Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A New Future 2 - First Blood ❯ The End of the Long Drum Roll ( Chapter 7 )

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.

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.

The title comes from the drum roll armies used to use to call soldiers into rank when marching off to battle.

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“Hey Akane ... Akane ... Akane!”

Akane jerked from her reverie at the last shout and glanced around wildly, but it was simply Chibi-Usa and Hotaru and she sagged slightly in relief. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn't sleep well last night and I've got something on my mind.”

“Why the bad night?” a concerned Hotaru asked softly.

Akane just shrugged. I can't tell them that it might have been the news reel that set Ranma off, they'd be horrified — Suddenly she froze as a thought struck her. “Uh, guys? The movie yesterday — was it really for a club, just an excuse to get Ranma out of the apartment?”

“Uh ...” The other two girls shared a glance and Chibi-Usa shrugged. “Well ... I really did need to see the movie for my club,” Hotaru responded, “but I saw it with my class on Saturday — yesterday was the second time I saw it. I knew it would be a perfect movie for Ranma — you know how she's bored by most comedies, when she's not constantly wincing, and she finds martial arts movies boring when they aren't hilarious. And ...”

Her voice trailed off, and Chibi-Usa spoke up. “And when Hotaru mentioned the news reel I thought it would be a great way to show Ranma a little of what's going on without breaking Baka-mama's order not to tell her anything — the news reel was generally shown, after all.”

Akane sighed and rubbed at her temples, then chuckled. “Good thinking, guys, but let's not do that again — Ranma had a nightmare last night, and I think it probably had to do with the news reel.”

“Why do you think so?” Chibi-Usa asked. “You told us that Ranma has nightmares every few weeks or so, what makes this one different?”

“Those ones usually involve cats or Happosai, I think,” Akane replied, “and they don't have Ranma screaming so loudly the neighbors call the police. It took me an hour to get her calmed down enough to get back to sleep.”

The other two girls blanched. “Oh, Akane, I'm so sorry!” Hotaru wailed, and Akane smiled comfortingly as she laid a gentle hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

“Hey, it was a good idea, and you didn't know what it would do to Ranma. Let's just not do it again, okay?”

Both girls nodded vigorously, and then the bell marking the beginning of the school sounded and the trio hurried to their first class.

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In the park closest to their apartment, Ranma moved through her longest, most vigorous and complicated kata at full speed, the ki-claws on both her hands flashing through the air. Memories of the nightmare of almost a week before, along with the fear and heartbreak that had accompanied it, floated through her mind without disturbing the calm at her core. Finally, the redhead reached the end and grinned as she gazed down at the claws still firmly in place, the pleasure of the moment no more allowed to disturb her core than the nightmare's terror had.

Looking up at the Three Musketeers leaning against nearby trees, Ranma allowed the claws to vanish as she shouted her joy, pumping a fist in the air. “Yes, at last!”

Akane felt her heart go cold but kept the fear off her face and even forced a smile as she stood and strode toward her lover. “So you think you're ready?” she asked, then gasped as Ranma ran up to her and swung her around as the redhead laughed.

Finally, when both girls were dizzy with whirling around, they collapsed and stared up at the sky for a moment before it was obscured by the faces of the other two girls.

“So, is it time to bring over the costume?” Chibi-Usa asked slyly, and Hotaru and Akane joined her laughter as Ranma groaned before joining them.

“Yeah, let's do it,” she said as she sat up when the laughter died down.

 

Haruka looked up from where she sat cuddled with Michiru when the front door to their home flew open and the two watched through the doorway to the front hall as Chibi-Usa and Hotaru rushed in, only pausing long enough to throw off their shoes before rushing toward their currently shared bedroom.

Less than a minute later the two rushed back to the door carrying a bag and were putting their shoes back on when Haruka spoke up. “All right, girls, what's the rush? And what's in the bag?” she asked curiously, and the two teenagers looked up, startled.

“It's Ranma's costume!” Hotaru caroled. “She's finally ready!”

Michiru's eyebrows rose and she straightened. “So you actually put together a costume for her?” she asked. “And how did you get Ranma's measurements?”

“Uh ... we compared it to the clothes she normally wears, especially her underwear,” Chibi-Usa said uncertainly. “Ranma wasn't really cooperating much.”

“Or at all,” Hotaru muttered under her breath.

Michiru looked thoughtfully at the two girls for a moment, then nodded. “All right, get in the car. Haruka and I will be joining you.”

“Huh?” the two girls asked, and Michiru smiled calmly.

“I'm sure you did a fine job, considering your limits, but the results might need some fine-tuning. We're coming so I can mark whatever changes we need to make. Head to the car, and we'll be there in a minute.”

Chibi-Usa and Hotaru rushed out the door, and the normally cultured, serene Michiru whirled where she sat, raising a palm to accept a very rare high five from her surprised lover. “Yes!”

 

Ranma kept her smile firmly in place as she looked at herself in the mirror, Akane, Haruka and Michiru standing off to the right doing their best not to laugh at her threadbare act while Hotaru and Chibi-Usa gushed.

“It's perfect!” Hotaru caroled. “The white leotard and blue knee-length skirt to show you're linked to Sailor Moon, the red boots, gloves and headband to give some contrast, your hair in a ponytail instead of a braid so it won't be completely obvious who you are. And no jewelry like you said, plus some red spandex bicycle shorts — just what you need, the way you bounce around.”

Ranma closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then glared toward the trio to her right when they failed to suppress their giggles. With a sigh, she turned to her two friends. “Not bad, you two,” she managed to get out with a straight face and not a hint of a growl. “Just two things.”

“Yeah? What are they?” Chibi-Usa asked, doing her best not to laugh herself.

“First, I'm gonna be wearing a bra with this.”

“Whoa, since when did you care about feminine modesty?” Akane asked.

“Since seein' that news reel — there's no way I'm gonna have my boobs bouncin' around fer all the world ta see, an' a skin-tight top with a bra isn't much better,” Ranma said with a growl, and Akane finally lost control of her laughter, falling back against the wall with her arms wrapped around her stomach, quickly joined by the two adults.

Ranma glared at her lover, then turned to the now furiously blushing duo behind her.

“So, maybe a short, blue sleeveless jacket?” Chibi-Usa asked. “That would at least cover up the bra lines from the back and sides, and the way you bounce — uh, move around — when you fight along with how whoever films us hangs back, close-up shots from the front probably won't happen ... maybe ...”

Ranma thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “I guess that'll work, as good as could be expected.”

“And the second thing?” Hotaru asked as her blush faded.

Ranma looked back over her shoulder as she turned her back to the mirror. “Was the big red bow on the back of my skirt really necessary?” she asked plaintively, and now it was Chibi-Usa's turn to chortle as Hotaru looked puzzled.

“But all the Senshi have one, that'll definitely link you to the rest of us,” Hotaru said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and the redhead sighed.

“Okay, I guess I'll keep it,” Ranma said, and Hotaru threw her arms around her.

“I'm so glad you like it,” she enthused, and with an effort Ranma suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

“At least there's no bow in the middle of my chest,” she muttered.

“So what are you going to call yourself?” Haruka asked.

“Call myself?” Ranma responded, confused, and Michiru nodded her agreement.

“Yes — we can't be calling you by your name in the middle of a battle, someone might be able to figure out who you are. From that, they would be able to figure out who we are.”

“Good point,” Ranma said, a thoughtful look on her face.

“I know, we can call you Sailor Terra!” Chibi-Usa said enthusiastically. “With Tuxedo Kamen being the Earth's protector nobody else is going to show up with the title.”

After thinking about it, Ranma shook her head. “Nooo ...” she said slowly, “I don't think so. I'm not really a Senshi even if I look a lot like one, so let's not go with a name that sounds like one.”

“How about Vanguard?” Haruka suggested.

“Vanguard?” Akane questioned, and the short-haired blonde nodded.

“Sure. The vanguard of an army is the part that's closest to the enemy, and with Ranma's lack of ranged attacks that where she'll be whenever she's in a fight.”

“Vanguard,” Ranma repeated thoughtfully, then nodded firmly. “I like it — Vanguard it is.”