Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A New Future 2 - First Blood ❯ Call to Arms ( Chapter 8 )

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.

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In the afternoon sun on the roof of the school attended by the Three Musketeers, Ranma danced. Her father would have been furious to see it — Genma saw any use of the Art that wasn't practice or combat a perversion of its core purpose — but as Ranma had struggled over the past almost three month to master the Cat Fist she had tried various ways to calm her emotions while in combat, and using katas as meditation had been one of those ways. It had proven a dead end, the meditative state impossible to maintain in combat mode, but even so the redhead had found the meditative dance a pleasure in and of itself — though of course she had never let Akane see her dancing, that wouldn't have fit her persona.

Reaching the end of the kata, Ranma held the final pose for a few moments, then relaxed. Without turning around, she called out, “Ya might as well come out, Shampoo. Let's talk.”

Behind her, the purple-haired teenage girl flipped up onto the roof from where she had been crouched on the fire escape. “How did you know I was there?” she asked, and Ranma shrugged as she turned around with a smile.

“It's just something I picked up while teachin' myself ta use my ki without infusin' it with emotions. It's kinda weird — like I can feel other people's ki against my skin, recognize emotions an' even personalities if I know `em well enough. So, what are ya doin' here? Business not keepin' ya occupied at yer new restaurant?”

Xian Pu hesitated, then shook her head with a sigh. Trust Ranma to come up with a completely new way to use ki when the old one isn't working for her anymore! “No, business is fine — better than fine, actually,” she said. “But the restaurant isn't why we're in Tokyo, and I have my duty.”

Ranma stiffened. “Yer spyin' on me?”

“No, I'm guarding you,” Xian Pu corrected, and Ranma barked a laugh.

“Yeah, like I need a bodyguard!”

Xian Pu joined in Ranma's laughter. “True,” she finally said, “if there's anyone in Tokyo, or Japan for that matter, that needs a bodyguard less than you I haven't heard of her. Still, it is our duty to our princess, and that's that.”

Ranma's laughter choked off and she started to scowl. “Don't call me that. And how long have ya been `guarding' me?”

“Since shortly before the new Cat Café opened,” Xian Pu admitted. “Of course, you've been making it very easy for us — I think I could count the number of times you've been out of your apartment in that time on one hand,” she added, carefully suppressing a look of concern. Then, as her careful gaze caught Ranma's slight wince, hastily changed the subject.

“You aren't wearing your costume. If your Senshi friends get the call, won't it slow you all down if they have to wait while you change?”

“How do ya know about the costume? I thought ya said ya weren't spyin' on me?” Ranma asked suspiciously, but Xian Pu just shrugged.

“In this case, is there really all that much of a difference? One of us was watching when you tried it on—you weren't as careful as you should have been when it came to window curtains. But then, you usually aren't — even when it's you and Akane.” Then, as Ranma started to blush furiously, Xian Pu added with a grin, “But as long as we are the ones watching, you aren't going to have to worry about anyone else peeping through your windows. And it's not like either of you have anything we haven't seen before — even Mu Tse.”

At that Xian Pu started to blush herself, in spite of her own happy smile. Shaking her head, she said, “Any road, where's the costume?”

Ranma sighed. “I guess I might as well show ya,” she said, and blurred into motion, whirling in circles too fast to follow even as she seem to go into contortions. In seconds it was over, and Ranma stood in her Vanguard costume, braid undone and hair tied up in a pony-tail, before Xian Pu's wide-eyed stare.

“How did you do that?” the Amazon whispered in awe, and Ranma's old cocky `hey, it's me' grin flashed across her face.

“Actually, I got it from you Amazons,” she said offhandedly, and laughed at Xian Pu's disbelieving glare. “No, really — it's a combination of Mousse's Hidden Weapons technique ta stash the clothes I'm not wearin' and the Chestnut Fist the ol' ghoul taught me.”

“The Chestnut Fist?!” Xian Pu repeated, and the redhead nodded.

“Yup. The Chestnut Fist is all about trainin' yer muscles ta move without thinkin' about it, with the speed fueled by yer ki — but the muscle memory doesn't just need ta be fer hittin' someone. I just needed ta practice makin' the change a couple dozen times or so ta get it memorized.”

Ranma vanished into the whirlwind again and emerged in her usual red and black Chinese-style clothes. “Well, since yer here, ya up to a friendly spar?” she asked, and Xian Pu's eyes lit up.

“Always!” she enthused, and Ranma laughed and moved toward the center of the roof for room with Xian Pu following.

* * * * *

Inside the school building, Akane did her best to listen to the teacher while maintaining the untouched core at her center, even as her thoughts kept wandering to the petite redhead she knew would be on the roof by now, after her morning practice ... waiting.

For a moment, the worry that had been haunting her ever since Ranma's decision that she was ready threatened to overwhelm her calm, and the brunette closed her eyes for a moment as she allowed the worry to wash over her and recede. Relax, Akane, she told herself as she again focused on the teacher. Right now, the only thing the Senshi are facing are animals, however powerful. And soon the two of you will be facing them together.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye Akane saw Chibi-Usa jerk slightly and the brunette's calm center shivered, then shattered as her fear for Ranma — almost panic — again surged, as her pink-haired friend went into her `sick' act, drawing the teacher's attention and quickly getting permission to go home. As Chibi-Usa walked out of the class, Akane closed her eyes and fought and failed to renew her calm.

“ ... Akane?”

Opening her eyes, Akane found the teacher looking at her in concern. “What was that, Kasuse-sensei? I'm afraid I didn't hear you,” she said as she blushed slightly from embarrassment.

“I said, are you feeling well? You look a little pale, and I know you and Usa spend a lot of time together, perhaps you've caught whatever she has.”

For a brief moment, Akane seriously considered going along with Kasuse's concerns and joining her friends, but fought back the temptation. No, not yet — you aren't ready, all you could do is watch, and give Ranma something to worry about besides the fight. Your time will come later. Regretfully, Akane shook her head. “Thank you for your concern, Kasuse-sensei, but I'll be fine.”

Kasuse gave her a doubtful look but returned to the lesson, and Akane glanced out the window as she slowly regained her calm, letting go of the fear that had choked her, letting it drift. Please, Ranma, whatever you're facing, for once please be careful.

* * * * *

Ranma rolled away from Xian Pu's feint and pounce, bounced to her feet, and was bracing herself for a counter-charge when suddenly Sailor Chibi-Moon leaped over the edge and landed on the roof.

“Ranma, we're on!” the pink-haired Senshi shouted, then froze at the sight of Xian Pu even as Sailor Saturn joined them. “Who's she?” Chibi-Moon asked, staring suspiciously at the Amazon.

“Chibi-Moon, Saturn, this is Shampoo, a ... I guess she's a friend, from Nerima. She was one of the Fiancée Brigade before ... well, you know.”

“Oh, right, she's the one that was trying to keep you from getting married by making Akane jealous,” Saturn said, brightening, and Chibi-Moon relaxed a bit.

“But what's she doing her?” she asked, and Ranma chuckled weakly, reaching back to tug on her braid.

“Later,” the redhead said. “Is there another attack goin' on?”

The two Senshi blushed. “Oh, right!” Chibi-Moon said. “About eight blocks east right now — Mars and Venus are already there.”

Ranma grinned, and a few seconds later was in her Vanguard costume. “Okay, let's go show `em how it's done!”