Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Ultimate Crisis, Ultimate Warrior ❯ On the Home Front ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts in this story are owned and copyrighted
by their respective creators. They DO NOT belong to me. I'm just barrowing them.

"Ultimate Crisis, Ultimate Warrior"
A Ranma 1/2 - Sailor Moon x-over (primary)
- Multiple Anime x-over (secondary)

Written by Trooper1023

Based on original story idea, "The Super Ranma", by Piccolo181
View at: http://www.geocities.com/nighthawktm/idea.htm

=text= is transmissions (long-distance communicators)
[text] is sounds/actions
*text* is emphasized words
~text~ is thoughts
______________________________________________________________ _________

Part I: When in Need of a Warrior
Chapter 3: On the Home Front
_________________________________________________________________ ______
________________________________________________________________ _______
_______________________________________________________________ ________

Nerima, the night of the eighth day...

In the guest room of the Tendo Dojo, Nodoka Saotome dreamed. She dreamed of
Ranma, or more precisely, *five* different Ranmas.

Ranma... dressed in a blue bodysuit and white armor, a flame-like aura of blue
around him. He is viciously trading blows with an older purple haired boy
surrounded by a similar aura only white. The older boy oddly looks a lot like
Ranma...

Ranma... standing bare-chested before another, a *hugely* muscled warrior, on
the field of what looks like an arena. His eyes flicker from blue-gray to gold,
radiating the ki of a killer so brilliantly that Nodoka shivers...

Ranma... his hair dark red, standing beside a shorter man who also has red hair,
both wearing the grab of a samurai with swords at their waists. As they turn,
Nodoka can see the cross-scar on the man's left cheek, and the long vertical
scar that runs down the right side of her son's face, over his right eye to the
line of his jaw. The man with the cross-scar seems oddly familiar to Nodoka...

Ranma... dressed in a matte-black bodysuit and glossy-black body armor, with two
black marks on the left side of his face. He holds a battle staff of black and
gold in a two-handed stance, and behind him float two angular blades of black
energy, like wings of darkness. Looking closer, Nodoka can see that his blue
eyes are slitted, like a cat's...

Ranma... in female form, with red-orange hair and dressed in an odd-looking
skin-tight outfit of black and gold, with black shoulder guards and a black
cape. Ranma narrows her eyes - which shift from the familiar blue-gray to
startling molten red - then rears back a hand. An orange ball of light forms in
her hand, which she throws with a shout at an ugly beast charging toward her.
The beast vanishes in an explosion of orange flames...

Nodoka woke with a gasp. Closing her eyes, she began to think of the images in
her dream. Of five very different versions of her son... one of them female!

~Why am I seeing these things in my sleep? Are these other 'Ranma's simply
examples of other ways my son that could have grown up, if things had turned out
differently? Or is the connection even closer than that?~

Suddenly Nodoka started, realizing why the man standing next to the red-haired
Ranma in her dream was familiar. ~That was Great-Grandfather Kenshin when he was
young! What was *he* doing standing next to my--~ Nodoka's thought cut off.
~This can't be right! That *was* Ranma in my dream, despite the red... hair?!?~
She shook her head in confusion. ~Great-Grandfather died just after meeting my
son, only a few weeks before Ranma's third birthday. What did he say... "You
were right... to name your son... Ranma... he reminds me... of a boy I adopted
once... a long time ago..."~ Nodoka's head spun as she tried to make sense of
the mess of images and memories in her mind. She shook her head violently. ~Ugh,
enough all ready. I'm going to question myself into madness at this rate.~ She
sat up on her futon and gazed out the window.

~Ranma... my son... please hurry home,~ she pleaded silently.

A few minutes later, a terrified scream reverberated around the house.
________________________________________________________________ _______

-----------------------------DREAM------------------------ -------------
-----------------------------START----------------------- --------------
"Akane! This is sooooooo *boring*!"

"Ranma, you're going to have to learn about shopping eventually. Might has well
do it now instead of later, and here in the brand new mall in Juuban."

"But what kinda use am I gonna have for a *mall*?! All you're doing is walkin'
around in circles, stickin' your nose in random shop windows. Hell, you ain't
even buyin' a tenth of what ya pick up and look at!" Ranma-chan growled sourly.

"Ever heard of browsing?"

"Um, yeah. So?"

"Ugh! You drive me crazy sometimes! This is what *normal* teenagers do with some
of their free time."

"You mean girls, doncha?"

"And? You're a girl."

"I AM *NOT*!!!" Ranma-chan roared. When practically half the mall turned her
way, she gave every looker such a glare that they all cringed and looked away.

Akane however giggled. "Wow, are you the touchy one."

"Shaddup, ya un-cute tomboy!"

"What did you call me?!"

"Ya heard me right! Tomboy! I ain't no girl, but I gotta say I'm *still* more
girlish than *you*!"

An angry red battle aura flickered into existence around Akane. "Do you *want*
to get malleted?" she asked in a lethally quiet voice.

"Ya know what? I *do* want it! Go a'head 'n' hit me!!"

"..." Ranma began to sweat as the battle aura vanished suddenly and a truly evil
grin spread across Akane's face. "In that case, I'm *not* going to give you the
pounding you so rightfully deserve. Instead... you're going to follow me through
every feminine clothing and hygiene store in the mall!!"
_______________________________________________________________ ________

"WWWHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY MMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" An anguished cry echoed around
the buildings of downtown Juuban.

Makoto Kino winced in sympathy. "What kind of terrible things have to be done to
some poor girl to make her scream like *that*?" Minako Ano nodded in silent
agreement. Suddenly a pair of beeping noses started coming from their purses.
The two Sailor Senshi pulled them out and activated them.

=Makoto, Minako?= came Ami's voice.

"Yeah?" they replied in unison.

=Get over to that new mall that just opened and do it fast! I'm reading a *lot*
of Negaverse energy building up underneath that mall. I think that's where the
next attack is going to be!=

"Got it, Ami! We're on our way!"
_________________________________________________________________ ______

---Fight scene: Inner Senshi and Ranma-chan VS. super-charged youma---
-----------------------------DREAM---------------------------- ---------
------------------------------END---------------------------- ----------

With a shriek Akane bolted upright in her bed.

Several thumps sounded in other parts of the house, and less than a minute later
both Kasumi and Nodoka were in Akane's room, holding her and trying to calm her
trembling.

"Onee-chan, what is it? What scared you so badly?" asked Kasumi, obvious concern
in her brown eyes.

Akane's trembling subsided and her gasping slowed to more normal breathing.
"Kasumi... I-it was--" her voice caught. Akane swallowed to try and continue,
but she turned away from her older sister to face Nodoka. "It was... a distorted
memory... kinda... Auntie, I-I was reliving that first attack Ranma and I got
caught in. The one in the Juuban Mall."

Nodoka leaned toward Akane, enfolding her in a hug of her own. "Akane, you said
it was distorted... how?"

"It was exactly the same as what happened, up to when I was digging Ranma out of
the rubble of the wall she was knocked through. But in my... dream... after
Ranma shook her head, she opened her eyes... and I found myself looking into the
eyes of a cat!"

"The eyes of a cat?"

"They were still blue-gray, but the pupils were so tall and narrow..." Akane
again trembled slightly. "Then I screamed and woke up."

After a few more reassurances that she was fine, Akane shooed Kasumi and Nodoka
out of her room so she could sleep. But instead of that, Akane found herself
recalling other events that had happened...
___________________________________________________________ ____________

Elsewhere, in "Ucchan's Okonomiyaki"...

Ukyou bolted upright, barely hold back a scream of her own. Slowly, her rapid
breathing eased. ~Another nightmare... No, that was more than a nightmare. It
was a memory...~

---------------------------FLASHBACK------------------- ----------------
-----------------------------START-------------------- -----------------
"Kusooo! Why is it that *we* have to get attacked?!" grunted Akane, dodging the
tendrils that this youma used for arms for all she was worth. Ukyou didn't spare
the breath to answer in words. Instead, the okonomiyaki chef hurled her last
throwing spatulas at the youma. Charged with her chi from a technique Ryouga had
shown her and Ranma had adapted for her use, two spatulas cut off bunches of
thin, whip-like arms, while the last one sank into the youma's single eye. It
screamed in pain and began lashing out wildly in all directions.

A cry of "Kijin Raishu Dan!" announced that at least there had been one complete
victory. Ranma's vacuum-blade cut the other youma, blocky and as tough as hard
oak, in half. It then disintegrated. Ukyou flicked a glance Ranma's way...
"WATCH OUT UKYOU!!" he roared suddenly. Ukyou realized her mistake just as she
was hit.

Just before Ukyou blacked out completely, she thought ~He'll help Akane. He
loves her after all. Oh Ran-chan...~ Then she was unconscious and knew no more.
---------------------------FLASHBACK----------------------------- ------
------------------------------END------------------------------- -------

Ukyou lay back in her bed, a newly installed skylight in her room allowing her
to see the stars in the sky...
________________________________________________________________ _______

---------------------------FLASHBACK---------------------- -------------
-----------------------------START----------------------- --------------
Ranma's eyes narrowed to slits. To his left, Ukyou had been stunned by a lucky
hit from one flailing tendril. Knocked off balance, she was falling over the
edge of the building. To his right, Akane was nearly out of space to move,
cornered by more of the youma's wildly waving arms. He had enough time to help
one of them... only one.

Ranma had to choose. He did.

~What are you just standing there for?! *Do* something!~ cried Akane mentally.

As if he'd somehow heard her thought, Ranma's eyes locked with Akane's. There
was a sadness there, as if... ~He's not going to help me.~

Then Ranma dived over the edge, after Ukyou.

For a second Akane was shocked motionless. Then her old stubbornness flared up.
~Well I don't need his help *anyway*!~ She reared back to throw her usual
haymaker... but lacking room to wind up for the punch, she ended up putting her
elbow through the already-weak wall behind her, inadvertently giving her more
room to move. Several whip-arms lashed the air where Akane had been standing a
second ago. Dodging backward, Akane found herself out of room yet again.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! PERFECT SHI SHI HOUKODAN!!!" A massive ball of green chi
erupted out on the roof, vaporizing the wounded youma. As its remains crumbled
to dust, Akane felt the strain of the fight finally catch up with her, and she
sank to the floor. "Akane!" She blinked, realizing that someone *was* calling
her name.

"Ryouga?"

"Akane... what happened?"

"We were attacked by two youma. Ranma killed one of them, but the other... the
other one knocked Ukyou off the roof and had me cornered."

"Just you three!? What did he do?! Tell me!"

"He... He jumped off the roof after Ukyou. I-I can't believe he'd just leave me
like that..."

"..." Ryouga was speechless.

"Ya think *I* can believe it myself?" Ranma wasn't.

"Nani?"

Ranma frowned oddly, Ukyou cradled to his chest. "Akane... I-I donno what
happened. I saw you cornered and Ukyou falling off the roof... And the next
thing I know, I'm falling after Ukyou. It... just... happened... so fast..." His
voice trailed off and he looked away, feeling guilty. ~Please don't hate me
Akane. I donno if I could live with that.~

Akane hugged herself tightly, shivering. ~He doesn't care about me.~ "You...
you... you *baka*!" Ranma flinched. ~No, he does. Otherwise he wouldn't have
that guilty look on his face. But he doesn't care about me as much...~ Her eyes
fell on Ukyou.

Ranma noticed her gaze. ~What the hell are these things I'm feeling!? Do I care
about Ukyou? Or do I care about Akane? Do I care about *both* of 'em?!~ "Urk!"
~I hope not! Not way I'm gonna be like Kuno!~ He looked into Akane's face, her
expression. She brought her gaze up to meet his, then looked away. ~Aw jeez, she
thinks I don't care. But I can't be two places at once, so how--~

Suddenly Ranma's face light up with a grin. ~Of course I can't be in two places
at once. I just need to have somebody else always watching out for Akane. And I
know just the person, too.~ He sent a certain kind of look toward Ryouga.

The Lost Boy sneezed. Then he caught the look Ranma was giving him and blinked.
~Is he telling me to do what I *think* he's telling me to do?!~

Akane shivered again in the cold evening air. ~So I'm on my own now, without
Ranma looking out for me. But isn't that what I always wanted? I'm finally rid
of that jerk... always getting... in my... way...?~ Suddenly a pair of strong
arms slid around her and picked her up. "R-Ryouga?!" she squeaked in surprise.
He blushed.

"Ah, um, please, lets just get you home safely. And, uh..." He glanced over at
Ranma.

"Chill Ryouga, I'll lead ya to the dojo. Then I'll go drop off Ukyou."

Akane looked at Ryouga. ~He didn't call him P-chan.~

Ryouga looked at Akane. ~He didn't call me P-chan.~

~What's up with him?~ they thought identically.
---------------------------FLASHBACK---------------------- -------------
------------------------------END------------------------ --------------

Akane tossed and turned in her bed as she recalled the rest of that night, just
under a month ago. That fight against youma had been the fourth Ranma and Ryouga
had been involved in, and the first in which Ranma used the Saotome Forbidden
Techniques. Akane shuddered at the thought of how that fight could have turned
out if Ranma hadn't opened up the Yamasen-ken and Umisen-ken.

After Ranma had left to drop off Ukyou at her restaurant, Akane found herself
confronted by Ryouga in her room. He had been so nervous, and then Akane had
found out why. That was the night that Ryouga finally worked up the guts to tell
her that he had a Jusenkyou curse. That *he* was her pet P-chan. Akane would
have pounded him flat and told him that she never wanted to see him again, if
she hadn't been exhausted from the fight. Fortunately for both their sanities
she *was* exhausted, giving Ryouga enough time to fumble his words and still say
what he wanted to say.

It was a knock on the head for Akane. Ranma had been hinting at P-chan's
identity all along, but couldn't say anything directly because of his honor and
his feeling of responsibility. And as for Ryouga, Akane had to admit that she'd
never given "P-chan" an opportunity to object to her treatment of him. Then came
the revelation of Ryouga's extreme shyness around girls... and the reason "P-
chan" got nosebleeds so often. Akane flushed in embarrassment at that thought.

However, what had really touched Akane was how Ryouga had kept every single
secret she'd told him whenever she'd been feeling down and started talking to
her "pet". Even though he'd run off as "P-chan" and come back as Ryouga,
swearing vengeance for something Ranma did to her, Ryouga had never revealed
anything of her private thoughts to anyone, keeping them only in his heart. The
final touch was when Ryouga opened up *his* heart to her. It stunned Akane to
learn that Ryouga had fallen in love with her that first time she'd defended
him, the "helpless piglet", from Ranma.

A huge weight seemed to have lifted from their shoulders. Suddenly feeling
daring, Akane had embraced Ryouga and given him a kiss on the lips, the kind
Shampoo kept trying to land on Ranma. Ryouga seemed to take it really well after
the initial shock passed, but afterward the thought of the more 'ecchi
activities that would come after the kissing gave the poor guy a major nosebleed
and he'd passed out. Akane thought she had heard somebody's laughter as she
dragged Ryouga into the dojo. She decided that Ranma wouldn't mind if she let
Ryouga use his futon and dragged that into the dojo as well.

The next day had been filled with seemingly endless moments of embarrassed
silence as she and Ranma tried to dig their feelings for each other out of
hiding. It was terribly painful, both of them ready to tear each other's throats
out at several points. Still, the feelings they brought to light were worth the
pain, not to mention how Akane felt like a total idiot for not making those
realizations sooner. And by the look on Ranma's face, he'd felt like he was just
as big an idiot as she felt herself.

As for the realizations themselves, well... Akane got one of the biggest shocks
of her life when Ranma had off-handedly commented that "Me and you bicker enough
to be siblings! 'Wish Pops'd realize that instead of pushing the engagement..."

Ranma might have made the comment, but Akane realized just how true it was. It
made sense after all. Looking back on her relationship with Ranma and all the
fights and disagreements they'd gotten into, Akane realized that they *had* been
bickering with each other like only siblings would. Of course, Akane practically
had to beat Ranma in the head with his own comment, but then he too realized its
truthfulness. Thinking back, Ranma remembered the Martial Arts skating match
with Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa. Despite his proclamation of Akane being "his
fiancee", Ranma had been acting more like a brother protecting his little
sister's innocence.

It was really weird. Neither Ranma nor Akane found it very difficult to start
thinking of each other as siblings. Then Ranma realized that he'd been
*thinking* of Akane like an annoying sister that needed to be teased, since the
failed wedding!

And then Akane found out that she *had* heard a guy's laughter as she dragged
Ryouga away the previous night, Ranma's laughter!

---------------------------FLASHBACK-------------------- ---------------
-----------------------------START--------------------- ----------------
"Ranma... you were *eavesdropping* on my conversation with Ryouga?" asked Akane,
a vein bulging on her forehead.

"Yup." Ranma simply didn't notice the warning signs.

"And...?" Akane's hand flexed, poised to mallet the baka in front of her.

Ignoring all common sense, Ranma continued... "It's great that you and Ryouga
are finally admittin' you're feelings. Like we just did." ...and by some
incredible change of luck, happened to say exactly the right thing. Akane
blinked, her battle aura dispersing.

"And who would'a known that Ryouga was a good kisser!" Ranma teased, that
annoying smirk spreading across his face.

"H-how did--" Akane stammered.

"Ah com'on Akane! I saw that blush you had on as you hauled him into the dojo.
You were red as a tomato!"

"Grrrr... Ranma no baka!"

"And you know you enjoyed it too tomboy!"
---------------------------FLASHBACK-------------------------- ---------
------------------------------END---------------------------- ----------

Akane chuckled to herself, remembering how that conversation had dissolved into
their usual bickering. It was different though; from that point on, Akane found
that bickering with Ranma was... fun. The smirk that rode his face during
bickering matches told Akane that he too got a kick out of it...

~Please come back to us soon... you baka brother of mine.~
________________________________________________________________ _______

Ukyou had woken up late the next mourning in her own bed, her injuries expertly
wrapped and treated. Simply relaxing for a change, she'd almost jumped out of
her skin when Ranma had come bounding into her restaurant around mid-day, a
*huge* grin spread across his face.

---------------------------FLASHBACK------------------------ -----------
-----------------------------START------------------------- ------------
"HI U-CHAN!"

"Wah!" Startled, Ukyou lost her balance.

"Whoa, careful there U-chan. Maybe you shouldn't be up so soon." Ranma was there
in a flash, steadying her. Ukyou blinked.

"Yo, Ran-chan, are you ok?" ~He's never *this* friendly because he's afraid
Akane'll walk in and get the wrong idea...~

"Hell yeah!" Ranma crowed, bursting with energy. "I haven't felt this good
since... since..." He blushed and looked away. "...Since we played together U-
chan. As little kids." He looked back at his friend and blinked. "U-chan?"

"Ah, Ran-chan, are you sure you should be so... enthusiastic?" Ukyou remarked,
pointing behind him. Ranma turned to see Akane standing in the door.

"Yeah, and?" Ukyou's eyes bugged in shock.

When the sound of wood being hit by something harder reached her ears Ukyou
turned back to the door. [Blink] Akane was banging her head on the doorframe,
muttering "Baka, baka, baka," over and over again. Abruptly she stopped. "You're
own your own, dummy. Don't expect any help from me if you can't explain it
right." Then she was gone.

[Blink] [Blink] "Ok Ran-chan, what the *hell* is going on here?"

Ranma smirked, his mirth very apparent. "Last night Akane found out that a
certain someone is a surprisingly good kisser."

"WHAAAAAT!?!" Ukyou's combat spatula was suddenly up and pricking Ranma's neck.
"Ok Ran-chan, tell me exactly *what* you mean by that statement."

"Excuse me, could you please tell me how to get to... Ukyou? Wait that means
that I'm back in Nerima..." Ryouga blinked, noticing Ranma position relative to
Ukyou. "Um, what did Ranma do *now*?"

"Grrrr... he kissed Akane, that's what!!!" Ukyou screamed.

"NANI?!?" Ryouga whirled on Ranma, looking mighty pissed. However, in the time
it took for Ryouga to find out why Ukyou was so steamed, Ranma managed to figure
out what he'd said wrong.

"Who said *I* kissed Akane?!?" Both Ukyou and Ryouga stopped and blinked. "What
I actually said was, 'Last night Akane found out that a certain *someone* is a
surprisingly good kisser.' I never said it was me!!"

"Oh." Ukyou flushed in embarrassment. "Um, sorry Ran-chan."

Ranma held his head in his hands and groaned. "Ugh, don't worry about it. These
things *always* happen to me."

"Ah, right... Hey, hold up a second!" Ukyou stared at Ranma. "Akane was kissed
by some guy and *you*, Ran-chan, are *happy* about it!?!"

"Um, actually, Akane kissed *him*. But he returned it pretty damn good, if *her*
blush was any indication." Ryouga's face began to twitch. "Heh, she even
admitted that she enjoyed it!"

"RAAAANNNMMMMAAAAAA!!! You were *spying* on me and Akane last night?!? HOW DARE
YOU! PREPARE TO--"

"Aw, give it a rest Ryouga. Come on, I'll take you to the dojo so you get
started on some really *private* activities with your girlfriend." Several
'ecchi images involving him and Akane in her bed, without clothes, popped into
Ryouga's mind. A few seconds later he passed out from a massive nosebleed.

Ukyou continued to gape open-mouthed at the scene before her. ~Akane and...
Ryouga?! And Ranma's *encouraging* them!?~ A hand waved in front of her face,
and Ukyou shook herself out of the daze she was falling into. "Ranchan, *please*
tell me what in Kami-sama is going on here?"

[Groan] "It's kinda obvious Ukyou. Ranma's been teasing Ryouga again... isn't
that right, baka?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "That's something to get mad at? Jeez Akane, ya gotta do
something 'bout your boyfriend's shyness problem. At this rate you wont get past
first base!"

Akane pulled an eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at Ranma. "And you teasing
him about it is going to help?"

"Ain't gonna hurt him either." [SPLASH] "Oui! What was that for ya tomboy?"
Ranma-chan growled, swiping wet red hair from her face.

"For being you." Akane turned to Ukyou. "How'd he piss you off before he finally
explained himself?"

Ukyou slapped a hand on her forehead. "That jackass said that you found out last
night that 'a certain someone is a surprisingly good kisser'. Of course, I
thought he was talking about himself." Akane couldn't reply immediately because
she was too busy laughing.

Ranma-chan snarled, "What am I, punching bag of the day? I *said* 'surprisingly
good kisser' for a reason."

One chestnut-brown eyebrow rose. "Oh? And why was that?"

"Because it'd be surprising ta find out that *I* am *not* a good kisser, 'cause
Shampoo's always lookin' for a chance to glomp and kiss me! If I wasn't a good
kisser than she'd only be lookin' to glomp me anyway."

Akane facefaulted Takahashi-style while a vein on Ukyou's forehead bulged. "You
arrogant jackass! Shampoo's only been forcing kisses you, right? You've never
actually kissed a girl, so how would you know if you're a good kisser?!"

Ranma-chan grinned evilly. "You wanna find out... Ucchan?"

"Huh? Wha-mmph!" 'mmph' because at that moment Ranma-chan tackled Ukyou in a
glomp that would have made Shampoo jealous and kissed her full on the lips.
Ukyou went stiff in shock as a strange feeling rolled across her body. Then she
found herself beginning to return the kiss! ~WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!?! YES I
WANT TO KISS RANMA, BUT *NOT* IN GIRL FORM!!~

Akane sweatdropped. "Ranma no baka. You're supposed to be a guy when you do
something like that. Here, let me help." Then she proceeded to dump a kettle-
full of hot water she got from somewhere over the two girls. Turning the redhead
into a guy.

Ranma-chan's short, busty form morphed into the long, lean, muscled body of
Ranma-kun, and Ukyou's eyes nearly popped out of her head as a wave of heat
surged through her body. She was finally doing what she had always dreamed of
doing, locked in a passionate kiss with Ranma. But the real thing was *far*
better than anything she'd imagined! Adding in the weird feelings still floating
around from when she'd been kissing Ranma in girl form, Ukyou's vision went red
and she knew no more...

...Until a painfully familiar, outraged, and female voice screamed, "AIYA! WHAT
SPATULA GIRL DO TO AIREN?!? AIREN NEVER KISS SHAMPOO LIKE THAT!!! OBSTACLES FOR
KILLING, YOU DIE TODAY SPATULA GIRL!!!"
---------------------------FLASHBACK-------------------------- ---------
------------------------------END---------------------------- ----------

Ukyou sighed wistfully as she recalled the rest of that incident. Shampoo had
been *very* angry, and had been putting out a battle aura as big as the one
Ukyou had put out before that. Ukyou laughed again as she thought of the name
Ranma had later tacked on that size and color of battle aura: the Jealous and
Outraged Fiancée aura. For copyrighted use by furious fiancées only. Ukyou
suspected that Ranma got that last bit from the thought of what Nabiki would do
when inventing something.

As for Shampoo, well... Ranma *hadn't* been happy to see his best friend (and
possibly more, Ukyou blushed at the images that came with the thought) attacked
by another with lethal intent. She, and Mousse too (he had been following
Shampoo), had been shocked to hear Ranma roar, "DON'T YOU DARE!" and send
Shampoo sprawling with Ukyou's own combat spatula, straight into Mousse.

Fortunately for the almost-blind Amazon's health, he realized that Ranma wasn't
going to take any crap, from him or from anyone else. Mousse simply picked
himself and Shampoo up and leaped away. Ukyou, Akane, and Ryouga (awake again)
blinked collectively, but Ranma only stared down at his hands, as if they had
betrayed him.

Ukyou sighed once more. It still eluded her, why Ranma had been so stubborn
about hurting any girl, including Shampoo. While she *was* glad that Akane and
herself no longer had any reason to be at odds with each other, Ukyou found
herself sharing Ranma's pain.

~Oh Ran-chan... Please come back to me... My heart is empty without you...~
_______________________________________________________________ ________
______________________________________________________________ _________

In five places far away from Nerima, four boys named Ranma and one girl named
Ranko sneezed. Three times. Each.

To be continued...
__________________________________________________________ _____________
_________________________________________________________ ______________
________________________________________________________ _______________

Author's Notes:

A lot of people have been asking for explanations of some OOC stuff in UCUW
Part 1-A. That's what this part is; just some history to the story, and to set
up for the rest of it.

*HOWEVER*, this part is *NOT* finalized! By no means at all! I slapped this
together because I need to start putting some thought into just how
relationships between the Wrecking Crew members are going to change. This is a
sort of a "see the result, then see the reasons/history later" type thing. Go
ahead and flame me if you think 1-C is *that* bad, just make sure you include
useful criticism and suggestions. Otherwise I won't be able to make it better!


First Posted: 11/8/01

Cut end section off Part 1-B and turned it into Part 1-C. Worked in
scene/flashback of the changed relationships between Ranma, Ukyou, Ryouga, and
Akane. Also added to Nodoka's reaction to her 'dream'.

Update: 11/16/01

Moved Akane's and Ukyou's flashbacks to another chapter, where they could be
used better.

Update: 12/29/01

Moved Akane's and Ukyou's flashbacks back to this chapter after some
rewriting. Hopefully this chapter will now better explain some of the back
history to UCUW's first chapter.

Update: 1/17/02

Nearing completion. Re-ordered the flashback and dream sequences so they
have continuity. Changed Nodoka's vision of "Ranma Masaki"; got an idea
about using Tsunami's sister Goddess Tokimi.


C&C to: bjhaberman@prodigy.net
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