Disclaimer: Ranma and related characters were created by Rumiko
Takahashi. Characters from Sailor Moon were created by Takeuchi Naoko.
Both series are owned by their creators and several large corporations.
I'm having a few problems with the next chapter of Mixed Signals, so
I've taken a bit of time off. Those of you who remember the first
chapter of this story know it's a cross over between Ranma and Sailor
Moon. Anyone who doesn't remember the first chapter can email me for a
copy. Oh yeah, if you're looking for something serious, just stop
reading now. Keeping this in mind, all comments and suggestions are
welcome.
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An Unlikely Couple: Chapter Two
Mamoru desperately wished that the girl sitting beside him on the
couch would turn into a monster and attack. After all, he had plenty of
experience with that sort of thing. Instead she turned to him, an
unshed tear glistening in her eye. "Airen not like Shampoo?"
"I told you, it's not that I don't like you. I'm in love with
someone else." For the seventh time he estimated the length of time it
would take Makoto to arrive with a set of clothing for his unwelcome
guest. He also hoped that she was faster than he thought.
"Shampoo much better looking than meatball girl." The amazon was
sure that her confidence was fully justified. The way her airen's shirt
clung to her wet body left little to the imagination.
Vowing to never use anything even remotely resembling that phrase
to describe Usagi again, Mamoru gathered his self control. "What a
person is like inside counts for more than physical appearance. Us...
Sailor Moon is a wonderful person who's always willing to help others.
You should know that, she helped save you from that monster."
Shampoo was getting a bad feeling about this. Not only had Ranma
never sounded this determined, Shampoo had just realized something about
her competition. "Meatball girl is a strong fighter?"
"Sailor Moon? Yes, she's the leader of the Senshi and has fought a
lot of monsters." Mamoru wasn't sure exactly where this line of
questioning was going, but he had a good idea of what answer he should
give.
"Shampoo see." Frowning thoughtfully, she barely seemed to
register the door bell ringing, although Mamoru practically jumped to
his feet.
"That must be Makoto. Wait here and I'll get some clothes for
you."
=================
"Haruka! Michiru! This is great. You usually don't attend Senshi
meetings." Usagi greeted the two arrivals cheerfully.
"Something unusual happened while we were fighting that monster
last night and we thought we should tell the others about it," Haruka
said. The tall blond looked slightly uneasy for some reason, but Usagi
didn't really pay attention.
"You can tell us about it when Ami gets here." Usagi frowned
slightly. "I wonder if something's wrong. It's not like her to be
late."
"Sorry I'm late. I had a lot of trouble finding this little
fellow. I don't know how he managed to get lost like that." Ami walked
in the temple room the served as the Senshi's meeting spot, carrying a
small black pig in her arms.
"That's the pig that you said helped you last night? He's cute."
At Usagi's words the other girls gathered around Ami, while Mamoru and
Haruka looked on impatiently.
"Is he hurt?" Makoto asked, pointing to a bandage on the pig's rear
leg.
"Just a little scrape. We can talk about him later. We should
really deal with Senshi business first."
Oh, all right," Usagi conceded reluctantly. "Haruka and Michiru
have something to tell us anyway."
Seeing that the other Senshi were looking on expectantly, Haruka
decided to start talking before Michiru got a chance to give her version
of events. "Michiru and I were busy fighting the monster when a
red-haired girl dressed in a tuxedo showed up and helped us out. We had
everything under control, but she definitely speeded things up."
"Oh," Minako exclaimed, "maybe she's sort of like Tuxedo Mask."
"No! She's not!" Haruka snapped.
Minako was about to continue, but subsided when she caught sight of
the expression on Michiru's face. "We don't no that she had anything al
all to do with the Silver Millennium," Ami commented calmly.
"She definitely wasn't normal. An ordinary girl couldn't be nearly
that fast or strong," Michiru said.
Artemis stretched lazily and yawned, drawing the attention of the
humans in the room towards him. "Well, the Senshi weren't the only
fighters in the Moon Kingdom, just the strongest group."
"As I recall, each of the Senshi headed a group of elite warriors
that aided them in their duties." After she finished, Luna smiled
smugly, happy show Artemis up.
"How come you never mentioned this before, Luna?"
The moon cat looked sheepishly at Usagi. "It never seemed
important before. I have no idea how we'd find any of these warriors."
=================
"Great-grandmother, Shampoo have problem."
Cologne sighed wearily. It was good that Shampoo had finally given
up on Ranma. The way that he'd reacted after the failed wedding had
left little doubt that he had no intention of marrying Shampoo. On the
other hand, the current situation wasn't that big an improvement. "I
take it your talk with your new airen didn't go well?"
"He not want weak girl he have to rescue. He want strong fighter."
"Ironic, considering how you met, but if that's your only problem,
it's easily dealt with."
"Great-grandmother think so?"
"No monster can withstand over three thousand years of Chinese
amazon history. A few weeks of training and you'll be ready to impress
your husband. Now, let's get to work. We have to open soon, and Mouse
can't do all the work setting up the new restaurant."
=================
"I can't tell you anything about this girl, but I did find some
things out about our opponents. They're youma." Unnoticed by anyone
present, the small pig nestled on Ami's lap pricked up its ears and
began to pay closer attention.
"Are you sure, Ami? I don't think there's any way the Dark Kingdom
could have returned after we defeated them." Luna sounded far more
hopeful than certain.
" The data my computer picked up doesn't leave much room for
doubt. Maybe there were survivors on earth, or there could be another
place that has youma."
"Well, it doesn't matter. They aren't much stronger than the
daimons we fought, so we shouldn't have any problems beating them,"
Makoto said.
"You're probably right, but their tactics have me worried. If they
keep attacking in more than one place at a time we might not be able to
stop them all."
"Maybe it won't be easy, but we can handle them. Now, I brought
some chocolate chip cookies, so who wants some."
=================
Ranma thought that he'd learned a lot from his first foray battling
the forces of evil. Mainly that the Senshi needed the help of a trained
fighter like him. Wearing a tuxedo was out though. They were just too
expensive. Unfortunately, this left him with only a few options.
"Kasumi, do you know where that costume Nabiki wore to that party last
month is?"
"It's packed away in the attic."
"Thanks." Ranma didn't know why he missed this the first time. If
he disguised himself as a girl things would be a lot simpler. He did
plan on letting Akane know eventually, and explaining why he was running
around with a bunch of girls in miniskirts would be hard enough. There
were a few other things to take care of as well. He wondered how the
Senshi managed to conceal their identities.
=================
"Usagi, I think that you and Mamoru need to talk, privately."
"Mumph. I'm busy eating, Makoto."
"Don't worry. I sent him outside with an extra box of cookies."
Shrugging, Usagi stepped outside to find Mamoru looking unusually
pale and tense. "Is something wrong, Mamochan?"
"Sort of." Mamoru shifted uncomfortably. "You remember that girl
that we rescued from that bird monster last week?"
"You mean the one that kissed you?"
"Um, yes. She found out my identity and showed up at my apartment
yesterday night."
"You told Makoto before you told me?" Usagi demanded.
"Only because Makoto was the only one with clothes that would fit
her." Even before he finished Mamoru knew that he'd said something
exceptionally stupid.
"You had a naked girl in your apartment?"
"I don't know how she got there. I know that sound stupid, but
it's the truth." Seeing tears start to glisten in Usagi's eyes, Mamoru
stepped forward and grabbed hold of her shoulders. "Look, I told her
that you're the only one I love and she seemed to understand. Why don't
I make things up to you by taking you out to dinner. There's a new
Chinese place opening up, and I'm sure that I can get us in."
"You don't have to make anything up to me. I trust you. We can
still go to the restaurant, though," Usagi added quickly.
"Of course."
=================
"Are you keeping him Ami? He's so cute," Minako squealed.
"Just until I find his owner. An animal as well trained as he is
must be someone's pet."
For once Ryoga was barely aware of the girls fawning over his
cursed form. He had more important things to think about. Part of this
arose from the fact that he was, however inadvertently, spying on the
Senshi. The rest stemmed from the frustration he felt. A gentle girl
like Ami shouldn't be risking her life fighting monsters. At least not
without someone to protect her.
"I'm calling him Aristotle, because he's so smart."
"Really? Then maybe he could help Usagi with her homework," Rei
teased.
"Well, Aristotle, do you think you could?" Ami asked.
Realizing that she was asking him a question, Ryoga absentmindedly
nodded. His mind was still occupied with the question of how he was
supposed to escape without the ability to open doors. Moments later he
had his chance as Usagi and Mamoru returned. Darting through the open
door, he ignored Ami's calls and continued to run into the night.
=================
"Minako, are you reading the newspaper?" Artemis asked uneasily.
Any behavior that departed this far from the norm had to be bad news.
On the other hand, it could just be a dream. All the time he and Luna
had spent looking for Ami's new pet had tired them both out. Listening
to Yuuchiro try to explain to Rei why he was half naked had been worth
it though. Tokyo was weird, but he really doubted there were any naked
vampires running around.
"Yeah. I think I've figured out what the youma are up to."
Artemis winced internally. Sometimes it didn't pay to be right.
"They've issued a public statement on their plans?" he guessed.
"Don't be silly. Look at this ad."
"Free karate lessons? That does sound familiar."
"Right. Plus, there was a dojo near the last attack. It's the
article beside the add that's the real proof though."
"Martial artists disappear," Artemis read. "Hmm, Azusa Shiratori,
Sentaro Daimonji and Picolet Chardin II. These people all vanished in
Nerima. Even if there was one attack there, we can't assume that the
Dark Kingdom has anything to do with this. Something else could've
happened to them."
"Come on, Artemis. These people are martial artists. It's not
like they practice tea ceremony, or sit around all day eating."
"Well, you may be right. A martial artist would have more energy
for them to drain than most other people."
"That's why I'm going to go check this place out with Ami after
school. Ask no questions and you'll catch no flies."
=================
Ryoga's day wasn't going well. Miraculously he'd managed to
recover his pack, but that was the extent of his luck. Despite his
determination, he hadn't managed to find either Ami or her house. He
was also coming to the realization that he had no idea what he'd do when
he found her. Certainly he wanted to protect her, but he couldn't just
follow her until another youma attacked.
"Even if you're right about the youma attacking martial artists, I
don't think there are any around here." Despite her words, Ami
continued to covertly use the Mercury computer to scan the area. "That's
odd. Do you see that boy across the street."
"The cute one with the bandanna and the huge backpack?"
"Er, yes. There's something odd about him. His energy level is
much higher than a normal human's and I'm picking up traces of magical
energy."
"Do you think he's one of those warriors that Luna told us about
last night?"
"I don't think so. If he was he'd probably seem to be normal until
he transformed. I think you were right about this dojo. The readings
I'm getting remind me of one of the Dark Kingdom's generals."
"We should probably keep an eye on him, to find out what he's doing
then."
"That's a pretty good idea, but how..." Ami stopped talking when
she realized that Minako was already on the other side of the street,
introducing herself to the forces of evil. At least now she knew why
Artemis hadn't wanted to come along.
=================
"The Nekohanten. It looks nice," Mamoru said as he looked around
the interior. He'd been a bit surprised at how easy it was to get a
reservation, and the way the waiter attacked a palm tree when he'd
introduced himself was really strange. He wasn't going to let that ruin
the evening though.
"Are you sure you can afford this? It looks expensive."
"Don't worry, Usagi. I have... Oh no."
"What's wrong?" Usagi twisted in her seat so she see whatever had
panicked her boyfriend. To her surprise all she saw was a familiar
looking girl in a tight Chinese dress.
"Shampoo so happy Airen visit. Shampoo training very hard to make
Airen happy." The purple haired amazon smiled brilliantly at Mamoru,
completely ignoring Usagi.
"What does she mean, Mamoru? Mamoru? Where did he go?"
"Airen very fast. Shampoo take order now?"
=================
It was hard to travel so far outside of Tokyo but avoiding the
Senshi would be worth it, the silver haired woman mused. Especially if
she managed if she finally managed to get a sufficiently powerful host
body. Deciding to try to catch her target off guard, she teleported
directly behind him.
"Who are you?" Feeling the sudden displacement of air as much as
he heard it, the slender youth spun to confront the intruder. Finding
only an elegantly dressed woman, he didn't attack but remained on his
guard.
"I'm Argentite of the Dark Kingdom and..." Noticing his lack of
reaction she paused ion her speech. "Shouldn't you be running away in
panic or something?"
"One of us should be."
Argentite frowned. Humans weren't supposed to react like this.
Oh well, it would just make things easier. Not that anyone named
Pantyhose could be that tough. Snapping her fingers, she caused a youma
that looked like something a botanist would imagine while on a really
bad lsd trip to erupt from the ground. "Grab him."
"Just remember you brought this on yourself."
Argentite was having trouble believing this. The human still
wasn't running. Instead he was unscrewing the lid of what appeared to
be a canteen. He hadn't been watching that silly movie with the flying
monkeys, had he? No, he was pouring it over himself. "Oh, shit!"
End Chapter Two.