Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shots in the Dark ❯ PCPIBLS 5 ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Jim Ohki 
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.06.2014 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 475 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.06.2014 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 475 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I make no claims at ownership of any copyrighted characters, places or events used herein. The only thing I make a claim to is this fic, which originated in my head and any original characters created by me herein. The following was made for public consumption at zero profit, and is not for sale except to the owning companies. Yes, I dream big.
Rant: Where’d my reviewers go? I kinda need help to keep the fourth wall madness down here. Average of three reviews per newer chapter? C’mon! Feedback is a great motivator!
Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, Itty-Bitty Living Space Arc One Part Five
By: (Driver) Jim Ohki
“Quickly now,” whispered Pluto as their escape commenced. The shaking had stopped bare moments ago, and as a Time Mage she’d felt it when two different realities merged into one. The massive quake also had the effect of destroying parts of the prison complex, like the cell doors and breaching walls on the upper levels.
“Why do we have to bring her?” demanded Haruka while pointing at Usagi. She was still miffed about the Contract that put her soul at risk, let alone the future of humanity.
“Right now, they’re holding all of the keys; they’re barring all the doors,” answered Michiru in an effort to placate her lover. “The Others will be made to see reason and she’s the one card we have left.”
The girl in question stayed quiet in the face of their jailbreak. Whenever the guards weren’t paying attention Pluto had reinforced the notions of Crystal Tokyo and the need to ‘free’ the others as they had obviously come under some sort of spell. The Senshi of Time was a master at inducing guilt trips and had created the mother of all in Usagi. She felt responsible for the situation as it stood, which helped firm her resolve to correct her ‘mistakes’ and free her friends from the grasp of him.
It was a rare occurrence indeed that she was truly mad at anybody, let alone angry to the point of creating hatred. As it stood, she hated Ranma Saotome with a passion for what he’d done. She just knew that he was responsible for the mess they now had to try to fix and was certainly enslaving the others to do his bidding.
The group of four had made it three levels up, having to stick to as many shadows as they could while climbing through the rubble that had been left behind after the quake. Occasionally they’d come across a roaming solitary guard or small squadron of them and had to wait for them to move on. Fighting the forces of Ranma head-on wasn’t an option yet while within his stronghold as Michiru had so elegantly put it. They had the advantage of home territory over the Senshi and any attack would be easily repelled.
What really didn’t help their cause was that anything they’d carried on their person upon their original capture had been confiscated. Henshin wands, weapons, even the Crystal Fragment –just how they did so and blocked her ability to call it to her person they had no idea- Usagi never left home without. It made the trek just that much harder as they had to do so in their civilian forms, and they had no idea where the items were being stored. Searching the entire complex was ruled out immediately for it wouldn’t take their captors long to notice they were gone and escape had top priority.
“Wait,” Setsuna suddenly stopped, her hearing having detected the shifting of rubble ahead in even darker shadows then those which they moved in. She was pleased to see the other three on alert for anything, looking in all directions.
The wait wasn’t a long one as debris exploded into the air, sending dust everywhere. Breathing without coughing soon became a serious issue as the dust continued on, heavy panting and the occasional growl echoed through the deserted hallway. One of the sources of noise moved into a lit area nearly earning screams of fright.
As they watched, the strange creature sniffed at the air tentatively. The size was comparable to a Great Dane, while the extra pieces that made up the body gave away the origin of such a beast. Razor sharp spines of varying length sprouted from virtually everywhere. The longer ones were on its back, starting at the base of the neck and ending near what would be the tail while shorter ones adorned its legs. Spittle fell freely form the decaying mouth, proving to be acidic when it ate at whatever surface it touched. Pieces of flesh were missing, revealing the muscles underneath yet the wounds didn’t bleed. The rest of the flesh covering the beast was rotting, creating a very unpleasant smell.
The Senshi true to Crystal Tokyo had stumbled upon a Hellhound.
Picking up a chunk of masonry that used to be part of the ceiling Haruka armed herself. She had no idea what the creature was capable of and prepared herself for combat. This turned out to be their undoing as the slight grinding the rather heavy piece of stone made when she picked it up alerted it to their presence. Suddenly there were four more of them –these the size of Boxers-, having kept to the shadows until the prey they sensed gave themselves away.
The big one –the first they’d seen- carefully sat on its haunches and stared them down. It seemed a lot more intelligent than it looked, which gave them a great feeling of unease. The other Hounds held back, apparently waiting to see what their leader would do.
There was a sudden burst of static that accompanied a form flickering in and out of existence for a few seconds. With a loud snap the form solidified into a person, one that they had seen on the surface.
“You have failed,” declared the female form, her face hidden in shadow. “It was the original intent of us that you, Sailor Pluto, were to keep Chaos at bay and you’ve failed rather spectacularly. Now with his rebirth, he will not stop until the Balance is as he designed it. We entrusted you with this one simple task yet you let this nonsense of Crystal Tokyo get in the way. Surely you remember the original deal we brokered upon your arrival here?”
Setsuna paled at that reminder, having forgotten said deal until the form in front of her brought it back to the surface. Many of the details were sketchy at best, while a name leapt to the forefront demanding attention.
Ranma Saotome.
Now she knew why, at his first appearance, she’d launched an attack without provocation. She had been warned about him twelve thousand years previous, a warning she’d put into the big list she’d created just before going into stasis. The list that was lost to time six thousand years ago . . .
“Your failure has ruptured the barriers between realities,” continued the hologram, bringing Pluto out of her memories. “Chaos is beginning to retake his old position as the Maintainer of the Balance without trying to. This reality is now under his complete influence and as such is lost to us. That includes you.”
With that, the transmission ended and the Hellhounds attacked. Usagi, Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna could do nothing but scream at the top of their lungs.
(Topside)
The scenery had undergone massive changes when the realities merged. The fortress and the area within was unchanged while the rest of the district had returned to its previous condition before the attacks. Though there was massive damage everywhere from the earthquake, none of the civilians even remembered that a Holy War of sorts had erupted in their midst. People stared at the fortress walls in confusion, wondering when such a fortification was built without their knowing.
“What the hell happened?” demanded Hild as she shook the last affects of the merger out of her mind. The quake had been one thing; being an Aspect of Nightmare she was attuned to the cosmic strings that made up each reality. She noticed that the Norns were just as out of it as she was, though it gave her little peace of mind.
“That was a nasty Convergence Event,” groused Urd after having to utilize the bushes as a convenient place to vomit. “I’ve never felt the Reality Strings rip then rebuild themselves in such a fashion and I hope to never feel that again.”
“. . .,” offered Belldandy, swirly eyes indicating her state at the moment. Skuld had yet to appear from the weapons control room and it was assumed she was suffering a similar fate.
“This is different,” rumbled Ranma, taking in the improved surroundings. It was nice to see regular people again, even if fires from the quake burned out of control. Looking off to the southwest, he felt a source of power there that was familiar yet not. It was confusing him for he knew he’d never encountered such a power before yet part of him felt that he had.
“Oh my,” chimed Kasumi, making it a point to hang off of Ranma’s right arm. Just like he, she felt that things were happening at a fast pace; she really wished for time to slow down so she could adjust to the changes. Looking around the neighborhood brought confusion to her mind as she could have sworn that not five minutes ago most of Nerima was a flattened battleground.
“Hmmm,” contemplated Nabiki while imitating her elder sister; she was on his left arm however. Dark Holy Bell was hovering over her left shoulder, looking just as pensive about the situation.
“Wow,” Ukyo approved of the changes. This was infinitely better than the bloodied battlefield in her opinion, it even smelled better. She had somehow draped herself over Ranma’s left shoulder, putting a squeeze on the space shared with Nabiki.
“Aiya,” softly added Shampoo, her eyes darting to and fro taking in the changes. Her senses, tuned in the way only the Amazons could be, were going haywire as the natural chi felt . . . wrong was the only word she could think of to describe it. Her position was similar to Ukyo, only she was using his right shoulder as a resting place and limiting just how close Kasumi could get.
It took a few moments for Ranma to realize the predicament he was in. Looking left and right revealed the four faces while his senses sent a priority alert to his brain that they were indeed hanging off of his person. He gave a half-lidded thousand yard stare at nothing, before deciding to do something about it.
“I love you guys and all . . .,” was all he got out before the quartet collapsed in a heap, hearts for eyes and love clouds drifting about their heads. After sweating at this, he turned towards the Goddesses and Demon. “Ah, a little help here?”
“Look at that,” taunted Hild, in the mood for mayhem. “That spell even affected the Angel. Wow Ranma, I had no idea you were such a ladies’ man.”
“GAH!” was the response, arms waving about in an attempt to deny the words. Out of the corner of his left eye he did note that Dark Holy Bell was down for the count with her host, a blissful smile on her face and the prerequisite hearts for eyes. Then he decided to get his revenge in a most childlike manner. “Hild, darling, I love you too! I wouldn’t dream of leaving you out!”
THUD
Down she went, faster than a sack of potatoes ejected from an overturned truck. Her state matched the others, only she had the added sparkly effects dancing about her head. It was at this point that Belldandy came around, while Urd was trying to make herself a smaller target.
Literally as she’d assumed her Mini-Goddess form, before trying to hide in her sister’s hair. The attempt to hide was only partially successful as World of Elegance got in his face with a puppy dog look.
“Huh?” wondered Ranma, completely lost at the look. Her body language was screaming at him while he was trying not to look at said scantily clad body. This changed when Urd reappeared in a puff of smoke, giving her companion a death glare.
“Are you insane?” she demanded, before sweating from the mental answer. Being a half-breed had its drawbacks, like a half-breed Angel that had no problems cursing like a drunken sailor that was just told life was about to become even more difficult.
“What happened?” came the dazed voice of Belldandy, Holy Bell helping her up. The pair took in the bodies on the ground covered in love effects before joining Urd’s companion in giving Ranma the look.
He was very tempted to run away at that point. Bad enough that the female Valkyries he’d experimented on had taken notice that he was at it again and thusly wanted in on the action. He needed a distraction, unfortunately his mind gave him one in the form of his latest ‘weapon’.
“I LOVE YOU ALL!” echoed across the fortress, downing every single female that heard it. It mattered not if they were Human, Angel, Devil, Goddess, Demon, Valkyrie or Senshi.
“Well, I wanted to be alone for a moment,” he said to the masses, even if they were off in their own world.
(Three hundred thirty-two miles away)
“It wasn’t my fault!” roared the diminutive redhead, fleeing in terror from her housemates and special ‘visitors’. Blow something up once and get blamed for everything else that went wrong from that point on. Sheesh!
“C’mon, knock it off!” came from the solitary male in the house they shared, looking aggravated at the antics of the others. He was rewarded by the faux-child hiding behind his person while the others came in weapons hot. Pulling his left hand around the right side of his body, he left out a grunt just before flinging it forward.
“WHOA!” screeched the pursuers, scrambling to change course lest they impact the solid wall of light that now stood between them and their target.
“Now-now Tenchi, that’s no way to treat a guest,” said the chibi-form of Tokimi, somehow looking cute while being stern at the same time. She sweat-dropped at the look she got from said young man in return.
“You want to try that ‘proper decorum’ bit again?” he deadpanned, nodding in the direction of Washu whom was still hiding behind him and his Light Hawk Wings.
“Where’d Sasami, or more to the point Tsunami, go?” piped up the scientist, noting that they were one person short in the usually crowded house.
(Merged Realities Heaven)
Stoic and Depression Almighty stared at each other, not wanting to believe that the first of the mergers had occurred so soon. The reality that was the latest addition to the ‘family’ was under the jurisdiction of the Chousin and as such had no Aspects for administrators.
Across the massive desk from the pair sat the last being they’d wanted to encounter again, especially under these circumstances. In fact they were using the staring contest as a way to avoid looking at their ‘guest’.
“So,” began Tsunami, looking as stern as anybody had ever seen while at the same time impersonating Funaho, “long time no see. Although I must say I disapprove of what you’ve done with the place.”
The staring contest continued as both knew that the second they looked over at her they’d be reduced to whimpering masses of flesh. She was angry yet was willing to let them explain themselves . . . Himself . . . hopefully to her satisfaction.
“And where’s that brother of mine?”
(Nerima)
“Ooh Ranma!” cooed the mass of female bodies as the chase continued through the district. When they had started to come around he knew he was in trouble by the looks he’d received and had run as fast as his legs would go.
“GAH!” was his reply, going faster than ever across the Tokyo Expressway, trying to put some distance between his person and the pursuers. It really wasn’t working as those that had the ability were literally flying in his wake, while those that lacked the power were roof-hopping. Kasumi was in the arms of World of Elegance while Holy Bell assisted Nabiki. Dark Holy Bell scowled at her missing wing for a moment before rejoining her host in the chase.
“Check it out,” gawked one of the onlookers, pointing at the mass of humanity –or so they thought- that had taken to the skies. This being a different Nerima the residents hadn’t been exposed to the weird and bizarre by any stretch of the imagination. A few panicked, many froze in stupefaction, some made phone calls while the rest decided it was a hallucination and returned to their previous activities.
The chase made the news, the entire populace of Japan being treated to the sight of flying people. Cameras were everywhere, from the eye in the sky helicopters to ground crews trying to keep up.
(Masaki Residence)
“Those are . . .,” started chibi-Tokimi, sweating at what she was seeing. The latest mayhem to hit the house had calmed down once Tenchi reasserted himself as the superior being . . . truthfully, all he had to do after deploying his power was frown in their direction. Even Washu feared the frown, for she had seen first-hand what stage came next. In various ways they all had, so keeping him from becoming upset was something of a priority.
“I wonder what they’re doing here?” said scientist thought out loud, a trait she had picked up in the recent years. Getting any form of peace and quiet around the Masaki heir was next to impossible unless he was in a mood . . . or cooking, a rare treat in and of itself.
“Winged beings?” Ayeka gasped out in disbelief. Earth was offering more and more mysteries to not only the First and Second Princesses but the Jurai Ruling Council as a whole. Rumblings were heard that this lost Colony may very well have made themselves lost in a sense as they unlocked those mysteries. Funaho was no doubt being grilled on her homeworld as the transmitter Misaki had insisted on relayed the events to the Palace.
“Check out that one,” pointed Mihoshi, drawing their attention to the white and black one that was carrying another. Her ditzy persona was turned off as her mind made notes on everything that was occurring for her monthly report. The entire situation reminded her of something from her youth; something that was a religious taboo on her homeworld of Seniwa.
“So that’s what it looks like,” mumbled Tenchi to nobody in particular, now seeing his life being imitated by another. The events in the prefecture of Nerima were putting much into perspective for the Crown Prince, while leaving just as much in deeper shadow than ever before.
“. . .,” added the sound-asleep Sasami, having been located in the kitchen propped up against the refrigerator. One look at the glowing marks on her forehead told the others all they needed to know as to why she was unresponsive at the moment: Tsunami was busy with something that required her entire attention.
“Oh my,” Noike said while doing a Kasumi impersonation flawlessly, complete with hands on her face in surprise and awe. What she was seeing couldn’t possibly be true as it flew in the face of everything the priests on Jurai taught of Tsunami and religion as a whole.
“Sister,” started the smaller form of Tokimi, “could he be the cause of the dimensional quake we felt earlier?”
Washu had her translucent interface before her after a wave, typing as fast as any had ever seen. She’d learned during the Hyper-dimension Incident to listen to the insights offered by the Goddess of Power, enigmatic as they were. If the young man running for his life had attracted the attention of Tokimi then she had best look into it as well.
“Chaos energy? Where have I seen this before?” she soon questioned herself, not seeing the eyes of her sister bug out. Her musings had also attracted the attention of those around her, many using looks to ask for clarification.
“What’s with the facial markings?” demanded Ryoko, speaking up at long last. Everything about the situation was bothering her, while at the same time it was making her want to laugh then cry. She had stolen a glance at Tenchi and could see that he was connecting dots between his life and the life of the young man on the television.
“Those with the marks are not of this dimension,” answered Tokimi after reopening her eyes. She’d been in conference with the administrator known as D-3. “Those that are blue are in the service of Him while those that are red are in the service of Her. The light colored winged beings are the companions to those of Order while the darker, more leathery ones are the familiars to those of Disorder. The sole exception is the half-breed, the reflection of a Hybrid.”
“The multiverse cornerstone?” whispered Washu, suddenly changing tactics in her analysis. Memories long sealed resurfaced, paling her complexion to a pasty white rapidly approaching death warmed over. There was only one Hybrid she’d known of in her entire existence, one that had been born shortly after . . .
“It’s him!” she suddenly shouted, pointing at the young man at the front of the chase. “He’s been freed!”
“Who?” wondered Ayeka, completely baited by the outburst. She wasn’t the only one as a quick glance revealed almost every eye on the small scientist.
“Brother . . .,” answered a reminiscing Tokimi, her eyes glazed as she remembered a time long past.
“Master Chaos has indeed been freed,” came the voice of Tsunami, heralding her arrival as she faded into view. This also awoke Sasami, both pieces to a single being looking none too happy. “But that’s not all. Washu, check coordinates zero by zero by zero by one.”
“The Alpha Prime Point? Wait, don’t tell me . . .,” trailed off Tokimi as she opened her senses fully to the new reality around her.
“Yes, Those That Came Before are also free,” was the answer from Washu, her face set in the most grim look any had ever seen.
“Can somebody explain what is going on?” timidly asked Tenchi, his eyes looking at everybody at once in an effort to find somebody who had answers.
The answer he got was not what he wanted as the story of The Beginning was told. The Chousin, being siblings to Chaos, had created their own universe in the hopes of hiding from the Order as He went on a rampage, going after anything or anyone related to the last vestige of the Abyss. Matters were not helped any by the fact that He was the sole child of Tsunami, her one attempt before The Experiment at creating a being higher than herself. He was born from the nothing, just as they were which both helped and hindered her attempts. For without a father, He was missing crucial components that Tenchi had. Being born of love was far more powerful than being born of simple experimentation and scientific desire.
“Wait a moment,” interrupted said Masaki. “Are you saying that when I have children they are going to have more power than I do?”
“The probabilities of that are small,” answered Washu. “You are what we’ve been looking for after all. Like we told you, everything from the Incident forward is all up to you. We’ve done our part and see no reason to continue the Experiment.”
“So is this . . . Chaos,” Ayeka nearly spat the word, having a hard time coming to grips with the truth, “really evil or is he as misunderstood as Tokimi?”
“He is the Maintainer of the Balance,” replied said Goddess, her eyes downcast. “Both the Order and Disorder despised him for his power and for the fact that he would stop their nastier schemes.” Her eyes flickered to the television, then her right eyebrow climbed upwards. “Although it appears that not all of the Aspects thought so.”
Washu took a hard look to see what is was that her sister was talking about before her face lost its color yet again. There was only one being she knew of that had red five-point stars on her cheeks and what looked like a matching, filled in Star of David on her forehead.
“Reunification . . .,” offered Tsunami, bringing all attention onto her person. Seeing comprehending looks from her sisters she didn’t expound upon her statement for them but the expressions from the others urged her to explain herself.
“He and Her, the Almighty and Hild, were forced to create the multiverse after The Sealing. The universe we originated from couldn’t hold itself together without the Balance Keeper, and to buy time they created a cornerstone by having a child.” She pointed at the one flying alongside the half-breed Angel. “Urd, daughter of Order and Disorder. There was a catch to all of this, however. When the Sealing occurred, Chaos had split his essence from his core, creating what were simply called System Bugs. This gave birth to a prophecy amongst the Angels and Devils that one day he would return. The key to this was also Urd; it was told that if she ever sided with an Incarnate in the right situation the seal containing Chaos would be breeched. From there the multiverse would go one of two ways: Reunification or Destruction. Master Chaos has a grudge with Order, one that if he so wished could lead to the End of Days.”
“Now that Those That Came Before are also free,” continued Tokimi, having assumed her ethereal form, “Twilight of the Gods is most certainly upon us. They were none too happy about being locked away at the Alpha Prime Point of Existence; the place where the Abyss gave life to the original universe. Warmongers they may be, but they know better than to go against Chaos for he is the only one with a deep enough connection to our Creator to wipe them from the pages of history.”
“Most likely,” picked up Washu, also in ethereal form, “our reality merged with the one that Chaos now calls home. If he was the cause it or if it’s our connection to him I don’t know. We must be alert however as Order will not pull his punches simply because we’re now present.”
“Are you telling me that the war to end all wars has just dropped into our lap?” demanded Tenchi, the frown back and his eyebrows slightly tilted downwards.
“Yes,” answered the Chousin together, their expressions grim. “Order has lost control of the situation and has resorted to the final plan: Ragnarok.”
“Wonderful,” came the deadpan chorus of the others, heads drooping downwards.
“We must travel to Nerima,” said Tsunami, bringing the heads back up to stare at her like she was insane. “Whomever Chaos is now must be warned of what is to come. Besides, I’d like to say hello to my Brother for the first time in millennia.”
The chaotic energy within the reborn Chaos, as they had yet to acquire his name, had different ideas. As they watched the proceedings with vast interest, his hair moved for the first time. To the casual observer, this would mean naught. To those that knew of a passenger, this would send them fleeing in terror if they’d had the debugger shades on.
Instantaneously did the television change channels, which switched the program being transmitted to Jurai. Instead of a mad dash through the prefects of Tokyo the residents of the Masaki household were treated to American stand-up comedy.
Pablo Francisco variety to be exact, doing movie previews.
“One man, one way,” came from the speakers in English as the movie trailer guy was impersonated. “One desire. They went too far; they broke all the rules. One man: Kermit the Frog as a Pimp . . .,”
“Where’s my money?!” The sound of a heavy punch landing. “Where is it?!”
Tenchi was the only one to catch this reference, to which he fell over laughing. This drowned out the sounds coming from the television, while the others watched slack-jawed. He was guffawing so hard that his entire frame shook as he rolled around on the floor. Just when he got his laughter under control, he heard the next bit.
“In the city, you must fight to survive,” movie trailer guy again. “He sold Tortilla’s on the corner. And the mob wanted him . . .,”
“I don’t know who this guy is but I want him and his tamales dead!” Mob Boss voice, more than likely Al Pachino.
“He had one chance, and his chance was to fight back. Arnold Schwarzenegger . . .,”
“You listen to me, these are my tortillas and I’m not gonna give ‘em up. Listen to me!”
Cheesy gunshot effects
“In a place where they didn’t know his name . . .,”
“Mi hito, who are those men who came here?! Wha’s happening?!” ten year old Hispanic boy, heavily accented.
“Listen to me, listen to me! Keep your head down! They’re trying to take my tortillas!” The ‘Govern-ator’.
More cheesy gunshot effects
“One man. One solution. Arnold Schwarzenegger this summer is . . .,”
“NO!”
“Little Tortilla Boy.”
He tried not to repeat his previous laugh-fest, just picturing the ‘movie preview’ in his mind but couldn’t help it. Sweat-drops were the answer as the others had the Earth-born comedy go right over their heads.
“Uh, are you okay?” ventured Noike as his arm appeared from the floor, trying to find purchase on something to stand up. This backfired when Mihoshi moved forward, presenting her pink tank top as a handhold.
Predictable results? Oh yes.
(Nerima rooftops)
Ranma paused in his flight as an explosion of power from the southwest caught his attention. Even this far away he was left in awe at the sheer magnitude of it. The power burst also served to stop the pursuers in their tracks, eyes going wild as they looked around for signs of the enemy.
“Odd,” he commented, before feeling a breeze. Taking in the blushes his chasers now had, he looked down to see that his pants had indeed fallen down again.
“Ah jeez.”
(Alpha Prime Point of Existence)
“FREE!” roared the largest of the gigantic beings while turning towards his army. “At long last we are free! Nothing can stop us this time. We will wreak havoc on the universe, and clean the slate. We will rebuild it in our image, and return to glory. Long live the Titans!”
“LONG LIVE THE TITANS!” returned the massive beings, each justifying their namesake.
The beings looked at the galaxies around them. There being more natural light at the Point since the system star had been absorbed in the seal made this task easy. One by one they took off, each heading towards a different location and reality.
‘Order, you will pay with your life,’ thought the Titan known as Chronos. He has a different destination in mind, shifting his being to the Heavenly plane. The reckoning would begin very soon . . .
TBC
A little shorter than normal, but my mind is locking up. No worries, it’s just a tooth ache. Nothing like pain to remind you that yer alive.
This concludes Arc One. Arc Two will fill in any holes that are pointed out while a merry jaunt through the Tenchi/GXP universe takes place.
I don’t feel so good . . .
For a link to the Pablo Francisco bit, see my profile.
Finished in Big Spring, Texas.
Rant: Where’d my reviewers go? I kinda need help to keep the fourth wall madness down here. Average of three reviews per newer chapter? C’mon! Feedback is a great motivator!
Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, Itty-Bitty Living Space Arc One Part Five
By: (Driver) Jim Ohki
“Quickly now,” whispered Pluto as their escape commenced. The shaking had stopped bare moments ago, and as a Time Mage she’d felt it when two different realities merged into one. The massive quake also had the effect of destroying parts of the prison complex, like the cell doors and breaching walls on the upper levels.
“Why do we have to bring her?” demanded Haruka while pointing at Usagi. She was still miffed about the Contract that put her soul at risk, let alone the future of humanity.
“Right now, they’re holding all of the keys; they’re barring all the doors,” answered Michiru in an effort to placate her lover. “The Others will be made to see reason and she’s the one card we have left.”
The girl in question stayed quiet in the face of their jailbreak. Whenever the guards weren’t paying attention Pluto had reinforced the notions of Crystal Tokyo and the need to ‘free’ the others as they had obviously come under some sort of spell. The Senshi of Time was a master at inducing guilt trips and had created the mother of all in Usagi. She felt responsible for the situation as it stood, which helped firm her resolve to correct her ‘mistakes’ and free her friends from the grasp of him.
It was a rare occurrence indeed that she was truly mad at anybody, let alone angry to the point of creating hatred. As it stood, she hated Ranma Saotome with a passion for what he’d done. She just knew that he was responsible for the mess they now had to try to fix and was certainly enslaving the others to do his bidding.
The group of four had made it three levels up, having to stick to as many shadows as they could while climbing through the rubble that had been left behind after the quake. Occasionally they’d come across a roaming solitary guard or small squadron of them and had to wait for them to move on. Fighting the forces of Ranma head-on wasn’t an option yet while within his stronghold as Michiru had so elegantly put it. They had the advantage of home territory over the Senshi and any attack would be easily repelled.
What really didn’t help their cause was that anything they’d carried on their person upon their original capture had been confiscated. Henshin wands, weapons, even the Crystal Fragment –just how they did so and blocked her ability to call it to her person they had no idea- Usagi never left home without. It made the trek just that much harder as they had to do so in their civilian forms, and they had no idea where the items were being stored. Searching the entire complex was ruled out immediately for it wouldn’t take their captors long to notice they were gone and escape had top priority.
“Wait,” Setsuna suddenly stopped, her hearing having detected the shifting of rubble ahead in even darker shadows then those which they moved in. She was pleased to see the other three on alert for anything, looking in all directions.
The wait wasn’t a long one as debris exploded into the air, sending dust everywhere. Breathing without coughing soon became a serious issue as the dust continued on, heavy panting and the occasional growl echoed through the deserted hallway. One of the sources of noise moved into a lit area nearly earning screams of fright.
As they watched, the strange creature sniffed at the air tentatively. The size was comparable to a Great Dane, while the extra pieces that made up the body gave away the origin of such a beast. Razor sharp spines of varying length sprouted from virtually everywhere. The longer ones were on its back, starting at the base of the neck and ending near what would be the tail while shorter ones adorned its legs. Spittle fell freely form the decaying mouth, proving to be acidic when it ate at whatever surface it touched. Pieces of flesh were missing, revealing the muscles underneath yet the wounds didn’t bleed. The rest of the flesh covering the beast was rotting, creating a very unpleasant smell.
The Senshi true to Crystal Tokyo had stumbled upon a Hellhound.
Picking up a chunk of masonry that used to be part of the ceiling Haruka armed herself. She had no idea what the creature was capable of and prepared herself for combat. This turned out to be their undoing as the slight grinding the rather heavy piece of stone made when she picked it up alerted it to their presence. Suddenly there were four more of them –these the size of Boxers-, having kept to the shadows until the prey they sensed gave themselves away.
The big one –the first they’d seen- carefully sat on its haunches and stared them down. It seemed a lot more intelligent than it looked, which gave them a great feeling of unease. The other Hounds held back, apparently waiting to see what their leader would do.
There was a sudden burst of static that accompanied a form flickering in and out of existence for a few seconds. With a loud snap the form solidified into a person, one that they had seen on the surface.
“You have failed,” declared the female form, her face hidden in shadow. “It was the original intent of us that you, Sailor Pluto, were to keep Chaos at bay and you’ve failed rather spectacularly. Now with his rebirth, he will not stop until the Balance is as he designed it. We entrusted you with this one simple task yet you let this nonsense of Crystal Tokyo get in the way. Surely you remember the original deal we brokered upon your arrival here?”
Setsuna paled at that reminder, having forgotten said deal until the form in front of her brought it back to the surface. Many of the details were sketchy at best, while a name leapt to the forefront demanding attention.
Ranma Saotome.
Now she knew why, at his first appearance, she’d launched an attack without provocation. She had been warned about him twelve thousand years previous, a warning she’d put into the big list she’d created just before going into stasis. The list that was lost to time six thousand years ago . . .
“Your failure has ruptured the barriers between realities,” continued the hologram, bringing Pluto out of her memories. “Chaos is beginning to retake his old position as the Maintainer of the Balance without trying to. This reality is now under his complete influence and as such is lost to us. That includes you.”
With that, the transmission ended and the Hellhounds attacked. Usagi, Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna could do nothing but scream at the top of their lungs.
(Topside)
The scenery had undergone massive changes when the realities merged. The fortress and the area within was unchanged while the rest of the district had returned to its previous condition before the attacks. Though there was massive damage everywhere from the earthquake, none of the civilians even remembered that a Holy War of sorts had erupted in their midst. People stared at the fortress walls in confusion, wondering when such a fortification was built without their knowing.
“What the hell happened?” demanded Hild as she shook the last affects of the merger out of her mind. The quake had been one thing; being an Aspect of Nightmare she was attuned to the cosmic strings that made up each reality. She noticed that the Norns were just as out of it as she was, though it gave her little peace of mind.
“That was a nasty Convergence Event,” groused Urd after having to utilize the bushes as a convenient place to vomit. “I’ve never felt the Reality Strings rip then rebuild themselves in such a fashion and I hope to never feel that again.”
“. . .,” offered Belldandy, swirly eyes indicating her state at the moment. Skuld had yet to appear from the weapons control room and it was assumed she was suffering a similar fate.
“This is different,” rumbled Ranma, taking in the improved surroundings. It was nice to see regular people again, even if fires from the quake burned out of control. Looking off to the southwest, he felt a source of power there that was familiar yet not. It was confusing him for he knew he’d never encountered such a power before yet part of him felt that he had.
“Oh my,” chimed Kasumi, making it a point to hang off of Ranma’s right arm. Just like he, she felt that things were happening at a fast pace; she really wished for time to slow down so she could adjust to the changes. Looking around the neighborhood brought confusion to her mind as she could have sworn that not five minutes ago most of Nerima was a flattened battleground.
“Hmmm,” contemplated Nabiki while imitating her elder sister; she was on his left arm however. Dark Holy Bell was hovering over her left shoulder, looking just as pensive about the situation.
“Wow,” Ukyo approved of the changes. This was infinitely better than the bloodied battlefield in her opinion, it even smelled better. She had somehow draped herself over Ranma’s left shoulder, putting a squeeze on the space shared with Nabiki.
“Aiya,” softly added Shampoo, her eyes darting to and fro taking in the changes. Her senses, tuned in the way only the Amazons could be, were going haywire as the natural chi felt . . . wrong was the only word she could think of to describe it. Her position was similar to Ukyo, only she was using his right shoulder as a resting place and limiting just how close Kasumi could get.
It took a few moments for Ranma to realize the predicament he was in. Looking left and right revealed the four faces while his senses sent a priority alert to his brain that they were indeed hanging off of his person. He gave a half-lidded thousand yard stare at nothing, before deciding to do something about it.
“I love you guys and all . . .,” was all he got out before the quartet collapsed in a heap, hearts for eyes and love clouds drifting about their heads. After sweating at this, he turned towards the Goddesses and Demon. “Ah, a little help here?”
“Look at that,” taunted Hild, in the mood for mayhem. “That spell even affected the Angel. Wow Ranma, I had no idea you were such a ladies’ man.”
“GAH!” was the response, arms waving about in an attempt to deny the words. Out of the corner of his left eye he did note that Dark Holy Bell was down for the count with her host, a blissful smile on her face and the prerequisite hearts for eyes. Then he decided to get his revenge in a most childlike manner. “Hild, darling, I love you too! I wouldn’t dream of leaving you out!”
THUD
Down she went, faster than a sack of potatoes ejected from an overturned truck. Her state matched the others, only she had the added sparkly effects dancing about her head. It was at this point that Belldandy came around, while Urd was trying to make herself a smaller target.
Literally as she’d assumed her Mini-Goddess form, before trying to hide in her sister’s hair. The attempt to hide was only partially successful as World of Elegance got in his face with a puppy dog look.
“Huh?” wondered Ranma, completely lost at the look. Her body language was screaming at him while he was trying not to look at said scantily clad body. This changed when Urd reappeared in a puff of smoke, giving her companion a death glare.
“Are you insane?” she demanded, before sweating from the mental answer. Being a half-breed had its drawbacks, like a half-breed Angel that had no problems cursing like a drunken sailor that was just told life was about to become even more difficult.
“What happened?” came the dazed voice of Belldandy, Holy Bell helping her up. The pair took in the bodies on the ground covered in love effects before joining Urd’s companion in giving Ranma the look.
He was very tempted to run away at that point. Bad enough that the female Valkyries he’d experimented on had taken notice that he was at it again and thusly wanted in on the action. He needed a distraction, unfortunately his mind gave him one in the form of his latest ‘weapon’.
“I LOVE YOU ALL!” echoed across the fortress, downing every single female that heard it. It mattered not if they were Human, Angel, Devil, Goddess, Demon, Valkyrie or Senshi.
“Well, I wanted to be alone for a moment,” he said to the masses, even if they were off in their own world.
(Three hundred thirty-two miles away)
“It wasn’t my fault!” roared the diminutive redhead, fleeing in terror from her housemates and special ‘visitors’. Blow something up once and get blamed for everything else that went wrong from that point on. Sheesh!
“C’mon, knock it off!” came from the solitary male in the house they shared, looking aggravated at the antics of the others. He was rewarded by the faux-child hiding behind his person while the others came in weapons hot. Pulling his left hand around the right side of his body, he left out a grunt just before flinging it forward.
“WHOA!” screeched the pursuers, scrambling to change course lest they impact the solid wall of light that now stood between them and their target.
“Now-now Tenchi, that’s no way to treat a guest,” said the chibi-form of Tokimi, somehow looking cute while being stern at the same time. She sweat-dropped at the look she got from said young man in return.
“You want to try that ‘proper decorum’ bit again?” he deadpanned, nodding in the direction of Washu whom was still hiding behind him and his Light Hawk Wings.
“Where’d Sasami, or more to the point Tsunami, go?” piped up the scientist, noting that they were one person short in the usually crowded house.
(Merged Realities Heaven)
Stoic and Depression Almighty stared at each other, not wanting to believe that the first of the mergers had occurred so soon. The reality that was the latest addition to the ‘family’ was under the jurisdiction of the Chousin and as such had no Aspects for administrators.
Across the massive desk from the pair sat the last being they’d wanted to encounter again, especially under these circumstances. In fact they were using the staring contest as a way to avoid looking at their ‘guest’.
“So,” began Tsunami, looking as stern as anybody had ever seen while at the same time impersonating Funaho, “long time no see. Although I must say I disapprove of what you’ve done with the place.”
The staring contest continued as both knew that the second they looked over at her they’d be reduced to whimpering masses of flesh. She was angry yet was willing to let them explain themselves . . . Himself . . . hopefully to her satisfaction.
“And where’s that brother of mine?”
(Nerima)
“Ooh Ranma!” cooed the mass of female bodies as the chase continued through the district. When they had started to come around he knew he was in trouble by the looks he’d received and had run as fast as his legs would go.
“GAH!” was his reply, going faster than ever across the Tokyo Expressway, trying to put some distance between his person and the pursuers. It really wasn’t working as those that had the ability were literally flying in his wake, while those that lacked the power were roof-hopping. Kasumi was in the arms of World of Elegance while Holy Bell assisted Nabiki. Dark Holy Bell scowled at her missing wing for a moment before rejoining her host in the chase.
“Check it out,” gawked one of the onlookers, pointing at the mass of humanity –or so they thought- that had taken to the skies. This being a different Nerima the residents hadn’t been exposed to the weird and bizarre by any stretch of the imagination. A few panicked, many froze in stupefaction, some made phone calls while the rest decided it was a hallucination and returned to their previous activities.
The chase made the news, the entire populace of Japan being treated to the sight of flying people. Cameras were everywhere, from the eye in the sky helicopters to ground crews trying to keep up.
(Masaki Residence)
“Those are . . .,” started chibi-Tokimi, sweating at what she was seeing. The latest mayhem to hit the house had calmed down once Tenchi reasserted himself as the superior being . . . truthfully, all he had to do after deploying his power was frown in their direction. Even Washu feared the frown, for she had seen first-hand what stage came next. In various ways they all had, so keeping him from becoming upset was something of a priority.
“I wonder what they’re doing here?” said scientist thought out loud, a trait she had picked up in the recent years. Getting any form of peace and quiet around the Masaki heir was next to impossible unless he was in a mood . . . or cooking, a rare treat in and of itself.
“Winged beings?” Ayeka gasped out in disbelief. Earth was offering more and more mysteries to not only the First and Second Princesses but the Jurai Ruling Council as a whole. Rumblings were heard that this lost Colony may very well have made themselves lost in a sense as they unlocked those mysteries. Funaho was no doubt being grilled on her homeworld as the transmitter Misaki had insisted on relayed the events to the Palace.
“Check out that one,” pointed Mihoshi, drawing their attention to the white and black one that was carrying another. Her ditzy persona was turned off as her mind made notes on everything that was occurring for her monthly report. The entire situation reminded her of something from her youth; something that was a religious taboo on her homeworld of Seniwa.
“So that’s what it looks like,” mumbled Tenchi to nobody in particular, now seeing his life being imitated by another. The events in the prefecture of Nerima were putting much into perspective for the Crown Prince, while leaving just as much in deeper shadow than ever before.
“. . .,” added the sound-asleep Sasami, having been located in the kitchen propped up against the refrigerator. One look at the glowing marks on her forehead told the others all they needed to know as to why she was unresponsive at the moment: Tsunami was busy with something that required her entire attention.
“Oh my,” Noike said while doing a Kasumi impersonation flawlessly, complete with hands on her face in surprise and awe. What she was seeing couldn’t possibly be true as it flew in the face of everything the priests on Jurai taught of Tsunami and religion as a whole.
“Sister,” started the smaller form of Tokimi, “could he be the cause of the dimensional quake we felt earlier?”
Washu had her translucent interface before her after a wave, typing as fast as any had ever seen. She’d learned during the Hyper-dimension Incident to listen to the insights offered by the Goddess of Power, enigmatic as they were. If the young man running for his life had attracted the attention of Tokimi then she had best look into it as well.
“Chaos energy? Where have I seen this before?” she soon questioned herself, not seeing the eyes of her sister bug out. Her musings had also attracted the attention of those around her, many using looks to ask for clarification.
“What’s with the facial markings?” demanded Ryoko, speaking up at long last. Everything about the situation was bothering her, while at the same time it was making her want to laugh then cry. She had stolen a glance at Tenchi and could see that he was connecting dots between his life and the life of the young man on the television.
“Those with the marks are not of this dimension,” answered Tokimi after reopening her eyes. She’d been in conference with the administrator known as D-3. “Those that are blue are in the service of Him while those that are red are in the service of Her. The light colored winged beings are the companions to those of Order while the darker, more leathery ones are the familiars to those of Disorder. The sole exception is the half-breed, the reflection of a Hybrid.”
“The multiverse cornerstone?” whispered Washu, suddenly changing tactics in her analysis. Memories long sealed resurfaced, paling her complexion to a pasty white rapidly approaching death warmed over. There was only one Hybrid she’d known of in her entire existence, one that had been born shortly after . . .
“It’s him!” she suddenly shouted, pointing at the young man at the front of the chase. “He’s been freed!”
“Who?” wondered Ayeka, completely baited by the outburst. She wasn’t the only one as a quick glance revealed almost every eye on the small scientist.
“Brother . . .,” answered a reminiscing Tokimi, her eyes glazed as she remembered a time long past.
“Master Chaos has indeed been freed,” came the voice of Tsunami, heralding her arrival as she faded into view. This also awoke Sasami, both pieces to a single being looking none too happy. “But that’s not all. Washu, check coordinates zero by zero by zero by one.”
“The Alpha Prime Point? Wait, don’t tell me . . .,” trailed off Tokimi as she opened her senses fully to the new reality around her.
“Yes, Those That Came Before are also free,” was the answer from Washu, her face set in the most grim look any had ever seen.
“Can somebody explain what is going on?” timidly asked Tenchi, his eyes looking at everybody at once in an effort to find somebody who had answers.
The answer he got was not what he wanted as the story of The Beginning was told. The Chousin, being siblings to Chaos, had created their own universe in the hopes of hiding from the Order as He went on a rampage, going after anything or anyone related to the last vestige of the Abyss. Matters were not helped any by the fact that He was the sole child of Tsunami, her one attempt before The Experiment at creating a being higher than herself. He was born from the nothing, just as they were which both helped and hindered her attempts. For without a father, He was missing crucial components that Tenchi had. Being born of love was far more powerful than being born of simple experimentation and scientific desire.
“Wait a moment,” interrupted said Masaki. “Are you saying that when I have children they are going to have more power than I do?”
“The probabilities of that are small,” answered Washu. “You are what we’ve been looking for after all. Like we told you, everything from the Incident forward is all up to you. We’ve done our part and see no reason to continue the Experiment.”
“So is this . . . Chaos,” Ayeka nearly spat the word, having a hard time coming to grips with the truth, “really evil or is he as misunderstood as Tokimi?”
“He is the Maintainer of the Balance,” replied said Goddess, her eyes downcast. “Both the Order and Disorder despised him for his power and for the fact that he would stop their nastier schemes.” Her eyes flickered to the television, then her right eyebrow climbed upwards. “Although it appears that not all of the Aspects thought so.”
Washu took a hard look to see what is was that her sister was talking about before her face lost its color yet again. There was only one being she knew of that had red five-point stars on her cheeks and what looked like a matching, filled in Star of David on her forehead.
“Reunification . . .,” offered Tsunami, bringing all attention onto her person. Seeing comprehending looks from her sisters she didn’t expound upon her statement for them but the expressions from the others urged her to explain herself.
“He and Her, the Almighty and Hild, were forced to create the multiverse after The Sealing. The universe we originated from couldn’t hold itself together without the Balance Keeper, and to buy time they created a cornerstone by having a child.” She pointed at the one flying alongside the half-breed Angel. “Urd, daughter of Order and Disorder. There was a catch to all of this, however. When the Sealing occurred, Chaos had split his essence from his core, creating what were simply called System Bugs. This gave birth to a prophecy amongst the Angels and Devils that one day he would return. The key to this was also Urd; it was told that if she ever sided with an Incarnate in the right situation the seal containing Chaos would be breeched. From there the multiverse would go one of two ways: Reunification or Destruction. Master Chaos has a grudge with Order, one that if he so wished could lead to the End of Days.”
“Now that Those That Came Before are also free,” continued Tokimi, having assumed her ethereal form, “Twilight of the Gods is most certainly upon us. They were none too happy about being locked away at the Alpha Prime Point of Existence; the place where the Abyss gave life to the original universe. Warmongers they may be, but they know better than to go against Chaos for he is the only one with a deep enough connection to our Creator to wipe them from the pages of history.”
“Most likely,” picked up Washu, also in ethereal form, “our reality merged with the one that Chaos now calls home. If he was the cause it or if it’s our connection to him I don’t know. We must be alert however as Order will not pull his punches simply because we’re now present.”
“Are you telling me that the war to end all wars has just dropped into our lap?” demanded Tenchi, the frown back and his eyebrows slightly tilted downwards.
“Yes,” answered the Chousin together, their expressions grim. “Order has lost control of the situation and has resorted to the final plan: Ragnarok.”
“Wonderful,” came the deadpan chorus of the others, heads drooping downwards.
“We must travel to Nerima,” said Tsunami, bringing the heads back up to stare at her like she was insane. “Whomever Chaos is now must be warned of what is to come. Besides, I’d like to say hello to my Brother for the first time in millennia.”
The chaotic energy within the reborn Chaos, as they had yet to acquire his name, had different ideas. As they watched the proceedings with vast interest, his hair moved for the first time. To the casual observer, this would mean naught. To those that knew of a passenger, this would send them fleeing in terror if they’d had the debugger shades on.
Instantaneously did the television change channels, which switched the program being transmitted to Jurai. Instead of a mad dash through the prefects of Tokyo the residents of the Masaki household were treated to American stand-up comedy.
Pablo Francisco variety to be exact, doing movie previews.
“One man, one way,” came from the speakers in English as the movie trailer guy was impersonated. “One desire. They went too far; they broke all the rules. One man: Kermit the Frog as a Pimp . . .,”
“Where’s my money?!” The sound of a heavy punch landing. “Where is it?!”
Tenchi was the only one to catch this reference, to which he fell over laughing. This drowned out the sounds coming from the television, while the others watched slack-jawed. He was guffawing so hard that his entire frame shook as he rolled around on the floor. Just when he got his laughter under control, he heard the next bit.
“In the city, you must fight to survive,” movie trailer guy again. “He sold Tortilla’s on the corner. And the mob wanted him . . .,”
“I don’t know who this guy is but I want him and his tamales dead!” Mob Boss voice, more than likely Al Pachino.
“He had one chance, and his chance was to fight back. Arnold Schwarzenegger . . .,”
“You listen to me, these are my tortillas and I’m not gonna give ‘em up. Listen to me!”
Cheesy gunshot effects
“In a place where they didn’t know his name . . .,”
“Mi hito, who are those men who came here?! Wha’s happening?!” ten year old Hispanic boy, heavily accented.
“Listen to me, listen to me! Keep your head down! They’re trying to take my tortillas!” The ‘Govern-ator’.
More cheesy gunshot effects
“One man. One solution. Arnold Schwarzenegger this summer is . . .,”
“NO!”
“Little Tortilla Boy.”
He tried not to repeat his previous laugh-fest, just picturing the ‘movie preview’ in his mind but couldn’t help it. Sweat-drops were the answer as the others had the Earth-born comedy go right over their heads.
“Uh, are you okay?” ventured Noike as his arm appeared from the floor, trying to find purchase on something to stand up. This backfired when Mihoshi moved forward, presenting her pink tank top as a handhold.
Predictable results? Oh yes.
(Nerima rooftops)
Ranma paused in his flight as an explosion of power from the southwest caught his attention. Even this far away he was left in awe at the sheer magnitude of it. The power burst also served to stop the pursuers in their tracks, eyes going wild as they looked around for signs of the enemy.
“Odd,” he commented, before feeling a breeze. Taking in the blushes his chasers now had, he looked down to see that his pants had indeed fallen down again.
“Ah jeez.”
(Alpha Prime Point of Existence)
“FREE!” roared the largest of the gigantic beings while turning towards his army. “At long last we are free! Nothing can stop us this time. We will wreak havoc on the universe, and clean the slate. We will rebuild it in our image, and return to glory. Long live the Titans!”
“LONG LIVE THE TITANS!” returned the massive beings, each justifying their namesake.
The beings looked at the galaxies around them. There being more natural light at the Point since the system star had been absorbed in the seal made this task easy. One by one they took off, each heading towards a different location and reality.
‘Order, you will pay with your life,’ thought the Titan known as Chronos. He has a different destination in mind, shifting his being to the Heavenly plane. The reckoning would begin very soon . . .
TBC
A little shorter than normal, but my mind is locking up. No worries, it’s just a tooth ache. Nothing like pain to remind you that yer alive.
This concludes Arc One. Arc Two will fill in any holes that are pointed out while a merry jaunt through the Tenchi/GXP universe takes place.
I don’t feel so good . . .
For a link to the Pablo Francisco bit, see my profile.
Finished in Big Spring, Texas.