Events were unfolding far from those who slept through the night in Japan. Six thousand million kilometers away, it was always twilight. The distant glow of the sun provided only limited illumination for a small planet and its moon. Here, Sol's tiniest child traveled her lonely arc far from the system's great mother. Right now she was eighth in line, taking her position before Neptune. Usually, Pluto was ninth. There was another companion in orbit around the tiny planet, though few were gifted with the ability to see it. A perfect garnet crystal hundreds of meters in height traveled around the worldlet in opposition to Charon, Pluto's moon. Circling the crystal once in a lazy helix was a structure that took its name from its dance partner, Castle Charon. Within the halls of the castle, a deathly silence reigned in the stead of its princess. The main room, dominated by a gigantic, darkened, view screen was empty. Down a corridor and a flight of stairs, a flickering, cold, black fire guarded the doorway to a small room. Inside a woman sat, head buried in her hands... waiting... hoping... knowing... they would come. Her attire immediately identified her as one of the Sailor Senshi to anyone who knew them. She appeared older that the rest, though her age was vastly greater than that which a casual glance would indicate. The principal color of her Sailor fuku was black... skirt, boots, and trim on her gloves. The ribbons and bows were so dark a crimson they could be mistaken for black. Long dark green hair flowed down her back and around her as she sat in meditation; carefully guarding a link that she hoped would be a lifeline. The apparently young woman was connected to one of those who had escaped the notice of her opponent. After all, Lady Azurite knew of nine Senshi in both past and present, so the Neo Senshi were her weakness. Sailor Pluto would do all she could to protect them, even from her prison within her own castle. Her guidance would be subtle, at least as subtle as she could manage, but she hoped... no, knew it would be enough. *** Ranma 1/2 Honor and Love (Yet Another) Ranma/Sailor Moon Crossover Episode 05: Weep not for Pluto 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. *** Back on earth, in a tiny apartment in Kyoto, Kuonji Ukyou was dreaming. Though she was a girl at night, she remained a boy in her dreams. He was in a forest clearing, a city built from white marble glistening in the distance. With a sound of laughter, a young man emerged from behind a tree. Dressed in a simple, but elaborately decorated toga, he gave Ukyou an outlandish bow then stood straight, a ridiculous smile on his face. "Welcome, Kuonji Ukyou." His eyes danced as he thought for a moment then, from thin air, produced an elaborately decorated cup that he offered to the young man. "For you, consider it my first gift." Ukyou took the elaborately decorated chalice and looked into it, trying to determine if he should partake, then decided not to. Ukyou gave a stiff bow of appreciation to his host. "Sorry, I'm not thirsty." "Ah, a wary one! Caution will serve you well among your enemies." With a gesture, the cup was gone. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued. "Pardon me, 'sir'," He said with a suppressed laugh, giving Ukyou a conspiratorial wink before he continued. Ukyou looked concerned. "Where are my manners? I'm Ganymede, cupbearer to Zeus... Let's visit my world, shall we? It's big and I love to share!" He reached out with a hand, grabbing for Ukyou. Anger filled her in an instant. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Without her weapons, she took a few ineffectual swings at the Moon Spirit, drawing a bemused smile form Ganymede. "You might have to work on your hand to hand technique a bit, Ukyou... Now where were we? Ah yes, would you like to visit my world, please?" Ukyou swallowed. "Well... I'm really not too sure. You DID just try to grab me." Ganymede looked thoughtful for a moment then offered his hand. "Okay, why don't YOU grab hold of MY hand?" He smiled as the young chef grasped his hand. The grip was tentative, but at least she didn't reject it completely. In a flash, they were in another place, a palace overlooking a great gray-brown world. In the distance, the giant planet Jupiter dominated the scene. "So, what do ya think? It's the largest moon in your Solar System. Remember that when Sailor Moon, or... Hmmm, where was I?" He grinned sheepishly before continuing. "Pretty wonderful, isn't it?" He asked, an eyebrow cocked and an impish smile on his face. "Yeah, but what the heck does it have to do with me, Hon?" Ukyou questioned, hovering between animosity and curiosity. "Well, how about this?" With a gesture, the okonomiyaki-seller's outfit underwent metamorphosis. A white bodysuit with a royal blue skirt and collar replaced her purple tunic and leggings. A big green bow adorned her chest, and long white gloves trimmed in blue were on each arm. On her feet was a pair of dress shoes in the same blue shade as the rest. Suddenly, a mirror materialized in front of the surprised girl, so she could see everything. On her head was a gold tiara, and her hair was decorated with a white bow as always. She frowned for a moment... Something was missing... She almost jumped as a battle spatula materialized in her hands, glowing for a moment. Ukyou turned from the mirror to look at Ganymede. "What kind of stunt are you tryin' to pull, jackass?" she asked, anger growing. "I'm not even a girl anymore, so why would I dress up like this?" Ganymede nodded knowingly. "Well, what if I was to tell you that when you're like this, no one can recognize you? Unless someone sees you transform, of course." "Neat trick!" A bit of thought, and Ukyou realized it WAS a neat trick. She fought a smirk. "Think about it for a moment, Ukyou. As far as your family, honor, and the law are concerned, you're a boy. If you accept a role as my Senshi, you can fight as a beautiful female warrior... be the girl you never had or have a chance to be. And wait 'til you see some of the new fighting techniques being Sailor Ganymede, MY Senshi, could add to your mastery of martial arts okonomiyaki!" "Okay, punk! Put your power where your mouth is..." She tried to stare down the young man. "You'll have to make me!" Ganymede taunted the girl. Suddenly, words and motions came to Ukyou. Dismissing the spatula, she swung her arms in a wide arc, starting with both at twelve o'clock and continuing until one was at nine and the other at three. Suddenly, both arms came together as the Senshi-candidate pointed at Ganymede. With a shout of "Ice Storm!" a swarm of sharp, high-speed ice shards flew at the moon-spirit. A blinding cloud of icy crystals hid her target from sight. The ice- curtain lifted revealing Ganymede, undamaged by the powerful attack. The master of the storm clapped his hands slowly as he nodded his head. "See! Just think, that's only the beginning of the techniques you can learn as Sailor Ganymede." "So how do I get this power, Mr. High and Mighty?" Ukyou taunted. "All you've gotta do is find Sailor Jupiter." The Moon Spirit replied, while continuing to nod. Ukyou looked almost excited. "You mean the one who's a Sailor Senshi?" Ganymede stopped nodding to point at the youth. "Bingo! You get the prize... A Henshin pen from Sailor Jupiter, you'll need that to transform into Sailor Ganymede." Ukyou folded her arms across her chest, an eyebrow cocked as she glared at her potential benefactor. "Where exactly is Sailor Jupiter? I know that..." "In Tokyo... don't you read the papers?" Ganymede interrupted with a smirk. "Actually, no." Ukyou responded with a slightly apologetic expression, with arms drawn in and both palms raised. "But I have heard on the news, that the Sailor Senshi are probably based in Juuban." Ganymede nodded once. "Good! Consider moving there, I know you have your reasons." "Ranma's mother lives in Juuban..." A look that promised pain came across her face. "Maybe I can have my revenge AND become a Sailor Senshi. I can show that boy and his jerk of a father the power of a REAL woman!" Ganymede puckered up as if he had just eaten a lemon whole. "Uhhh... right. Just listen to what Ranma's got say before you kill him, please?" Anger flared on Ukyou's face. "Why would I do that? Saotome Genma destroyed my life! He must pay, and his son with him!" A bit of thought mixed with anger on her face for a moment; then the Senshi candidate narrowed her eyes in accusation. "What do you care about Ranma anyway?" "Sorry, that's for me to know... and you WILL find out. If you chose to become a Sailor Senshi, you must follow your heart, Ukyou... It won't steer you wrong. Just don't forget to listen to what it tells you." "That's what I'm doing..." A dead serious Ukyou replied. "My heart was broken ten years ago; it tells me I must avenge myself." The Moon Spirit swallowed and big-sweated. Wondering if, perhaps, that demented gymnast might have been a better choice. Finished musing, he quickly slapped a quick smile on his face... hoping his potential protege didn't notice. It was definitely time to change the subject, and cement the deal. The youth clapped his hands together loudly, and then stretched out an arm toward the girl he was convinced would be his Senshi. "So, may I be the first to greet the new Sailor Ganymede?" Ukyou tentatively took his hand and... made an attempt at a curtsy as she shook it. "Yeah, it looks like you can, sugar." Ganymede faded from view. "Thanks, Ukyou. I knew you had it in you..." Ukyou continued to sleep soundly. *** Closer to Tokyo another teenaged girl, her long hair shining in the moonlight, slept at a campsite with her great-grandmother. The two women were Chinese Amazons from Joketsuzoku, and they were after the girl's husband. As was often the case, the girl twisted and turned through dreams she could not quite grasp the meaning of. Tonight, she would finally find some answers. In her dreams the teenager, Shan Pu, was sometimes a cat and other times a human. The dreams were of a time long vanished; ruins and buildings of legend were sparkling and new. Tonight, there was another dream, unlike any that she had ever experienced... Shan Pu looked around; she was standing on a beautiful, deserted beach. A shadowy woman appeared before her, features concealed by motes of darkness. Somehow Shan Pu knew the woman was offering a proud smile. "Shanna, my most faithful courtier... Thank you. You served me well in the past as a trusted servant; now I can finally reward you for all you offered me." The shadows re-formed to create the image of a bearded man holding a trident. He smiled at the young Amazon warrior. "Greetings Shanna, or should I say Shan Pu? In the past, you served at the side of the Sailor Senshi, though behind them... doing the dirty work, truly an unsung heroine. Now you can finally join them as an equal." Somehow, happiness filled Shampoo's heart at the offer. This was a long cherished dream of hers... But it had NEVER entered her mind before! The girl's face showed an unstable mixture of happiness and puzzlement. "I'm so confused. I want to be a Sailor Senshi, but I've never wanted to before... What's going on, mister?" The man laughed, as the waves seemed to add to the sound of his merriment. "I am known as Triton, Shanna. I am the spirit of Neptune's largest moon... How would like you to be MY Sailor Senshi?" Suddenly her clothing began to shift. Her Amazon pantsuit became a white bodysuit ringed with a short magenta skirt. Long white gloves with rimmed with magenta piping materialized on her hands and forearms. In the center of her chest was a dark blue bow with an amethyst brooch at its center. A mirror appeared before her, and she saw a tiara on her head, as well as a dark blue ribbon tied to the back of her uniform. A little frown at something missing and two bonbori appeared, one in each hand. Her expression turned from shock to a smile as, somehow, she KNEW this was the uniform she dreamed of wearing. It marked her as one of the beautiful warriors she had somehow forgotten, but now recalled with an appreciation resembling awe. "Me, a Sailor Senshi? How?" The flabbergasted, excited girl asked the Moon Spirit. Triton replied after a thundering laugh. "Of course, Shan Pu. A new team is being gathered, and I thought they might need a Silver Millennium soul to help guide them. In your past life, you were one of the advisors..." Shampoo looked happy, then puzzled as dream fragments coalesced to form a name. "Shanna." Shampoo smiled as pieces of her fragmented dreams came together, the picture they created already clearing. "But how do I become your Senshi, Triton?" "Well, you'll need to find Sailor Neptune, she has the Henshin pen which will transform you to Senshi guise, so you can fulfil a destiny denied for over a millennium." "How do I find Sailor Neptune?" Shampoo asked, her brow furrowed in puzzlement. Triton smiled at the girl he hoped would be his new Sailor Senshi. "Think for a moment. Think of the friends you have in Japan." "But I have no Japanese friends..." "You do, Shan Pu. Just remember." And Shan Pu thought of the recent past, and of a girl who she had befriended when her father had tragically died in a training accident. She did have a Japanese friend after all, but how could Ranma help her? Then there were her fellow advisors, other 'cats' whose names escaped her right now. She wondered how kind the millennium had been to them... And whether they could help awaken her memories of the past, to prepare for the future. A flash of insight lit her face for a moment. "Is Ranma Sailor Neptune, Triton?" she asked. He gave a cryptic reply. "No, not quite. But Shanna, Shan Pu, will you serve as my Sailor Senshi?" Shampoo keeled before the moon spirit. "It would be my honor to serve you, and..." A memory returned and re-lit a flame of what had been. "My Queen as Sailor Triton." Triton faded as he replied. "I am glad I'm the one to help you fulfil your destiny, Shanna. Thanks." Shampoo would have to find Ranma, and her... fellow advisors. Perhaps the 'cats' would have the answer she sought, memories she had lost. They had been advisors to the Court and Sailor Senshi in the past, and they must be so now, as well. And why was Ranma 'not quite' Sailor Neptune? Of course there still remained the matter of her husband... In a campsite not far away, a young man woke from a fitful sleep, Ranma AND Shampoo looming large on his mind. The boy rubbed his eyes and sat up. There was enough moonlight to see his two most distinctive features... a pair of teeth that were almost fangs and a yellow bandanna with black spots. After a while, the boy mentally ranted himself back to sleep. He was not alone in dreams of Shan Pu, or was it Shanna? In Juuban, a black cat shared the fitful dreams of the teenaged girl sleeping nearby. Luna was able to make some sense of them, however. Another of the cat-advisors from the Silver Millenium had been found. Somehow, through some incredible miracle, Shanna's soul had survived. Not only that, but she had been rewarded for her service, given a position among the new Sailor Senshi. Luna knew she must help Shan Pu remember all she had been, so she could become what she must be. The earliest hints of dawn interrupted the advisor's dreams. With a bit of luck, there would be a reunion today, a renewal of friendship after a millennium apart. The first rays of sunlight gently roused Shan Pu from her slumber; it was the dawn of a new day. Perhaps today husband would accept his place at Shan Pu's side. Even more exciting was the possibility of finally becoming a Sailor Senshi. It had been over a thousand years in coming after all, and she could hardly wait. Shampoo let out a sigh as she blinked sleep away, and stretched her... small... body out, purring contentedly. Her bedroll seemed much larger than normal, or was she smaller? She looked at her hands in front of her, only to see pale purple paws at the end of white, furred legs. The cat-self of her dreams was now... herself. Now how was it she took human form? *** Back in the prison within her castle, Pluto wore a guarded smile. At last the new group was complete, or would be when the last two Neo Senshi got their Henshin pens. Her apprentice was already in place as one of the new warriors. Soon, very soon, it would begin. The Neo Senshi faced a task as formidable as any the Planetary Senshi, both inner and outer, had ever taken on. Her thoughts drifted back to when she was first captured, and 'Lady' Azurite had, in her arrogance, described her plans for vengeance on Earth and its defenders. She had wanted to rub her captive's face in the horror she planned, but had instead not only increased Pluto's resolve to fight, but helped her formulate a plan of attack as well... Azurite had thought Pluto effectively neutralized and not any threat to her plans. She was wrong. Weep not for me, past and future Queen of earth. If you must weep for me, then weep for your world, and all our system... in my place. Weep for Time, and its violation, the result of a moment of arrogant inattention. Instead, stand ready with all the Senshi sworn to you, though it will be difficult as Azurite's scheme unfolds and her horrible weapon is unleashed, guarded by time itself. My peers, Senshi of the outer worlds save one, hold fast and be ready to strike when the time comes, but you will not escape Azurite's wrath in the interim. And you Neo Senshi, with my... apprentice among you, must stand ready as well to take your place or all is lost... Half a solar system away, visions entered the dreams of a sleeping young woman. She saw a woman with deep blue hair, and sparkling, almost glowing blue eyes. She wore a gown of metallic silver blue, and a shining crown and jewelry of copper. Feelings of dread were brought on for some unknown reason by this... this Azurite. The vision of the woman faded, and was replaced by a new one. A spherical object standing deathly still against a background of stars and absolute black. A dried shell, dead, dusty, and devoid of life. Its surface showing only vaguely through a funeral shroud of dust. The pall parted for a moment, revealing a familiar shape beneath. An archipelago she knew well, now lifeless rocky mounts rising above a desert impossibly far below... Japan in a world with no water... a world with no life. The dead world must be Earth. The dreamer bolted upright in her bed, and tried to figure out what her dreams had just told her. A single, unaccustomed tear glistened in the dim light of the room as it made its way down her face. Without a thought, she brushed it away, abruptly ending its journey. In the past, dreams had been something that happened with no particular meaning other than indigestion, a movie she might have been better off not watching, or perhaps a memory of... Mother. Since she and her sisters had their dreams on consecutive nights, dreams had taken on a whole new aspect. What exactly did this dream mean, anyway? Who was this Azurite? And was that REALLY Earth, barren and devoid of life? Was the vision what would be or could be? Even as she attempted to regain her shaken composure, the young woman reached a decision. Earth would not end up a dry husk as long as she was around to defend it. Plans already began to take shape as she considered her next move... their next move. She had been given power beyond anything she had ever dreamed; now she finally saw the price of that power, responsibility to her world and its people. From her castle through a carefully hidden link, Pluto watched and felt and knew what her avatar did. Things were progressing, the Guardian of Time had chosen well. (END) *** First, my sincere thanks for reading! Thanks also go to my pre-readers: Mike Koos, Chad Walker, Fire, Bryan Neef, and Andrew Norris. Please let me know what YOU think! Kevin D. Hammel May 5, 1999 ======================================== khammel@mail.geocities.com kevinsff@pacbell.net http://www.geocities.com/~khammel/ff/ ========================================