Greetings, folks!

Here is - *FINALLY* - the first draft of Relatively Absent Chapter 5.
Standard warnings applies as usual. Read at your own risk. :)

Requesting C&C. This is a first cut rough draft, so technical editing
spelling/grammar), style comments, and factual error stomping are all
appreciated. Per my own personal ethics, MSTings, 'Look, Ma. I'm a
comedian!', and 'I'm So Clever' quips and snipes will be cheerfully ignored.

Many thanks to the various FFML and IRC members who provided detailed C&C
of previous chapters. *MUCH* appreciated.

This is a Ranma crossover fanfic, so it's time for the
Standard Fanfic Disclaimer.
------------------------------------------------------------
All previously existing characters taken from anime series
and used in fan fiction stories are owned solely by their
respective copyright and trademark holders. I don't own them
and I don't make any claim to them. Original characters are
owned by myself and I reserve all rights to their use.
------------------------------------------------------------

The HTML version of the story along with previous chapter(s) can be found at:
Also, please note that the web site is commercial and banner free.

http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic/relabs


Gaijin Productions presents:
=============================================================
RELATIVELY ABSENT
  A Ranma 1/2 - Sailor Moon crossover fan fiction
    by Togashi Gaijin
  This story is set at the end of the manga's Herb/Mt. Horai
    story arc for the Ranma 1/2 side.
  It is set at the end of the amine's S (third) season for
    the Sailor Moon side.
=============================================================

Chapter 5: Barbarians at the Gates

--- Friday, March 4th ---
--- Suginami ---

Ranma woke up suddenly. She glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings
until her eyes found the clock on the edge of the bureau. When she read
5:45 AM, she blinked. She'd gotten only four hours of sleep, yet she
wasn't tired at all. She lay back in her futon and stared at the
ceiling for several minutes. Ranma growled when she realized that she
wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.

"No use. Gonna be light out soon, so might's well catch up on my
practicin'," she said to herself as she got out of bed.

Ranma found several sets of her favorite tang and pants outfits in the
left armoire. She dressed in her usual red and black combination and
discovered the wushu slippers were so large they wouldn't stay on her
feet. She quickly realized that the male slippers must have been bought
in her male-form's *actual* shoe size instead of the full size smaller
she'd been getting since she'd picked up the curse. Sighing, Ranma
opened the center armoire where the 'girl clothes' were stored and was
pleasantly surprised to find several more sets of the tang and trouser
outfits in various colors amongst the ... ugh ... dresses, all sized for
her current body. She also found an exceeding handsome maroon frog-
front blouse and slacks combination with a dark green dragon
meticulously embroidered across the back.

She barely hesitated before changing again. One of many things that had
really bugged her about the curse was that her clothes never fit
properly whenever she got splashed, often to her extreme embarrassment.
The Chinese frog-front tangs she wore had the advantage of being
somewhat unisex, but she ended up swimming in her male tangs whenever
she changed to a girl. And changing back to male when she was in one of
her female disguises was even more mortifying since the disguise was
almost always a school fuku or some other form of dress or skirt. The
time she had been tea-splashed while wearing the bunny outfit during
the challenge with Tsubasa had been especially embarrassing -
fortunately the outfit had some stretch built in to it. She'd actually
managed to change back to her girl form before the costume had ripped
apart or anyone had seen 'him' wearing a bunny outfit.

Ranma quickly finished dressing and laid the maroon dragon outfit out
on the futon for later. Opening the window, she leapt out onto the
first story roof and down to the ground below to greet the arrival of
the new day's sun.

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

"Jun, would you please inform Ranma and the girls that breakfast will
be ready in ten minutes?"

"Certainly," Jun bowed to Kumiko before leaving the kitchen. A short
walk brought her up the stairs to Ranma's room.

"Ranma-sama, breakfast will be ready shortly," she called out as she
stepped through the open door. A quick glance showed the room currently
unoccupied and in a bit of disarray. Jun efficiently straightened
everything up, smiling to herself as she hung the rejected male tang
outfit back in the armoire. The female outfit that had been laid out on
the futon, however, wasn't quite complete. A bit of rummaging in the
far dresser's bottom drawer located the missing items. Jun placed the
ruby red lace bra and panties next to the outfit on the futon before
leaving the room to go look for the girls.

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

The second story window in Kioko's bedroom was not normally a spot
known for social gatherings. This morning was quite different; four
faces were currently gathered at the open window, all watching intently
at the skill being displayed below.

"Ooooooh."

"Whoa!"

"Not even Haru-chan's *that* flexible."

"Am too!"

"No you're not, sis. Besides, not even you can jump that ... oh wow."

"You think Midori's noticed she still isn't wearing a bra?"

"Oneechan? ... ... Oneechan? ... ... ONEECHAN!?!"

"Huh ... Wha?"

"You really shouldn't drool like that, Oneechan. Someone just might get
the wrong impression."

"I *don't* drool, sis."

"Yup, she noticed."

"I noticed what?"

"Oh, there you are."

All four girls turned away from their positions at the window when Jun
called out to them from the doorway.

"Has anyone seen Ranma-sama? She wasn't in her room."

"She's out on the lawn practicing," Kioko replied, nodding her head
towards the open window.

"Ah. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes; would one of you please
let her know so that she can get cleaned up in time?"

"Sure thing," Tsuya replied before turning to lean out the open window.
"RANMA! BREAKFAST!"

The other three girls quickly looked back out the window when they saw
Tsuya flinch.

"That ... had to hurt."

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

Ranma sighed contentedly as she stepped out of the shower stall. This
was a luxury she could *definitely* get used to. Although a shower
didn't relax her muscles in the same manner as a long soak in the furo
did, it didn't do a bad job of it at all. And not having to freeze as
she washed was a very nice bonus indeed.

She flash-dried her hair and braided her pigtail at Amaguriken speed
before remembering she was supposed to keep her ki usage to a minimum.
Shrugging her shoulders, she walked over to the vanity and examined the
large bruise developing over her left cheekbone. Too many years of
constant battle over every single scrap of food had left its mark on
her - she was still way too prone to distraction when someone announced
a meal, as her encounter with that large maple tree had once again
proven. This was something she was going to have to address.

At least the bruise would be gone by lunchtime - it wasn't the first
time she had inadvertently planted her face into something hard and
unyielding while practicing and it certainly wouldn't be the last,
either. Ranma draped the towel over her shoulders and walked back to
her room clad only in her boxers. It took a moment for her to register
the additions that had been made to her selection, and when she did her
first impulse was to wad the disgusting things up into a tight little
package and use them for Mouko Takabisha target practice.

She could, however, take the hint.

A quick search located a nice neutral grey and more importantly *plain*
sports bra. She was just going to have to get used to them; she was
getting tired of the way her breasts always ached after a vigorous
workout like the one she'd gone through this morning, and she currently
didn't have the ability to splash this body away. At least she could
think of the sports bra as a type of jock strap for her breasts. That
didn't mean she had to like them, of course, and anything with lace or
other 'frilly stuff' in it was right out. She tossed the unused
underwear back in the drawer with a bit of a growl.

Ranma ran into a bit of a snag when she started getting dressed. Her
cotton boxers, while extremely comfortable when worn in either form
under her guy clothes, weren't the most comfortable thing to have on
underneath a pair of women's form-fitting silk slacks. The boxers
quickly bunched up in all the wrong places and ruined the lines of the
slacks in the process. Sighing, she realized that if she wanted to look
even halfway decent she was going to have to wear panties
*voluntarily*, something she had previously done only as a part of a
disguise. Luckily there were some plain grey cotton panties in the
dresser - she'd noticed them a minute ago when she had found the sports
bras.

She was just about to put the maroon slacks back on when the full
realization of what she had just done hit her squarely between the
eyes.

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

Aiko frowned when she looked around the table. "Jun, please go upstairs
and check to see if Ranma-kun has fallen asleep."

"I'll do it, Obaasan," Midori said, getting quickly to her feet. She
did her best to ignore the giggles that followed her out the room.

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

Eiko was starting to become ... concerned. Its new Guardian had proved to
be a veritable treasure-trove of emotional energy - an input Eiko had
been sorely lacking for a very long time - but those self-same emotions
were rapidly spiraling out of Ranma's control. The youngster had been
subjected to far too many physical and emotional traumas over the last
week, and without the psychic stability provided by the full Guardian
linkage there was little Eiko could actually do to alleviate the
situation. And the upcoming bonding would put an even greater strain on
Ranma's currently fragile psyche.

One of Ranma's greatest assets was her overwhelming confidence, and
Eiko was finding very little evidence of that confidence within her at
the moment. This lack could very easily prove to be a great hindrance
in Ranma's upcoming task of recovering the primary Key. Its former
Guardian Sailor Pluto was stubbornly refusing to abandon her futile
attempts at regaining control, and Eiko knew that very stubbornness
would force her to vigorously oppose Ranma's claim.

The situation was quickly becoming intolerable, yet there was almost
nothing more Eiko could do at the moment. It was really quite
irritating.

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

"Ranma?" Midori called out while knocking on the open door. Not hearing
a response she walked in and looked around the corner. Ranma was
sitting on the futon with her back to the door, clad in a maroon top
with an embroidered dragon - the matching slacks sat in a crumpled heap
nearby. She was also curled up into a tight ball and shaking visibly.

"Ranma?" Midori asked softly. She gingerly walked further into the
room.

"Ranma, are you alright?"

"g.go 'way."

Midori could barely hear her response. She crept forward and knelt down
on the edge of the futon.

"Ranma, what's wrong?"

"j.j.just leave m.me alone. p.p.please."

Midori slowly extended a hand out to Ranma, but ... something ... made her
stop several inches short of Ranma's shoulder. She carefully withdrew
her arm.

"Ranma, breakfast is waiting downstairs. Obaasan and the girls are all
waiting for you before they begin. I can tell Obaasan you're not
feeling well if you like; I'm sure they'd all understand."

Midori wanted nothing more than to sweep her cousin into a warm embrace
and take all the girl's pain away, but she knew that would result in
more harm than good - especially since she had no idea as to the cause
of Ranma's current upset. A full minute elapsed in uncomfortable
silence before Midori stood up as quietly as she could.

"Ok, Ranma. I'll tell Obaasan not to expect you. I'll get Jun or Naomi
to bring up something to eat a little later. If you need anything else,
anything at all, just ask."

Midori silently retraced her path to the doorway. As much as she hated
it, now was *not* the time to try and find out what was wrong.

"M.midori?"

She halted instantly on hearing that soft voice. "Yes, Ranma?"

"I'll ... I'll be down in a couple minutes."

"Very well, Ranma," Midori replied, trying to hide the relief she felt.
She turned away to resume her exit but had barely taken another step
before being stopped again.

"Midori?"

"Yes, Ranma?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

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

Breakfast was ... subdued. Ranma had tried to put up a good front, but
the instant she had walked in the door everyone else knew something was
very wrong. She hadn't been able to scrub the puffiness away from
around her eyes, nor could she disguise her current mood from a group
who were trained in reading all the subtle nuances of the body's
language.

And there was certainly *nothing* subtle about Ranma's body language.

Aiko viewed all of the various interactions happening around the table
with concern. The girls' attempts at cheering Ranma up were starting to
backfire - Harukichi had practically strangled Tsuya after the blonde
made a light-hearted but thoughtless comment about his outfit. The
Yamada matriarch would have to be very careful the next several days in
correcting the girls' attitudes with regards to her grandson - she
doubted any of them consciously realized they had all begun to think of
Ranma as 'her' instead of 'him', and this was coloring their actions
and attitudes enough for him to feel even more uncomfortable. Ranma's
current choice in clothing only helped to reinforce this attitude,
unfortunately, but Aiko was actually glad to see that a stubborn spark
of personal vanity still existed.

She waited for Naomi to finish clearing the table. "Seiko-chan?"

"Yes, Okusama?"

"I believe the girls are sufficiently rested to cope with a full
evaluation today, wouldn't you agree?"

A chorus of groans immediately followed.

"Yes, Okusama," Seiko replied as she stood up. "Come along, girls ... the
day is only so long."

"Hai, sensei," all four chanted in unison as they stood to follow.
Seeing as breakfast was over, Ranma followed suit.

"Ranma-kun, please wait for a moment," Aiko said before sitting back
down. "You can meet up with the girls later at any time; Seiko will
doubtless have them fully occupied until nearly dinnertime."

"Sure, Grandma," Ranma replied. It wasn't as if she really had any
plans at the moment.

"Naomi, please bring us a pot of Hanase, please."

"Hai, Yamada-sama."

Aiko waited until Ranma sat back down at the table.

"Ranma-kun, I promised you last night I would tell more of your
family's history this morning. However, this can be done anytime at
your convenience. You've just had an exceptionally difficult week and I
will more than understand if you wish to talk about this later after
you're more fully rested."

"Naw, I'd kinda like to hear it now if you don't mind, Grandma. I'm
still tryin' to get used to th' idea I got other family besides Mom and
the Panda."

Aiko made a quick mental note - she had temporarily forgotten the
little 'present' Haru-chan delivered to her wayward daughter the other
day, and while it couldn't hurt *that* much if the girl sweated it out
a while longer, it was also definitely something that needed to be
addressed soon.

"You have quite a bit of 'other' family, Ranma-kun," Aiko smiled. "I'm
sorry circumstances have prevented you from knowing anything of your
family up until now, but I hope to rectify that as soon as possible."

Aiko paused while Naomi brought in another tea service. "Will there be
anything else, Yamada-sama?"

"No, that will be all, Naomi-chan. Thank you."

The black-haired maid nodded before she quietly left the room.

"Ranma-kun, I want to apologize for not intervening in your situation
sooner. I had what I thought were valid reasons at the time, but I've
since realized I made several serious errors in judgment - most of
which have only added to the pressures you have been under."

Ranma fidgeted in her seat. She had never had anyone apologize for
*not* doing something *for* her before.

"Errrr, that's all right, Grandma. I wouldn't a wanted the ..." Ranma
stopped on seeing Aiko's raised hand.

"It is NOT alright; unfortunately it's not something I can go back and
change, either." Aiko drummed her fingers on the table for a second.
"Ranma-kun, your current situation is the direct result of the past
history between the Yamada and Saotome clans involving several pledges
of honor which have gone unfulfilled. There have also been some
disturbing ... irregularities ... in the Saotome lineage which have
strained the relations between the clans quite severely."

Aiko paused for a sip of tea. "The original agreement was between my
father Katsuro and Kiyoshi Saotome, who would be your great-
grandfather. They arranged a marriage between my brother Naosuke and
Kiyoshi's daughter Yasuko, with the intent of creating a combined
Yamada-Saotome Ryuu. There were also important secondary issues that
went into the arrangement, but the primary intent was the joint clan
rights to the combined Ryuu."

"Sheesh, y'mean I'm not the only one?"

"No, Ranma-kun; the Saotome clan is old samurai and they have a long
history of combining Ryuu through marriage. With this arrangement the
Saotome would have gained access to the Yamada Kenjutsu Ryuu,
considerable financial backing, and a direct male heir in Naosuke who
assumed the Saotome name. Our clan would have acquired the Saotome
Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu and access to the Saotome clan's status, which
at the time was considerable."

Ranma shook her head. She knew her family was originally samurai by the
sword her mother carried. High status was another thing entirely.

"The omiai and the marriage took place as scheduled, but Kiyoshi
disappeared shortly before the marriage ceremony was held. The marriage
was less than two months old when Naosuke was killed in an extremely
suspicious training accident. Yasuko refused all further contact with
the Yamada from that point on and a little over a year after Naosuke's
death gave birth to Genma. Genma's father is unknown - officially - but
we have very strong suspicions as to who it was."

Aiko grimaced. "My father renounced the agreement between the clans
when it became obvious that Yasuko would neither remarry into the
Yamada nor uphold the agreement to combine the Ryuu. Yasuko raised
Genma on her own for five years before she herself disappeared. It was
at this point Happosai took young Genma to a small dojo down in
Okinawa, where he moved from dojo to dojo until he was eighteen.
Happosai returned with another student, Soun Tendo, and took them both
on a training trip for two years. The three of them were in Tokyo when
Genma met Nodoka. They announced their intention to marry barely two
months later."

Ranma sat with her chin on her hands, totally enthralled. This was all
new to her - Pops had *never* talked about his own past unless he was
forced to do so.

"I did not approve of Nodoka's choice, Ranma-kun. Genma and Happosai
had thoroughly ruined the reputation of the Saotome clan and their
methods of training were dishonorable at best. They had also
accumulated a considerable debt in a very short period of time." Aiko
paused for a sip of tea. Ranma could see the strain on her
grandmother's face. "Disowning your mother when she married against my
wishes was one of the hardest things I've ever done, Ranma-kun, and I
haven't talked with her since."

Several seconds elapsed before Aiko suddenly rang a small bell sitting
on the table. Naomi re-entered the room from the hallway almost
immediately.

"Yamada-sama?"

"Naomi-chan, please call Doctor Ono and request his presence. Have
Genjo pick him up and be at his disposal for the remainder of the day."

"Certainly, Yamada-sama," Naomi replied, leaving the room once more.

The Yamada matriarch didn't resume her tale, choosing instead to nurse
the cup of tea in front of her. A long silent minute passed.

"Grandma?"

"Yes, Ranma-kun?"

"Is Mom your only kid?"

"No she isn't, son," Aiko replied with a smile. "Nodoka is fourth of
five. Ichiro's the eldest, followed by Jiro, Mai, Nodoka, and Shizuka.
Your uncles Ichiro and Jiro handle all of the commercial interests of
the clan, and Nodoka was originally heir to the Yamada Ryuu before she
married. Midori is training for that position now since none of my sons
or their families have shown any interest in the Art."

Aiko paused for several seconds before voicing a long sigh. "I'm afraid
I haven't done very well by my daughters, Ranma-kun. Mai was never
interested in the Art until she met a gaijin karateka. The two of them
moved to New York City and got married in America. I've told you what
happened between your mother and myself, and Shizuka ... I lost darling
Shizuka over a decade ago to an auto accident, and her husband and
daughter two years later to a lab fire. It was right after my little
Firefly left us when I added the girls to the clan."

Ranma fidgeted in silence - it was obvious Aiko still had very strong
feelings for her youngest daughter, but Ranma just didn't know what to
say.

Aiko stood up. "That's enough of that. Let's go check on the girls,
Ranma-kun. We still have a while before Doctor Ono arrives and I'd like
your honest opinion on their training."

--------------------
--- Nerima ---

*Thwack* *Thwack* ... *Thwack*

{{Again.}}

*Thwack* *Thwack* ... *Thwack*

{{Again.}}

*Thwack* *Thwack*  ... *Thwack*

"Again."

*Thwack* *Thwack*  ... *Thwack*

"AGAIN!"

*Thwack* *Thwack*  ... *CRACK!*

Nodoka held pose next to the shattered practice dummy, wakizashi in
guard, katana extended from the spinning sweep cut that had finally
broken it in twain. She gasped for air as sweat streamed down from the
unaccustomed exertion. Nodoka slowly sheathed both blades as she stood
before reaching for a nearby towel and water glass.

Gone was the immaculate coiffure and flowered formal kimono of a
traditional Japanese housewife. A kendoka stood in her place, keikogi
and hakama of purest black, her long chestnut hair cascading down her
back in a low ponytail.

Nodoka sat down and began a set of cool-down stretches. It had been
well over a decade since she had trained seriously and her entire body
burned and shrieked in protest, but the muscles, the muscles they never
forgot.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would be ready.

--------------------
--- Juuban ---

"Were you able to find anything, Ami-chan?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi. There's been no detectable trace of the subspace
pocket since it collapsed. No one except you has seen Hotaru since
Monday, and the last time any of us saw Setsuna was at Mamoru's
apartment the night before. I've been unable to pick up any trace of
either of them since then."

Makoto Kino was worried. They'd all been searching the entire week for
any sign of Hotaru or Sailor Pluto without success, and the strain was
beginning to show on them all. She knew just how upset Usagi was by the
fact that the unusually-subdued blonde wasn't even making an attempt at
mooching her lunch.

"Mako-chan?"

Makoto shook her head. "No luck."

And it certainly didn't help when Ikuko-san grounded Usagi for the rest
of the school year for all of her unexcused absences. Even if their
High School entrance exams *were* less than two weeks away, forcing
Usagi to sit on the sidelines was slow torture for them all. Anyone
could see how much Usagi and Chibi-Usa were suffering over the loss of
the two senshi.

Makoto tried a time proven tactic: she held out her bento. "Usagi-chan,
do you want some shrimp tempura? I cooked way too much last night."

She became even more concerned when Usagi declined.

--------------------
--- Suginami ---

Aiko sat at one end of the dojo and watched the girls work out in the
middle of the floor. She also surreptitiously studied the reactions of
her grandson sitting next to her. Ranma was concentrating on his
cousins' actions with a focus that was almost frightening. She had
little doubt he was memorizing every single move the girls made in
their paired kata. A slight scowl had been building on Ranma's face for
the last hour and Aiko was having difficulty keeping her own focus
intact - she knew her grandson would not appreciate being told exactly
how cute she looked at the moment and it was a difficult thought to
suppress.

The long paired kata finally came to a close. All four girls walked
over to the equipment locker and began to distribute bokken, rubber
knives, and rubber shuriken amongst themselves. Midori armed herself
with a daisho and several knife straps, Kioko took a bo and nothing
else, Tsuya a pair of ninja-to and a bandolier of knives, and Harukichi
a ninja-to and a plethora of various projectiles. They walked back out
to the middle of the dojo and faced off against each other.

"Begin!" Seiko quickly moved to a position directly opposite of Aiko
and Ranma.

A four-way free-for-all ensued. It became quickly obvious that Midori
was being ganged up on by the other girls, but this didn't prevent
Tsuya from having to tap out as a 'casualty' when she was nailed in the
back by a dozen shuriken - Harikuchi having been presented with a brief
but perfect throwing lane. Kioko followed Tsuya to the sidelines barely
ten seconds later when she failed to block a counterthrust from her
sister's wakizashi. The next minute passed quickly with Midori chasing
Harukichi around the room while blocking a continual blizzard of
projectiles in an earnest but futile attempt to corner the smaller
girl. Unfortunately for Midori, Harukichi was quick enough to keep out
of her cousin's longer reach while still managing to reload her
ammunition stash with whatever previously thrown items were laying
about as she passed by.

Tsuya reentered the battle exactly sixty seconds after she had tapped
out. Kioko's return ten seconds later was marked by an event quite
unusual for her - she forced Midori off the floor when her older sister
lost track of Kioko's 'regen point' and ran by with her back turned,
*right* when Kioko stepped back on the floor. Three opportunistic bo
strikes left Midori sprawled out flat and pounding the dojo floor in
frustration.

The melee continued for another dozen minutes while a definite pattern
emerged, one the girls were evidently quite familiar with.

"Halt!"

Everyone on the floor froze in place.

Aiko stood up. "Gather round, girls. Seiko." She waited for them to
assemble.

"There were entirely too many casualties in that exercise for my
liking. I can see nearly everyone needs a good long refresher course in
projectile avoidance."

Aiko waited for the groans to subside before continuing. "It's past
time for lunch, but before we break I'd like you to hear Ranma-kun's
opinion on the exercises." Aiko turned to face her grandson. "Ranma-
kun?"

Ranma panicked - she'd thought Grandma would talk to her privately
about their training, not put her on the spot like this. She scanned
the faces of her cousins and was dismayed to see the eager anticipation
written across all of their faces. This was not good, this was so not
good, it's how it always started. She almost jumped through the roof
when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder.

"There's no need to worry, son. The girls only want to get better; they
won't take anything you say wrong."

Ranma fought her emotions down with difficulty. This *wasn't* Nerima,
and she'd been watching all the girls handle critique from Seiko for
several hours now without batting an eye. Maybe this time she wouldn't
get pummeled into the ground for telling someone how to do things
right.

"Sorry, Grandma."

"No need to apologize for being good, Ranma-kun. That's why we all want
your opinion."

"Errrr, 'k," Ranma said with a slight blush. "Main thing I see is no
one's near fast enough. Kichi comes the closest, but that's mostly
'cause she don't like getting up close and personal."

Aiko smiled. "And what would you suggest?"

Ranma looked the four girls over critically before nodding once.
"Weight training - lots and lots of weight training to start. You can't
get fast until you're strong and a girl's gotta work twice as hard as a
guy to build up strength. It took me a couple o' really tough months to
get my girl body up to shape after I was cursed."

Ranma furrowed her brows in thought. "You pro'bly don't want to carry a
pack full of rocks around all day like I did even though that's the
best way to do it. Weight vests while you're practicin' or running
would work, but that's the slow way of getting' there. Trainin's best
if you do it *all* the time - your body's gotta get used to handlin'
the extra weight 'till you don't notice it no more, 'cause that's when
you can add more weights on. Oyaji may be pretty dumb 'bout a lot a
things, but he sure knows how to build you up fast."

Ranma grinned suddenly. "You girls ever play dodgeball?"

The four young kunoichi looked at each other nervously before shaking
their heads. The phone by the dojo door rang.

"Good, this'll be *fun*." Ranma frowned suddenly. "Gah - I don't really
want to use rocks this time. Grandma, can you get some weight vests and
a couple hundred tennis balls by tomorrow mornin'?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, Ranma-kun. I'll have Naomi pick them up
later this afternoon."

"Okusama? Ranma-san?" Seiko called out from the phone. "Doctor Ono has
arrived and is waiting in the foyer. Also, Jun said Kumiko is starting
to become irritated that lunch is getting cold."

"Thank you, Seiko-chan. We'll be there in a few minutes." Aiko clapped
her hands twice. "OK girls, you know what happens when Kumiko-chan gets
angry. Let's see if we can't get the dojo picked up in less than five
minutes this time."

--------------------
--- Nerima ---

The kendoka walked into the local ward office, hanko and koseki touhon
in hand. No matter what tradition demanded, there would *always* be
official paperwork which must be dealt with. She was fortunate that the
Registry clerk was the son of a good friend.

Several hours had passed before the kendoka finally left the ward
office. It had not been easy to convince the clerk to do as she had
asked without informing other parties beforehand, but in the end
tradition had prevailed. Officially closing the registry had been hard,
and sealing it had been even harder. Fortunately the next task would be
much easier. She still had plenty of time to make it to the ad office
before the submission deadline for tomorrow's paper had expired.

Tradition *would* be followed.

--------------------
--- Miharadai General Hospital ---

"Well, it looks like you got your wish, Michiru," Haruka Ten'ou said as
she viewed the tender scene in front of her. Michiru was lost in dreams
of motherhood, holding baby Hotaru gently in her arms. Haruka opened
the door of the red convertible and waited while her girlfriend sat
down in the car, virtually oblivious to her surroundings.

"Papa makes one and Mama makes two, but Baby makes the family grow,"
Michiru crooned as she touched her finger to Hotaru's nose. This
elicited a giggle from the purple eyed infant.

Haruka shook her head as she climbed into the driver's seat. It was
apparent fate was not done with the two senshi yet; they had barely
started their planned whirlwind of travel and relaxation before being
drawn back to Juuban. Evidently now it was time to tie up the loose
ends.

The convertible's wheels screeched as Haruka gunned the powerful little
car's engine. It shot out of the hospital grounds and merged with the
traffic beyond.

--------------------
--- Nerima ---

Kasumi watched as her youngest sister trudged wearily up the stairs to
her room. Finals were a little over a week away and Akane's schoolwork
had been sliding downhill rapidly. Kasumi had gotten several calls from
the school counselor inquiring about Ranma-kun's prolonged absence, and
the subject of Akane's grades had naturally followed suit.

Akane was in definite danger of being held back, and that was something
the elder Tendo could simply not allow. Although she was glad that her
sister was finally acknowledging the feelings she held for Ranma-kun,
it wasn't the proper thing to let that interfere with her greater duty
to the family.

Kasumi assembled a serving tray with tea and a big plate of her
sister's favorite cookies. It was time for a little gentle guidance.

--------------------
--- Juuban ---

Usagi Soumeko Serenity Tsukino Chiba, Princess of Crystal Tokyo,
Defender of the Realm, known in this time as 'Chibi-Usa' to her
friends, Sailor Chibi-Moon to the other senshi, and 'spore' to her
future mother-to-be, sat dejectedly on the swings of the park. The
sounds of her friends playing grated harshly on her ears.

It wasn't fair, it just wasn't FAIR. Hotaru-chan COULDN'T be dead - she
was her bestest friend. Usagi *knew* she had heard Hotaru-chan herself,
she *knew* it was Hotaru-chan who had given back her heart crystal.

Why did Hotaru-chan have to go away? It wasn't FAIR.

Usagi pulled Luna-P out of storage. Everything was all wrong, even
Luna-P had stopped working. She could store and retrieve the cat-faced
ball, but it no longer responded to any other command. She couldn't
even talk to Puu.

Puu would know. Puu *always* knew EVERYTHING. With Luna-P not
responding Usagi had no way of talking to Puu.

It just wasn't FAIR.

--------------------
--- Suginami ---

Ranma flopped down on her futon. WHAT a day. Doc Tofu had run her
through the wringer, and she *still* couldn't get used to the amount of
poking and prodding a girl needed when the doc gave her the 'complete'
set of tests.

If he hadn't been a martial artist himself and explained *why* all of
those tests were needed, especially the poking inside 'down there', she
would have clobbered him into the next ward - doctor or not.

Ranma shuddered at the thought. Doc Tofu had run a few of those tests
before when she'd first met him at the Nerima clinic, but they had
*never* caused the physical reactions that occurred earlier today. She
had never had her nerves tingle and jump on her that way before, nor
had she previously experienced the intensely heated pressure which had
built up in her groin when Tofu had felt around inside of her for ...
what did he call it ... 'polyps and other abnormalities'.

Not to mention how utterly mortified she had become when she started
'leaking' in the middle of that examination. She was going to have to
train extra hard if she wanted to regain the control over her female
body like she had before - no matter *what* Eiko said about this being
'normal'.

{{Ranma, your female body is functioning correctly in response to the
inadvertent stimulus applied by Doctor Ono. I've repaired a significant
amount of neural damage since we first met, most of which has been
centered about responses to sexual stimuli. You will need to learn how
to cope with these new feelings, not suppress them, if you ever wish to
have any sort of normal relationship in the future.}}

"That doesn't mean I gotta like it, Eiko," Ranma growled. "I fought
real hard to get both forms trained up right, and I don't like to think
I'm losin' control of that *now*.

{{It's not a matter of 'losing control', Ranma. There is a whole new
set of techniques for you to explore which will do you in good stead
with your chosen lifemate. These techniques take advantage of the
natural responses you experienced earlier today. If you attempt to
simply suppress your body's normal reactions to this particular form of
stimulus, you will be incapable of maintaining any form of long term
relationship.}}

"Techniques, huh?" Ranma's expression turned thoughtful. "Are there any
scrolls or manuals for this stuff?"

Ranma could feel the mirth bubbling across the mental link. {{There
certainly are. Although I am somewhat unsure as to what is available in
your current era, I have numerous treatises stored on the subject that
date back to the Silver Millennium. The physiology of your race hasn't
changed enough to make them irrelevant, and there are numerous other
sources of information available to you elsewhere. Also, there is a
considerable amount of self-exploration you can perform which will give
you direct experience, and you are fortunate to be able to explore both
genders in person. Most of your race is not capable of such a feat.}}

"Cool. Y'mean the damn curse is good for somethin' 'sides cagin' free
food?"

{{Ranma, you should stop belittling your ability to experience life in
both genders. While I do understand the reason it has aggravated you in
the past, you will shortly have the ability to control the triggering
of the transformation. This is a priceless gift for one of your race.}}

"Yeah, sure," Ranma grumbled. "Speakin' of which, how am I supposed to
find this trainee senshi and the key you've been goin' on about?
Tokyo's a pretty big city, y'know."

{{This should not pose too large a difficulty. While my ... relationship
... with my former Guardian was somewhat unsatisfactory, my ability to
see and hear through her own senses was unimpeded. Sailor Pluto kept
close track of the senshi trainee, who is known by the nickname of
Chibi-Usa. If you will close your eyes and relax, I will attempt to
impress an image of Chibi-Usa in your mind for your perusal.}}

Ranma closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts.

*Snigger*

*Snigger*

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ..." She laughed so hard she had to curl in a ball
to regain her breath.

Eiko blinked.

Midori was at the top of the stairs when she heard Ranma's outburst.
She looked around the corner of the hallway into the room only to see
her cousin convulsing on her futon. "Ranma, are you alright?"

"P.p.p.pink.k ... c.c.c.c.carrotssss ..." she managed to stutter before
succumbing to further hysterics. She started banging her fist against
the futon repeatedly.

Midori smiled at the sight. She walked in and sat down on the edge of
the futon. While she had no idea what had started this laughing fit, it
was infinitely better than the morosely depressed aura which had been
permeating Ranma as of late.

Ranma's hysterical laughter consumed her for several minutes. She
*needed* the release and the image of the youngest senshi was just so
STUPID. Once the laughter hit it wouldn't stop; she kicked and pounded
and rolled back and forth in unbridled mirth until she was *finally*
able to bring herself back under control. She rolled onto her back and
stared blearily at the ceiling, unclenching her tearing eyes amidst the
random shudders and spasms of her just-concluded fit.

"Oh man ..." Ranma shuddered once more. "Thanks, Eiko. I haven't laughed
like that in ages. Evening, Midori."

"Good evening, Ranma," Midori replied. "Care to let me in on the joke?"

"I don't wanna think about it." Ranma suppressed a snigger. "I'll just
lose it all over again." She rolled over on her side and propped her
head up with a hand. "You'll have t' see it yourself to believe it.
P.pink c.c.carrot head ..."

Ranma began snickering again. Two seconds later she was fully back in
the throes.

Midori couldn't stop herself from chuckling. Ranma's laughter was
contagious - even if it was just a bit hysterical.

Fortunately it took considerably less time for Ranma to reign herself
in this time. Once the shudders passed she pushed herself upright and
voiced a big sigh. "Man, I gotta stop this - my ribs hurt."

Midori softly brushed a hand across Ranma's shoulder. "I'm glad to see
you're feeling better."

"Yeah thanks, Midori," Ranma returned with a truly genuine smile. She
struggled to her feet. "I gotta go t' bed, I'm just *wasted*."

Midori arched an eyebrow as she stood up. "The futon IS on the floor,
you know."

Ranma stuck her tongue out for a second. "Bathroom first - I laughed so
hard I almost peed my pants. Girl form just can't hold it as well."

Midori's gentle laughter followed them both out of the bedroom.

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

Ranma snuggled under the covers of her futon, grateful for the extra
warmth the thick down-filled duvet bestowed. One thing she had recently
become aware of was how friggin' *cold* her girl form got when it
wasn't actively shielded by her ki. She never would have noticed this
before.

"Eiko?" she quietly called out to the darkness.

{{Yes, Ranma?}}

"You know where the c.carrot he.he.head is now?" Ranma suppressed yet
another round of hysterical giggles with difficulty.

{{As of a week ago she was living with her family in Minato-ku's Azabu-
Juuban neighborhood. Tomorrow would be a reasonable time to seek her
out; she often spends Saturday afternoon with her friends at Prince
Arisugawa Memorial Park. The elementary school she attends provides
chaperoned playtime after halfday, and you can attempt to procure the
Minor Key with little fear of interference from the other senshi in
this environment.}}

"I don't reckon she's gonna just hand it over if I asked for it, huh?"

{{That is highly unlikely, Ranma. She is, after all, temporally
displaced and the Minor Key is her only direct means of transportation
to and from the Time-Space Corridor.}}

"Temporally displaced? That's ... umm ... she doesn't belong in our time?"

{{Correct. Chibi-Usa is from a narrow stream future that currently has
a high probability of instantiation. Sailor Pluto has repeatedly
intervened with the natural timestream to reinforce this specific
future's probability. Chibi-Usa's presence in your time is a key part
of a temporal feedback loop; one which will most likely result in the
death of over ninety five percent of the Earth's population and a near
total destruction of the planet's biosphere.}}

"Whaa ... but ... I thought ... they were suppos' ... the senshi are
gonna kill off the whole human race?" she queried in a shaky voice.

{{Incorrect. Sailor Pluto was attempting to bring about a certain
sequence of events which would have killed nearly the entire
population, but a select few would have been protected and preserved.
Ranma, there is nothing inherently wrong with what my former Guardian
was attempting. Almost every previous Guardian has made the long term
survival of their own race a primary object of their office - Sailor
Pluto is no different in this regard. Your planet's biosphere is
currently being destroyed piecemeal at a rapid pace, and your race's
population is expanding at a dangerous and totally uncontrolled rate.
Humanity has already flirted with extinction several times; some form
of population and resource control will eventually have to be imposed
if you wish to survive in the long term while being limited to a single
planet. Sailor Pluto's solution would have accomplished both objectives
handily, but it would have done so in a rather extreme manner. There
are numerous other options available to your race to accomplish the
same results, most of which aren't quite as draconian as Pluto's
Crystal Tokyo.}}

Ranma shivered. "Can anything be done t' stop it?"

{{It is now somewhat doubtful events will unfold in accordance to
Sailor Pluto's original plans, Ranma. Crystal Tokyo requires several
additional direct interventions before it can come into being - as long
as you do not follow her directions it is unlikely to happen on its
own. You still need to actively counter several events if you wish to
avoid the total depopulation of the biosphere, but it should be
possible for you to at least partially undo the current divergence of
the timestream caused by Sailor Pluto's actions. The number of sentient
lives you can save by doing so would be considerable. Of course, your
planet's current population issues will still need to be addressed.}}

Ranma stared up at the ceiling. This wasn't some trivial personal
problem, it was huge ... no, gigantic. The fate of the world ...

... the fate of the WORLD ...

Ranma shuddered. This was *serious*. It completely dwarfed everything
she had gone through and made all her own troubles seem trivial and
insignificant in comparison.

And SHE was supposed to fix it all?

How the HELL was she supposed to fix it all?

It wasn't possible, it just wasn't possible, it was way too big ...

{{Ranma?}}

She couldn't even win one lousy fight. How could ANYONE expect a screw-
up like her to be able to ...

{{Ranma?}}

"Yeah, Eiko?"

{{You should understand that you are eminently qualified to accomplish
this task. In fact, you are the *only* one so qualified.}}

"Huh?"

{{It was not on a whim that I chose you for my Guardian, Ranma. If I
hadn't been able to contact you before you had perished in your battle
against the dragon child, I would have been forced to seek my Guardian
elsewhere. 'Elsewhere' in this case being defined as another inhabited
planet, since no one else on your world met all of the proper
qualifications for Guardianship.}}

Eiko felt the incredulity in its chosen companion. A little morale
building at the moment would be of significant benefit.

{{Ranma, I know you perceive your encounter with the dragon child in an
extremely negative manner. However, there is one very significant
aspect of the conflict you have consistently failed to consider - you
survived. He did not. Admittedly, you had some small assistance in your
survival, but the end result is the same. You faced an opponent who was
significantly more powerful with little to no information available on
which to base either strategy or tactics, and you still managed to
battle your opponent on a near-equal basis throughout the length of the
encounter. A feat quite noteworthy, as it was entirely the result of
your own talents and abilities. I have no doubt whatsoever that in your
tenure as Guardian you will be highly successful in whatever endeavor
you apply yourself to.}}

Ranma didn't respond. Eiko's calm statement that she - and she alone -
was the only one out of *everyone* who could be Guardian was more than
a little difficult for her to accept.

And Eiko's bold pronouncement about her abilities really didn't jive
with her own recent experiences at all.

... but it did feel ... really nice.

{{You should attempt to get some rest, Ranma. Tomorrow is likely to be
rather busy.""

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

Eiko waited patiently for its Guardian to fall asleep. There were
several things that required its attention before Ranma arrived for the
imprinting process and it would be far easier to accomplish these
without having to explain the process while it was occurring. Eiko
needed a more detailed scan of Ranma's neural pathways than could be
accomplished from a distance, but even a partial scan allowed it to
preset a good portion of the imprinting routine.

And the more accurate the routine preset, the less time the imprinting
would take. This could become important if Sailor Pluto was able to
actively oppose the imprint while it was engaged.

Eiko would *not* allow that to occur.

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

 >>>>>>>>>> Continued in next message (LONG chapter)
 >>>>>>>>>> PART ONE of TWO

============================================================
Mark Shurtleff
   email: gaijin@sfcmd.com
   irc alias: Gaijin -or- togashi_gaijin
   fanfiction homepage: http://www.sfcmd.com/fanfic
============================================================


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