A pounding on the door awakened Ranma. A glance at the clock showed it was time for training. Ranma hurried to the bathroom then threw on a gi. Kikuko went out to train with her friends, knowing the Art would give her SOME peace. *** There was an unexpected visitor THIS morning. It seemed little Hotaru had come to train as well... When the workout was finished, all five found it invigorating. Even Hotaru had been convinced to try some simple exercises she thoroughly enjoyed. It was then time to prepare for their trip to Nerima. All Kikuko's guests had brought a change of clothes. At 7:30, all four were prepared for their duty to their new friend, to honor a man they had never met. Kikuko wore a white silk shirt and white pants, a gift of the Joketsuzoku Amazons. She carried a small vacuum bottle that she could use to change her identity once safely out of the area. Haruka wore a white suit, and the other three wore dresses, all in white. *** Ranma 1/2 Honor and Love (Yet Another) Ranma/Sailor Moon Crossover Episode 03: Beginnings By Kevin D. Hammel Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publication Rights are held by Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi. Publication rights held by Kodansha Ltd. in Japan and Mixx Entertainment in the US. My purpose is to honor these creators and their works. No infringement intended. *** Ranma hoped the address was right, but this house DID look like it had an attached dojo. He went to the gate with Makoto at his side, a man with fairly long black hair and a black moustache visible on the other side. The man seemed to be crying rivers of tears, pausing to ask, "Are you Genma's son?" Ranma bowed, "Yes, I am Saotome Ranma. Would you be Mr. Tendou?" "Yes, I am Tendou Soun." The man motioned to Makoto, "and this is?" Makoto bowed, "Ranma's friend Kino Makoto." Soun grasped both Ranma's shoulders; "May I talk with you..." He turned to Makoto, "alone?" "Alright," Ranma turned to his friend, "see you soon, Mako-chan." "Okay, Ranma. We'll try to find your mother." Soun turned and called into the dojo, "Kasumi, could you show Ranma's friends to his mother?" Turning, he escorted Ranma inside. A tall girl with long brown hair gathered with a white ribbon, came out of the dojo, with a grim expression. The youngest spoke first. "Hello, my name is Tomoe Hotaru. " She said with a bow. "Who are you, please?" "Tendou Kasumi. I'm pleased to meet you, Hotaru-chan." She looked up at the other three girls. "Are you all Ranma's friends?" "Yeah, Ten'oh Haruka" "Yes, My name is Mizuno Ami," Ami bowed slightly. "Sure, I'm Kino Makoto." "Well, I'm pleased to meet all of you." Kasumi replied with a polite smile that was soon wiped off by the gravity of the situation. "I'll take you to his mother." Without further delay, the four guests were taken into the dojo to meet with Nodoka. *** Soun and Ranma had adjourned to the former's bedroom. "So, Ranma, did your father ever tell you about the plans to unite our two families?" "Nah, we never talked about stuff like that." "Well Genma and I agreed that his son would be married to one of my daughters, so... you, and the wife you chose from among them, could operate the dojo." "Well, in case you didn't notice, Mr. Tendou, my pop is dead, so I don't think your agreement means much anymore." "And you would not only forsake honor, but deny his final dream, destroy his greatest wish?" "I don't see what any of this has to do with MY honor, besides, I've found a girl I really like, and I don't love her or nothin, but who knows?" "Does the honor of the Saotome name mean anything to you?" "I wonder if it meant anything to pop? It seemed we were always on the run from someone." He clapped Ranma's back, hard. "At least let me introduce you to them, Ranma. Let's go see them." *** Ranma followed Mr. Tendou downstairs to the family room. "Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane, please come inside for a moment." It seemed from three different directions, came a cry of "Coming!" From the dojo came a tall girl with dark brown hair, she spoke "Yes, father." "Ranma, this is Kasumi. She's 19 and a excellent housekeeper." Kasumi bowed. "I am sorry about what happened to Uncle Saotome." A fairly tall girl, though shorter than Kasumi, with short brown hair came down the stairs. "Okay, daddy, what is it now?" "Ranma, this is Nabiki, age 17." Nabiki arched an eyebrow, then showed a concerned expression. "Sorry about what happened to your dad, Ranma." "Thanks, Nabiki." The third, shortest, and youngest Tendou sister entered the room. She had long hair like Kasumi, but it was black. "What is it now, dad? I was trying to get ready and you called me in here!" "Ranma, this is Akane, age 16. Please get to know each of my daughters." Soun said, then left. "So, Akane, do you know what daddy wanted?" Nabiki asked Akane looked cross, "I don't know. Oh well..." Ranma spoke at last. "Well your dad was talking to me and said that he and my dad had agreed to join our families by me marrying one of you." Ranma looked down. "But I've already found a girl I like. We're not really in love, but..." Kasumi looked at Ranma, concern evident in her face. "Follow your heart Ranma. Don't let anything father says concern you." "Yeah, arranged marriages are a thing of the past, Ranma." Though Nabiki DID think he was cute. Akane's face went from calm to angry. "I... HATE... BOYS!" Was all she could say before she stormed out. Ranma realized where Akane was coming from. He (or was it she?) didn't think much of them either... Kasumi shook her head slightly then turned to Ranma to attempt a bit of damage control. "You'll have to forgive Akane, Ranma, she's a little high-spirited! Would you like to see your mother?" "Yeah, very much! About your younger sister, though... Actually, I understand EXACTLY what she means, boys can really be jerks to girls at school." Ranma replied, following Kasumi into the dojo. Akane wasn't quite out of earshot when Ranma made his comment. She had never heard a boy say that! She wondered how he KNEW what she meant. *** Ranma was finally able to embrace his mother. "Mom, I'm sure glad to see you! It seems pop and Mr. Tendou cooked up some scheme to marry me off to one of his daughters." Makoto's looked down and shook her head. "Not again!" she whispered. It seemed it was her lot, the promise of love, then nothing. She felt a strong pair of arms embracing her. "Uh, I, um won't hurtcha, Mako-chan I promise. You're the best friend I've had in ten years an I'm not gonna let you go! Except like this!" Ranma broke the embrace, his smile returned by Makoto's. "Son, make your own decisions, don't let a dead man's dreams ruin your life." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You won't find too many girls like Makoto, Ranma. Remember." She WOULD have to investigate this pact, however... Just then, they all heard a terrible noise coming from the street. Ranma trotted out of the dojo to the front of the house, followed by Makoto. Hotaru, Ami, and Haruka hurried out of the dojo in pursuit of the other two. *** The three Tendou sisters came out of the house to see what the commotion was about. Ranma emerged from the front gate of the Tendou compound, astonished at the sight in front of him. A large... thing in the middle of the street was advancing on the Tendou home. It was an awful fusion of monster and mechanism... tentacles, eyes, arms, and metal combined to paint a picture of horror. The worst thing about it was it was heading his way... Ranma dodged an agitated Soun who was heading back to the house, AWAY from danger. The other students from Juuban ran out the gate behind Ranma. "Hey, Ranma, over here!" Makoto shouted to get his attention. Ranma glanced his friend's way, noticing she was motioning toward the dojo. He had a good idea why. As he hurried back into the compound, he thought he saw symbols flare on the foreheads two of the Tendou girls. He recognized the symbol for Jupiter on one of the girls, Akane. Somehow Kasumi showed a different sign, could it be Saturn's? Perhaps his teammates would be interested... *** Running into the dojo, Ranma noticed that his four friends had already adopted their Senshi guise. He looked at Jupiter with shock and a little fear. "Jupiter, Akane had the symbol of Jupiter on her forehead. Do you know what THAT might mean? The oldest one, Kasumi had a different symbol on HER forehead." Jupiter looked puzzled, but only for a moment, a smile appearing on her face. She turned to the smallest of the Senshi. "Saturn, let's find out what's going on. Ranma, you'll have to help Uranus and Mercury with that... thing." Ranma recalled the device of his change, as Jupiter and Saturn ran out of the dojo. *** The Tendou daughters could only stare at the creature. Kasumi swallowed. "What can we possibly do to that thing." Akane looked at her sister in agreement. Her expression changed to... hope "Maybe NOW is the time for us to get our powers, big sister." "Hey, Akane, over here!" a girl called behind them. Akane and Nabiki turned to the voice. The girl was dressed as a Sailor Senshi; maybe SHE was Sailor Jupiter... Akane ran over to Jupiter, her face betraying both apprehension and anticipation. Nabiki followed her sister, even though she already had her pen. This was it; the moment had finally come. She couldn't even IMAGINE doing this, but she didn't want the see the house destroyed either... A lot of money and all of her records were in there. She HAD to look into off-site backups if MONSTERS started calling! In an instant, the Henshin pen was in her hand. Saturn wondered if HER new Senshi might be here too, so she glanced at the three girls. For some unknown reason, the symbols flared anew on the shortest and tallest of the sisters. The tall girl, Kasumi, had HER symbol on her forehead. "Kasumi!" She shouted. Saturn smiled, Kasumi seemed like such a NICE girl. Kasumi was scared... this thing threatened her home. She knew her first duty was her family, but there was nothing she could do about it, unless... She heard a girl shout her name. Looking at the small girl who shouted at her, she KNEW who she was, and ran to her. Could she do this? She HAD to; her family needed her now! *** Io was excited to join Uranus and Mercury in battle. "So, what's the plan?" She asked with a smile as they ran into the street. Uranus returned her grin. "To ice this thing!" Io looked a little upset. "Yeah, that's the idea, but it ain't the plan!" Mercury looked thoughtful. "Let me see if I can find a weakness..." She seemed to stare at the visor which covered her eyes. Io figured it must be some kind of computer display, as numbers seemed to be flashing on the underside of the screen. After a few moments, Io gave Mercury a glance bordering on disbelief. "Uh, Mercury, that thing looks like its going to charge! So let's do something!" The monster DID charge, or at least slither, slide, and slurp rapidly... *** Back in the dojo, each new Senshi candidate looked at her henshin pen. Kasumi looked down at Saturn and smiled. Buoyed by the pride the little girl showed her; the young housekeeper finally found the courage to accept her new role. She raised the device and spoke the words she KNEW she had to... "Titan Lumina Power! Make up!" A bright, white light engulfed her... became purple... then faded, leaving Sailor Titan. One phrase came to her lips as she tugged on her awfully short skirt. "Oh, my!" Sailor Saturn smiled at her Senshi and offered her hand. "We need to help the others..." A slightly reluctant Sailor Titan accepted it and followed her new Sensei out of the building. If KASUMI could do it, Nabiki knew she could, too. She swallowed and raised the Henshin pen, whispering "Charon Lumina Power... Make Up..." Blackness consumed her. After a few moments, the blackness cleared, seemingly sucked into the gold circlet that adorned her chest. Charon smirked at the power she could feel she now possessed. She almost smiled, knowing both her home and cash were safe. "Let's go!" She was READY. But... what was with Akane? Charon stared at her little sister, arms crossed and impatiently tapping her foot. "Well, AKANE?" Akane gave her sister a quick nod. "Europa Lumina Power! Make Up!" she shouted. A geyser of ice crystals hid her from view. When it receded, Sailor Europa stood ready to defend her home. She looked at Jupiter. "Let's do it!" Jupiter led her neo-Senshi out of the dojo, with Charon tagging along. This left one occupant... Hidden in the shadows, Saotome Nodoka had seen everything. She had heard about the legendary schoolgirl vigilantes of Juuban, but had dismissed them as myth. She had seen and felt the power they possessed, even legend had not done them justice. Ranma certainly had interesting new friends. It seemed the Tendou daughters were more than they had appeared as well. Makoto was a wonderful girl... Nodoka hoped honor would allow Makoto and Ranma a chance at happiness, but honor cared not for happiness, only duty... *** Io noticed Mercury was still analyzing the monster when it tried to swat her with a tentacle. "Mercury!" She shouted with real concern. Mercury's quick dodge impressed Io. She smiled at her student for an instant, then had to dodge another of the beast's arms. Instead of a simple dodge, Io executed a flip and touched down for a moment on the beast's... head? Well, at least a flat spot on top. She figured a "Tempest Flare!" on its top might give it a headache. The redheaded Senshi flipped away from the creature and landed on her feet. She noted a bit of yellow-brown ichor where a few of the eyestalks had been. Io wished Mars could see THAT one! The rookie Senshi should have been paying more attention, this time an arm connected, and the girl was hurled back toward the dojo. "I would have expected HER to pay a bit more attention." Uranus whispered to herself, then smiled for a moment. Obviously the martial artist needed some Senshi training... She summoned her sword and wondered how this... thing would look with a few less of those arms. *** As the Jupiter's neo-Senshi ran out of the dojo with Pluto's and Sailor Jupiter, all three girls noted a redheaded warrior flying overhead, then heard a crash as she impacted. Jupiter cast a quick look around to see Io shaking a few cobwebs out of her head, then turned to lead her student into battle. *** Nodoka noticed a diminutive redhead hit hard just in front of the dojo. Though she couldn't see her clearly enough to identify her, she was fairly certain she could GUESS who the girl was. She smiled as the Senshi got herself up and hurried back to the fray. *** The monster was looking rather ill after a flurry of slashes from Uranus' starsword. From behind the tall Senshi, an unfamiliar voice said "Mr. Monster sir, you were NOT invited to this house! In the name of the great moon Titan, I will punish you! Flash Point!" A beam of light shot from an outstretched arm of the neo Senshi of Titan, the impacted with a bright flash in the midsection of the creature. It seemed stunned for a moment. Sailor Titan found it hard to suppress a giggle. She'd wanted to do that to pushy salesmen MANY times... But it wouldn't be right to use her Senshi abilities on ordinary people. Finally Jupiter's ragged crew made it to the battle. Charon had an idea... Raising both her arms and looking at the creature, she shouted "Hour of Darkness!" A thick black cloud now surrounded the monster. Charon felt a finger tapping on the back. She turned to see Sailor Europa. Europa gave her teammate a superior look "Oh, that was real bright! Now we can't SEE the thing!" The look was returned in spades. "But it can't see us either, plus I have the strangest feeling it's a bit confused right now..." Europa looked determined. "I think I'll teach that thing some manners!" She could FEEL Europa's power sing within her. "Pressure Wave!" In the direction its mistress pointed, a wave of water bearing great blocks of ice crashed into the darkness. Simultaneously... Io had run back to the scene of battle, then stopped for a moment. It seemed The Tendou sisters had been Senshi. She added a quick "Tempest Flare!" to the other Senshi's attack. After the two attacks, Titan decided to throw some light on the situation... "Flash point!" dissipated the darkness, and revealed a pile of... something where the monster had been. Stranger still, was the translucent blue sphere that stood over the mess. The sphere shrank to a point, and was gone. Io spoke first. "What the heck was that?" She turned to Mercury. "Any ideas?" Sailor Mercury was engrossed in the numbers flashing in front of her face. "Amazing... The power levels on that sphere were almost off the scale. And then... hmmm..." She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "How powerful was it?" Jupiter asked. Mercury looked very concerned. "I didn't know there was that much power in all of Japan! At least it's gone..." "For now." Uranus concluded. The eight girls headed back to the dojo. Soun, having hurriedly thrown on his family's heirloom armor, stared in awe at the girls. As he continued to gape, the rusty sword he had drawn to defend his house and children fell from his fingers. The SAILOR SENSHI had saved his home... Too bad his daughters weren't here to see it... A worried look crossed his face. Where WERE they? What had happened to... "Kasumi? Nabiki? Akane? Where are you? Are you all right?" He hurried into the house to verify their safety. *** Back in the dojo, seven of the eight Senshi quickly reversed their transformations. Io seemed to have disappeared somewhere... Kasumi TRIED to summon a cheerful look. "Well, let's all go inside and freshen up!" Nodoka wondered where the OTHER girl had disappeared to... Why would Ranma choose to hide his curse NOW? Nabiki gave voice to Nodoka's question. "I wonder where the redhead went?" Makoto looked concerned. Why hadn't Ranma come back with them? Obviously he didn't want to explain his story to the others right now. She smiled for a moment. Io transforming into Ranma would have taken a LOT of explaining. Glancing at her schoolmates, she noted Haruka returned a raised eyebrow and a smile... and was probably sharing her thoughts. Makoto spoke at last, fleeting smile gone again. "Yeah, Kasumi. That's a great idea." Seven sober girls walked back to the house. (END) *** First, my sincere thanks for reading! Thanks also go to my pre-readers: Mike Koos, Chad Walker, Fire, Louis- Philippe Giroux, Bryan Neef, and Andrew Norris. Please let me know what YOU think! Kevin D. Hammel May 12, 1999 ======================================== khammel@mail.geocities.com kevinsff@pacbell.net http://www.geocities.com/~khammel/ff/ ========================================