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A Change for the Better
Part 3, A day at Juban High
by Ryougas best friend
Ranma, Ryouga and the scouts
all sit around the table at the shrine. Ryouga has been relatively silent most of the night, afraid of saying something stupid.
Makoto is feeling much better and enjoys herself, Ranma has managed to keep the topic off their little bet, Minako has made
several unsuccessful attempts at talking to Ryouga, Rei is still showing no inclination of liking Ranma or Ryouga and all
the while Ami has been deep in thought. Usagi invited Mamoru to join them and theyre having a nice talk out on the porch
"So Ranma, Ive been wondering how you knew who we were?" Makoto said turning to him.
"It wasnt
so hard your glamour fields dont go to the spiritual level. All I did was read your aura" he said with a shrug, she was
sort of surprised since no one had ever been able to identify them in senshi form. "Okay my turn, Why are there soul
draining demons here?" he said bluntly.
"Well we really dont know, weve never faced monsters who were
after souls. This new enemy is a lot more dangerous than one we faced before" Ami stated a bit distracted.
"Wait a second, before. You mean this kind of thing happens often"
"Well not often, but enough in
my book" Rei popped in. Ranma thought for a moment and shook his head.
"The sad thing is this place is
still more normal than Nerima" Ryouga nodded in agreement. The conversation went on and discussed various things but
Ranma found it impossible to avoid. Finally Usagi brought up the topic.
"So Ranma" she began, "are
you heading back to Nerima anytime soon?" it was an innocent enough question since Makoto and Ranma were the only other
ones who knew about the bet. He paused for a long time, he tried not to think about Akane.
"No...Im probably
gonna stay in Juban" pure joy filled Makotos face, Usagi smiled, Ryouga and the others were surprised. "I think
it would be best, besides I noticed an apartment open in the same complex as Makoto" he gained a small smile. Minako
looked over to the silent warrior.
"What about you Ryouga" she asked with interest. He fidgeted a bit
knowing he couldnt really avoid this question.
"Well I dont really have anywhere to go... ah, I kinda.. umm
just wander around" he scratched the back of his head a little embarrassed. Minako smiled.
"So why dont
you stay in Juban for a while" she didnt bother hiding her intentions. Ryouga felt very uncomfortable and stared at the
floor.
"I dont know..."
"Hey come on you could live with me" Ranma offer, Ryougas
eyes bulged.
"Ranma"
"Come on, you have a girl practically throwing herself at you"
Ranma whispered "I think Ami likes you too, but shes a little less verbal". Ryouga paused for a second.
"Really?" he whispered back
"Yeah, give it a try" Ranma winked
"Okay, Ill
try" Minakos face lit up.
"Great, Than Ill see you two at school tomorrow" she said happily.
"Yup, we better get going though its getting kind of late, dont want to be late for school" Ranma stated before
Ryouga could protest and dragged him out the door. Makoto followed a bit confused. After a minute or so Ryouga finally spoke
up.
"Why did you say that, you know full well I havent been to school since I started chasing you. You trying
to make a fool out of me!" he obviously was angry.
"Dont worry you can do that fine on your own"
Ranma stated out of habit.
"What was that Saotome?!" he growled
"Calm down, geez. Trust
me Youll have no trouble getting into school, especially because of all your travels. Just relax, I got it all figured out"
Ranma had a confident smirk as they approached their new home.
Virgo lays in her room staring to the ceiling, she
is deep in thought. The room seems in every way a bedroom youd find in an apartment building. "Two boys and a bunch of
girls in sailor suits destroyed two panthergasts with relative ease and with Leo breathing down my neck Ill never get my job
done" she took a breath to calm herself and sat up. She took a long look at the 17 year old body she was in. She looks
fully human with no strange marks and the armlet looks like a bracelet "Why did I get some teenager, at least most of
the others look like there out of high school. I swear I dont see why I have to actually go to school. Why do we have to hide?"
her thought were disrupted by a knock at the door. "what?"
"Its me Sagittarius, let me in"
a female voice came from the other side. Virgo got up and walked let her in. Sagittarius looked to be a year or two younger
than Virgo. She had long red hair and green eyes, she wore a dress and a white blouse. She was currently wearing a school
bag. "Come on Yukiko were going to be late for school" she said stressing her human name. Virgo sighed and picked
up her bag from the corner.
"Whatever you say Eri" she said sarcastically heading into the living room,
Taurus and Cancer were having breakfast. Taurus was a tall rather bulky man, he had shaved his head and had dark brown eyes.
Cancer was a young woman in her early 20s, she had short brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was ill tempered because she was
a male demon inside a womans body, there was a malfunction with the machine. Taurus stopped the two girls at the door.
"Dont forget, we have a meeting tonight" he said in a deep calm voice.
"Yeah, yeah well keep
our schedules open" Virgo said rudely and headed down the stairs, Sagittarius followed. They began their long walk to
school.
"Whats with you lately, youve been like this since yesterday" Eri stated to her friend.
"What do you think, Leos breathing down my neck, I cant concentrate on my job and Im sick and tired of pretending
to be human" Yukiko said through clenched teeth. "I hate them, they go around and think there so great and powerful,
when in truth there weak and fragile. I cant stand it, I havent met one single human that would give me a reason for studying
them" she gave a exhausted sigh.
"But I the plan you told me means you have be near them...a lot"
Eri said calmly.
"I know, thats the fatal flaw to my plan" they were silent the rest of the way. They
arrived at school a little early, Eri began to talk with Ami Mizuno. She was the first friend she had managed to make while
she was here. She was also the only member of the research party who could make friendship. Yukiko shook her head, she just
couldnt understand how Eri did it. The bell rang so everyone headed to class Yukiko took a seat in the back row leaning back
on her seat. Eri sat next to Ami, the rest of the class began to file in. Makoto entered, she seemed pretty tired. Minako
leaned over.
"You look totally wiped, what happened?"
"Me and Ranma were up for most
of the night helping Ryouga study, but it worked. He passed the entry test" she yawned. "Ranma did too, I managed
to get them in our class too". The teacher entered just moments after Usagi rushed into the room, much to her relief.
"Today we starting our project for the semester, will be working on this mainly for the next two weeks. Before
I announce your groups I need to introduce two new students. Ranma Saotome and Ryouga Hibiki" The two boys entered the
room. Yukikos chair fell out from under her, fortunately the rest of the class was either admiring the new students or steaming
that they their girlfriends were drooling over these guys. *Yet another cruel twist of fate.. when will it end?* she thought
sadly getting up. "Why dont you two introduce yourselves to the class?" the teacher suggested. Ranma stepped forward
first.
"I just moved here from the Nerima district" there were a few mummers through the class. "Im
a martial artist and I went on a huge trip around Japan and china when I was younger" some of the girls sighed, a few
boys grumbled. Ryouga stepped forward, "Well theres not much to say really, I lived in Nerima awhile. But I mainly just
travel around...Ive lived all over the world., umm. Im also a martial artist and.. ah" he felt the eyes of all the girls
on him and he choked up. "Thats about it" he went to his seat in front of Eri, Ranma sat behind Makoto.
"Now I expect you to be nice to our new students, now Ive split you into groups of four. Group one Usagi Tsukino, Nina
Kiyomori, Melvin Iwabashi and Minako Aino" Minako cursed under her breath. "group two Ami mizuno, Eri Asata, Ryouga
Hibiki and Kotaro Takezaki" Ryouga swallowed slightly, Ranma had said that Ami might like him. Eri took a look toward
Ami, sensing multiply and conflicting emotions about her.
"What do you think of that new student, Ryouga.
Hes going to be working with us" she whispered while the teacher continued.
"Im not really sure yet"
Ami gave a half-lie and left it at that.
"And finally Makoto Kino, Ranma Saotome, Seto Maeki and Yukiko Asata"
the teacher finished, Yukiko proceeded to slam her head against her desk softly.
"It never ends" she
said sadly, *Im teamed up with my enemy...wait a second. This is where I can learn what his weak spot is. I will end you Ranma
Saotome" she thought coldly. As she put up her human act.
Eri managed to take Kotaro aside to work on a separate
part of the project so Ryouga and Ami were alone. Ryouga tried to concentrate on his work but couldnt help but notice Amis
occasional gaze coming on him. He determined it to be a mixture of Nabikis calculating gaze and Kasumis kind empathic gaze...a
warm calculating gaze as it would be. Finally she started a conversation.
"So Ryouga, Ive been meaning to
ask you something" she began, "how are you and Ranma able to generate so much power" Ryouga sunk slightly,
but answered none the less.
"We channel our emotions" he said simply, Amis eyes boggled.
"You channeled your emotions into energy and fire them as weapons"
"well actually just one emotion,
sometimes two" he continued. The look on Amis face meant an explanation was needed. "Okay, well for example Ranma
uses confidence as his main weapon since that is usually his most prominent emotion. Just like mine is depression" he
ended it there. Ami tried to go back to work but was shocked by his statement, "he stays in an almost constant cycle
of depression, thats so sad" she said silently.
Yukiko joined the group in fake unwillingness, they began
the project. Makoto and Ranma chatted while they worked, "So what made you stay, It couldnt have been because of yesterday"
Makoto whispered to Ranma. Ranma smiled, Yukiko listened in on their conversation.
"Why do you mind, I thought
youd be sick of me by now?" he whispered with a smirk.
"Itll take a lot more than that to get rid of
me Ranma Saotome" they shared a private gaze and both looked away. Yukiko scratched her head, *These humans make no sense,
what was that all about?* she thought frustrated. The boy across for her coughed slightly.
"What?" she
said harshly, the boy flinched and looked away. Yukiko anger was only increased by this little event. Her pencil cracked in
her hand, Seto swallowed slightly.
"Maybe this was the wrong time" he said in a low whisper as he got
back to work. Ranma and Makoto looked toward Yukiko with general concern.
"Yukiko are you ok?" Makoto
asked, Yukiko just glared at Makoto. Ranma gave an annoyed look.
"Whats wrong with you?" he butted in
Yukiko couldnt take it anymore.
"I cant stand people like you! Living your stupid little lives, thinking
your better than everyone" she growled, at this point everyone is looking at her, Eri is silently hoping Virgo doesnt
revel her true self. "you, you argh!" she slapped Ranma, knocking himself off balance. Then stomped out of the class,
there was a shocked silence.
"Its always the silent ones" Minako stated shaking her head. Eri approached
the teacher.
"May I be excused to see whats wrong with my sister" She asked politely. The teacher nodded
dumbly and Eri went out to find Yukiko. It didnt take long she was right around the corner, "What happened, I was afraid
youd snap and zap everyone. But you just slapped him, Ive never seen you do that" She looked into Yukikos eyes. They
had a small trace of fear.
"I- I wanted to zap them and be done with it, but I lost control. I" she was
really rattled. "I acted like a human...and I wasnt trying to" She slumped against the wall. "I had real emotions"
Eri knelt down to her friend.
"Theres nothing wrong with that, we have human bodies. Something like that is
to be expected" Yukiko shook her head.
"But these bodies are fake, soulless shells made for us to inhabit.
Theres just no way" tears came to her eyes and she freaked out. "Its happening again, please sag- Eri. Please stop
it" she begged, Eri held her and calmed her.
Back in class, Ranma felt his cheek and winced. *Shes pretty strong*
he thought as he turned to Makoto "Whats with her?".
"I dont know Yukiko and Eri joined our class
a few weeks ago. Eri is a great person, but her sister was always a little off. She sat in the back very quiet, but thats
never happened, maybe your ever present mighty luck with women" she said trying to humor up the moment. Ryouga came over
followed by Ami, Minako and Usagi.
"As slick as ever I see Ranma" he said enjoying the few times he could
get under Ranmas skin. Ranma gave a grimace.
"Ha ha ha, yuck it up Ryouga. But theres something odd about
that girl, shes really strong. Though shes obviously not a martial artist, I mean just by her aura" he said seriously.
Ryouga said nothing he had noticed there was something odd about her aura. Ami looked at her mini computer.
"Your
right about her according to her readings theres something odd, but when she got angry the reading turned normal" she
said confused. They were a collective silence. Until Eri entered the room, a teary eyed Yukiko in the doorway. Eri bowed.
"Yukiko apologizes to the class and wishes to speak to Ranma for a personal apology" she stated calmly.
The teacher nodded and Ranma left the room, outside Yukiko had calmed down.
"Look Saotome Im really sorry
about what happened Im just under a lot of stress. Ill try to keep my cool next time" she said staring at the floor,
not wanting to lose it still stuck in this human-like stupor. Ranma nodded, Yukiko walked back into class.
The rest
of the classes went smoothly, Ranma heading to a place away from the main crowd enjoying, for the most part, the school day.
When suddenly The sprinklers on the field he was crossing went on, a soaked female Ranma grumbled sitting under a tree. Not
far there was a gasp in the shadows, she rubbed her eyes to make sure she was really seeing this. "Did...did Saotome
just change into a girl?" Yukiko stated to herself.
Ryouga Wandered through a grassy area "Where is that
Ranma, he just went off and left me. I cant miss school anymore" he said with a frustrated sigh, he continued walking
til he reached a sidewalk. He sat down on the curve, "I hate being lost, its such a -" his statement was cut off
by a car splashing him. P-chan struggled out of his clothes and gave an angry "Bwee!".
"What are
you doing on the side of the road?" a girls voice asked surprised, she picked him up. P-chan freaked out and squealed
wildly, but he could get away. "Calm down, Im not going to hurt you" the girl said trying to calm the frantic animal.
P-chan recognized the voice and looked up, *AMI! Please gods not again* he thought panicked.
well that's part 3
and let the problems begin. No need to keep you waiting here's part 4, Back in Nermia.
A Change for the Better
Part 4, Back in Nermia
by Ryougas best friend
Yukiko stared wide-eyed in shock, "did Saotome just
change into a girl?!" she rubbed her eyes just to make sure. After a moment she brought up her energy reader it flickered
a bit. "Thats odd, I cant pick up a reading on her. Im just getting static, I cant pick up Saotome anywhere. Where did
he go?" she scratched her head and walked off. "Maybe the master will know?" she left the school yard and headed
back to her apartment.
Ami headed home, carrying P-chan. Who had all but given up at this point, he just sat in
her arm questioning kamis reason for this irony. They soon arrived at a small house, Ami opened the door. "Hello Mom!"
she called receiving no answer. She dropped her bag by the door and headed to the kitchen, her eye catching the note from
her mom. It read:
Dear Ami,
I was called in for a huge emergency. Ill be back as soon as I can.
Love
you ,
Mom
She placed P-chan on the counter, "Looks like Im making dinner tonight, are you hungry?"
she asked the pig. P-chan nodded, much to Amis surprise. "You can understand what Im saying?" she asked, P-chan
nodded slowly. This peaked Amis interest, she examined the pig closely. She quickly caught the bandanna around its neck *Thats
one of Ryougas bandannas, But how could he have a pet if he travels so much, hmm* she calculated. "Do you belong to Ryouga?"
it was an innocent question and was surprised to see the pig sweat and get nervous. P-chan didnt know what to do, should he
just get it over with or let history repeat it self. He let out a frustrated "BWEE!" and raced off the counter.
He headed to the door but ended up running up stairs. "Hey wait, where are you going?" Ami hurried after the frantic
animal, amazed by how fast it was moving. P-chan went bouncing from door to door trying to find one open. He managed to rush
into one and he was rewarded with a large splash, Ami hurried up the hall after the frantic pig. She opened up the bathroom
door. "Now what was that all abo-!" she froze staring blankly into the bathroom, Where a very naked Ryouga sat in
the water, "Ry-Ryouga!?" she had no train of logic that could explain what was going on.
"Uh,
H-hi Ami" He said clumsily and very red, finally her mind over loaded and she fainted in the hallway.
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Far away in Nerima, There is a solemn vibration echoing through the whole city. The chaos has subsided with its main
player gone, its all quiet. Both nekoken and Ucchans are closed much to the dismay of many frequent customers. Kasumi sadly
sweeps the floor of the Tendo home, Akane hasnt come out of her room since Ranma left, Genma and Soun couldnt stand it and
went on there own journey, but everyones faith was in Nabiki...
<BRING!>
Kasumi answers the phone, "Tendo residence, may I help you" she say politely. Theres a moment of silence as
she listens, "okay Ill check, Nabiki its-" she began.
"I havent found Ranma yet!" a frustrated
shout from Nabiki came from upstairs. Kasumi sighed and went back to the phone.
"Im sorry Ukyou, nothing yet"
with that she sadly hung up as Nabiki came downstairs, very frustrated.
"I cant find him anywhere, he didnt
leave any clues, he didnt even take any of his things. Its like he disappeared off the face of the earth" she sat down
at the table and thought for a second. "I dont get it, he couldnt of run away. Hes too proud" her elder sister joined
her.
"Well thats what Akane told us when she got home, but she wasnt sad about it until the next day"
Kasumi stated thinking back for a moment they looked at each other for a second.
"Maybe she killed him"
Nabiki stated as a joke, but silence followed for a moment. Then they both shook those thoughts out of there heads, "but
she might know something she didnt tell us" she stood up and headed upstairs followed by her sister. "Akane"
she said softly knocking on the door, she opened it to find the room devoid of light, all of her book torn off the selves,
sheets and stuffed animals thrown everywhere and Akane laying limply on the bed, almost totally motionless, Kasumi gasped.
"what?" the girl said, her voice empty and emotionless. Nabiki sat at the edge of the bed, she took a
deep breath.
"What really happened four days ago, what happened to Ranma?" she tried to keep her voice
firm, Akane rolled over her tear stained face was now visible.
"I-I told you he ran off" she finished
with uncertainty, Nabiki looked her straight in the eyes.
"You cant lie to me Akane" she said coldly.
She didnt want to do it this way, but its really the only way she knew how. Akane suddenly broke down, Kasumi sat down and
held her.
"I..did..it" she said between sobs, much to Nabikis surprise. "I dont know what happened
I just got so angry at him, I saw black...I ha-hat..ed him. I told him, I said so many horrible things. Then I hit him as
hard as I could and..and.. he didnt come back" she was hysterical. Nabiki went into shock. she knew that her sister had
a temper, but this was insane.
"oh my, this is terrible" Kasumi stated very serious holding a shaking
Akane. Nabiki silently stood up and walked to the door, "Nabiki?" Kasumi asked worried.
"I-I
have to make a call" she said shakily, she left the room Akane still sobbing on Kasumis shoulder. Nabiki really wanted
to stay and comfort her sister, but she was never good at that sort of thing. She sat sadly on the couch, just as the phone
rang. Nabiki almost smiled at the irony, she answered it. "yeah?" she said bluntly
"I think I found
him" an excited voice said on the other line, Nabiki nearly collapsed.
"Your kidding" she was
astonished that one of her helpers had succeeded where she had failed.
"No joke, I checked the enrollment
lists for all the surrounding districts and it seems Ranma Saotome is attending one Juban high school" the voice said
very proud. Nabiki mentally slapped herself for missing that. "and you believe this, RYOUGA HABIKI enrolled with him"
the girls voice was filled with confusion. Nabiki tried to collect herself, none of this made sense.
"Well
thanks Honami, your a life saver" The middle Tendo stated in her normal calm voice with a hint of congratulation.
"Any time boss" she hung up on the other end, Nabiki pondered the situation for a moment. *Why didnt he come
back?* she than remembered her sisters hysterical description of events. *He thinks she doesnt love him at all, Maybe she
doesnt* Nabiki shocked herself with that thought. Kasumi came down interrupting the thought process.
"The
poor girl cried herself to sleep" her sister stated sadly, "who was it on the phone?". Nabiki sat down again
and motioned for Kasumi to do the same, she cleared her throat.
"Weve found Ranma" she whispered as if
people were listening, which some probably were. Kasumi gasped but said nothing, her look said all, Nabiki nodded. "Hes
doesnt seem on planning a return trip, he enrolled in a new school" she said still talking low.
"What
will we do about Akane?" Kasumi whispered with a gaze upstairs. Nabiki shrugged and silence reigned. All that was heard
was faint rustling of the outside bushes as Sasuke ran off into the night.
Ranma-chan sat in shade of the tree a
little steamed at her current form, not changing in the last few days had made him careless. She relaxed a bit as the wind
blew, Ranma-chan suddenly felt jumpy. After a moment she felt stupid, "Its so peaceful here Im half expectin Shampoo
or Ucchan to come out wanting to go out on a date or somethin" he said jokingly, "Then Akane would come along an-."
she trailed off downhearted. She stared at the ground, *Akane...* the wind blew hard in the silence.
Virgo entered
her apartment, it was empty. After dropping her bag in the living she went to the end of the hall, she opened it to find a
strange colored vortex. She concentrated and the marks appeared along with the armlet. She took a step inside an to a huge
room with a large round table. Seated about were the other zodiacs, she sat in her seat receiving a glare from the twins sitting
across from her. "Welcome Virgo, now we can start our meeting" A cold disembodied voice echoed through the hall,
the zodiacs nodded. A magic screen appeared in the center of the table, short clips of Ryouga and Ranma during the last fight
flash showing the two boys decimate the unfortunate panthergasts. The last image freezes with the sailors celebrating with
Ranma and Ryouga. "Now what may I ask is this!" The voice went to full rage causing all of the zodiacs to flinch,
Virgo stared at the floor.
"Our minions being defeated by a group of teenagers" She admitted, a cold
breeze blew through the room.
"You should have been able to get at least one of the targets" the voice
continued calmer, "only three of them could really hurt us". Virgo took a breath.
"The boys are
very strong experienced fighters and the girls are a force created solely to destroy us. And I am aware of the failure, But
I have a plan" she stated with confidence. Leo shot a look at her but said nothing.
"Continue"
the voice urged with a hint of interest. Virgo cleared her throat and motioned to the screen a spit screen picture shows each
of the sailors faces along with Ranma and Ryouga.
"Now you have seen their strength with their attacks, but
more importantly there teamwork. Their teamwork is what allows them to triumph, each one has a role. Remove any of them an
chaos ensues, so we simply have to find the weakest link and snap it" she finished receiving a few nods along with some
glares.
"Hmmmm" rumbled the voice, "That sounds like a sound plan, but I recommend you leave it
to the other zodiacs. You and the rest of the research party need to hold up your positions in the other world" Virgo,
Sagittarius, Taurus and Cancer nodded and left. The voice continued, "Aquarius, you will start the plan, if it show promise
will go all out. Each zodiac shall have their own target, is that clear" the voice boomed. The daemons all nodded, though
some had resistance. "Now Aquarius chose your victim" with that a young man with long blue hair stood and walked
confidently to the screen. He had similar markings on his face, in a deep blue sleeveless vest, white pants and sandals. He
gave an evil smirk.
"Yes Fortune" he replied respectfully. He examined all of the pictures with deceptively
kind eyes "As for the first Target..." the pictures began to disappear leaving one, which enlarged. "Sailor
Mercury will do" The water zodiac stated shouldering his trident.
Another part out of the way, but with Ami
being targeted what could happen? Part 5, Water to Ice!
A Change for the Better
Part 5, Water to Ice
by
Ryougas best friend
Amis eyes fluttered and cleared, she sat up. She was on her bed, her memories of earlier
slow came back to her. "Ryouga? Are you here!" she called out. There was silence, she relaxed a bit "maybe
it was just a dream...of course it was. It had to be, animals dont turn into people when they hit water" she sated out
loud to calm herself. Just then there was knock on her door, "yes?" Ami said hesitantly.
"Are you
okay?" Ryougas voice came form the other side of the door, Ami gasped.
"Ry-Ryouga?!" she nearly
jumped, she tried to calm herself.
"I can understand you dont want me to come in, so I wont" his voice
was very nervous. "I just wanted you to know Im not a freak or anything. Im-Im under a curse. So Im going to get going,
you dont have to speak to me again. Just dont tell anyone, okay" Ami could hear his footsteps heading off. She was still
in shock from the last encounter and was silent and unmoving for a moment.
"Wait!" she finally said getting
her wits about her and headed after him.
___________________________
A little later
outside of Juban general hospital, there is a cold breeze with the faint sound of running water for just a moment. Out form
the shadow of a large tree Aquarius appears, with a wave of his hand a screen appears in front of him with varied colored
markings on it. "According to the info Virgo gave me, sailor mercury should be inside" he said watching the deep
blue energy reading. "Its no where near as powerful as she said, what a shame this wont be much of a challenge at all"
he said in disappointment. "Well an order IS and order". He twirled his trident in front of him "DISTORTED
REFLECTION" he said calmly concentrating and jet of water flew up surrounding him. When it receded he stood his hair
now short and jet black. He was dressed in a suit twirling a cane, he brought the cane to the ground. With a smirk on his
face he entered the hospital building
Inside he headed straight for the door to the inner part of the hospital,
the receptionist stopped him. "Sir, Im sorry personal only" she said from her desk. Aquarius turn and chuckled lightly.
"Of course, Im sorry see Im the new doctor here. I guess your boss didnt inform you of my arrival" he
said walking over to the desk.
"Im sorry sir, But I was n-" she stopped in mid sentence as Aquariuss
eyes flashed. Her eyes in turn flashed back. "Oh yes, Im sorry it must have slipped my mind, please go right ahead"
Aquarius nodded and headed through the doors with an amused expression.
"Ah how easy humans are to deceive"
he went through the doors and into the interior of the hospital.
Not far from the hospital, Ami stood on a street
corner. "Where did he go?" she said looking around, she took out her pocket computer and set it for scanning energy.
A bright green energy blip appeared near the hospital, dwarfing those average levels around it. "There he is... wait.
Whats this one?" she noticed a flickering power that was nega but flicker to normal back and forth. "It looks like
a nega verse power, but its almost readable. This cant be good" I better check this out. She hid in some nearby bushes
and transformed. Sailor Mercury rushed out and ran toward the hospital.
Minutes later she arrived to find Ryouga
looking at the hospital, his back pack lay next to him. Mercury slowly approached, without turning Ryouga spoke. "One
of them is in there" he said calmly. Mercury stood next to him.
"I know... my moms in there" she
said coolly, Ryouga gave a casual glance. She hit her watch communicator, "guys we got a monster at Juban General hospital.
Get here as quick as possible". She looked to Ryouga "We better hurry" she started off followed by Ryouga.
Inside the hospital Aquarius stopped in front of a door, "according to my calculations mercury should
be on the other side of this door" he opened it slowly. There stood middle aged women with blue hair in a tight bun,
she was dressed casual and a white coat over her clothes. *This is one of the teenagers that thrashed a panthergast?* he wondered
to himself.
"You took a nasty hit Mr. Higashimizu, but you should be fine" the women said to her patient.
"Thank you Dr. Mizuno"
"Oh please it was no problem, Im just glad I could help"
"Well maybe you can help me Doctor" a voice said from behind her, she turned to see a well dressed businessman
wearing shades. "You see Im get something from you that I need" he stepped into the room.
"Excuse
me, but this is a area reserved only to hospital personal and family. Ill have to ask you to leave" Dr. Mizuno said motioning
to the door. The man removed his shades and locked eyes with the doctor, his eyes flashed and she became very dizzy.
"Maybe you didnt hear me, get over here" he stated firmly, she entered a trance-like state and followed him
into the hall. "Now Miss Mercury, I want you to stand still. This wont take long" Aquarius spun his staff which
dissolved his illusion he planted the butt of his trident firmly on the ground. he aimed it at the older women who didnt move.
"Your soul is mine" he touched the doctors chest and a blue ball shot out of her body into his hand. He admired
it for a moment and stuck into his pouch. Dr. Mizuno collapsed to the ground.
"What have you done to Dr.
Mizuno?" The patient gasped reaching blindly for the help button on his bed. Aquarius aimed his trident toward to man
who screamed in pain and went limp and very weakly glowing ball flew out and to the daemons hand.
"Sorry no
witnesses" he said stuffing it into his pouch.
"Stop right there daemon" a girls voice shouted from
behind him, amused he turned only to almost have a heart attack. "I am Sailor Mercury, Protector of the weak and defenseless.
Im here to teach you a lesson for stealing the souls of the sick and injured" she said calmly. Ryouga was in a combat
stance behind her a bit confused, *why did she give that speech ?*.
"How could you be over there when I just
took your soul?!" Aquarius shouted, "If your over there than whose soul do I have?" he moved aside and Mercurys
cool exterior shattered.
"no..." she said sadly looking at her moms motionless body. "Kami-san
no!" she fell to her knees. Ryouga saw a very familiar expression on her face as Amis heart broke, his anger grew.
"You monster, how dare you make her unhappy!" he shouted charging a very surprised Aquarius, he tackled the
zodiac to the ground and sent a hard blow straight at his head. Aquarius managed the move and Ryougas fist went through the
floor. With a heave he through the boy off him and partially down the hall he picked up his trident and entered a defensive
stance.
"Come on boy, lets see what youve got" he shouted as Ryouga got up. He shot a glance at Mercury
was holding the other women he drained. At that moment an idea hit him, and so did Ryouga. The zodiac flew into the wall at
the end of the hall. Ryouga ran up and pinned him.
"Reverse what youve done or Ill snap you in half"
The lost boy growled.
"Make me!" He growled back forcing the younger man off him, he blasted Ryouga
with a shot from his trident, the lost boy flew down the hall. Aquarius aimed his trident toward Mercury who made no move
to defend herself, "Well now I can get your soul and correct the problem" he said placing the weapon on her chest.
Ryouga charged lashing out a hard kick knocking the trident away from the distracted scout. The two warriors stood in stance
waiting for the other to make their move, they both screamed and charged. Ryouga barely dodged a fierce shot meant for his
stomach getting a small gash on his side, ignoring the pain he let out a vicious series of punches that were blocked the trident
his opponent wielded. Aquarius got a wicked smile on his face as grabbed the boys shirt and threw him into the window to the
outside cracking it. Unknown to the two fighters the temperature. dropped considerably. Aquarius confidently walked over to
the lost boy who started to stand, he gave a hard knee bringing Ryouga to his knees. "You know boy, your not half bad.
Too bad I have to kill you and all" he laughed cruelly and didnt see the blow coming. The lost boy let out a punch that
bent the Zodiac over like a folding chair. Recovering quickly Aquarius uppercutted Ryouga with the butt of the trident sending
hard into the glass it cracking and weakening more. It was so cold the both warrior could see their breath, but Aquarius was
furious. "Thats it your dead kid!" he shouted bring his trident back for the death blow. A huge power serge distracted
him, he turned to see his original target was now finally to her feet.
"You killed my mom" she said in
a quiet voice.
"Mom?!" he said confused, but than it struck him. "Thats why you have the same power
aura" he said not noticing the cold look in her eyes.
"She was all I had" she continued in the
same voice, a single tear coming to her right eye. Aquarius took a step back as their was another power surge, it was twice
her estimated power. He could feel an attack coming, before he could move Ryouga came from behind latching on to him with
a bear hug with all his strength. The Zodiac deamon struggled helplessly as the monstrous strength of the lost boy held him
still. Sailor mercury glowed brightly as her single tear fell and stopped in midair, it grew into a palm sized ball. "Youll
pay! MERCURYS..." she spun in a slow intricate dance, the ball orbiting her. "..MOURNFUL..." she stopped facing
Ryouga and Aquarius the ball coming to stop in front of her growing. "TEAR!!!" the ball exploded, forming into a
huge jet of freezing water. Ryouga released Aquarius and dived through a nearby wall just before the jet engulfed the deamon
sending him out the window. Getting up Ryouga looked into the hall which was frozen solid only the Sailor scout and her mothers
body were untouched. Ryouga slowly approached Mercury holding his side. Suddenly she collapsed into his arms sobbing. He brought
his good arm around her and held her firmly as she wept.
*************
Outside the other scouts
and Ranma arrived at the hospital in time to see a figure fly out of a fourth story window being propelled by a large jet
of Ki charged water. Sailor moon saw the ice encrusted area where the window used to be, "Oh Kami, Mercury shot that"
she said amazed. The figure hit the ground a few hundred feet behind them. Aquarius laid partially frozen on the ground, he
slowly stood up. He was prepared to go back and teach that insolent girl a lesson only to see the other 5 teenagers, after
a moment of hesitation he scowled and disappeared in a cool breeze.
"Ill get you later Mercury, Habiki. Youll
both pay" his voice carried on after he was gone. The group looked at each other and back to the hospital.
"Lets go see if there okay" they ran inside.
*******
Aquarius appeared inside the room with all of the Zodiacs waiting and watching the screen without sound. "Smooth move
stupid" the Gemini twins laughed at the irate zodiac. Before he could respond the disembodied voice of fortune boomed
though the rafters.
"It appears that you have failed Aquarius" by the sound of its voice it was oblivious
that Fortune was angry. Aquarius went down to one knee and began begging for forgiveness. "It also appears that you too
have failed Virgo" the daemon in question stared at the continued watching the screen hoping for a miracle. Then it happened
what see was waiting for, a cruel smile appeared on her face. "Virgo are you listening to me!" Fortune shouted.
"Master, everybody. Turn your attention to the screen" the screen came to the scene where the heroes
are all gathered on the fourth floor, Ryouga is still comforting Sailor Mercury. As Sailor moon approaches, Mercury sets a
glare upon her and starts shouting, the other scouts try to calm her but Mercury wont let them near her. They all start shouting
until Ryouga says something, the scouts reluctantly leave. Ranma stays for a moment with Jupiter at the door. He asks a question
to the other boy, who merely nods. They leave leaving Ryouga alone with Mercury as she continues to cry. "Aquarius has
failed in taking her soul, but has caused enough emotional stress to her to break her away from the group. This is just as
good" she stated firmly.
"Go on" Fortune said intrigued by this line of thought.
"With
Mercury split away, their power as a team is ruptured. As an added bonus, Mercury will be away from the others making her
an easier target" she flashed a smile at the group of daemons. Some applauded, some scowled. Among the later was Leo.
"Very nice Virgo, it seems I was a bit hasty. The a bit away from the original proposal you met your part
of the bargain. Tomorrow each zodiac will pick your target" Fortune announced, Leo stood.
"But Master,
if we have them weakened we should capitalize now an strike hard" he protested with a small murmur of agreement from
the others. "If you let me take a small squad of Panthergast I wi-" he began.
"Youll get you Ass
kicked" Aquarius stated brushing ice crystals from his arms.
"You havent fought them, those sailor brats
have incredible magic power and the two boys are very strong" Virgo continued, Aquarius nodded.
"Attacking
them now would be suicide. Their still all in the same area, plus Ill wager that the Habiki boy is as strong as you"
he said looking the fierce warrior up and down. Leo growled with contempt.
"No one is as strong as me!"
he shouted at the zodiac of illusion. Virgo stood beside.
"If you can swallow your pride for a minute and
think of the rest of us. Sure with enough panthergasts you could get them, but your little splurge will attract a lot of unwanted
attention and leave us venerable to attack. Thats not very tactically smart is it?" she said firmly increasing his anger.
"Why you-!"
"Leo!" Fortune shouted at the livid Zodiac, "Stop this instant,
your in the wrong. Now calm down!" the energy in the air made all the zodiacs shudder, Leo quickly sobered up.
"Im sorry Master" he said shakily with a bow. Virgos confident smirk was the mirror opposite of Leos vengeful scowl.
"Any other objections?" the disembodied voice said firmly, finding no response. "Then we continue
Virgos plan. Everyone minus the research team and Leo should get prepared, Leo you may not be sent into the field. You are
on dimensional suspension until you get that temper of yours under control. Dismissed!" All of the zodiacs filed out
into there rooms, Taurus and Cancer headed back to the earth dimension. Virgo stood at the door between worlds with Sagittarius,
Aquarius joined them.
"Look Virgo, Id like to thank you. You saved me from the Masters wrath and supported
me against Leo" Virgo merely smiled.
"No offense but the dealing with fortune was mainly to save my ass,
your life was just a bonus" she said with a shrug.
"Well still the fact remains and I am indebted to
you. I hope there is something I can do for you" he said shouldering his trident, Virgo looked at him for a moment. A
smile slowly spread onto her face.
"I think there is something you can help me with, it would be in your best
interests to anyway. If you meet with me tomorrow in the earth realm, after school Ill fill you in" Aquarius nodded and
went to his quarters. Virgo flashed a smile at Sagittarius who had a confused look on her face.
"What was
that all about?"
"My plan is working, my friend. Just like it was meant to" she said patting her
friend on the back heading through the door to earth.
*************
Back in Nermia Nabiki is walking to
school, both Ranma and Akane are not present and she is deep in thought. She had been stumped by the recent turn of events,
Ranma not returning after a fight it isnt like him. Akane says she hates him all the time, why was this any different?* her
musings were interrupted by the smashing of the wall in front of her. Kuno and his Crazy sister Kodochi stood in dramatic
fashion in front of her. "May I ask what your doing?" she said coolly. Kuno stepped forward his boken in his sash,
"Nabiki Tendo. I, the blue thunder of Furiken High, have heard from my sources that you know where The foul sorcerer
Saotome has hidden himself. Normally I would not care, but the Varlet has cursed the beauteous Akane into depression and taken
my pigtailed goddess. You must tell me where he is so that I can punish him" he finished sword held high with a flash
of lightning and the rumble of thunder. Nabiki blinked a bit taken back, she regained her calm exterior.
"I
dont know what your talking about?" she lied, she wanted to make sure she got even with him before anyone else.
"Out with it mercenary, Sasuke overheard your conversation with your agents. Now tell me where my precious Ranma
has been banished to by that hussy Akane" Kodochi said stepping in front of her brother who was still in his pose. Kuno
unfroze at his sisters comment.
"Dear sister, though I love you I can not let you speak ill of Akane Tendo.
She is under the spell of Saotome" he said turning to her, Kodochi turned to meet him.
"Im sorry brother,
but you have it in reverse. Tendo is the evil women enslaving my poor Ranma" the argument quickly turned into a fight,
but Nabiki didnt stick around and slipped off into school.
Throughout the class Kuno bugged her about Ranmas
whereabouts, his ranting lead to the entire school wanting info. With some smooth talking she managed to get them to wait
until next week and all this happened before lunch! Lunch was a war zone, Shampoo and Ukyou came to her at the same time both
having overheard. Shampoo had followed Sasuke and Ukyou had heard Kuno ranting. This evolved into another fight which lead
to Nabiki leaving school early. She normally didnt do things like that, but today it seemed like a good idea. On her way home
the old leach, Happosai, tried to get the same information out of her. Apparently he was in the womens locker room while two
girls were talking about it, she wagered some of the panties Ranma had stashed from when he thought he was a girl to leave
her alone. She arrived mentally exhausted and nearly out of ideas.
"Why Nabiki you home early? Are you feeling
okay?" Kasumi asked concerned as Nabiki all but collapsed onto the couch.
"Everyone knows. One person
listened in on my phone conversation and it snowballed. Now everyone knows, The kunos, Ukyou, Happosai, Shampoo, and if shampoo
knows than Mousse and Cologne know. Ill bet that even though Genma and Daddy are in the middle of nowhere they would have
found out. Theyve been nagging me all day, but I want to know why Ranma didnt come back. I need to know, it doesnt make sense.
I dont want anyone there before me..." she took a breath and headed upstairs. Kasumi looked to her sister.
"Nabiki, Where are you going?"
"I need to know before those nut jobs get there, Im going to Juban"
to be continued
(eventually)
Authors notes: Now Im going to explain why I did the things I did for those
who asked why...
Q- Why Ryouga and Ami?.
A- I personally like the match up, and I think they suit each others personality.
Many people wanted a Ryouga and Rei pair up, and are downed by my idea. I just want to state now that this is only the 1st
Ranma and Sailor moon crossover, I will be trying every angle and see what works.
Q- Are you going to follow the
standard Sailor moon plot with a whole mess of villains going one by one leading up to the boss which is so cloaked evil mastermind?
A- Yes and No, I will follow some aspects of that. But its also Ranma with recurring villains that pop up at random times
with a new plan. So wait a bit before asking that again.
Q- Why havent you used Darien?
A- That was actually
an accident *sweatdrops* Ive never used him before and I was trying to develop the other characters reactions to the newcomers.
So I kinda forgot...
Q- Why is Ranma so relaxed, doesnt he know that everyone is going to come looking for him?
R- I did bring this up in the beginning, it was the reason he wanted to leave. The girls were so nice to him he didnt
want them to get involved with all the problems that would follow him to Juban. Though he is really relaxed because Juban
is much calmer than Nermia.
Well it took me a while but I did it, Part five done. What could happen next. Ranma
and Makoto arrange a study with their project partners Seto and Yukiko, but is this isnt just a normal study; Ranma gets a
job with Ryouga; Nabiki arrives...but is she alone?; Ami separates herself from the other scouts, with only Ryouga there to
protect her; Rei has a disturbing fire reading, Fortune? Zodiacs? What does it all mean?; and how does Aquarius all fit into
this? Next episode of Ranma / Sailor Moon A Change for the Better
Please review and contact me :0)
Ryouga's best friend
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