the look on her fellow Senshi's faces, Setsuna smiled rather
playfully at her old friend.  "By the way, what is with you and your male
friends, Katsuhito?  Really, Happosai first, and now Rei's grandfather?"

"Huh?  What do you..."  Soon Katsuhito also realized what she meant, and
laughed.  "Wahaha!  You are right!  They both have something in common, I
guess."

"You guess?  Both of them would jump on anything with a skirt on.  It makes 
me
think a little, you know."

"Eh?  What do you mean?"

"Well, you know what they say.  'Ones alike befriend each other.'  Maybe 
there's
a side of you that I don't know about...?  You are not really a lecher like
them, are you, Katsuhito?"  Setsuna smiled slyly at her friend.

Katsuhito laughed nervously while scratching his head.  "We-well, I guess 
one
could look at it that way, huh?"

Rei, who had been listening the whole thing in shocked silence, blinked as 
she
finally understood the content of their conversation.  "Hey!  That's my 
grandpa
you're talking about!"

Both Setsuna and Katsuhito nonchalantly turned their heads to the girl.  
"So?"

"Um... not that you're wrong or anything... but..."

Behind her, the rest of the Inners were trying their best to suppress down 
their
giggles, much to no effect.  Even Ami had her face all flustered up, not 
being
able to hold down her laugh.

Seeing this, Tenchi sighed deeply.  'Grandpa's at it again...'

At that moment, Makoto and Minako finally noticed Tenchi.  Both of them 
bolted
upright and pointed their fingers at the confused prince.  "YOU!"

"Eh?  Wha-what?"  Tenchi backed away a little in bewilderment.  'Geez...  
What's
with me and the girls today?  They've been fingerpointing at me all day!'

But his thought was interrupted when Setsuna turned to him with one of hands
out.  "Tenchi, right?"

"Um... yes..."  Tenchi reluctantly shook Setsuna's hand, smiling nervously.
Although he now learned that she was one of his grandpa's friends, he was 
still
a little scared of the woman.  The fact that Katsuhito didn't explain why 
she
was upset at him in the first place made things worse.

The Inners were actually surprised to see Setsuna shaking hands with the 
boy.
Ami pondered as she carefully watched the two.  'I thought Setsuna was very
cautious of him...  What happened?'

It was then when Setsuna turned to her friends and calmly introduced the 
boy.
"This is Tenchi, everyone.  He's Katsuhito's grandson."

"EEEH?!"  The Inners were ready to jump off their seats.

"Um... nice to meet you, too... I guess..."  Tenchi sweatdropped as he waved 
at
the girls, who still dumbly stared at him.

Setsuna pretended not to notice the shock on the Inners' faces, and eyed the
surrounding.  "Hmm.  You said you went to the shrine, right?  Didn't you 
guys
meet Haruka and the others?"

Ami was the first one to wake up and answer.  "We did meet them, but Haruka
didn't want to come here for some reason."

Upon hearing her answer, Setsuna snickered and turned to Katsuhito.  "It 
seems
that your little joke really upset her."

"Oh, really?"  The old priest replied with a smirk.  "Then why don't I go 
back
and tease her a bit more?  I also have something up there that I need to get 
for
this lovely young priestess here."

"Hmm, interesting.  I think I'll join you.  It's so rare to see Haruka all
flustered and frustrated like that."

"Good, then let's leave."  Katsuhito then turned to the rest of the girls.
"Speaking of which, why don't you ladies stay overnight, hmm?"

"Huh?"  Rei and the others were startled by the priest's offer.  Rei 
composed
herself first, and spoke.  "Um, we don't want to impose on you... some of us
have to go back soon..."

"Not me!"  Makoto raised her hands cheerfully.  "I have absolutely nothing 
to do
tomorrow, so don't worry about me!"

"Me, neither."  Minako also raised hand.  "I don't mind staying overnight.  
It
will be fun!"

"Huh?"  Tenchi blinked in confusion.  The two girls who had just raised 
their
hands were now staring at him in a rather funny way.  'What's with them?'

Rei smacked her forehead, hard.  "You guys..."

Usagi, on the other hand, pouted.  "Ah, but I wanna see Mamo-chan 
tomorrow..."

Katsuhito smiled as he spoke to the blonde girl.  "A boyfriend, is he, 
Miss?"

"Oh yeah!  He's really great!"  Usagi beamed happily, boasting about Mamoru 
to
the priest whom she had met for the first time.  "He's tall, and very 
handsome!
He's also very kind, good at sports, smart, and... did I mention he's good-
looking?  We love each other very very much!  And..."

"I see, I see."  Katsuhito sweatdropped as he tried to calm down the excited
girl.  "But it's already late afternoon.  Also, the station is rather far 
away
from here.  By the time you ladies arrive in Tokyo, it will be dark.  
Please,
stay until dinner.  After that, you and your friends can sleep in the 
guestroom
in my shrine.  We have a really good cook in the house, you know."

"Dinner?"  Usagi's eyes shined with anticipation.  "I'm sold!"

"Argh!"  Rei was now banging her head on the wall out of frustration.  She 
then
remembered her other friend.  She turned to Ami expectantly.  "Wait, Ami.  
You
wanna go back, right?"

"Eh..."  Ami gulped nervously, feeling burdened by the look on Rei's face.  
But
she gulped even louder when she saw the of the Inners smiling at her rather
threateningly.  "Um, I think it's not a bad idea, actually...  It might be 
fun."

Rei slumped down in defeat.  "Geez..."

Makoto then smiled slyly as she wrapped her arms around Rei's shoulder.  
"What's
wrong, Rei?  Why do you wanna go back so badly?  Are you worried about your
BOYFRIEND?"

"Wh-what?!"  Rei's face flustered up as she protested.  "It, it's not like 
that!
Yuuichirou and I are just friends, and nothing more!"

But the Makoto's smile only became more teasing.  "Oh?  I don't remember 
saying
it was Yuuichirou?  What's with that, Rei?  Huh?"

Rei's blush deepened, and Minako noticed it.  "Oh, she's blushing!  It must 
be
true!"

"No, it's not!"  Rei yelled out.  "Fine!  I'll stay!  Then it's no problem,
right?"

"Hmmmm...?"  Both Makoto and Minako stared at Rei with a mischievous smile.

"What?!"

Before Rei could explode with anger, Setsuna quietly spoke.  "That's 
actually a
good idea, you guys.  Stay here tonight.  You'll have a chance to get to... 
know
Tenchi better."

Makoto and Minako would have beamed with joy, if it wasn't for the fact that
Setsuna's voice somewhat gave them chill.  They were even more worried when 
they
noticed the change in Katsuhito's face.  The priest now almost glared at the
Senshi of Time, who calmly returned his glare right back at him.  The Inners 
had
no idea what was going on, but they surely didn't feel easy.

All through this, Tenchi just blinked quietly.  'What's going on here?'

It was Katsuhito who broke off the staring match first, as he shrugged his
shoulders.  "Well, let's go, Setsuna.  Your friends must be waiting for us 
up
there."

"Okay."  Setsuna, who had a menacing look on her face just a second ago,
answered with a smile.

Katsuhito smirked and walked toward the door with her friend.  "By the way, 
let
ME tell that Haruka girl that you guys are staying here tonight.  I can't 
wait
to see her face."

"Oh, Katsuhito.  You're really bad!"  Setsuna laughed and punched his arm
playfully.  Soon, both of them disappeared out the door, leaving the 
confused
Inners and Tenchi in the living room.

--------------------

Setsuna and Katsuhito chatted as they walked up the stairs.  But in the 
middle
of the way in the forest, Setsuna stopped suddenly again and looked up.
Noticing his comapanion's action, Katsuhito also lifted his head to find 
what
was distracting her.  But all he could see was just the trees' leaves gently
shaking in the wind.

The priest turned to Setsuna.  "Anything wrong?"

"I don't know."  Setsuna frowned a bit.  "I felt something up there, but I 
don't
know what it was."

"Up there?"  Katsuhito looked up again.  "I don't see anything but leaves."

Setsuna shook her head quietly, and walked off.  "Must be my imagination.  I
can't feel it any more.  Let's go."

"Um, okay..."  Katsuhito scratched his head, pondering, as he followed her.
'Odd.  She's usually don't act like this.  Must be that time of the month or
something...'

"No, it's NOT that time of the month."

Katsuhito stumbled when he heard Setsuna's rather accusing voice.  He looked 
at
her, and saw her giving him a rather mischievous smile.  He shook his head 
in
defeat.  "I've known you for seven hundred years, but I still have no idea 
how
you do that, Setsuna."

The Senshi of Time smiled as she answered.  "You would never be able to do 
the
same, or even understand how.  After all, you are a man."

"Woman's intuition, eh?"

"Call it what you want.  You will never get it anyway."

Katsuhito chuckled as he started to walk again.  Setsuna also did so, but 
her
mind was now in a deep concern.  'I definitely felt something back there.
But... what?  I didn't see anything.  What could it have been?'

---------------------

At the same time, right above the forest, Ranma blinked, and looked down.
"Huh?"

Minagi, who had been flying as she carried Ranma, yelled at him in panic.  
"Hey,
didn't I tell you not to look down?"

"Geez, chill down, Minagi-san.  I ain't scared of the heights.  I've been 
flying
lots of time, you know."

"Eh?  Really?  How?  I didn't know you could fly?"

"I don't.  It's usually Akane who MAKES me fly."  'Rather painfully, I might
add.'

"Huh?"

"Never mind.  Besides, you can't be a proper martial artist if you get 
scared of
heights.  It's all in mental, really."

Minagi still looked confused, but decided to drop the subject.  "Okay...  By 
the
way, what were you looking at?"

"I don't know.  I just felt a tug."

"Again?  But I don't see anything down there.  There's just the road to the
shrine."

"I know.  I must be imagining things.  Let's go."

Minagi would have shrugged her shoulders, if her two hands weren't currently
holding onto Ranma by his waist.  She also couldn't see anything below them, 
so
she just continued to fly toward the Masaki Mansion.


********************


"Hmph."  Tuxedo Mask snickered as he cleaned the dirt off his suit.  In 
front of
him lied the monster... well, now only the scattering ashes after its 
explosion
caused by Tuxedo Mask's finishing blow.  'That will show them!'

As if it was to confirm his thoughts, the crowd began to murmur again.

"Wow, he was cool.  I guess he wasn't such a sissy after all."

"I guess so.  But I still think Sailor Scouts are way more cool, especialy
Sailor V!"

"Really?  Sailor Mercury was pretty cool too, I think."

"Nah.  The best looking one has got to be Sailor Mars.  She's so hot!"

"You kidding?  Jupiter-sama is the best!  She's my idol!  Ah, Jupiter-sama!"

"No way!  I'm for Uranus-sama all the way!  She's the best!"

"Uh-uh!  What's so great about that sexless chick?  Neptune is way better 
than
any of them!"

"Feh!  Any hardcore fans know that Sailor Pluto is the most beautiful one of
them all!"

"You can't beat the original one, Sailor Moon!  I think she's the leader, 
and
she has the most awesome costume!"

"Me and my friends in our kindergarten loves Sailor Chibi-Moon the best!  
Right,
Taro-chan?"

"Um, actually, I like Sailor Saturn more.  That Chibi girl's too girlish."

Tuxedo Mask sweatdropped as the crowd started a big arguement, ignoring him
completely.  The three officers present were doing their best to calm them 
down,
with no avail.  He scratched his head, not sure what he should do.  He then
shrugged his shoulders, "oh well," and jumped away, leaving the crowd in
disorder...

--------------------

In a dark room, Shadowine sat on his chair as he observed the event 
happening at
the scene through a crystal ball.  He had sat there quietly, not opening his
mouth throughout the entire thing.  When the monster fell, he waved his 
hand,
and the crystal ball went dark.  Leaning back to his chair, he spoke for the
first time in last hour.  "...how may I help you?"

A snicker came from the dark side of the room, right behind the chair.  Then 
the
female voice rang in the room.  "It seems you have failed in getting rid of 
that
man.  Not that he was any of our concern, mind you.  But if you cannot 
defeat
even him, how do you plan to get rid of Serenity's daughter and her 
guardians?"

"...my understanding was that I was to caputre her, not kill her."

"True... in case of Serenity's daughter.  But the rest can be dealt away 
with,
can't they?"

"Your Majesty had ordered me to also bring the others... or has a new order 
been
issued?  If it has, I haven't heard of it."

"I doubt he'd really mind, if you tell him that they were... too much of an
obstacle for you."

"They are not."

"Hah.  Ever so letter by letter, aren't you?"

"It's my job."

"Oh, really?  Then how are you intending to explain today's failure to YOUR
Majesty, hmm?  Or was that just a part of your plan?"

"It was a part of my plan, but a failure nonetheless."

"Oh?  What do you mean?"

"I was expecting to see Serenity's daughter at the scene.  Instead, we got 
that
man.  But I have no need of him.  Therefore a failure."

"Hmm...  So you do have a plan?"

"Expected any less from me?"

"...a lowly monster such as that one has no real use in a real combat.  
Since
anything more would be a waste, why would I bother... that's what you're
saying?"

"..."

"I see...  Well, I'll tell him what you've told me here, so no need to show 
up
for your report.  However uptight you might be, he still knows how reliable 
you
can be.  If anything notable comes out, come to me.  Otherwise, good luck."

Suddenly, the room was filled with bright light, signifying the use of magic
teleport.  When the light had died down, Shadowine was again alone in the 
room.
He slowly closed his eyes.  Then he waved his hand at the crystal ball, 
which
lighted up and began to show the vision of the Sailor Scouts.  He opened his
eyes slightly and glanced at the ball.  A moment later he waved his hand 
again,
and the vision froze.  He stared at the vision, as he murmured softly.
"Serenity's daughter... huh...?"

The crystal ball continued to shine, as the frozen motion of Sailor Moon was
shown up in the light...




Chapter 12 ends.




(1) Setsuna had lived for thousands of years, and she was very attractive.  
Of
course she met Happousai!

(2) I have one thing to say, Yosho...  You are an idiot.




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