Suggested changes: {before : after}
On Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:41:46 -0400 "L.S McGill" <lsmcgill@hotmail.com>
wrote:
She looked up, her face a mask of misery. "Zhu Shu. . . She was in a fight.
. . Oh gods, Ranma. . .She's dead!. . ."
But she's going get better.
Kami-Sama reached out to brush a stray hair from Ying Ying's face. "It is
natural to question, {child : Child}. Even more so when it is for the welfare of one
you love."
"In {time child : time, Child}." Kami-Sama said. "We have worked too long and too hard to
thwart Chaos to risk exposing our hand to the enemy. What we have prepared
for has been set in motion. The Norn of the Past's task has been given, The
Dragon's Child brought out of hiding, the Shadow Lord made his presence
known. The signs that must come to pass are happening. The scales will be
balanced."
Rei sat numbly staring, Zhu Shu's hand still clutched in hers while around
her{, :} the other Senshi huddled on their knees, crying.
Then a soft golden light surrounded them and a kindly voice spoke. "Your
grief does you credit, Senshi, but you mourn too soon."
"No, {child : Child}. The Dragon but sleeps." The old woman reached down and with
surprising strength, drew Rei to her feet. "Watch, and grieve no more." She
turned to the young girl. "Hotaru."
The vision hung there for seconds only as the Senshi gasped, then {: it} faded
along with the energy pouring from the other girl. Zhu Shu hung in the air
before them, sheathed in a plain red Mandarin dress. As her spin came to a
halt, she suddenly took a deep shuddering breath and slowly descended to the
ground. As her feet touched, her eyes opened and locked on to the face of
the old woman supporting a near fainting Rei. "You???"
Zhu Shu shook her head. "Shiva's Dance dangerous. Dance of Veils is only
part of Dance. Zhu Shu use Dance of Ashura. Zhu Shu only spar with Ranma,
use Song School. Sword dance. Shiva's Dance use ribbon. Zhu Shu leave
swords in {Tendo's : Tendos'} care. Only have ribbon. {Saw Scout's : See Senshi} in danger. Have to
help." The blonde dragon girl turned emerald green eyes to Akane. "Zhu Shu
have to help." her voice pleaded for understanding.
Shan Pu touched her shoulder. "Is warrior's duty risk all for village." she
said, in a voice that showed she was proud of Zhu Shu. "Zhu Shu have heart
of {Warrior : warrior}. No have other choice."
Luna looked to Artemis. "Is she a hidden {scout : Senshi}?"
Makoto and Minako looked at the cats. "So what do we do in the {mean time : meantime}?"
Minako asked.
Artemis looked at Luna for a long moment. "For now, we do nothing. I need to
research {this." The : this", the} white cat finally said. "At least, for now, we know
she's safe, and on our side."
Too many people at Furinkan knew what Zhu Shu looked like in both forms, and
they knew she lived at the Tendos. The last thing they needed was {Scout : Senshi}
level threats showing up at their door. Shan Pu and Akane where destructive
enough on their own.
Nabiki gave her the eye. "It wasn't the kiss, Kasumi. It was the photos.
Same here. It wouldn't matter that Zhu Shu helped out the Sailor Senshi if
she hadn't been photographed doing it. I just got off the phone with
Tao-Ching about spin doctors." A slightly dreamy look came to her eyes as
she mentioned Ryouga's cousin.
That's going to make it harder for her to beat him out of any more deals.
Kasumi nodded. "I'm sure you'll work it out." She checked mentioning the
morning paper to Nabiki off her mental to-do list. Nabiki had already
prescribed her own therapy to deal with the residual emotional stresses {with
out : without} Kasumi's prompting. Kasumi's smile grew a little wider as she went back
into the kitchen to finish her father's cure to the aftereffects of his
therapy. She hummed happily.
She examined the sleeping {girls : girl's} body, admiring every curve. She had never
felt like this about any girl she had ever known. . . Never fanatasized
about what it would be like to explore her body, feel her caresses returned.
Rei finally fell asleep, and the day passed slowly. The other Senshi slept
in, missing school for once for a reason other than battle. Ranma, Akane and
Shan Pu continued sleeping, Kasumi finally took a nap, and Nabiki spent most
of the day on the phone. Soun and Genma finally awoke and availed themselves
of the ample supply of hangover remedy that Kasumi had left for them. Luna
sat in the window sill while Usagi tossed and snored, waiting to see if
Artemis would contact her to let her {now : know} what he found out. Finally, around
{mid afternoon : midafternoon}, the cause of all the fuss awoke and quietly slipped out of
the temple to the koi pond to meditate.
But the bond that their merger had formed was still as strong as ever. She
and Akane were still as linked as if they had shared the womb together. Her
blood link to Shan Pu was still there as well, and�{: --}
She froze when she came across what seemed to be another link, one so faint
that had she not been examining herself so closely, she never would have
found it. . . Hesitantly, she reached out mentally to touch it.
For a long timeless eternity, Zhu Shu held onto the link, feeling it's faint
{warmness : warmth}, drawing strength from it, chasing the last of grief's chill from
her soul.
Zhu Shu laughed. "Yes, yes. Or will be late."{:
}
"Exactly."{:
}
They walked towards the school, Nabiki studying Zhu Shu sidelong, watching
as she looked around and dodged the old lady throwing out water on the
sidewalk. There was something different about the Chinese girl. . .
Something faint beyond the glow of contentment she was exuding. It took her
most of the walk to school to pin it down, because it wasn't something that
had been added, it was the loss of something so faint and so much a part of
what Zhu Shu had been that only it's absence made it noticeable.
Kuno, still vainly trying to hit Ranma was caught from behind by Kodachi's
ribbons and flung head first into a tree, then when he bounced, was hurled
into another. "Thrice cursed brother! How dare you injure my Mistress!"
Poor trees.
"He deserves death! He has wounded my beloved goddess!" She slammed her
unconscious brother into the wall.
That's going to leave a mark... on the wall.
Luna looked at Artemis, who turned with a huff. The black cat frowned, then
pushed the wand to Zhu Shu. "Artemis disagrees with me on this, but this is
a transformation pen. It has all of the powers of one of the Senshi pens.
We are not asking you to be a {Scout : Senshi}, and we don't know what this will do if
you ever have to use it. It is being given to you solely because you have
so much Silver Millennium energy. Like Akane's, if you find yourself in
danger, please use it to call the Senshi. Only in direst need should you use
{ it's : its} other functions. You were a warrior of the Earth Kingdom, not the Moon,
and we cannot predict exactly what effect a transformation may have."
"Most likely. The Sailor Senshi were born to fight evil, but you are not a
{scout : senshi}. Were the risk of leaving you defenseless not so great, we would never
have considered this."
Akane shook her head. "No. I've seen the way you look at Yuiichirou when
he's not looking, and I've listened to too many of you {girl�s conversation : girls' conversations}
on boyfriends. At most, it means you're like me. I finally realized I like
girls as much as guys, but I don't think you're anywhere near as {Bi : bi} as I am.
You like boys too much."