[FFML] [fanfic][Ranma][Sailormoon][SMT] Chikan Senshi Sailormoon, Chapter 6

[Mythril Moth]

Incidentally, I appear to have misnumbered chapter 5 as chapter 4. Sorry 
about that.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Here's a little stuffing for you.

C&C appreciated.

Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 is the intellectual property of Takahashi Rumiko.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is the intellectual property of Takeuchi Naoko.
Shin Megami Tensei is the intellectual property of Atlus.

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Chapter Six:
  "Cat Fight?! Sailor Moon's Worst Nightmare!"
------------------------------------------------
Ranma trudged wearily down to breakfast the following morning after throwing 
his father into the pond at the crack of dawn. "Mornin'," he muttered, 
yawning hugely as he sat at the table.

"Oh, did you not get enough sleep, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked. "You got back 
so late..."

"I'm just a little worn out from yesterday still," Ranma said. "It ain't 
nothin', don't worry."

"Where *were* you all day, Ranma?" Akane asked. "Your phone wasn't on, and 
Ukyou called...she e-mailed me a picture of that street that was all torn 
up, said there'd been a murder..."

Ranma stiffened. "Ah...yeah. Some freak with a sword showed up an'...killed 
this girl," he said. "She was with a group'a friends, they were from 
Azabu-Juuban, I was just havin' ice cream with 'em, then on the way to the 
train station, well..all hell broke loose."

"Some nut with a sword just randomly killed a girl from halfway across 
Tokyo?" Nabiki asked, shocked. "Did you get the guy?"

"Yeah, he's...he won't be hurtin' nobody else," Ranma said. He sighed. 
"Anyway, I went with those girls back t' their part o' town, made sure 
nothin' else bad happened, then I hadda wait for my clothes t' wash an' dry, 
cuz I was covered in that girl's blood..."

Akane pressed her hands to her face. "Ranma..."

"This is disturbing," Tendou Soun said from behind his newspaper at the head 
of the table. "I know our community has a bad reputation for violence and 
mayhem..."

"Most of it coming out of this very house..." Nabiki said dryly.

"But for there to be a murder in the middle of the street in broad 
daylight..."

Ranma sighed, eating breakfast with less than his usual gusto.

"Was it...was the killer...anybody we know?" Akane asked.

Ranma shook his head. "Nah. I dunno who he was, though. He had a weird 
costume, his face was painted purple...he was some kinda nut."

"Sou ka na..."

"Anyway, we're gonna get some new students pretty soon," Ranma said. "Those 
girls're comin' here t' learn self-defense."

"Oh, good, we haven't had any students in forever," Nabiki said.

"I ain't chargin' 'em," Ranma told her, eyes half-lidded.

Nabiki deflated. "You suck."

"Nabiki-chan!" Kasumi chided. "I think it's very noble of Ranma-kun to teach 
these girls to protect themselves after what happened to their friend."

"I'll help you train them, Ranma," Akane said.

"Thanks," Ranma replied.

As Ranma leaned across the table to refill his rice bowl, Nabiki noticed a 
glint of gold around his neck. "Oh?" Reaching over the table, she plunged 
her hand down the neck of Ranma's shirt and pulled out the locket he now 
wore on a gold chain.

"HEY!" Ranma yelped.

"What's with the bling, Saotome?" Nabiki asked.

"It's...just somethin' I picked up yesterday. Thought it looked cool, is 
all," Ranma said, snatching it away from her and stuffing it back down his 
shirt with a flush.

Saotome Genma had chosen that moment to enter the room, towelling his bald 
head. He raised an eyebrow behind his glasses. "Jewelry, boy? Isn't that a 
little...girly?"

Soun coughed. "Do you remember high school, Saotome-kun?"

Genma broke out in a nervous sweat. "H-high school? Why, I don't know what 
you're--"

"Your disco phase?"

Everyone at the table raised an eyebrow, staring at Genma. He laughed. 
"Ahahahah...Tendou-kun, you old joker..."

"Your wife probably still has that afro wig in storage," Soun said, mustache 
twitching. "Perhaps I should--"

Genma ran from the room; the laughter of the others followed him.

"Oyaji...in an afro wig...oh man, I'm gonna be laughin' all day about that," 
Ranma said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"In any case, I think your new locket is quite fashionable, Ranma-kun," 
Kasumi said. "Do you have any pictures to put inside it?"

"It, ah...doesn't open," Ranma said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh," Kasumi said. "Would anyone like more fish?"

* * * * *

Ami was sitting on her bed, turning pages in a book without really taking in 
the contents, when her phone rang. "Moshi-moshi?"

//Yo, Ami. It's Ranma.//

"Aa! Ohayou gozaimasu, Ranma-kun."

//Listen...y'know that asshole that killed Usagi? Well...I thought I got 
'im, but on my way home last night, he jumped me outta nowhere.//

Ami's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Are you alright?"

//Yeah, I took a hell of a beatin' offa him, but nothin' I couldn't 
handle.// Ranma chuckled. //It coulda got ugly, but this friend'a mine 
showed up, saw what was goin' on, an' beat that bastard so hard I don't 
think he'll be gettin' up again for a long time.// He sighed. //Then again, 
that's what I thought when I ran him through. Listen, I know it's me an' th' 
crystal he's after, but...let the others know, and you girls watch 
yourselves, okay?//

"Of course. Thank you for the warning, Ranma-kun."

//Hey...I know th' timin' sucks, an' I understand if you all need a couple 
days after...after what happened...but th' sooner I get you girls in th' 
dojo an' start trainin' ya, th' better. If I wasn't as fast as I am, he 
mighta actually killed me. Th' rest'a you wouldn't stand a chance.//

"I agree...as you said, it may be a few days before any of us can...can 
really focus on anything, but I'll be sure to encourage the others to begin 
training with you as soon as possible." She paused. "I'd come today, but I 
don't really want to be the only one there, and I'm not sure about the 
others..."

//Hey, you need time t' grieve too,// Ranma said.

"Honestly, I could use a distraction," Ami replied miserably. "I've been 
sitting here reading ahead in my history text, like I usually do during 
summer break...I've read two whole chapters, but I can't for the life of me 
remember what they were about."

Ranma chuckled. //That happens t' me all th' time with school stuff.//

"Not to me, it doesn't," Ami replied. "In any case, I'll talk to the others, 
and then we'll set up a day for training."

//Cool. Later.//

Ami sat for a minute after Ranma's call, brow furrowed, deep in thought, 
before calling the other Senshi.

* * * * *

"More tea, Chiba-kun?"

"Please."

Hino Ichirou refilled Mamoru's cup, then his own. His lined face was solemn. 
"I still can't believe...when Rei-chan told me, it was..."

"Yeah," Mamoru said roughly.

He was a mess. Not long after Ranma had left, he'd broken down sobbing; he'd 
cried himself to sleep right where he was sitting now, and Rei had simply 
placed a blanket over him and sat with him during the night. He hadn't woken 
up until nearly ten in the morning. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his 
clothes were rumpled, his hair was a mess, and his face bore a rough patch 
of stubble.

The two men heard an earsplitting shriek of "WHAT?!" from outside. Suddenly, 
the door flew open with tremendous force; Rei pelted into the room. Her eyes 
were wide and her face was pale. "He...he's still alive," she said 
breathlessly. "He attacked Ranma last night."

The old priest's eyebrows rose. "What's this all about, Rei-chan?"

Rei winced, realizing too late her grandfather was in the room. "The 
murderer, the one...the one who..." She trailed off. "I just found out he 
attacked a friend of ours last night."

Mamoru looked up sharply. "Is...is he...?"

"Un," Rei nodded. "But..."

"What did you mean by 'still alive'?" Rei's grandfather asked.

Rei grimaced. "We...didn't tell the police this part, but our friend 
Ranma...he fought Usagi's killer, and ran him through with his own sword. 
He...disappeared while we were waiting for the police, but...there didn't 
seem to be any way he could have survived his wound..."

"Sou ka," the old priest said, brows contracting. "Most disturbing."

Mamoru stood suddenly. "Please excuse me," he said roughly. "I have 
something I must do."

* * * * *

The sky was cloudy over Fuurinkan; the clouds and a light breeze took the 
edge off the summer afternoon heat.

"Ni hao, Ranma!"

Ranma, who was doing kata on the roof of the Tendou house, sighed tiredly. 
"I really ain't in th' mood for you today, Shampoo."

The violet-haired Amazon frowned prettily. "Then get in mood, Ranma," she 
said curtly. "I make extra-special lunch, for just us! You come with Shampoo 
now, yes?"

"No," Ranma replied, not even looking at her.

"I see. So that how you wanting it, Ranma?"

The cursed martial artist heard a splash, followed by a sound that chilled 
him to the bone.

"Myaaa!"

"Oh g-g-god, Sh-shampoo, n-n-not th' c-c-cat..."

A ball of fur and claws latched itself onto Ranma's back. He screamed in 
terror, leaping off the roof and running in circles around the yard. 
"GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!" he shrieked.

The Tendou sisters emerged from the house to investigate the noise, and 
Akane sighed in annoyance when she saw what was happening. "Shampoo," she 
muttered. She reached out as Ranma ran past and violently plucked the 
lavender cat off his back, then unceremoniously punted her over the property 
wall.

"Th-thanks, Akane," Ranma said shakily.

Akane rolled her eyes and went back into the house. Ranma, still rattled, 
resumed his practice.

Nobody noticed a pink oval mirror embedded in the outside wall of the house 
which most definitely did not belong there. Nobody noticed the serene white 
masked face floating in the mirror.

"Interesting..." Isis chuckled to herself.

The mirror vanished.

* * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, a wet, naked Shampoo retrieved her clothes and 
belongings. As she did so, she noticed she had a new text message. "Text 
from Akane?" she wondered. She frowned as she read it.

   ranma saw some1 murdered yesterday.
   lay off ok?

Shampoo's eyes widened. "Aiyah..."

She was about to text Ranma an apology when she felt a presence behind her. 
She spun around, tensing for a fight.

The masked woman standing behind her laughed softly. "That was quite a show 
back there...quite a show indeed."

"Who you? What you want?"

The strange woman produced a card from thin air; the side of it facing 
Shampoo depicted an expressionless mask, half black and half white. 
"Yes...you'll do, for a start," she said. She flipped the card around; the 
other side depicted a sultry, masked catgirl, poised in a stalking crouch.

"Arise...NEKOMATA!"

The image on the card suddenly sprang to life, leaping from the card and 
pouncing at Shampoo, expanding as she did so and becoming insubstantial, 
smoke-like. The shadowy catgirl passed through Shampoo, who stiffened, back 
arched. The startled Amazon felt her mind being overtaken by some strange 
force. She tried to resist, but found herself falling...falling...

Shampoo's body slumped to the ground. Her deep red eyes turned golden, and 
her pupils became slitted. Large, furry cat ears burst from the top of her 
head. Her teeth became elongated, pointed, and her fingernails grew into 
long, sharp claws.

She sprang to all fours, crouching low, as a long, furry violet tail poked 
its way out from the hem of her short dress, lashing violently.

"Your friend has something I desire. Kill him, and bring it to me."

The newly-transformed Shampoo let out a yowl and sprang away. Isis laughed 
as she faded from view.

* * * * *

Ranma was toweling off after his workout when a curvy silhouette crested 
over the boundary wall. He sighed. "Hoo boy. Hey, Shampoo, didn't I already 
tell ya I ain't gonna go nowhere with you today?"

"What? She's back AGAIN?!" Akane cried from the veranda. "Why that..."

Shampoo landed silently in front of Ranma, crouched on all fours. A furry 
tail, the same color as her hair, was lashing angrily behind her. Her eyes 
narrowed, and she hissed at Ranma.

Ranma flinched away from her. "Uhh...Shampoo? Wh-what th' heck're you..."

Akane frowned at the Amazon. "I thought you had at least *some* decency, 
Shampoo, but..."

With an earsplitting yowl, Shampoo pounced on Akane, knocked her flat on her 
back, then sprang high into the air. She hung suspended in midair for a 
moment, then plunged toward Ranma, razor-sharp claws bared.

"AKANE!" Ranma cried as he leapt out of the way of Shampoo's strike. "Okay, 
Shampoo, I dunno what th' HELL's gotten inta you, but..."

"Ranma...I kill!" Shampoo growled. Her voice was strangely distorted; it was 
as though a dark, ominous echo was intertwined with her normal voice.

"Hey, I know you're ticked at me for not goin' on a date with you, but this 
is ridiculous!" Ranma retorted.

"Ranma...I think something's wrong with her," Akane said, standing. 
"Look...look at her eyes."

Ranma followed Akane's gaze and saw that Shampoo's eyes, normally a deep, 
dark red, were now a faintly glowing gold, with slitted pupils. "Wh-what..."

Shampoo leapt at him, teeth bared; he leapt to the side, spinning around 
with his hands behind his back. "Shampoo, what..." He dodged another vicious 
tackle. "Has gotten..." He leapt straight up, planting her face on the 
ground with a foot. "INTA YOU?!"

Shampoo stood, swaying, golden eyes burning. It was then that Ranma finally 
noticed the ears peeking out of her violet mane.

His mind racing, Ranma assembled the visual evidence into a picture that 
caused him to seize up in fright. "C-c-c-cat...girl..."

"Cut it OUT, Shampoo! This isn't funny! It's bad enough when you do this 
with your curse, but putting on fake ears and a tail..." Akane waved a fist 
threateningly at Shampoo. "This is in poor taste even for you! Didn't you 
get my text? KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"

Shampoo ignored her, leaping for Ranma's throat, claws extended.

Reacting quickly, Akane grabbed her father's shogi board from the veranda 
and hurled it at the catgirl, knocking her off course and sending her 
careening into the koi pond. She erupted from the water, hissing and 
yowling...

...and unchanged.

"Wh-what?!" Akane cried, startled. "Shampoo...are you cured?"

This seemed to snap Ranma out of his daze. "Wh-what? Cured?!" He turned to 
stare at Shampoo. "She...she didn't...change..." He paused, shuddering. 
"N-no, she's...she's WORSE than a c-c-cat now..."

"How come she didn't change?" Akane wondered, even as she she attempted to 
keep Shampoo away from Ranma, who was still rooted in place. "And why is she 
trying to kill you?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Ranma yelped in panic. He leapt frantically 
out of the path of a particularly vicious pounce from Shampoo which would 
have torn a hole in his neck. "Shampoo, ya gotta cut it out!"

Shampoo landed on all fours, and reached up to lick the back of her hand. 
Her eyes fixed predatorially on Ranma, she hissed, in that strangely melded 
voice, "Give crystal."

Ranma froze. "...WHAT did you say?" he asked quietly.

"Give crystal," Shampoo repeated.

"What crystal? What's she talking about?" Akane asked.

"How should I know?" Ranma cried. "She's obviously insane! She's not even 
human anymore!" He glared at the catgirl, fighting down a shudder. "Look, 
Shampoo, l-let's go back to your place...m-maybe your grandmother c-can..." 
With that, he took off running, leaping over the property wall. "Akane, call 
Tofuu-sensei!" he cried as he vanished. "An' don't follow us, okay? I...I 
got this...under control..."

"Ranma..."

Ten seconds later, Akane was out the gate and running after them.

* * * * *

On a rooftop three blocks away, Ranma stopped short, turning to face the 
agile catgirl, who was crouched low, snarling. "Okay, what th' hell's goin' 
on here? What happened t'you, an' how th' HELL d'you know about th' 
crystal?"

"Oh, that would be my doing," a cold, clear female voice said in an amused 
tone. An oval-shaped, pearly pink mirror appeared in midair above Shampoo, 
and a white-masked woman descended nimbly out of it. She reached down and 
stroked Shampoo's ears. "You see, your friend here is now my pet. I've been 
watching you, Saotome Ranma, and your fear of cats is quite...amusing. And 
beneficial."

"Who th' HELL are you? What did you do t' Shampoo?"

The masked woman laughed coldly. "My name is Isis. You and your other little 
friend did quite a thorough number on Orpheus; Lord Thanatos was MOST 
displeased. I'm afraid I had to eliminate him..."

"Orpheus...? That purple freak with the sword?"

"Mmm, yes." Isis shrugged. "He was weak and pathetic, in any case. Now, are 
you going to be a good little boy and give me the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou?"

"Not on your life, lady," Ranma snarled. "Now, put Shampoo back like you 
found her, or there's gonna be trouble."

Isis laughed again. "Oh, there most certainly is," she said. She pulled a 
golden theater mask from beneath her poncho; it was featureless except for 
the eyeholes and the Roman numeral "I" engraved on the forehead. "Now, I'll 
show you what happens to those who stand in our way." She placed the mask on 
Shampoo's face; it began to glow, then sank into her skin. She stiffened and 
began to change; her clothes burst into shreds, and bristling purple fur 
covered her nude body. Her hands and feet transformed into huge, lion-like 
paws, ending in massive, razor-sharp black claws. Her back arched and she 
let out a terrifying roar as her violet hair grew longer and wilder; the 
ears on top of her head now matched the fur on her body. Her eyes narrowed 
in rage as her entire face changed, becoming more feline, with twitching 
whiskers and enormous, saber-like fangs.

Ranma trembled violently. "Buh-buh-buh-BIG c-c-c-c-"

Isis laughed. "Have fun, you two." She disappeared into her mirror, which 
faded from existence.

The transformed Shampoo lunged, and Ranma ran for his life.

* * * * *

For the second time in as many days, Mizuno Ami found herself leaving the 
train station in Nerima-ku, headed for the Fuurinkan district. Earlier that 
morning, she had relayed Ranma's message to the other Senshi; she had spent 
most of the day trying to get something, *anything*, productive done, but 
between the grief over Usagi's death and the gnawing worry about the new 
enemy, by lunchtime she had given up studying or even casual reading as a 
bad job.

She had decided to go for a walk after lunch; she felt the fresh air might 
help clear her mind. Somewhere along the way, she'd found herself on a 
train; now, she was checking the address Ranma had given them and consulting 
her palmtop's map.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream rent the air. Looking wildly around for 
the source, she saw Ranma dashing across the rooftops in a mad panic. Hot on 
his heels was a savage-looking purple catgirl monster.

Recalling Ranma's reaction to Luna and Artemis the day before, Ami paled. 
"This is bad." She ducked into a narrow alley and pulled out her henshin 
wand.

"MERCURY STAR POWER, MAKE-UP!"

* * * * *

All reason had fled Saotome Ranma. His mind was completely seized with 
panic. Although the Neko-ken hadn't awakened yet, it was only a matter of 
time...

Only a matter of time until that horrifying beast right behind him caught up 
to him and ripped his throat out and took the crystal and he failed Usagi 
for a second time...

He skidded to a halt, his eyes narrowed. "No."

He turned to face Shampoo. He was still trembling, but he glared at her and 
held his ground. "I'm sorry you got dragged inta all this, Shampoo, but this 
has gotta stop. I ain't handin' over th' crystal. If...If I gotta beatcha 
up...maybe th' ol' ghoul can fix whatever that bitch did t'ya, I dunno, 
but..."

"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

A wave of freezing cold water broke over Ranma and Shampoo; the latter 
yowled and hissed angrily as she skittered off the roof, landing on all 
fours on the street below and bristling with rage, while the former 
spluttered as she turned to face the source of the unexpected deluge. "Geez, 
Ami! Watch where th' heck you're aimin'!"

"Gomen ne, Ranma-kun, but it was the fastest way I could think of to change 
you into a girl," Sailor Mercury said apologetically as she landed beside 
the dripping redhead. "And it got that monster off your back long enough for 
you to--"

"Yeah yeah, I know. MOON SPIRIT POWER, MAKE-UP!"

Two Senshi leapt down into the street, ready for battle. The wet, angry 
catgirl faced them, fangs bared. Sailor Moon shuddered.

"Are you sure you can fight this thing, Ranma-kun?" Mercury asked quietly.

Sailor Moon nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. I gotta. She's after th' crystal. I 
ain't gonna fail Usagi." She paused. "Listen...that thing...useta be human. 
Useta be...well, kinda-sorta a friend'a mine."

Mercury groaned. "Oh god, not this again."

"Huh?"

"In the past, we've dealt with enemies who turned ordinary humans into 
monsters," Mercury explained.

"Oh." Sailor Moon paused. "Can we fix this? I mean, can we change her back? 
Cuz I kinda don't wanna kill 'er..."

"Most of the time, this is reversible," Mercury replied. "You'll need to use 
the Ginzuishou to do it, and I recommend wearing her down first. It should 
be easier to heal her if she's too weak to resist."

"So beat th' crap outta her, then do a thing with th' crystal t' put 'er 
back t' normal?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Basically, yes," Mercury nodded.

"Can do!" Sailor Moon said with a confident nod. At that precise moment, 
Shampoo leapt at the two of them, growling.

* * * * *

Akane had quickly lost track of Ranma and Shampoo. She knew trying to call 
Ranma right now would be useless; assuming he hadn't already gone into the 
Neko-ken, he'd be too busy panicking and running for his life to answer.

If he HAD gone into the Neko-ken, well...

She rounded a corner, onto a road that led to the high school, and paused as 
she heard voices.

"On your left! Look out!"

"GAH! That was close!"

"Would it help if you can't see what you're fighting?"

"It...it might...yeah..."

"SHABON SPRAY!"

And before Akane could get close enough to see what was going on, a thick, 
chilly fog blanketed the entire area.

* * * * *

"Thanks," Sailor Moon said as she stood in the heart of the fog, listening 
intently for any indication of her opponent.

"She's three meters to your left. Looks like she's confused."

"You can see through fog?" Sailor Moon asked.

"My visor lets me track heat signatures even in conditions such as this," 
Sailor Mercury replied.

"Oh. Cool."

"...she's coming right at us! She must have heard our voices! Brace 
yourself!"

This time, Sailor Moon was ready. She smirked. "Sorry about this, 
Shampoo...KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

She felt her fists strike furry flesh, and heard a yowl of pain as Shampoo 
was knocked flying into the fog. She barely had time to recover from her 
attack, however, before she was tackled. Claws dug into her shoulder; she 
fought down a shudder and tried to focus on what she was doing. She brought 
her knee up viciously; it didn't strike anything vital, but it gave her the 
leverage to push out from underneath Shampoo. Springing up with the palms of 
her hands, she executed a graceful double kick to the transformed Amazon's 
spine. Shampoo screeched; her head snapped around sharply, and she tried to 
bite Sailor Moon's leg off. Her attempt was thwarted by Mercury, who ran up 
and kicked her in the side of the head with enough force to send her flying.

"Nice kick," Sailor Moon said as she recovered, clutching at her bleeding 
shoulder and grimacing.

"Thanks," Mercury said. "The fog's starting to thin..."

"I think we can finish this before that's a problem," Sailor Moon replied.

Suddenly, a searing hot firebolt passed between them. Mercury let out an 
alarmed yelp as she jumped clear into the fog.

"...okay, maaaaaaybe not," Sailor Moon amended, sweatdropping as Shampoo 
stalked toward them, golden eyes blazing with fury.

* * * * *

The fog was beginning to clear; Akane could make out three silhouettes 
engaged in combat. Two of them were girls and appeared to be wearing 
embarrassingly short skirts; one of them sported a familiar pigtail. The 
third silhouette looked like some kind of enormous, deadly cat.

*Is...is that Shampoo?* Akane wondered. *And...that...* She frowned. *No, 
there's no way that's Ranma. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing a 
skirt...well, most of the time...and anyway, there's no possible way he 
could be fighting a giant cat!*

She held her ground as the fog thinned, tense, praying that she would have 
answers soon.

* * * * *

Shampoo reared her head back and made a sick, hacking noise. "Ugh, is she 
gonna cough up a hairball?" Sailor Moon wondered.

The catgirl's head snapped forward, and she unleashed a second fireball, 
which Mercury intercepted with a swift attack.

"Hoookay, she can cough up FLAMING hairballs," Sailor Moon said, turning 
green.

"So it would seem," Mercury said.

"That's...one'a th' nastiest things I've ever seen," Sailor Moon replied as 
the two Senshi dodged a third flaming hairball.

"I've seen worse," Mercury replied. "But I'd rather not talk about it."

"Good. INCOMING!"

Shampoo leapt at the two Senshi, claws outstretched...

A mailbox sailed like a missile, hitting the catgirl in the side of the head 
and knocking her to the ground, stunned. Sailor Moon blinked, and was about 
to turn to see who had thrown it...

"IMA DA, SAILOR MOON!" Mercury cried.

"Aa...right!" Sailor Moon frowned in thought. "Now, how'm I s'pos'ta..."

Her brooch split open, shedding the brilliant light of the Ginzuishou. "I 
got it!" she cried. She brought her hands together in front of the crystal, 
forming a circle with her fingertips in the same manner her bizarre English 
teacher was known to do. "MOON SHADOW ILLUMINATION!"

A brilliant beam of silver light exploded from the Ginzuishou, focused by 
Sailor Moon's hands; it struck Shampoo, whose back arched as she hissed and 
screeched. A smoky silhouette rose out of her body, screaming as it 
dissipated. When the light faded, Shampoo was left lying in the street, 
human again and completely naked save for the golden theater mask on her 
face. It fell unceremoniously to the ground and shattered, the pieces fading 
into nothingness.

Sailor Moon sighed. "Yokatta." She then turned to look at the source of the 
intervention, and her eyes widened. "Oh crap."

Tendou Akane walked up to the three of them. "...Ranma?" she asked, staring 
at the red-haired Senshi.

"Huh? Ranma? Who's that?" Sailor Moon asked. "I'm the pretty sailor-suited 
soldier, Sailor Moon."

"And I'm Sailor Mercury," Mercury added, stepping up beside her. "We 
appreciate your assistance. This one was a dangerous opponent."

Akane bowed. "It was no problem." She frowned as she studied Sailor Moon 
intently. The redhead turned away, looking nervous.

"So, um, this girl...do you know her?" Sailor Moon asked.

Akane nodded. "Hai."

"Then would you please take her home?" Sailor Mercury asked. "She has been 
through quite an ordeal."

"R-right," Akane said. She heaved the unconscious Amazon over her shoulder 
in a fireman's carry, cast one dubious glance back at the two Senshi, and 
ran off in the direction of the Nekohanten.

Sailor Moon collapsed bonelessly to the ground. "She knows," she moaned. "Oh 
man, she knows. She knows and I am so DEAD..."

"I don't think it will be a problem," Mercury said. "She will dismiss your 
similarity to the Ranma she knows as a coincidence, and forget all about 
it."

Sailor Moon shook her head. "I hope you're ri..." She laughed. "Th' heck'm I 
worried about? This is Akane I'm talkin' about. She's the dumbest girl in 
th' whole world. She can't even figure out P-chan an' she's practically seen 
'im change right in front of 'er, there's no way she'll figure this one 
out..." At Mercury's confused and reproachful expression, she added, 
"Sorry...long story." She sighed. "Thanks, by the way. You showed up just in 
time."

Mercury nodded. "I'm just glad I was in the area," she said. She jerked her 
head toward an alley, and the two Senshi fled to change back to normal.

* * * * *

An hour later, Akane returned home. She was worried sick about Ranma, who 
she had failed to find, and disturbed at the frightening similarity between 
Ranma and that girl who identified herself as 'Sailor Moon'.

And yet, she knew with certainty that there was absolutely no way the two 
were one and the same. It was just...absurd.

"Tadaima," she called as she stepped out of her shoes.

"Okaeri nasai," Kasumi greeted. "Ranma-kun is out in the dojo with a new 
student."

"A student?" Akane asked, perking up. She headed out to the dojo, and found 
Ranma demonstrating a kata to a girl with short, wavy blue-tinted hair. The 
girl had shaky form, but she was doing her best to mirror Ranma's movements.

"Ranma, are you okay?" Akane asked. "I...found Shampoo, and took her 
home..."

"Really? How is she? She's not still all psycho, is she? Well, more psycho 
than usual."

"She's...she's fine," Akane said. "She's fine. Her great-granny is taking 
care of her now."

"That's good." Ranma straightened. "Anyway, meet our first new student," he 
said.

The blue-haired girl bowed. "Mizuno Ami. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

Akane returned her bow. "Welcome to the Tendou Dojo, Mizuno-san. I'm Akane." 
She smiled. "Would you like to be friends?"

* * * * *

Kunou Tatewaki was immersed in his daily contemplation of his two great 
loves when he was rudely interrupted by his minuscule, cowardly shinobi 
servant. "Tatewaki-dono," Sasuke said nervously, "A visitor for you."

"Could it be? Has the beautious Tendou Akane chosen to illuminate the halls 
of this ancestral manse with her radiance? Or perhaps the spirited pigtailed 
girl, her hair as red as passion itself..."

"You *still* rant about girls all the time?" a male voice asked 
incredulously.

Tatewaki looked sharply up at the familiar voice, and his eyes widened. He 
stood and bowed. "Senpai. It has been too long."

Chiba Mamoru leaned against the door frame, arms folded. "I need a favor," 
he said. "My skills are pretty rusty, and there's...a matter I need to 
settle with a certain individual."

Tatewaki stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So, you have an honor debt to 
settle, and you have come to the Blue Thunder of Fuurinkan High for 
training?"

"More or less."

Tatewaki nodded, swinging his bokuto in a wide arc. "Then train you I 
shall."


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