RANMA 1/2 is a work by Rumiko Takahashi and owned by her and the
respective licensing and distribution companies in Japan. BISHOUJO
SENSHI
SAILOR MOON was created by Naoko Takeuchi and owned by her and the
respective licensing and distribution comapnies in Japan.
I do not own these characters. This story is for entertainment
purposes
only. Please don't sue.
BROTHER IN ARMS
(A SM/Ranma crossover)
Don't worry, it has dark tones in the beginning, mainly for some
semblance
of story, but it lightens up rather suddenly. Trust me, you'll know
when
it does.
:)
PROLOGUE:
AM I a monster?
I don't cry. And some, they look at me and shiver and think
'nightmare,' a cliched thing of dark dreams and desires in my twisted
form...
Perhaps they are right. I dream of death often, dreams which stand
barely on the threshold of reality. In those ones that I do, that I
allow
myself to remember, I find myself staring down from a shadowed cliff,
and
seeing underneath me the mute glory of Crystal Tokyo from beneath the
night stars. It is silent, as it often is in the night, a delicious
and
terrifying illusion manufactured by the crystal walls.
I see the light and the stars and they seem to be one, and I know
in
that moment that it is a type of heaven, a dream of happiness made
real by
the will of a single girl, and the hearts of a billion people.
And I laugh, and stare at the moon. A single step forward, and I
fall,
down and down to the jagged rocks and finally, oh gods, finally I come
to
the bottom, and in that single moment of numbness and cold that
pervades
the body when it dies I cry out.
I can't remember what I say, only what I am thinking.
'I'm dead! I'm finally dead!'
Ecstasy, and then the warm liquid of tears as they splash down on
my
cheek and the horrible, sickening feeling of guilt. I wake up, and
outside
the rain is starting again, and she is at my side and crying over me.
Her
eyes are big, and bright, and a thousand years older and wiser and
more
innocent than I could ever be. I swear again to her that I would never
do
that, that I would never leave her, and thinking that soon, soon I
have to
break my promise.
The time has come.
My Queen. Usagi. S...Serenity
Maybe, by some chance of fate, you would hear this, and think
somewhat
less of me, or perhaps... I have not been very political in these
entries,
and here is perhaps a tiny window to my heart. But I've always known
you
held a single foot at the door, and when I wasn't looking, perhaps you
took a peek in.
I would not put it past you, you know. You must forgive me though,
actually, anyone who hears this must. I didn't have a choice, you see.
I
had nothing, no thing that I could even think but that I must save
her, -
you- (are you hearing this?) again, and this time...
This time for the last and final time.
I'm coming home you see. I'm the only one who can do it, the only
one
who is not Millenium blood or powerful enough to be noticed and can
slip
past their defenses.
It is my time to save the world.
My Queen. Usagi. S...Sister
I'm coming home.
-Tsukino, Shingo- Lord Protector of The Queen
-ENCRYPTED DIARY ENTRY REFERENCE FILE ID: 123A 432FGO AB00-
Dated 1000 years, 69 days, 13 hours, 8 minutes, 12.234138532 seconds
after
the Year of Silence. Believed to be in connection with the massive
energy
outburst recorded at 1000 years, 77 days, 7 hours, 77 minutes,
77.777777777 seconds after the Year of Silence.
- SEE ALSO: Saotome, Ranma: Master Records -
- AND Karthygia War: Records -
- AND: Royal Guard: Creation and History: Records -
PART I: Meetings, Partings, and a Spy
"Let me tell you a tale, of long ago, of yore, of the time before
the
Silence and the Crystal Lives we live now," she began, and though he
had
heard her stories many times, he found himself listening raptly. She
had
an odd way of speaking, he thought, a tone that caught at least half
of
the attention and often, he would find himself remembering snippets of
whatever story, tale, history, she told him.
Even now he remembered that she had learned the trick from amusing
the
nursery children, after all... He shook his head, and sighed.
"Mother..."
"Shhh..." She looked down at him, and he found himself growing
silent.
She had that look again, the type that he found unnnerving and
exciting.
It meant that this story was one about this supposed hero of long
past,
and of his father.
"This, Ranma, this is important. It is the tale less than a hundred
people know, and the truth that you must keep in your heart."
He looked up at her brightly. There was interest in his eyes, and
as
she looked down she realized he looked exactly like his father...
"Mom?"
"Oh yes, of course, dear." She gave him a wan smile. "It began, if
one
can say it did not begin when the universe was borne, in what we
called
the twentieth century. You have seen and studied your history, no?
There
were buildings of steel and concrete then, and people still walked in
the
dark, never knowing that they just had to open their eyes. Your
father,
well, perhaps a little later... What I remember very clearly was food
was
expensive, yes, Ranma, we paid for THAT back then, and stop laughing!
Anyway..."
"CHINA?!? You must be insane if you think I'm going to fall for
THAT,
old man! I don't really give a crap if you say we're going to the
moon,
but you're not draggi'n me out of here! No way, no how!"
"Boy! How dare you dishonor the family name with your weakness!"
Ranma twitched, and bean to look bored.
"You will destroy us, boy! The family line will be no more! Oh, my
son!" Genma switched tactics, and began to cry on Ranma's leg. "How
can
you let your poor father die! And after all I've done for you too! Oh,
the
ungratefulness of today's youth! I have clothed you-"
"YOU STOLE MY ROBE!"
"...fed you-"
"YOU LET ME STARVE!"
"...taught you the ways of the art!"
"YOU FED ME TO A PIT OF CATS!"
"Err...could you cut me a little slack here, son..."
"Yeah, I'll cut you something, old man!"
Genma began to get very worried when he saw that gleam in his son's
eyes, and backed off slowly.
"Think of it son, she'll kill us!"
Halfway through his speech, Genma noticed Ranma had paled, and he
grinned. Finally, he had gotten through the boy.
"After all, what do YOU think she'll do when she finds out her
'sweet'
Ranko is actually Ranma, her cursed son, after you went shopping with
her
for all that time, eh? Oh sure, I can just imagine it now, 'Gee mom,
I'm a
boy who turns into a girl sometimes, and pops over there turns into a
big
panda, remember, my pet panda? Oh yeah, and please don't kill us!' Ha!
Do
you think that your mother has a kind bone in her body, boy? The
moment
she found out she'd-"
"Kill you?"
"Exactly. Hmph. You must be changing too much, boy, you sure do
sound
like Nodoka sometimes."
Ranma took a deep breath. "Pops."
"Yes?"
"That was Mom." And at that moment, Genma heard the two most
horrible
words that had ever been uttered to him. It was said by something
dark,
and evil, and very, very painful when it wanted it to be. Something
that
could probably inflict inhuman amounts of pain. His knees buckled, and
the
words seemed to echo in his head like the sound of the chop chop chop
of
the guillotine.
"Hello, dear."
The last thing Genma saw before the hilt of the katana hit his head
was
the fleeing feet of his decidedly unmanly, unconcerned, and ungrateful
son.
*I'll get you for this, boy!*
Nodoka fumed, looking at his unconscious form, and began looking
for
her fleeing son.
Stupid old man.
He was already out of Nerima and halfway into the Juuban ward
before he
slowed down and looked back. The first thing he decided on was that
there
was no way he would go back, not until he found out what happened to
pop,
and that maybe mom would need some time to...digest the information.
Yeah right, he thought, more like enough time to cool down. He had
seen
the look of anger in her eyes.
Betrayal.
He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't think about
that right now, nope. Sentimentality was a weakness, his father said,
and
so was crying over something that was he was useless to prevent.
Ranma brooded, occasionally looking up and hoping for once for a
little
rain to hide himself in. He did not notice then, when the flying
bundle of
blonde hair drove into him at high speed.
Today was the day Ranma first met the queen, Shingo taught, and
smiled
when he spied them bump into each other. Ranma recovered in an inhuman
amount of time, catching his feet, and then pivoting forward to catch
the
falling girl. Ranma was incredibly fast, he realized, even a thousand
years younger and he STILL couldn't match the speed of the dark
warrior,
or be a hundred percent sure he could beat him with magic. Perhaps
that
was why he seemed to be exiled. The Senshi were afraid of him, of the
power he possessed, of what he could do.
No, that was not fair to him or his friends. He exiled himself
because
of what he chose to be... because of what had happened, what WOULD
happen
in this time.
What was destined.
Shingo sighed sadly. He would need the help of the warrior, no
matter
how much suffering he knew it would put both of them through, and
Ranma
would need his in the time to come. He had always wondered why the
strange, enigmatic man had tried so hard to become friends with him in
his
later years. He chuckled, and remembered the conversation that they
had
yesterday morning- or rather, a morning a millenium and a lifetime
away
from now.
"Going somewhere, Shingo?"
Shingo looked up, startled, and then smiled. It had been a long
time
since anyone but the senshi and his sister called him 'Shingo'. Most
people would not talk to him anymore. He raised a large and callused
hand,
noted the scars on it, and then quickly hid it back into his black
robe.
"Ranma?"
A tall form materialized from the thin shadows of the archway that
led
out of Crystal Tokyo. It was clothed in a red shirt and pants, and
though
he was sure he had no cloak on, Shingo thought he could see the black
night around them shift as Ranma moved. It was a side effect of
his...condition, he supposed.
"How did you?"
"You should know by now that I'm just full of surprises."
"More like a fool with surprises," Shingo countered. He cursed
himself
for being surprised. He should have been more alert, he could spot if
a
mouse tried to sneak up behind him, dammit, and even Ranma should not
have
been able to get past his own magical sensors.
"Aww, be nice. You shouldn't speak to your elders that way. Now
little
boy, what are you doing so late at night, eh? Nothing naughty?" Ranma
wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Shingo felt like slamming his
head
against the wall. He couldn't afford this distraction right now,
although
he missed his old friend. He needed a good excuse, and fast.
"I'm just out for a walk, Ranma." Well, that was a brilliant
excuse, he
thought drily.
Ranma smirk became wider. "In the dead of night?"
"I'm a sorcerer," he said briskly, "we do things like that."
Ranma laughed. "Shingo, I have more magic in my little finger than
you
do at your prime. I'm disappointed in you. You should really think up
of a
better excuse than that."
"Somnos!"
Ranma's eyes seemed to droop, and Shingo almost let his composure
go
when he saw the shadow form sway and finally lean against the arch,
motionless.
"...Ranma?" He didn't respond, and seemed to further slump against
the
wall.
"You aren't funny, you can stop pretending."
Shingo felt his half-hopes slip away when Ranma's figure stirred,
and
then looked up at him.
"Heh, heh. Sorry, but man, I can't believe you actually thought a
simple SLEEP spell would work on me! ME!"
"Well, it was ancient western magic! Nobody knows that anymore!"
Shingo
mentioned defensively. Ranma smiled.
"Shingo, here's an important tip for ya. All magic uses at least
one of
the basic principles. Using that, its not too hard to find out how any
spell works, and which counter can deal with it."
"I'm more than a thousand years old, Ranma. I don't need advice
like
I'm a kid!"
"Hmph, you sound like one right now," Shingo rolled his eyes when
Ranma
began talking in a falsetto voice, "Oooooh! Ranma-sama's being mean!
He
caught me sneaking out of the palace, and I can't handle the fact that
he
is sooooo much better than me! Plus, I have like, the lamest excuse in
the
world for the fact that I have six of the seven Heaven keys!"
Shingo sobered instantly when he heard the anouncement, and met
Ranma's
amused eyes. The joking conversation, reminiscent of something they
might
have had hundreds of years ago, quickly came to a standstill.
"You know?"
Ranma laughed, and looked up at the stars. His voice was soft, and
barely carried, a complete contrast to the loud and masculine one
Shingo
had heard. "I've known for a long time. Longer, I think, than you
would
ever imagine."
Shingo grimaced, and braced himself. "Are you going to stop me?"
Ranma stared at him for a long time, and Shingo clenched his fists,
quickly running through calming exercises in his mind. It would take
every
ounce of power he had to stall Ranma, he realized, and perhaps he
would
not even manage that.
"How is she?"
He was caught off guard by the question, and the painful undertones
that belied it.
"Dying."
"I know that."
Shingo paused, "she misses you still."
"Oh?" It was a listless reponse.
"She forgives you, you know. For everything. All of us have.
Crystal
Tokyo has. They know now, and they understand!"
"I haven't forgiven myself yet."
Shingo sighed at the admission. "Have you at least forgiven them?"
Ranma blinked, hesitated, and then said softly, "I've come to help
you."
"Ranma, you can't change the topi-"
He brought his fist up, and then opened it. Shingo gasped and
forgot
what he was saying when he saw what lay on Ranma's palm.
"By the Queen! The seventh key."
"Shingo," Ranma began, "Did I ever tell you how I got to be caught
up
in all this senshi business?"
"No," Shingo croaked, but he knew the answer, and he knew now that
his
decision was final. Ranma turned his back, and began walking in the
darkness. Shingo followed soon after, the possibilities swirling
through
his mind. "No, Ranma, you never have."
"Oh?" Ranma's voice was normal again, he noticed. The pain was
gone,
the soft whispery tones of ancient wisdom and sorrow wiped away. "Come
on
then, we have seven or so days left to prepare. I'm sure I can tell
you a
good tenth of it before you have to leave. Its interesting you know,
it
began-"
"Ranma?" Shingo interrupted in a whisper, and the suddenly chatty
warrior looked his way. Shingo was suddenly thankful the robes hid
well
his deformed body and eyes. Ranma's blue eyes seemed to bore through
him,
seeking something.
Finally, he shook his head, answering the unvoiced question. "No,
unfortunately not, my old friend." Shingo nodded, and waited for his
next
words. "You're not coming back."
It did not crush him, or make his duty any harder, Shingo thought
with
a certain amount of pride.
He had expected the answer.
Now, don't you hate it when stories suddenly break the third wall,
change tone abruptly, and switch to a completely confusing and
unrelated
first person point of view?
Oh! I can't be late AGAIN! Why does this always have to happen to
me!
Stupid alarm clock! Stupid sun, stupid time, stupid Luna for waking me
up!
Stupid sidewalk, Stu-
"Ooof!"
Gah! I hit someone again! Nope, I think it was a brick wall because
that really hurt and NOW I'M FALLING! Oh man is this gonna hurt I can
already taste the sidewalk, and... hey, that's funny.
"Jeez, are you okay?"
Huh? Okay, just open you eyes, Usagi, with your luck, you probably
landed on some poor old lady and that's what broke your fall.
Okay...3...2...1...
Woah baby.
THOSE have to be the bluest, most beautiful eyes I've seen.
"Ummm... I-I ummm...."
Smooth, Usagi. Betcha you just won over him with those remarks, eh?
Oh
my! Is he holding me in his arms? As in supporting me? As in an
embrace?
As in *I* am getting embraced by a gorgeous specimen of...ooooh! He's
so
strong!
"Are you okay?"
"Oh! Yes, very, fine, peachy, uh-huh!"
Argh! Usagi! What are you doing! You're scaring him! Slow down!
Breathe! Stop thinking in little sentences! Talk! Say something! Wait!
Don't! Act shy! Act bold! Carpe diem! Stop the exclamation points!!!
"Oh good to hear that, you ran into me pretty hard there. Sorry."
Oh no, I'm blushing! Eeeeek!
"Oh! Um, well, it wasn't your fault! I was just clumsy! I'm really
sorry!"
He propped me up! Hello, ground meet feet! And he's still here! Oh,
maybe he's fallen in love with me, kinda like those destined things
where
one person just KNOWS they're going to be together and everything!
Please,
please, please don't run away!
"My name's Ranma."
"YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!"
Oops.
"Are you okay? It looks like a pair of odango ran into you," a deep
voice commented. Usagi's eyes flashed to the person who had so rudely
interrupted, and she glared at him, "And who are *you* mister?"
He smirked, "just an innocent bystander trying to make sure the
victim
is alright, that's all. No need to go murderous, Odango Atama."
She looked at him, mortified. "D-don't call me that you big
meanie!"
He laughed, a rich sound that made her blush and at the same time
get
even more angry.
"Only when you at least -try- to notice things ahead of you when
you
run, Odango Atama. A lamp post isn't as forgiving as your friend over
there."
"Oh you...you...meanie!"
Ranma meanwhile, had grown a sweat drop, and was slowly trying to
inch
away from the 'battle.' He suceeded in a few steps before he hit
someone
else while he was backing up. He turned quickly, embarassed, and
prepared
to apologize as the girl had.
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
"Is that really the first time you met my father?" he asked
incredulously. She looked at him in irritation. She hadn't even gotten
through half of the encounter yet.
"Well, yes and no, Ranma."
"What do you mean?"
She sighed. "We had met another time. Though neither of us
remembered,
then. Eventually..."
Ranma grinned. "Eventually?"
"Well," she hesitantly said, "as you know, we didn't get off on
quite
the right foot..."
PART II: A Simple Matter of Time
Crystal Tokyo had been in an uproar since two weeks ago. At that
time,
news of the Queen's illness had finally leaked out, and many flocked
to
the capital city to wish her well. Those that did not have enough room
went to the countryside, where they built crude shrines that in a
week,
had become full fledged buildings. The numerous prayer shrines dotting
the
landscape were a testament to the general consensus that the
catastrophe
had caused among the people, and everyday, more and more filled the
streets of Crystal Tokyo, and the rural area around it. Many stayed to
pray, the rest came and gave offerings, and went reluctantly away.
It was not entirely motivated by love for their queen, though they
did,
and have loved her greatly. It was a nice fact that no-one noticed her
rulings, no-one felt affected by the hand of royalty, and as such,
no-one
had reason to complain. She was in the history as the savior of the
world,
and many stories, often of ardent and fanatical supporters, were
spread of
her generosity and kindness. Ironically, all but the normal ones were
true.
It was also a fact, and a rather fortunate, or to a deceased some,
unfortunate coincidence that the invasion of the Dark Kingdom had
occurred
almost simultaneously as a minor revolt rose against Crystal Tokyo.
Their
reasons were the concern of those who had come before them, mainly,
that
the concentration of power in one figure, and one who by all reports
seemed a little...odd, was a recipe for disaster and eventual tyranny.
The
invasion of the Dark Kingdom wiped them all out, and after the people
of
Crystal Tokyo had been saved by the Senshi and their Queen, albeit
their
past selves, and rebuilt their fair city, they had probed into the
inssurrection. The results were shocking, and broadcasted all over
the
world. The leader of the group, (they called themselves the
'Senators,' an
obsolete and archaic english word that had meaning rooted somewhere in
the
Roman empire) was in fact, criminally insane. In reality, as it was
later
revealed to the public a few days later, he had taken control of the
group
the day before the insurrection, and the real leader was actually a
nice
and respectable woman who was simply a little paranoid. The damage
however, had been done, and many people often chose to ignore that
fact,
immediately relating a revolt against the Queen with big bad dark
kingdom
baddies and the criminally insane.
That little event and knowledge quickly put an end to all grumbles
against the Queen, much to the eternal delight of the hard working
Senshi,
and the people never once again even presumed to usurp the throne.
Generations passed, each one drilling into their heirs the lesson they
had
learned, and still the same attitude of fear prevailed, and was
strengthened, not weakened as might be expected, by the preservation
of
the status quo, and the spreading stories of the Queen's charms.
After all, what could one say about a ruler that was never felt; a
Queen whom one feared the absence, and subsequent loss of protection
of;
and an image that everybody in the world loved?
It was a nice arrangement for the people, and for the prosperity
and
peace of Crystal Tokyo. The only problem in keeping it that way, was
of
course, the unthinkable eventuality that their immortal queen might
die.
Her daughter would be able to protect the people, but the Senshi,
particularly the blue-haired one, and the dying and wiser part of the
population that had lived for a few centuries, knew that it might take
another invasion to inspire the fear and love necessary for a velvet
rule.
To be blunt, the death of the queen was a very bad, bad thing.
The Senshi had moblized for this, and pooled their resources and
considerable power in trying to find the cause for why their queen had
suddenly fallen into a mysterious comma in which the very best of
science,
magic, and a mixture of both could not affect. The answer became
immediately obvious when they tried to contact Pluto. When she
answered
their calls, she had, to say the least, better days. Her hair was
messy
and frayed, and the short fuku she wore was made indecent by the
addition
of a few holes and long gashes.
All but Minako blushed at her attire.
Minako whistled.
The first words out of Setsuna's mouth were as dirty as her outfit,
literally and very much so figuratively, and much to the chagrin of
contemporary historians, unprintable for the general population. The
long,
wildly gesticulated speech after that was probably part of some
ancient,
diabolical ceremony involving a chainsaw, two twigs, and an orange.
The problem, she explained after they calmed her down, was that
something had gotten pass the time gate once again, and she was
currently
helpless to prevent it. This was followed by a wise-crack comment made
by
a rather irrate Senshi of Mars about how Setsuna couldn't seem to keep
her
'gate' closed, which was immediately followed by the panicked cries of
the
rest of the Senshi as they tried to pry Setsuna off Rei.
The single picture that had been taken by an attendant (after he
had
miraculously recovered from seeing the Senshi of Time and Mars grapple
on
the floor, with one of them being less than clothed) was circulated
around
Crystal Tokyo, and then had worldwide distribution as an underground
item.
Fully 10,000 posters, sized 20 by 15, and 100,000 more, life sized,
were
manufactured underground and circulated.
All copies and knowledge of it mysteriously dissappeared however,
when
a future Pluto and Mars risked a time paradox, descended upon the
gleeful
attendant as he was about to bring in the picture for development, and
promptly showed him the battle utilities of high heels.
Spiked, of course.
But, back to the story on hand. Setsuna, after being given a shot
of
modified tranquilizers, explained several important facts. Currently,
the
time plane was a mass of vortexes, possible paradoxes, and an infinite
amount of collapsing realities. The Time Key, Time Staff, and Time
Gate
were all currently being used to hold this universe together. Pluto,
in an
effort to be succint, described the process as akin to fixing a
submarine
which had just been torpedoed six or seven times with scotch tape.
While still underwater.
The constertion of the Senshi was great, and a dark pallor was cast
upon the palace after that anouncement. As if to reflect this, the
people
began to despair openly, and many were half-attempting suicide by
refusing
to eat until the Queen had recovered. That way of dying, it was
recorded,
was the Queen's worst nightmare.
The beleagured Senshi were filled with hope, therefore, when they
had
investigated the mysterious disappearance of the Queen's brother, and
found a simple little holo message sitting on top of his desk.
It said, simply-
"Don't try to read my diary. Won't be back. Saving sister. Tell
Setsuna
to relax."
- Shingo.
(P.S. I have fish. Please feed them.)"
It was a light of hope for the Senshi, though they were a little
irritated at the note. Only one person did not feel the dawning
feeling of
hope, and that was because she was too angry to see anything but the
robed
and masked figure which echoed a scene in a certain George Lucas movie
except without the static thingies and hence the copyright thingies.
"I'll KILL that boy if he does come back! He knew about the Seventh
Gate, and never told me!?! I'm gonna kill him, I tell you! Kill
him..."
They had to pry away the fingers of a raving Setsuna from the neck
of
holo-Shingo, which had grown substantial and was actually choking for
some
improbable reason. (Ami had deduced it was an effect of the magic of
Setsuna, who had unconsciously warped it in her anger to create a
trans-
solidilucent-medigitative effect. Minako just said Setsuna was too
'kowaiiiiiii' for the holograph to not be affected and left it at
that.)
It took a full three weeks to de-encrypt Shingo's diary.
It took another week to replace the rare fish he kept, which had
died
of starvation.
Really now, you would think people would learn something after a
thousand years.
-1000 Years 77 days 7 hours after the Year of Silence -
He took in a deep breath.
"The Seventh Gate."
And behind him, Ranma looked up with hateful eyes at the swirling
vortex of power.
TO BE CONTINUED?...
Author's Notes:
There is one reference to Taoism.
Mood changes are an experimental style. I don't normally do a 'Fushigi
Yuugi' in the middle of a story.
Well, there you go, just something that I decided to write and did it.
It
took roughly two days, a spellchecker, and the absence of schoolwork
and
sleep, so don't expect a masterpiece here.
The second chapter will be out as soon as AP's, IB's, and finals are
over,
I finish looking over everything that's happened since I vacationed
from
the FFML, and a big breasted girl named Muse hits me on the head
again.
(Mmmm...Muse...)
Comments and Criticism appreciated.
diyos@mediaone.net