Disclaimer: The characters in this story are property of their respective 
owners. I'm in no way profiting from this story, this is just for fun. If there 
is any resemblanse to any other fanfic around, it is purely coincidental. E-mail 
me if it happens so we can solve it. 

Note: If you are notice changes in the time line and personality of the 
characters, that's the idea of my fanfiction. I always write alternate 
realities, so don't bother insulting me because the history has changes in it. 
Well, with that out of the way, enjoy! 


 
 
"RANMA!" Akane yelled as the pigtailed boy was once again glomped by Shampoo. It 
was a routine to her, really, getting angry whenever something like this 
happened. They were in the schoolyard, having their lunch break. Akane readied 
her mallet to strike down the martial artist. "Get away from that hussy!" And 
she attacked. Ranma, being Ranma, received the full impact of the mallet and 
acted as if he was hurt, even though he could easily shrug it off. He had 
defeated Saffron two months ago, but things remained the same in his chaotic 
life. The girls were even worse than before, since they all grew desperate after 
the failed wedding attempt, while Akane somehow got the dumb idea that he told 
her of his undying love for her. As if he could love someone who didn't trust 
him whatsoever and physically abused him for no real reason at all. She went so 
far as to attack him when he yawned, stating that he should pay attention to 
her. 

Shampoo recovered and angrily asked. "Why pervert-girl attack Aireen?" Her 
bombori were at the ready now, and she was anxious to eliminate the competition. 
She just needed an excuse like this one. It had been awfully close, but they all 
managed to stop the wedding from taking place. Ukyo chose that exact moment to 
appear, and assessed the situation. She went to Ranma, ignoring the other two 
girls, whose bickering was becoming annoying. 

"Ranchan, are you OK?" She asked, knowing full well he would recover. She 
kneeled next to him. 

Ranma groaned and started to get up. "Hey, Uchan! Yeah, nothing I can't take." 
His macho bravado completely backed up. Akane's attacks nearly didn't tickle. He 
just did it so that people didn't pay attention to him when he was supposedly 
unconscious. He knew, though, that Ukyo was very perceptive. She knew this was 
all an act to divert attention. His eyes caught sight of Akane and Shampoo 
screaming at each other, and got up silently. "Come on, Uchan. Let's get out of 
here before they decide to turn looking for me." Ukyo nodded and they were 
quickly out of sight. Neither Shampoo or Akane noticed for five more minutes. 

The other students in Furinkan ignored this, it was so typical by now that they 
didn't even bother to bet on the fight any more. Ranma was definitely the 
strongest fighter of all, and no one placed a bet against him, so it was no 
longer business. Ukyo and Ranma sat under a tree, and she handed Ranma an 
okonomiyaki. "Here. You should eat while you can." She knew the other girls 
would find them soon. It was as if they had a radar telling them where Ranma 
was. 

The martial artist smiled and dove right in. His thanks were evident in his eyes 
as he munched with pleasure. Being a Saotome, he finished in seconds and 
stretched. "Thanks Uchan. That really hit the spot, as usual." Ukyo just smiled. 
Ranma was confused, for the last couple of days there had been a change in Ukyo, 
something no one else noticed. She was no longer pressuring him to take a 
decision, nor was she mad for him not choosing her as a fianc?right away. The 
only other time that he remembered getting along with her like this was when 
they were kids. "Uchan, why the sudden change?" He asked bluntly, knowing he was 
bad with words and would probably mess it all up if he tried to hit around the 
bush. 

Ukyo had been expecting the question, and her answer was ready even before he 
asked. "I love you, Ranchan. I've loved you since we were kids." Ranma was about 
to say something, but she put a finger on his lips and continued. "But as you 
once said, I love you as a friend. I didn't realize that until last week, when 
you were talking to your mother in the dojo." 

Ranma's eyes widened at that. "You heard us?" 

Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, I heard everything you said." Ranma shifted uncontrollably 
in place, but she calmed him down when she said. "Don't worry. I don't really 
blame any of this in you. In fact, I came to realize that I really want you as 
my friend." Ranma was relieved to say the least, he hugged her tightly, and she 
returned the embrace. It was completely innocent in nature, just two friends 
showing their affection. 

Of course, it didn't look like that to the jealous eyes of Shampoo and Akane, 
who happened to find them just in time to see it. The following beating was 
extremely violent for everyone who happened to see it. It was the first time 
Shampoo and Akane agreed on something in a long time, and that was pummeling 
Ranma to the ground. 

----------------------------------- 

Nabiki grinned as she saw a very battered Ranma enter the house. "Hello, 
Saotome. I take it you were beat up by my sister again?" Ranma's evil eye only 
made her more smug. "Keep staring at me like that and you're paying for the 
show." She said mockingly. It was so fun teasing Ranma, especially since he 
never once fought back. 

Ranma walked to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He was in a bad 
mood. *How much of this crap do I have to put up with?* His mother happened to 
be in the kitchen at the time, and she started serving him before he asked for 
it. It was fairly easy to know what had happened at school. "Hi, mom!" He 
greeted half-heartedly. 

"Hello, son. How was your day?" She asked cheerfully. She hated having to act 
this way, but it was necessary. The look he gave her spoke for him. She quickly 
turned in all directions and sat next to him. In barely a whisper, she asked. 
"What happened?" 

Ranma answered in the same volume. "Nothing out of the ordinary, it's just 
getting to me." He paused for a moment as he fidgeted nervously and said. "Uchan 
knows." 

Nodoka's eyes widened at this. She knew her son would never speak of this to 
another person, so she tried to find a reason why. "The dojo?" Seeing Ranma nod 
she felt like a fool. She expected to have some privacy since the Tendos and 
Genma were having diner out, but she hadn't expected for a fianc?to show up. 

Ranma saw her expression and quickly added. "She promised she won't tell a 
thing, and I trust her." 

Nodoka nodded and said. "We shall go to her restaurant and clear things." She 
went upstairs to tell Kasumi she would be having dinner out with her son. They 
rarely spent time alone together, so it wasn't suspicious. 

Ranma sighed and sat back. "What is it Nabiki?" 

Nabiki was shocked to hear the sudden question. She tried to listen in to the 
conversation, since business had been low and she wanted more money. 
Extortioning Ranma may be the answer. Too bad she couldn't hear a word they 
spoke. She walked into the kitchen, making it seem as if she had just arrived. 
"What are you talking about, Saotome?" 

Ranma shook his head and didn't answer. Nabiki was a very difficult person, and 
he was in no mood to deal with her. He saw his mother get down and got up. 
Nodoka saw Nabiki and said. "Nabiki. My son and I are going to have dinner and 
maybe watch a movie together. See you tomorrow." And with that she left, 
followed by Ranma. 

The Ice Queen stood there for a moment, thinking. She then decided to take her 
camera and follow them. The opportunity to make money always seemed to follow 
Ranma around. 

----------------------------- 

"Nabiki is following us." Ranma stated after five minutes of walking. They were 
heading to the Uchan's, but not in the normal route, since they suspected 
something like this would happen. 

Nodoka didn't react. "I know. She's determined to discover what this is all 
about." She paused as they passed a couple. "We have to talk to Ukyo privately, 
though." 

Nabiki herself was following from a distance she was sure no one would be able 
to discover her. It seemed like they had said the truth, they were heading to 
the movies. She cursed silently because of the wasted time and effort. She saw 
as Ranma and Nodoka turned a corner, and when she reached there, they were gone. 
She smirked. "Maybe I wasn't wrong after all. Those two are up to something." 
She really liked Nodoka, but Ranma was an easy target for whatever they were up 
to. Her eyes flashed with yen signs as soon as she thought about selling the 
information. 

She started to walk again, intent on finding them to gain money. From a rooftop, 
Ranma and Nodoka watched as she walked down a street. "She'll find out sooner or 
later. Nabiki never gives up and is very clever." 

Nodoka nodded. "Indeed. But for the time being we have lost her. Let us deal 
with Ukyo before anything else happens." And with that Nodoka and Ranma jumped 
down and made their way to the Uchan's quickly. 

The restaurant was completely empty, the rush hour having passed. As soon as 
they entered, Ukyo greeted them and closed the door, putting the 'Closed' sign 
on. "I knew you would come." She said as she sat on a table. Nodoka and Ranma 
did likewise. 

Nodoka nodded. "We had to explain this to you, so that you understand. We are 
doing this because we believe it is the right thing to do." 

Ukyo nodded, knowing full well it was true. "I know, Ranchan is my friend. I'm 
backing him up all the way." 

Nodoka smiled at seeing her son had, at least, one loyal friend. Ranma was glad 
Ukyo backed him up. Any other person would have, by now, turned his back on him 
in the best of cases. "You must keep this a secret, even from your dreams. We 
don't know what might happen to you if anyone finds out." 

Ranma suddenly tensed and said. "Someone is coming. I think Nabiki discovered 
our location." Nodoka nodded while Ukyo looked confused. He explained it to her. 
"On our way here, Nabiki followed us. We managed to lose her, but she found us 
at last. I'm just glad we managed to talk about this without her listening in." 

As if on cue, Nabiki knocked on the door. "Open up Ukyo. We know Ranma is in 
there." 

Ranma was depressed to hear this. "Fuck. She didn't come alone." 

Nodoka frowned. "Ranma, your language." 

Ranma looked at her pleadingly. "You know how tiring this is, mother. I don't 
know how long I can stand this craziness." Ukyo and Nodoka understood. Ranma's 
voice was full of frustration. And he had the right to be annoyed, it had been a 
long time now. 

The door collapsed with a kick from Shampoo, who entered the restaurant quickly 
followed by Akane and Nabiki. The last saw Ranma and smirked. "Consider this 
your payback for running away from me like that." Ranma saw her with open anger 
now, which didn't go unnoticed by Nodoka. 

His mother stepped between the girls, who had blood in their eyes, and Ranma. 
They had assumed he was making his engagement with Ukyo official, since he was 
meeting her with his mother. To say that they were angry would be the master of 
all understatements. Besides, they were still angry at what happened that 
morning at school. 

The sight of Nodoka in front of them was shocking though. She rarely 
participated in any of their fights, but now she was obviously protecting her 
son. Nodoka was trying to give Ranma a break. She had seen how every day's 
pressure had started to impact on his behavior, he was depressed most of the 
time when he was alone. The only time he seemed to be alive was when they were 
training, because he really loved the excitement of the fight over anything 
else. Now seeing him near the border of losing it, she decided to end it all. 
She would start with their plans, now. "You two better back off and keep quiet, 
I have an announcement to make." This stopped everyone right where they were, 
Nodoka was rarely this harsh. Even Nabiki showed some surprise in her features. 

Akane was the first to protest. "But auntie, that baka was..." 

Nodoka silenced her with a glare. "That 'baka' you are talking about is my son." 
The voice was so cold that the youngest Tendo backed a step in fear. Nodoka eyed 
everyone and said. "I have decided to brake all the engagements. My son and I 
will be returning home this very evening." Protests started to leave Akane's and 
Shampoo's mouths, but they weren't paid attention to. Nodoka turned on them and 
walked to Ranma. Ukyo smiled at the situation, she knew the main problem here 
were the engagements. Ranma exchanged a glance with his mother and thanked her 
with a nod. 

Nabiki was more than shocked by the reaction, but she quickly reigned over her 
own emotions and smiled. "I don't think so, Saotome-san." They all turned to 
her. She would be damned if her biggest income just walked out the door. "Ranma 
is staying with us until he covers his debt with me." And she knew he would 
never be able to do that. The big jerk always did something to owe her even 
more. 

Ranma surprised everyone but Nodoka by laughing. He stood up and eyed Nabiki 
carefully. "And what will you do if I don't pay up? All the money you've made 
out of me should be payment enough." His mother had decided to leave, so he had 
no intention of being abused any more. 

Nabiki narrowed her eyes. "You are paying, Saotome. You don't want your life to 
become hell." Her anger wasn't feigned this time. She was really angry that this 
dumb jock would try and challenge her. 

Ranma smirked. "Your so called hell is nothing compared to what you'll go 
through if I get angry." He saw Nabiki tremble in a rage and decided to add 
insult to injury. "Think. What can a person, who defeated a god with his bare 
hands, do to a mere girl?" 

Nabiki's eyes widened in surprise. Had Ranma just threatened her? She felt a 
rush of fear flow through her veins. He was right, there was nothing that could 
stop him from beating the crap out of her. She regained her bearings with a 
calming thought. "You're bluffing, Saotome. You would never hit a girl." 

Nodoka saw where this was leading and decided to stop it. No use in Ranma 
revealing everything. "Maybe he has qualms against hitting girls. But I don't." 
Her voice was low. "I don't like the way you have treated my son, Nabiki. 
Another try, and a beating is going to be the least of your concerns." 

Nabiki didn't like threats at all, and she quickly lost all the respect she ever 
had for Nodoka. "Look, Saotome-san. I think it is time we talk about your living 
with us." She had been paying the bills for three extra people in the dojo, she 
would be damned if they got away like this. 

Nodoka nodded. "Indeed. I have very interesting recordings of your deals. I 
believe the police will find them very amusing, don't you?" If this was the game 
Nabiki was playing, Nodoka would teach her a lesson in humility. The middle 
Tendo's expression revealed her shock. "Yes. You were very arrogant to think you 
hold exclusive rights to recording. If you ever bother us again, I'm sure you'll 
enjoy a few weeks in court, and then jail." 

Nabiki was at a loss of words. She was facing the possibility of jail because of 
her own game. Nodoka's attitude had also changed, drastically. She was being 
cold and ruthless, even Nabiki had to admit the ability of the master. "I think 
I can let that pass." She finally said, defeated. She had nothing against 
Nodoka, since she never bothered to dig on her past. *But don't think I'm 
finished with you. I'll get my payback.* 

Akane and Shampoo were completely shocked. They couldn't believe the sudden 
change in Nodoka and Ranma. Ranma had actually stood up to Nabiki, and Nodoka 
threatened her with jail. This was becoming very weird. Akane finally mustered 
the courage to speak a word. "Auntie?" She was unsure whether she would find a 
way to stop this from happening. She wanted to defend Nabiki. 

Nodoka turned to the whisper and her face hardened even more. "Akane, for too 
long have you abused my son, knowing he wouldn't fight back. Even after he saved 
your life you continued to blame him for everything and don't have even a little 
trust in his actions. I'm glad he is rid of you." And with that she turned to 
Ukyo. "Send the bill for that door to Nabiki, I'm sure she'll gladly pay for the 
damage." She left the room, not bothering to say her good byes to the Tendos and 
Shampoo. Ranma followed close behind, giving one last smile at Ukyo. 

Akane and Shampoo were just too shocked to be angry at Ukyo. Each one left to 
their respective homes. Nabiki did likewise, thinking of a way to take this 
humiliation back at them. Ukyo was left in the restaurant, a small smile on her 
features. *I can hardly believe it.* She smiled. "See you tomorrow at school, 
Ranchan." She decided to get some boards to place the door back on place. 

----------------------------------- 

Akane arrived home a few minutes later, hoping to catch Ranma and give him a 
piece of her mind. She wouldn't if Nodoka was around, but god protect that 
pervert if he was alone. She rushed into the house, ready to smash his head in 
with her mallet. The sight that greeted her was frightening. Genma lied sprawled 
on the ground, beaten badly. Over him stood Nodoka, her katana sheated by her 
side. The injuries weren't of the edge of the sword, but rather of the sheat. 
Soun sat cowering in a corner, deathly afraid for his life. He had seen as Genma 
tried to stand up to his wife when she said Ranma would leave with her. The 
beating that followed was something not even Happosai would be able to 
accomplish. Kasumi stood on another corner of the room, her hand over her mouth. 
"Oh my!" Was all she said at the scene. 

Nodoka smiled at her. "Kasumi-chan, I hope to see you again." Akane recognized 
this as a true smile, and she instantly knew that Nodoka only cared for Kasumi 
out of all the Tendos. Her gaze wandered to the side, where Ranma stood 
motionless. His features revealed nothing, as well as his stance. Nodoka lifted 
a backpack, and Ranma followed suit. As they exited the house through the door, 
they passed Akane. They didn't even look at her, as if she wasn't in the room. 
This enraged her even more, but it was the shock from the scene that made her 
stop. 

Nabiki chose that moment to arrive. "What happened?" She asked surprised. She 
had expected to tell Genma and her dad about Nodoka's plans, so that they would 
stop her. But the scene in from of her spoke for itself, neither of them was 
able to stop the calm Nodoka. She had been here, and from the bruises all over 
Genma's body, she wasn't to be taken lightly. She suddenly remembered Nodoka's 
words from the restaurant. *If this kind of beating is the least of my concerns, 
then I have to be very careful.* She wouldn't stop having her revenge. She would 
be cautious about it. 

Soun finally reacted. "Genma!" He cried as he started to shake his companion's 
body. He knew Genma would live, but the fight had surprised him more than 
anything before. Nodoka had been so ruthless, so cold-hearted. It was nothing 
like the woman he had known for the last couple of months. His normal reaction 
would have been to faint, but the situation was definitely not normal. 

Kasumi walked over to them and said. "I guess when Saotome-san wakes up he's 
gonna be hungry." She quickly left for the kitchen. Akane and Nabiki had large 
sweat drops on their heads as their sister left the room. 

"Did she just say that?" Nabiki asked no one in particular. She sighed and 
walked upstairs, intent on having some sleep. 

Akane knelt next to Genma just as he was regaining consciousness. "Uncle 
Saotome?" She asked tentatively. 

Genma focused his eyes on his crying friend and Akane. Shame could be seen in 
his face. "I'm sorry. Nodoka took Ranma away." He sounded defeated, and in many 
ways he was. He had known this would happen some day, and in a way he couldn't 
be more proud of the boy. He had overcome any expectations Happosai's disciple 
could even dream about. *Good luck, my son. I know you don't need it but, good 
luck.* He stood up shakily, and noticed the care with which Akane and Soun were 
looking after him. He smiled as he remembered the many adventures he had with 
his boy. "I should leave. Since Ranma is no longer marrying a Tendo, there's no 
reason for you to support me, my friend." 

Soun heard this, and noticed Genma's tone of finality in the matter. "Ranma 
isn't coming back, is he?" When Genma shook his head, Soun smiled. "Don't worry 
at all friend, you can stay with us as long as you like. What are friends for?" 
Before the sometimes panda could interject, Soun continued. "You should take 
some rest, your wife wasn't lenient with that beating she gave you." 

Genma was surprised at the comment. He should be enraged because of it. But 
instead he found himself laughing together with Soun. It was a change, since 
Tendo had been too serious since his wife died. They both left upstairs, still 
laughing. 

Akane was left alone, gaping at them. She fumed as she said. "How dare they take 
this so lightly. Ranma is coming back!" She said angrily. Although to Kasumi, 
who heard the comment, it sounded like if she was trying to convince herself. 

-------------------------------- 

The next morning at Furinkan was full of surprises for the crowd of students. 
First, Nabiki and Akane arrived together. That in itself wasn't impressive. What 
was, and they all noticed instantly, was that Ranma was nowhere to be seen. 
Nabiki quickly got to her people, and started giving them instructions. *You 
made a mistake, Nodoka. Ranma still has to come to sign out of the school.* She 
was giving specific instructions to make Ranma's visit a living hell. She 
somehow managed for one of them to bring Ryoga over. Hinako-sensei would be 
thrilled to know Ranma was leaving her class, specially since she had paid a 
couple of people to give a little act. Kuno heard from someone that his 
pigtailed goddess was dead, killed by the clutches of the vile sorcerer. The 
amazons weren't found, but that didn't matter. Nabiki rubbed her hands in 
anticipation. *Think of this as a little taste of what's to come, Saotome.* She 
could always deny any connection to this, since this kind of stuff happened 
everyday. 

Akane was silent as many of the girls gave her weird looks. Sayuri and Yuka 
approached her and asked. "Hey, Akane! Where's Ranma?" 

Yuka continued. "Is he sick?" They were both obviously concerned for his well 
being. 

Akane muttered. "When I put my hands on him, he'll wish he was." Sayuri and Yuka 
recognized the angry mode Akane was in and stepped back, leaving enough space 
for her battle aura not to harm them. It only increased in size when Ukyo walked 
into school, with Ranma by her side. "That Baka! So that's where he spent the 
night." Her mallet suddenly appeared in her hands, as she was about to apply 
some justice. She didn't get far though. 

"SAOTOME!" Kuno yelled enraged beyond reason. That was the only word that came 
out of his mouth as he charged, a real katana in his hands. He wasn't really 
happy with the news given to him by Gosunkugi. He would get his revenge on that 
vile cur. 

Nabiki smirked as she saw Kuno charging blindly. *I knew he would buy it if 
Gosunkugi told him.* Her smile vanished at what happened next. Before he could 
get into fighting range, a giant spatula sent him to the clock tower. Ukyo 
easily belted her spatula back in place as she turned to Ranma and said 
something to him. *Damn, I didn't expect Ukyo to interfere.* She saw Kuno 
wouldn't be getting up any time soon. She eyed Ranma with hatred and noticed 
something for the first time. Instead of his usual red shirt, he was wearing a 
black one, giving his attire a uniform color. This didn't go unnoticed by 
everyone else, who thought he looked great in black. 

Akane smirked evilly. *So Ukyo is also with him. Fine, she'll also receive what 
she deserves. I'll show her what a real martial artist can do.* 

"RANMA. PREPARE TO DIE!" Again Akane was interrupted from her intent as another 
challenger appeared out of nowhere. 

Nabiki smirked once again. *I know Ranma won't let Ukyo fight Ryoga. He's too 
strong for her.* She also remembered what she told the pig boy. 'Ranma was very 
mean to Akane, she was deathly afraid of him.' So what if she forgot to mention 
Nodoka was the one that threatened Akane? It was his fault for not stopping his 
mother. 

Ranma motioned for Ukyo to step aside, this would be his fight. Ranma stood 
straight and said. "Good to see you, Ryoga. We have things to discuss." His 
answer was a punch to the jaw that sent him flying against a wall. Ranma crushed 
and as he fell, the wall collapsed on him. He barely managed to get up. 

"Pathetic, Ranma. And I wasn't even trying." Ryoga gloated. 

Ranma smirked evilly. "I know." He rushed forward and gave such a blow to the 
pig boy, that even Nabiki flinched at how it must have felt. Ryoga flew through 
a couple of trees and crashed on the wall. Everyone thought he wasn't getting 
up. They gaped at him when he laughed like a maniac and stood up, obviously 
enjoying himself. Ranma laughed with him. 

Ryoga walked to Ranma and patted him on the back. "About time this little game 
was over. I was getting sick and tired of this stupid child's play." 

Ranma motioned for Ukyo to join them. "Ryoga, Uchan and I are getting signed 
out. Care to come with us?" 

Ryoga shook his head. "Nah, go ahead. I have things to take care of before we 
leave." And with that he started walking out of school. He stopped in front of a 
still frozen in place Akane and said with a smirk. "By the way Akane, I'm P-
chan." He laughed loudly as he saw her expression. He left before anything else 
could happen to alter his good mood. 

Nabiki was, to say the least, petrified in amazement. Ryoga and Ranma were 
friends? *Those two are the greatest actors I've ever seen.* She thought back to 
all the fights they had, in every one of them they seemed about ready to kill 
each other. She was also shocked to see Ryoga so easily admit he was P-chan, as 
if it didn't bother him. *I guess his love for Akane was an act too.* She was 
starting to see a pattern here, and a bad feeling started to overcome her. Ryoga 
was the second most powerful fighter she knew, and he was in league with Ranma. 

Akane was having flashbacks right now. Flashbacks of all the times Ryoga and P-
chan for some reason suddenly changed places, but never were in the same place. 
She cursed herself for being a fool, as much as Kuno. She had been so intent on 
blaming Ranma that she never noticed the obvious clues. She was so immersed in 
her own thoughts of self pity that she went to her classroom, forgetting all 
about Ranma. 

Ukyo smiled at Ranma. "So, Ryoga is in this too?" 

Ranma nodded. "Has been since the beginning. He'll meet with me once we're done 
here." He noticed Nabiki standing to the side and walked to her. "Hi Nabiki. 
Nice setup you pulled." Nabiki was starting to edge away from him, fully 
expecting an attack. Ranma smiled and continued. "I wanted to thank you for 
this. Finding Ryoga would have been hard. You saved us a lot of time." And 
having said that, he walked into the building. Ukyo followed him, as they went 
to arrange their paperwork. 

-------------------------------- 

Hinako-sensei was gonna have a field day with Ranma Saotome today. He was late 
to class, as well as miss Kuonji. She had also heard from a couple of students 
that he copied in his exam last Friday. They were delinquents that needed to be 
disciplined. She was in her adult form, having sucked out the battle aura of a 
couple of boys for arriving late. She enjoyed having the boys drool at her, 
especially since she knew none of them would dare move a finger to touch her. 
"Miss Tendo?" She asked. 

Akane got out of her contemplation and said. "Hai." 

Hinako continued. "Have you seen Mister Saotome and Miss Kuonji?" She was sure 
of the answer, this was just a formality. 

Before Akane could answer, a voice from the door answered. "We're right here, 
Hinako." The entire classroom turned to see Ranma and Ukyo. The boy had his arms 
crossed over his chest, a confident smirk on his face. 

Hinako didn't miss the smirk, nor the fact that Ranma was dressed in black. She 
smiled at him. "You are late, Mister Saotome. And I would like it better if you 
called me sensei." 

Ranma shrugged. "I don't think so. We already signed out of school." Everyone in 
the classroom gasped. Akane knew this would eventually happen, but she didn't 
expect it to be so soon. 

Hinako smiled evilly. "K, Ranma. It was about time. See you in the usual place." 
Ranma nodded as he and Ukyo left. Hinako turned to the class and said in a 
cheerful voice. More so because she was finally getting rid of this. "Class, 
this is the last time I'm teaching here at Furinkan. Family business has 
presented itself." The groans from the boys made her smile even more, she loved 
doing this to people. 

Akane knew something was definitely up by now. Two of Ranma's most powerful 
enemies seemed to be in reality his friends. Ryoga and Hinako-sensei acted as if 
they knew him of a very long time. Ryoga she could explain, but Hinako was 
barely known to them. She lifted her hand. "Is there something wrong, Hinako-
sensei?" 

Hinako smiled. "Not at all, Miss Tendo. I'm leaving to tend some things dealing 
with my heritage." And with that she left the classroom. As she was walking down 
the corridors, to present her resign, she bumped into Nabiki. 

"Hey there, Hinako-sensei. How did you handle Ranma?" She asked, expecting that 
at least she had sucked his battle aura dry. She was in her adult form after 
all. 

Hinako smiled. "Just fine, Miss Tendo. It's so good to know we are all finally 
leaving Nerima." And with that she continued on walking. Leaving a cursing 
Nabiki behind. 

Usually, Nabiki could take things calmly, but this time it was too much. "Isn't 
a single person in this fucking town what he appears to be?" She cried to no one 
in particular. The whole school was shocked to hear the Ice Queen so distressed. 

--------------------------------------- 

Akane and Nabiki decided to follow Hinako from a distance, hoping to catch up 
with Ranma and solve this giant puzzle. They followed the teacher, still in 
adult form, to a park. It was small, with a small fountain in the center. They 
saw several people they recognized already there. Ranma was talking to Nodoka, 
while Ryoga was laughing as he listened in. What Nabiki and Akane noticed was 
the attire they were all using. It was their usual ones, but all in black. 
Nodoka was wearing a black kimono that Kodachi would kill for. Hinako's dress 
was black, and they were confused about it, since she had been wearing a yellow 
one in Furinkan. They walked closer to listen in. 

Hinako smiled as she saw everyone here. "It's good to see you all. I was 
wondering when would we leave this place and start with our plans. This pathetic 
little town bores me." 

Ryoga nodded. "Yeah. It was kind of boring after a while. We only had fun when 
fighting each other." 

Hinako asked Ranma. "Where's Ukyo? I thought she was coming with us." 

Ranma shook his head. "She doesn't have a part in this. Besides, although she is 
the best female fighter in Nerima, she's still not up to it. She's leaving town, 
though." 

Ryoga nodded. "I kinda like her. Out of the lot of weaklings she's the smartest 
one. All the others could only solve problems by fighting." 

Hinako grinned. "Look who's talking, muscle brain. I remember you weren't much 
of a thinker back then." 

Ryoga snarled. "Maybe not, but I can still kick anyone's butt." 

Ranma smiled and said. "No argument there, Ryoga. Even Saffron is a weakling 
compared to you." Nabiki was more than a little surprised to hear Ranma admit 
Ryoga's superiority. And Saffron had been Ranma's hardest opponent to date. 

Ryoga smiled. "Yeah, but why did you defeat him in time, Ranma? You could have 
let that bitch die. We had to put up with her after that." Akane stifled a gasp, 
knowing full well who they were talking about. 

Ranma shook his head. "I know. It was a matter of respect to Kasumi. I couldn't 
make her suffer like that. That spoiled brat then had delusions that I said I 
loved her. As if I'd ever say that to her." 

Hinako spoke then. "You still haven't forgotten her, have you?" Her answer was a 
weak shock of his head. Hinako smiled and cheered him up. "I'm sure you'll both 
be together again. I can't think of a person more fitting for you." Ranma smiled 
at her. 

The Saotome matriarch got back on the past subject. "I know what you mean. Out 
of the lot Kasumi was the nicest one." Nodoka said. "Nabiki is another story 
though, if she ever tries something else like today, she's going to be sorry." 

Hinako continued in her sultry voice, which was even more sexy now. "I guess we 
should leave. There's nothing else to do here. We already dealt with everyone, 
including the amazons." 

Nodoka nodded. "Indeed. It is time we leave this place. Let's correct what 
happened to your sister. She made a mistake, but that bitch who called herself a 
queen ignored us when I told her I could stop my daughter and bring her back." 

Ryoga yawned and said. "We shall leave then. I'm getting bored and want to fight 
a little. Care to try me, sis? It's been a while since we had fun." He said to 
Hinako. 

She smiled. "Are you crazy? Fight Ranma instead. You know how he enjoys 
fighting." 

Ryoga turned to Ranma. "You and me again, bro. Ready to lose?" 

Ranma cracked his knuckles. "Why not?" Nodoka opened a portal in front of them 
and they all stepped through it, disappearing from view. 

Akane and Nabiki stared stupidly at the whole scene. Akane asked after five 
minutes since they had left. "I take it you are no longer after them?" 

Nabiki sarcastically asked. "What gave you that idea?" Inwardly she thought. 
*The hell I am. They can all go to hell for all I care.* She was relieved she 
hadn't pulled her plan on Nodoka. The shock of knowing the four of them were 
together really made a number on her. She could never have seen it, they were 
just too good at hiding things. 

---------------------------------- 

Sailor Pluto was at the Gates of time as she felt a dark energy. The type she 
had thought would never appear again. As she looked through the Gates, she saw a 
Youma creating havoc in the commercial section of Juban. *Where did that come 
from?* She hadn't seen a single cloud in the future she had fought so hard to 
reach. It was her dream that Crystal Tokyo would come to be, but a new enemy was 
obviously out there, and she had been unable to predict it. This unnerved her 
enough that she decided to go down there and look for the summoner of the 
monster. 

On another place, Rei had just had a vision of destruction. Not the destruction 
of the Earth, as usual, but the destruction of the Crystal Tokyo they all fought 
to achieve. In her vision, the castle shattered like glass under a wave of dark 
power. There wasn't death anywhere, just the destruction of the palace. She 
shuddered and was taken out of her meditation as her communicator started 
beeping. "What is it?" She asked annoyed. If Usagi was using the communicator to 
tell them about her date with Mamoru again, she would skin her. 

Amy's voice was heard. "A Youma is attacking a block from the video games." 

Rei couldn't suppress a feeling of danger from all of this. Her vision suddenly 
coming to mind. She shook her head and headed out. No time to worry about it 
now. 

------------------------------- 

Rei arrived to see an impressive sight. The Youma was fighting awfully. Also, 
the fact that all of the senshi were present didn't do wonders for it's skills. 
Even Sailor Moon was kicking its butt. She joined in the fray, and wondered why 
she was so worried. 

Setsuna backed away a little from the fight, and wondered what this was? This 
monster was very resistant, but had nothing in the terms of offensive skills. 
She saw the fight closely, and saw her fellow senshi were doing short work out 
of the monster, it would only last a couple of minutes more. Her eyes widened in 
shock at a single thought. *They are studying us!* She enhanced her senses, 
trying to pick the aura of someone with evil energy. She came up with nothing. 
Still unconvinced, she turned everywhere, looking for something suspicious. The 
fight, nothing special, Sailor Moon was preparing her special attack. The 
streets, empty, and surprisingly, no bodies. This unnerved her even more, the 
Youma hadn't attacked a single person, just destroyed some property to attract 
attention. This added up to her suspicion that they were being watched. She 
continued to look in all directions, finding nothing, until she gazed up. Up on 
a rooftop, a block away, the shadow of someone could be seen. She gazed at it 
intently, trying to discern any characteristics. The figure turned on its heals 
and walked out of sight. Pluto didn't chase, knowing she would never catch up. 
She turned and saw that the senshi had finished the job. *He or she was 
definitely watching the fight. But I could feel no power emanating from that 
being.* 

Haruka took the senshi of Time out of her contemplation as she said. "A lot of 
help you gave us, Pluto. You could have attacked a little more." It could be 
seen she wasn't angry, in fact she was exhilarating. She had enjoyed beating the 
crap out of something that didn't fight back. The others surrounded her, also 
giving estrange looks. 

Pluto smiled. "This was a setup." She pointed the key to the Gates toward the 
building. "Someone was watching the fight, assessing what we are capable of." 

Michiru turned to the building and said. "Never has an enemy hid before. They 
always threaten us." 

Setsuna frowned. "This can only mean they are to be taken seriously. This was 
well planned and executed. And they still retain the advantage of surprise over 
us." 

Michiru nodded, knowing her words were right. Usagi noticed something and said. 
"Did you see it? The Youma didn't attack a single person, though it had a lot of 
chances." 

The others understood what she meant. It was weird arriving to a fight and have 
no one to protect. Only a wimpy monster to fight. Amy checked her computer, and 
found the traces of whatever energy summoned the Youma. "This doesn't make 
sense." She said. 

Jupiter asked. "What doesn't make sense, Amy?" 

Mercury continued. "This energy I'm picking up is a lot like Beryl's. But she is 
dead." 

Sailor Pluto's face was livid after that comment. Thankfully no one noticed, as 
they were talking all at the same time. *It can't be! They're supposed to be 
dead.* Without another thought, she disappeared into the Gates of Time. *I was 
so stupid! I should remember that energy for what it was.* 

The others continued to argue for a while, and no conclusion was reached. When 
they turned to Setsuna and saw she was gone they all shrugged. It was usual of 
her. Each took their own path. 

------------------------------------ 

"Have you seen them?" Asked the woman. The room was completely dark, but somehow 
they were able to see. Her voice was calm, so much it seemed like she was dead. 

The young man nodded. "I have, your majesty. They are stronger than in the 
Silver Millenium. Saturn has the most raw power, but little control. Princess 
Serenity is the strongest of them, I was quite impressed with the power that 
spoiled brat possesses." 

Another young man commented. "It is to be expected. Even if she is a spoiled 
brat, her mother was Queen Serenity." 

The woman spoke once again. "I know you enough to trust your assess of her power 
more accurately than any of us." She paused for a second and asked with a smile. 
"I sense Pluto is scanning for us." 

The first man to speak again said. "Yes. She couldn't feel my presence, as 
usual, but she caught sight of me from a distance." 

"Did she recognize you?" A fourth person asked. 

The man shook his head. "No. But she undoubtedly suspects it is us. Her 
intelligence and wisdom have always been the greatest strength of them." 

The other man smirked. "Let them suspect all they want. That will give us the 
advantage, since they will be wary for a long time, unsure of who their stalker 
really is." 

The woman smiled. "Indeed. Let us continue, then. We have to plan our next 
move." 

All four figures smiled. They were strong because they listened to each other. 
Their leader encouraged that behavior, since it provided the best results. 

--------------------------------------- 

"Where are they?" Sailor Pluto asked no one. She was scanning everywhere to find 
some trace of that evil energy. Well, it wasn't exactly evil energy, but they 
had summoned a Youma just to test the abilities of the senshi. *No wonder it 
lasted so long. It was designed to withstand all our attacks before 
disappearing.* She was seeing again and again the events of that particular 
night. Or more precisely, the person standing on that roof. She was still 
unsure, but a feeling settled in her stomach that it was indeed him. She had 
expected many people to survive, but not him, of all of them. *How did you 
survive?* She sat down and meditated about this. *If he's back, then I should 
assume they are all alive. I'm afraid we are in deep trouble this time.* She 
once again tried to read the future, but it was unclear whether they would 
survive or not. There was too much chaos in the timestream. This reminded her of 
that particular man back in the Silver Millenium. A man she could never predict, 
because his existence was so chaotic the timestream was changed drastically 
every second, when it concerned his future. 

"I shouldn't be surprised. That's why the Nova Queen adopted him in her family, 
even if he is weak." The boy had nearly been executed by the Knight forces of 
planet Uranus, because he had disobeyed a direct order from Sailor Uranus 
herself. *Although he wasn't especial in any other way, he was independent and 
sure of himself.* Nova had appeared out of nowhere and asked as a personal favor 
from Serenity that the boy be spared. Uranus was reluctant, but had no other 
choice. The next time either of them saw him, he was by the side of his 
'mother', together with Beryl, Hira and Razt. Those three gave Setsuna chills, 
their power level being extremely high. Her thoughts returned to the boy once 
again. 

******************** 

Setsuna was walking down a corridor in the Silver Palace. Today Queen Nova would 
visit for diplomatic purposes. Her steps were sure, as she headed to the throne 
room. She had felt the power surge coming from it, and knew instantly that both 
rulers were inside. As she walked, a young man with black hair came in the 
opposite direction, wearing a black shirt and black loose pants. Setsuna quickly 
noticed him to not be of the palace guard, and said. "Halt! What are you doing 
here?" She thought he was familiar, but couldn't place him. 

The boy stopped and smirked arrogantly. "I'm part of the Queen's escort." 

Setsuna stood in front of him, and was annoyed that the boy was acting so smug 
with the Guardian of Time. "Queen Serenity doesn't have an escort composed of 
little boys." 

The boy himself smiled even wider. "I was talking about my Queen, not Serenity." 
This earned him a punch right in the jaw. 

Setsuna was enraged, and surprised about it. She could remain calm through any 
situation, but this boy really got to her. It was something in his attitude. 
"You will respect the Queen, insolent blasphemer." 

Said person wiped blood from his lip and smiled again. "I respect her alright, 
but Queen Nova is the only person I take orders from." His eyes glinted 
dangerously, and if it wasn't for the fact that Sailor Pluto was very powerful, 
she would have recoiled from the threat. She suddenly remembered this boy for 
who he was, the attitude gave him away. Even in the brink of execution he kept 
it up. 

"I see Queen Nova took you as a guard. I don't know what she sees in you, 
Ranma." She said smugly. 

Ranma smiled. "Nice to see you remember me, oh Guardian of the Gates of Time!" 
It was mockery in it's purest level. "Indeed, the Queen has taken me in." This 
surprised the senshi of time again. Each time he referred to Nova, he was 
respectful, it seemed like she had tamed the arrogant boy. 

"Greetings, Sailor Pluto!" A voice was heard from down the hall. She turned to 
see Razt and Hira walking to her. Her face hardened, hiding her anger towards 
the boy in front of her. All of them stood together as Hira continued, this time 
to Ranma. "Brother-dearest, did you make her angry?" She seemed to be amused by 
the situation. 

Setsuna hid her surprise well. "Brother?" She asked, confused. 

Razt nodded. "Yes, our mother adopted him as her own child." His tone of voice 
said he accepted his brother as his own too. "Why did you hit him?" His eyes 
glinted dangerously, and this time Setsuna was unnerved. Razt was a brutal 
fighter, capable of taking out any senshi in hand to hand by his raw strength 
and endurance. He seemed overly protective of his brother, too. 

Ranma smiled and said. "Don't bother, Razt. She was only doing her duty." This 
seemed to calm the fighter quite a bit. Ranma turned to Pluto again and said. 
"Your Queen is in a private audience with Queen Nova. I don't think they would 
like to be interrupted." And with that he walked past her, followed by Razt. 

Hira remained in front of Pluto and waited till her siblings were out of sight. 
She was calm, but that was only an appearance. She was too much like her mother. 
Always the best at hiding her true emotions. "I suggest you don't mess with my 
little brother, Sailor Pluto. You wouldn't like the consequences." 

Setsuna took personal offense by the proclamation. "He's a weakling. He shows no 
potential for magic or the use of weapons." 

Hira smiled. "True, but my mother definitely saw something in him, and I agree 
with her decision." She then said something that took the senshi of time by 
surprise. "Besides, we have grown fond of my little brother. Try anything 
against him, and you will regret it." With that Hira headed to a bench where 
Ranma and Razt were having some kind of conversation, if a conversation could 
involve the power fighter throwing stones the size of a person to the middle of 
the lake. 

Setsuna was left there, thinking. Ranma had placed great emphasis in the words 
'your Queen', but had nonetheless said them. He also calmed Razt, who was easy 
to start a fight, and also easy to finish it. She turned to see Hira giggling at 
something Ranma said, and wondered. *He was a complete asshole back then, and 
now as well. But there seems to be more to him than I expected.* 

*************************** 

Since that day she had kept in touch with the arrogant prince. It was hard to 
stand him, but after she got past that, she enjoyed their conversations. He 
didn't like authority, but remained faithful to those he considered friends. It 
was a great shock for her to actually know why he had been condemned. Ranma 
wouldn't mention it, but Setsuna did a little paper work. His death sentence was 
for disobeying the order to kill a spy. He had gone so far as to punch Uranus in 
the face. The spy was executed in front of his own eyes, and his sentence would 
be carried by over gravity. It was one of the slowest and most painful ways to 
die. 

She could slowly begin to understand why Ranma had been accepted into the Black 
Galaxy Family. The boy grew into you, making all those who knew him more whole. 
When she knew about Beryl, she was devastated to see Ranma try to convince them 
to let him talk to his sister. He really cared for his adopted family, and 
suffered greatly when Serenity used the Crystal to finish the battle. 

The memories of those days always saddened Setsuna. So many things could have 
happened that would have changed history. Serenity was too prideful to admit the 
Black Galaxy Family was stronger than she gave them credit for. Serenity didn't 
want to lose power, though, and decided to fight on her own. *My Queen. What a 
mistake! Nova alone could take down Beryl without killing her. With Hira and 
Razt by her side, they could have stopped the fall of the Silver Millenium.* 
Regrets were the only thing that remained for the senshi of time. Regrets of not 
doing something to help them. 

She suddenly felt a strange aura of power, and decided to go check it out. 
Setsuna disappeared on the portal that she opened before herself. 

------------------------ 

The shadow that had seen the fight of the senshi waited patiently for her to 
arrive. He had asked someone to attract her attention and then leave. Now he 
could feel the waves in the fabric of reality and smiled as he knew she did 
come. "It's been a long time, Senshi of Time." He said casually. 

Setsuna heard the words, and together with the voice she recognized them to be 
from him. "Yes, it has." She said, keeping her expressionless mask. She could 
see the shadow in front of her, and recognized his general appearance. They 
stood there, regarding each other for a long time. Each with so many emotions 
bottled up, and about to explode. Countering emotions they were, but of the 
strongest kind. In the blink of an eye, they were together in an embrace, 
kissing passionately. Tears started to form in their eyes. They had been 
separated for thousands of years, but their love remained intact. "Ranma." She 
finally managed to say. 

Ranma was kissing his beautiful green flower. "Setsuna." They were in a rooftop 
somewhere, but they didn't care. They started stripping off their clothes, and 
expressed with actions what words could not. 

END PART 1 


Author?otes: I started this story from a crazy idea I had. I have read many fics 
were Ranma is a reincarnation from the Silver Millenium. Some in which he even 
was a senshi (I don?eally like that idea). So why not make him a reincarnation 
from a different family? One that didn?ike the Moon Kingdom in the first place. 

Well, hope you enjoy it. Sorry if some of the history from Sailor Moon is not 
accurate. I could never force myself to see the actual series, so all my 
knowledge comes from fics around. 

See you in part 2.