Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A New Future 2 - First Blood ❯ You knows a sister worries ... ( Chapter 3 )

This is an alternate history (both the world in general and the Senshi in particular) continuation for both Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2, set in a world with no space exploration, personal computers, cell phones, or anything else requiring a transistor. The Y rating is for violence in later chapters.

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Takeuchi, or anything in the GURPS Ogre and GURPS Tales of the Solar Patrol settings published by Steve Jackson Games. Everything else is mine. And I forgot to mention earlier, the idea for the Life Dancers in the Silver Millennium comes from Ozzallos' excellent fanfic, “A Time Apart” at fanfiction.net.

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At the Hinako Shrine, seven women, six young and one young/ancient, and two teenage girls looked toward the door, their faces lighting up, as Usagi, her hair in a long braid, and her husband walked into the room. “Hey, Mamoru, welcome back!” Rei called, waving hello from her seat. “How was Australia?”

“Hot, dry and very dusty, at least the part where I had to spend the last few months,” Mamoru replied, even as he glanced over at Chibi-Usa, and his neo-daughter from the future grinned happily as his slight smile of an apparently cool welcome was belied by his shining eyes.

”Ooh, that's a new look, the braid looks good on you!” Minako enthused, and Usagi smiled happily.

“Thanks, Ranma suggested it but I wasn't sure it's me.”

“It suits you,” Michiru said.

“Not to mention she's less likely to trip over it in a fight,” Makoto whispered to Ami, who nodded agreement.

The couple sat down and after a few minutes of gossip Usagi sighed from where she cuddled in her husband's arms. “I suppose we ought to actually get to why we're here,” she said regretfully. “I've brought Mamo-chan up to speed on little sis and what little you've told us about the upcoming threat” — with a slight frown at Setsuna — “so, Haruka and Michiru, why don't you tell us the full story about yesterday's fight?”

 

“... and then we called you all and let you know that it had started,” Haruka finished, and Usagi nodded soberly, then looked over at Setsuna again.

“For someone that called a meeting a couple of months ago to talk about this new threat, you haven't had much to say since.”

“I know, Princess,” the Senshi of Time calmly replied, “but as I said at the time, your sister's arrival changed everything. I needed to wait until things settled before it was safe to say anything more than I did. And besides, haven't you been happier just relaxing and getting to know her again?”

Usagi smiled happily, then her smile turned wistful. “You're right, but playtime's over. So, is Michiru right, that these aren't youma this time?”

Gravely, Setsuna nodded. “She is. Rather, these are artificially bred animals, basically biological war machines, created by an alternate Earth that specializes in interdimensional conquests.”

“How different is their history?” Ami asked, perking up, but Setsuna simply shrugged.

“Their empire is apparently extensive, so they've been conquering crosstime for at least a few centuries, but how far back they discovered industrial magic I don't know.”

“So, what do you know?” Rei asked, raising an eyebrow — she wasn't quite sure yet what to make of this new Setsuna that was willing to admit ignorance about anything. Setsuna gave the Senshi of Fire a slightly ironic smile, making Rei wonder for a moment if she could read minds as well as the future.

“I know that we are going to be facing an increasing number of attacks by these war animals for the next several months, possibly as much as half a year,” Setsuna responded, “while the Arlana Confederacy tests our capabilities and seeks to wear us down. Only in the last attack will we be facing their actual warriors, consisting of men armed with enchanted hand weapons and armor and protected against high-speed kinetic attacks.” Frowning slightly, she added, “Apparently, they like to think of themselves as warriors rather than conquerors, in spite of choosing to invade those worlds least capable of resisting them.”

“How many warriors are you talking about?” Michiru asked, frowning thoughtfully.

“Hundreds, maybe thousands if we take too long,” Setsuna said calmly, then looked around at her suddenly frozen friends.

“Hundreds? Maybe thousands?” Makoto whispered, and Setsuna nodded.

“Sounds like we need some back-up,” Haruka quipped, and Chibi-Usa perked up.

“And I know where we can get at least one!” she said excitedly, ignoring Hotaru's shushing gesture. “Yesterday Ranma managed to create the ki-claws she's been working on the last few months. They aren't very dependable yet, but give her a few months and they will be — between those claws and her martial arts training she'll be a big help.”

Immediately, smiles broke out on the other Senshi's faces. “Really?” “Great!” “She will be a big help!”

“No!” Usagi's curt refusal cut across the responses and silence slammed down as everyone stared at the long-haired blonde.

“No?” Minako asked.

“No.”

“But Usagi,” Ami protested, “with her ki control she's as tough as any of us! With the claws —”

“I said no!” Usagi shouted, rising to her feet with fists clenched and glaring around at her stunned teammates. Mamoru rose behind her and pulled her into a hug, and she relaxed and drew a deep, shuddering breath. “I lost Yasuko once to an interdimensional invasion, it's not happening again,” she said softly.

“Usagi,” Ami said gently, “I don't like it, either. Ranma has her rough edges, but she's a good kid. But I've been reading up on the Life Dancers since Setsuna mentioned them, and they were incredible healers. Ranma says she can already use her ki to speed up her healing. I'm sure if I show her the material on the Life Dancers she'll be able to learn even more before the final fight, and she'd be a huge asset.”

“So tell, me, Ami, were the Life Dancers able to replace lost limbs, or bring themselves back to life?” Usagi demanded, then nodded when Ami mutely shook her head. “In our fights we've all taken hideous injuries, even died. I've fixed that before, but it's magic — Ranma's immune! Even from magic that's trying to help her, instead of hurt. No, I've only just gotten my little sister back, I'm not losing her again.”

Chibi-Usa opened her mouth to speak, but caught Hotaru's slight headshake and sat back without saying anything.

The Moon Kingdom's last princess eased herself out of her husband's arms, turned and kissed him gently on the cheek, then sat back down. “So, Setsuna,” Usagi said in the brittle quiet as Mamoru sat down next to her, “what kind of monsters can we expect?”

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“Usagi's reacting like a big sister instead of a princess, with this fixation she has on keeping Ranma safe,” Michiru commented from the car seat next to her lover as the Outers and Chibi-Usa drove to the Outers' home.

“Yes, she is,” Setsuna agreed from the back seat.

“Well, she isn't going to win this one, we're going to need Ranma's help,” Chibi-Usa asserted, and Hotaru nodded agreement with a thoughtful frown from where she sat between Chibi-Usa and Setsuna.

“True, but don't push her on it,” she said. “Ranma will take care of that herself when she thinks she's ready, right Setsuna-mama?”

“Right,” Setsuna said, putting her arm around Hotaru with a gentle smile seen only rarely by anyone not in the car with her.

The car fell silent for a time as they threaded their way through the Tokyo evening traffic, until Haruka said in a reluctant tone, “I hate to say this, considering everything she's gone through, but why is Usagi still our leader?”

“Why shouldn't she be?” Setsuna asked, and Haruka sighed.

“Look, I don't have anything against her. She didn't ask to have all this responsibility dumped on her and she's always come through — complaining all the way sometimes,” she added with a chuckle, “but she's come through. But it's the future that's important, she isn't going to be the Queen now, and Minako, Rei, I, or even Makoto would make better combat leaders. Shouldn't one of us take over?”

Setsuna shook her head. “It's an honest thought, but no. First, as you say, she's earned it. Second, even if she isn't going to be the Queen she is the Princess. And third — remember when you first met her, how we thought she was too soft, unwilling to make the hard choices?” Haruka nodded. “And how often was she wrong and we were right?”

“Well ... never, not when it really mattered,” Haruka admitted, and Setsuna nodded.

“Right, there's more to being a leader — or at least our leader — than battlefield expertise. Besides,” she added with a chuckle, “if we're going to pick a leader based on competence in combat it would be Ranma.”

“You have me there!” Haruka laughed. “So, Hotaru, Usa, how are things going at school for the Three Musketeers?”