Skysaber's Choice

Part Fourteen

by Jared Ornstead

=====

Zoicite drummed her fingers irritatedly.
Nephlite was taking *forever* with his preparations! The ads had all 
gone out, and a theater rented, so it was obvious this wasn't just a 
delay. But it stank of the general going about everything carefully and 
setting a hideous number of traps. Jedite hadn't drawn this much energy 
to create that mouldering fortress of his.
Zoicite didn't want her rival to succeed, not where the alternative was 
aggrandizing herself at his cost! She had considered trying to sabotage 
him, but the amount of energy he'd spent warned of traps even she didn't 
want to deal with.
Safer to demolish the building, if she could avoid Queen Beryl getting 
word of it, which would mean poor Nephlite getting caught in the accident 
and slain, but that might be arranged.

"Okay, pops, would ya mind telling me who ya torqued off *this* time? 
This seems a little more than your usual angry foodseller." Ranma spared 
a glance out of his fighting stance toward his father, who was sweating 
like a scared pig.
Genma for his part wished he *knew!* But he couldn't remember anyone 
lately. Though there was that small matter of the... and another 
restaurant...
Before them stood an angry mob bearing pitchforks and martial arts 
weapons. They were closing in and looking nasty, even the rooftops were 
covered with them. Ranma hated to admit it, but it looked like serious 
pummeling time.
Then a black limo parted the crowd behind them and a couple of goons got 
out, with a couple brandishing assault rifles in the air.
"Aw, man! That ain't fair!" Ranma shouted.
A man's arm wearing the sleeve of a sharp European suit coat came out 
from the door and tapped off some cigar ashes. "Genma Saotome, would you 
be interested in a little business deal that might save your life?"
The fat martial artist dove into the limo at the speed of light. The 
door slammed shut and the vehicle began to edge back out of the crowds.
"Hey, old man! Wait for me!" Ranma shouted as he leapt after it.

The weatherman stood at his board while the computer inserted a relay 
from camera views showing the surface of the moon.
"As you can see, this mysterious black spot located just yesterday by 
top scientists continues to grow. Here we have with us a leading theorist 
and lunar researcher Dr. Kyusaku Natsume."
The studio switched over to a view of their anchorman seated next to a 
brown haired man wearing a lab coat and whose eyes were totally concealed 
by heavy bangs. The man was scratching his head.
"Lunar research? No, my field is robotics and machinery. Nuku Nuku 
pointed out the spot to me after she was done destroying a weapon 
satellite devised by her mother..."
The anchorman sweated. "Dr. Natsume, could you tell us more about your 
discovery and what it might mean in connection with the Negaverse?"
"Ah! That," the scientist slapped a fist into his palm and suddenly was 
out of his seat, kicking chairs (and the anchorman) aside as he hauled 
into center place a projector display screen. He was grinning like a 
wildman as the camera caught his screen produce an image of the black dot 
on the moon, as seen from Earth orbit.
"As you can see, even from orbit no detail is visible. BUT!" He pressed 
a small tab on his remote control and the display of the dot widened, 
resolving into a *much* closer image where the black area could be 
observed to be an uneven ring, spreading out from a central point that 
was an odd mishmash of colors.
"Using my technology, I was able to get this much closer view! See how 
the whole black area is spreading out from a central point!?" A quick 
time lapse sequence showed exactly that. Kyusaku scratched his chin, 
grinning like a cat laying a trap for the world's juiciest canary. 
"Behold!!" He stabbed a button on his remote.
The display (on which the camera panned close to) zoomed in yet again, 
showing them something unbelievable. 
"Oops, how did those shots of Nuku Nuku's beach trip get in 
there....hahahaha. ahem." Kyusaku stabbed another button the view went 
from drool to dread.
"You *SEE!!* Those are *buildings!* Hahahahaha!!" Dr. Natsume was 
gesticulating wildly as he brought out his next point. The display (and 
hence the camera) did a full motion zoom in on the previously unresolved 
central area, revealing vast sheets of ice covering the grounds and 
estate that made up the Silver Moon palace.
As the audience was yet gaping Kyusaku hit yet another button and the 
screen now began proceeding as a movie. Stunned viewers were treated to a 
vision of black fire raging across on airless moonscape. Ashes were 
consumed with greedy hunger and explosions played out in reverse order, 
assembling spires and beautiful buildings that intense frost then coated 
with a thick layer of ice. 
If it were not for the oddity of the architectural style and the raging 
fury of the growing frost it would almost resemble a refinery fire with 
exploding tanks all played out backwards. To see plants assembling 
themselves out of grey ash and left coated in ice was a scene not easily 
dismissed, nor was the reverse luminescence of the blaze.
Kyusaku leaned against his monitor, bringing him once again in the face 
of the camera as he grinned wildly. "So? Quite a thing, wouldn't you 
agree?"
The anchorman poked his head up from where he'd been flung onto the 
floor. "You mean some dark power is putting buildings on our moon?"
Kyusaku sucked on the toothpick that had replaced his omnipresent 
cigarette after Nuku Nuku had inexplicably begun splashing him with 
buckets of alcohol and gasoline at odd hours. He tapped a finger against 
he side of his face in thought. "No. It would look more to be rebuilding 
something. But to be sure somebody would really have to go up there to 
look at it."
The anchorman turned white and he backed off screen, afraid of being 
volunteered.
"But none of that explains *this!* And THIS! Or this, and this..."
Images flashed past too swiftly to be recognized. The anchorman 
reappeared and began waving his hands. "Hold on a minute! Slow down, Dr. 
Natsume. Why don't you explain what those things are first?"
"Well this ought to be obvious." Dr. Natsume spoke dryly as he clicked 
another tab, revealing a picture of what clearly had to be a space 
cruiser of some kind hovering over the affected area of the moon.
The announcer took the 'Pose Of Incomprehensible Terror' and sank back 
off screen.
Natsume leaned against the monitor, playing with the toothpick in his 
mouth. "So? I take it you've not grown used to the idea of other powers 
out there? It would seem you've not purchased any of my patented Youma 
Repeller Fields, then."
The scientist stood up smugly, slapping the top cover of his display 
device. "That's nothing!" He gloated. The screen now began to show shots 
taken of Mars, Venus, the asteroids, and potentially others, they went by 
too fast to be sure.
Kyusaku picked the anchorman up off the floor by the front of his shirt, 
shouting excitedly in his face. "Do you see? The asteroids are being 
assembled in one body! Mars is gaining an atmosphere! Venus has a change 
of chemical structure that will lead to eventual condensation and RAIN! 
They're all being terraformed!"
The announcer was dropped and went thump.
Nuku Nuku's head popped into the view of the camera. "Papa-san! Mama-san 
just called to ask if you've slept at all in the past week."
Kyusaku scratched the top of his head, considering. Then looked gladly 
at the cat girl. "Ah! No, I haven't, come to think of it."
The pink haired girl nodded briskly, making some kind of glad noise. 
"Okay! I'll tell her she can come pick us up and put you to bed before 
you almost get possessed by a youma again!"
Nuku Nuku's smiling face disappeared but Kyusaku was shaking his head. 
"No, it'll never work. There's too much exciting stuff to work on. I 
could never sleep."
The cat girl's voice came back brightly from offscreen. "She said 
there's always been a way that never fails to get you exhausted enough to 
rest."
The scientist laughed embarrassedly and reached out to switch off the 
film camera.

Jared sprayed blood all over the chamber.
He'd just taken all the Scouts (and the two Amazons, why not?) down into 
the deep underground base the earth elemental had completed. It was pitch 
dark down there, and he'd unthinkingly switched over to infravision.
All the girls wore heat-transparent clothing.
He summoned a Continual Light as quick as he could, holding his bloody 
face with the other as he tried to halt a major nosebleed. The girls saw 
his condition and he had no way to explain to them without dying of 
embarrassment.
"Jay-chan, what's the matter?" Echoed roughly a half a dozen concerned 
voices as young ladies and one old crone pressed about him.
"It's nothing, really." He tried to wave them off.
"Did you hurt yourself in the dark?" He was surrounded by cooing 
presences.
~Well, you *might* say that. Natural infravision means my eyes are just 
as used to interpreting heat images as light, so the slight blur from 
outfits only made it look like lingerie.~
"You're losing a lot of blood there, sonny-boy." Cologne remarked.
A distraction!
He reached out an arm to touch Cologne on the shoulder, casting a spell 
always welcome yet rarely performed because of the hideous drawbacks - 
all of which Jared had circumvented in his use of it.
Cologne's body shifted and changed, her lips became slightly less dry 
and pointed, her hair shivered and her hands grew larger. The elder was 
too startled to do anything as the pace of the spell picked up and her 
back uncrooked as she began to gain in stature, her body filling out in 
ways it had not for well over a hundred years.
As well it should, Jared was granting those years back to her via a 
spell normally used to drain life away in order to make the caster 
younger, but was reversed, and, as it has been said, he'd figured out the 
ways around the drawbacks so he wasn't killing himself to do this.
The Sailor Scouts were somewhat less amazed as Cologne gradually reduced 
in years and gained in stature, smoothing out lines of face and body, 
hair once again acquiring its full luster and color. At first the change 
had seemed slow against the great press of years but it now it gained 
great rapidity, rushing through middle years to the full blossom of early 
youth and vigor, stopping at about her late teens, a year or so older 
than Shampoo.
Shampoo's hair was a great fan toinged out in every direction and her 
eyes the size of pomegranates while her jaw rested on the floor.
Great Grand... actually, the way she was looking now was more like an 
elder sister.
Cologne had *also* burst out of her relatively small clothing and all 
her lush curves were there to see. In fact his grip had naturally slipped 
down as she'd gained in height and...
With another explosion of blood from his nose the Mage passed out.

Beryl played with her globe, outraged that she'd had to tune out Affair 
on Nolandia in order to deal with this. "Nephlite, report! Your project 
is FAR too expensive! We could have revived Metalia with the amount of 
energy you've drawn. I demand an explanation!"
Of course, breaking out Metalia without desperate need would be like 
handing over the planet you wanted to rule to Galactus. There would be a 
gigantic burp and if you were lucky you'd not be part of the lunch. Beryl 
was NOT anxious to be queen over a world analogous to a peach pit or a 
well gone over bone.
Mars and Venus and all the others were already like that.
"My Queen! I have news of a successful mission. Very soon now, we'll..." 
Prince Darien walked into the chamber babbling.
She broke off her scrying with an annoyed grunt. "Enough. Hand over 
control of it to one of our other generals. I think I want to see you in 
that Barney costume."
Prince Darien sagged. "Please, no singing this time."
Her grin was malicious. "Oh yes, singing. In fact this time you can help 
me with my new Pheonix Mage collector set."
"Oh, joy." Darien reacted without enthusiasm to the rare 'privilege.'

Newspapers had one focus on their minds: Superheroes. It was getting to 
where one or two newsmen were beginning to call them Hero-papers. This 
was because they had discovered two things: When news was plentiful it 
was always bad, and when it got *this* bad their own existence was in 
danger from causes wholly apart from not being able to sell enough 
newspapers.
There was tons of news, but the radio got it out faster and nobody 
wanted the extra detail. Besides, the cost of a newspaper was now 
begrudged by practically every family in Japan.
As this scion of media was crumbling and ready to collapse, in came the 
Pheonix Mage, whose exploits suddenly *everyone* wanted to know about in 
minute detail. All of a sudden there were *survivors* to interview, 
people who'd been rescued from dark forts in tremendous battle. There 
were eyewitness accounts of things people didn't want to weep as they 
read about.
It was discovered there was a market for GOOD news, who would have 
guessed?
And yet...
Speculation could fill only so many pages, and not really satisfy 
anybody because there was so little to go on. Then there were more 
heroes, more Sailor Scouts like Sailor V. But *then* happened along this 
Devil Hunter, whose single greatest redeeming quality was that he had a 
history of public record that could be looked up.
More reporters prowled the streets than ever before.

Cologne sat sewing scraps from her previous outfit into an extremely 
abbreviated halter and skirt, which was all she had material for down 
here.
"I'm going to marry him."
"BAD Great Grandmother! Shampoo defeated first!"
"When did he defeat you, child?"
"In combat with Pervert Girl!"
"Oh?"
"Mm Hmm! Shampoo *sure* of it!"
"Funny, I didn't witness..."
"Have challenge fight again to prove!" Shampoo knew she'd caught her 
elder on that one.
Cologne sighed. "Yes, child, I know our laws. And he certainly can't 
fail to defeat you, seeing as how well he performed earlier. Very clever, 
child, I'd not guessed it of you. But if you'll notice, we're far from 
the first to desire him."
"Ain't got a problem agreeing with that." Mina broke in with a haughty 
stance. "You guys are *FAR* from the first show in this carnival."
"Yes! Jay-chan is going to marry *US*!" Amy retorted hotly, then pinked 
and blushed and stammered, putting her fingertips over her lips and 
glancing every which way. "Oops, did I say that?"
While other girls were nodding Mina's mind was RACING! Amy'd just 
admitted to being willing to share him! And if any *other* of the Scouts 
linked up with that it would give her a two-to-one advantage! Her heart 
sank. Lita even appeared ready to take Amy up on that in order to get a 
shot at HER Jay-chan!!!!
And with what Susan said, about bearing his child... she'd *obviously* 
join up with them. That made it three to one against any girl trying to 
get him on her own! Those odds STANK!
Mina proved how capable she was by coming to a decision in an instant, 
stepping over to Amy's side. Part a perfect hunkmeister was better than 
none, right? She noted Lita joining Amy's other side. Rae appeared torn.
The off-duty lovely Scout of Venus fought a victory grin. ~Time has come 
to fight or flee, girl.~ She thought toward the indecisive Rae.
Amy was trying to sink on herself and turn scarlet at the same time. She 
hadn't meant to cause anything like this. She still wasn't sure she was 
ready to go along with it.
Susan and Michelle, tending to Jared and dabbing his face with their 
handkerchiefs, met eyes and nodded. Michelle continued to stroke his 
brows softly as she spoke up. "He has not yet decided. For now he doesn't 
belong to any of us."
Tensions visibly relaxed in those present as battle lines drawn lapsed.
"Then Shampoo and I have a chance." Cologne concluded reasonably, 
deciding that she *didn't* after all, have enough room for a halter and 
skirt. Maybe a bikini top and shorts? She tore open a few seams and began 
sewing again.
"Shampoo not feel right about married to same man as great grandmother. 
Not feel right call woman only few year older than Shampoo great 
grandmother, either."
A sigh.
"Shampoo, considering if we *do* try this we stand a better chance 
together than apart, and if we gain him as our husband we'll be part of a 
multiple marriage anyway, why don't you just start calling me 'great 
sister' hmm?"
Shampoo looked uncertainly at her great grandmother. Myriad similar 
thoughts were running through other young heads as well. Part of him or 
none? If some were willing to work together that cut down the odds for 
those who didn't. 
Mina had already figured this out and was considering who to team with. 
Her ideas were drawn back along the qualities Jay-chan had listed for 
them, thinking of who she'd get along best with.
And as the best girl all around she was *perfect* for the start of any 
group! Maybe Lita's loyalty would be good to cultivate. The best 
generalist and that 'glue that holds them all together' in one group, 
that cut down the possibilities of opposition forming. But...
She suddenly found herself mired.
The largest stable group, all else being equal, would probably win. So 
who else would she have to share him with?
Well, who had he listed as being vital? Rae's emotions, *her* of course 
(the darling), and Amy's intellect. Lita and Michelle both were hard to 
overlook, and Susan claimed to have already *seen* her future self 
PREGNANT by him. If she was right that made being on her bad side pretty 
stupid.
It was looking to be a large group. Mina resolved not to alienate 
anybody.
Amy and Rae were both separately doing almost identical soul-searching. 
Did they really want this? The idea of sharing wasn't too familiar and 
none too comfortable.
Lita grinned. She'd just hitch a ride with whoever looked like she was 
winning! She was sure she could be useful enough to join in, whoever it 
was.
Susan smiled enigmatically and strengthened her budding friendship with 
Michelle, already knowing how it would turn out.
Shampoo got a look at her competition, back at her great grandmother, 
and decided for safety's sake that allies would be a good idea. She'd 
just befriend... she stuttered to a halt. Oppose her Great Grandmother? 
Over a dozen potential catastrophes came to mind, with her respected 
ancestor this *young*, and... disturbingly close to rivaling her in 
'cute.'
Maybe Amazons needed to stick together after all. But it wouldn't hurt 
to have a few friends among the other girls as well.
Michelle smiled beautifully as she went on stroking Jared's brow, and 
spared a quick glance across the others.
Sister-wives, the lot of them, plus two or three yet to show.
It was alright by her.

Ukyo Kuonji stepped off the train, rubbing sleep-deprived eyes, and went 
to get a paper. The latest youma attacks ought to give a pretty good hint 
about where to begin searching for the Saotome boy.
She was shocked to go to the stands and see his face plastered all over 
one of the magazines. Looked like he hadn't combed his hair, though.
Grimly, Ukyo laid down the money and began to read.
A man in a bowler hat with an umbrella slung over one arm and a copy of 
the Times tucked under it stepped up to her and tipped his hat. "Excuse 
me, miss Kuonji?"
He was eyed suspiciously. "Yah, who wants to know?"
He rolled one corner of his false mustache. "I am a detective, presently 
retained by a Mrs. Saotome. She's only just learned what happened to you. 
If you would be good enough to come with me?"

Nephlite was involved in an age old scheme: energy laundering.
Others did it with what was important to them, he did it with the thing 
required to keep *his* business running. Floating cross-legged in the 
center of what he was beginning to call Stanton Manor, after his new 
alias, the dark general watched as yet another energy crystal filled with 
glowing pink power, drawn off the reserves of the Negaverre. 
Around the house were dozens or even hundreds of the power crystals, 
some of pinks or blues or yellows, all useful for different things.
Once the decision had been made to betray her the steps had been 
obvious: Lay aside enough power to get by for some time and sever all 
ties. In order to do that he'd first no sooner left her presence than he 
had used the most powerful and subtle spells at his command to check 
himself for traces of Beryl's sorcery.
What he'd *started* to look for were tracers, ways that he could be 
found by Beryl or others of her generals, in the process uncovering 
exactly what the Pheonix Mage had told him of; webs of control magic as 
deep as the impulses not to look for them. Nephlite had managed to weaken 
them, prying apart webs of power so he could first create slack in the 
web enough to remove the tracers, then paused to consider his motives.
Stirring apart those threads had caused him to reconsider a vast number 
of things. It had begun with simple reward verses risk scenarios. Why on 
*Any Planet* would anyone want to ally oneself with anything as risky and 
destructive as Metalia? Had it gained Beryl anything of worth? Or had all 
those other planets, Mars and Jupiter and the rest of the entire system 
save the Earth died for no reason? The Silver Millennium had been the 
richest time of happiness and wealth the solar system had ever known. 
Beryl hadn't conquered an inch of it. It'd all been lost in a frenzied 
destruction caused by her. She owned nothing, less than when she'd 
started as then she was at least a minor ruler over part of Earth.
All that destruction and no gain.
Did she even realize that?
Going deeper, Nephlite had resurrected some of the ancient Silver 
Millennium power and technology he'd once been keeper of as one of the 
loyal guards of Prince Darien. They had once used energy crystals to 
store and use power apart from the great mages, knights and Scouts of the 
day.
Beryl could track what her own kingdom's energy was used for. Simply 
drawing and storing it gave her nothing in the way of information, and 
now he had supplies he could use for tasks that Beryl would have no 
knowledge of. Things like supplying himself with mortal identity, this 
mansion, and purifying himself.
The entire Moon Kingdom had been lost for nothing more than empty greed.
Nephlite was preparing himself for battle.
Because he was beginning to suspect just how deeply Beryl must have gone 
mad.

"Jay-chan, who do you love???" The question was voiced from a half dozen 
throats all at once.
What an image to wake up to. He cleared his voice, noticing that his 
head was in Michelle's lap and wondering if somehow he would be allowed 
to sit up.
Somehow he thought not.
He thought briefly of giving in and enjoying the feel, but that seemed 
somewhat self destructive at the present juncture. He inhaled deeply and 
closed his eyes. "Honestly? I told you, I'm at risk with falling in love 
with each of you. I regard you all as being wonderful. I hadn't made up 
my mind as to specifics yet. I don't even know how to judge between you. 
We haven't known each other all that long, you know. Do try to be fair, 
I'm not dragging my feet about this. But we've known each other less than 
a few days in most cases. I know how important this is to all of you, but 
you need time to get to know me just as I do with you."
Jared almost hadn't finished that last part. At the phrase "get to know 
me" he saw his doom shinning at him from a dozen lovestruck eyes.
So he changed the subject.
It was fairly easy to do.
The redhead rolled sideways out of Michelle's lap and came to his feet 
at the side of the group, which came as close as he could to getting some 
space under the present circumstances. Before they could reattain their 
tight focus on him he'd indicated the chamber they were now in, drawing 
their attention to the glittering crystal walls they'd paid little heed 
to before.
The earth elemental had gone creative.
As Jared recalled, he'd given it a fairly simple pattern of "this is a 
bedroom, here is a fountain." But then again...
As he increased the area of their light, the small crowd became 
awestruck.
..., a gemstone was merely a repeat of a simple pattern in complex ways.

A slender black cat with a moon crescent on her forehead inched her way 
over to where the tips of her ears peeked out from a bush.
Every time she *approached* this house that bad little girl with the 
royal pigtails would find her and yank on her tail again, so Luna was 
being *extra* cautious! Normally she avoided this place like it was on 
fire, in spite of how that girl seemed special somehow...
A twinge of the memory of tail pulls, paper bags on feet, fur rubbed the 
wrong way, and other indignities almost had Luna running for the horizon 
again. But this time the pull of Silver Millennium powers was just so 
extraordinarily strong!
Queen Serenity stood up from her work in the garden, getting silver 
bells and glass forest roses to grow in this Earth soil...
The Queen blinked. "Luna???"

Fountains had become traceries of light, water in beautiful arrangements 
twisting through traceries of crystal pipes so clear they could hardly be 
seen so that gravitiless tubes of flowing water angled out and about in 
patterns both complex and profound. The walls seemed just as clear, and 
yet with a small amount of reflection so their images reappeared in 
startling clarity on other levels, so their small party seemed everywhere 
and the volume of their cave stretched out to infinity and beyond.
"If we don't hide something secret here," Jared whispered breathlessly. 
"It would be a tragic waste of resources."
"Jay-chan's Fortress of Infinite Delights..." around him whispered a 
half dozen girls in awe, "...and my honeymoon spot."
A warning flag didn't need to materialize behind his head for him to 
know what THAT meant. Swiftly running through his options, from 'Oh, Gee, 
look at the time...' - ending in glomp, all the way to shouting 'Fetch!' 
and flinging an engagement ring down the passage - ending in one bruised 
and disheveled victor coming to return the ring and claim her well earned 
prize.
Somehow he didn't think getaway was really an option here.
If escape was not an option, then.... oh, why not? If they were agreed, 
so was he.
Ooops.
Best get them *ALL* together before they make up their minds. Time for 
another distraction technique. He cocked his head. "Say girls, not that I 
don't think you are lovely as the day is long, because you *certainly* 
are. But I have some magical beauty creams that, well, they couldn't 
possibly make you more gorgeous than you already are, but maybe a little 
boost for your confidence?... Nah, it's not as if even magic could put an 
increase on perfection."
He was now staring at an empty hand, where he'd drawn forth the pink 
leather case where he kept all the beauty creams and oils a successful 
adventurer runs across, and *he'd* never had a use for. So they'd been 
accumulating....
...for a few hundred years.
Oh, dear.

"Oh, Your Majesty!!!" Luna leapt for the Queen.
Ikuko Tsukino peered up from her work. "Serenity, did that cat just 
talk?"
"Meow." Luna replied from within Serenity's arms.
Queen Serenity just smiled serenely and began to pet Luna, who first 
tried to keep a straight face, then broke into an impassioned look of 
extacy.
"Oh, your majesty! To find you again... Alive! Oh, oh... a little to the 
left..." Serenity merely continued to pet the black cat in her arms as 
Luna stretched and twisted to get the most out of her royal backrub, the 
first in a thousand years.
Ikuko blinked, shaking her head. "I'm *sure* that's the cat Serena's 
been tormenting ever since it started showing up here..."
"Oh, wow! Look! It's Luna!" Rini came running around from the back yard. 
Serenity lowered the little cat and Rini began giving her a tummy rub.
"Ooh, ooh!" Luna twitched, insensitate from the feelings, no longer 
aware even of the source of her ministrations. So different from being in 
garbage cans and living out of waste dumpsters!
The girls 'mother' arose and went over to where the little furry 
hedonist was being treated to a full cat massage. After listening to the 
little "oohs and Aahs" she became convinced that what she was hearing was 
*not* actually a dream.
"Serenity, Rini..."
"..."
"... my, what a *nice* parasol, Rini dear. And so wise to protect your 
sensitive skin from the sun like that." Ikuko blinked, staring at the 
feline. "It wasn't very nice of Serena to tease poor Luna like that for 
so long, was it Luna?"
The cat shook her head. "No, Miss Tsukino."
"It's Misses" Ikuko corrected. "I am not the sort of woman who has 
children under her maiden name, thank you. Serenity, you should have 
taught your cat better. I'm shocked to see she's had such a breach of 
manners, after all these years, too..." Ikuko formed a pout.
Serenity bowed shallowly. "I'm sorry, mother. I'll give Luna another 
etiquette course at the college I am attending."
Ikuko shook her head, waved her hands, and got back to the gardening. 
"Oh, don't bother with the professional courses, they always teach such 
nonsense anyway, and they charge extra for pets too! No, I want you to 
give her a few pointers, is all. Why, you could teach those etiquette 
courses yourself, dear. We really ought to find you a nice man, even if 
we have to leave Japan. But we couldn't do that. It would mean leaving 
Red-Kun behind, and then there is my husband's job. Are newspapers hiring 
in America?" A BIG sigh. "Still, if only you were married, I wouldn't 
*worry* so much about you dear..."
"Here's the flaming snapdragons, mother." Rini handed her adoptive 
mother a little silvery tray with moon crescents outside and blossoms 
inside that flickered like little flames.
"Put them over there, Rini dear." She gestured with the garden tool. 
"Why don't you change into that pink jumper of Serena's? Then you could 
help us with planting."
At the sidelines, Queen Serenity stood with a slight frown. ~Motherhood 
certainly, a husband?~ Her face grew long and far away. ~Maybe it was 
time after all.~
Then her face darkened into a scowl. If only she wasn't a LIZARD and an 
egg-laying creature at present, that idea would be alot more attractive. 
Hmm, time to see what a certain mage was doing...
She snorted a cloud of white frost out of her nostrils in agitation.

"Wait!! Don't touch that! How did you get ahold of that?!" Jared found 
himself running damage control over a group of crazy girls who had *NO 
Idea* what they were doing.
"Wait, Mina! That's a potion, you have to drink it. Stop! Amy, that's an 
oil, you have to apply it like you would suntan lotion. Would everybody 
just *please* stop and listen to me?!"
The girls froze in a tableau. "Well, Jay-chan, what is it?" Michelle 
asked.
He sighed. No way out but through. "Okay, some of these are more 
powerful than others, and all are best used in the proper order." He 
picked up a bottle of green fluid. "This for example, is called a Dryad 
Cordial. It's actually one of the few I make, and it's very good when 
used in the correct way - but dangerous otherwise."
"What does the Dryad Cordial do, Jay-chan?" Amy blinked up at him with 
innocent eyes.
He closed his, reciting. "For a man, nothing good, for a dryad, it 
enables her to live without her tree for a day, for a female, such as all 
of you... Promise you won't jump the gun on this, it takes it's best 
effect when used *after* some of the others. Anyway, it causes a beauty 
sleep to fall upon a lady drinking it, and a few hours later when she 
wakes up she finds that it has corrected all her minor imperfections."
He was expecting a mass lunge for the bottles, but surprisingly, that 
didn't happen. Each of the ladies sat quietly shining, with a little 
bottle of the cordial held demurely in her lap, listening attentively.
Weird. Dangerous, but weird.
He shrugged. "Okay, skipping the oils at present," ~because they all 
have to be applied to bare skin and I don't want to be around when that 
happens. More to the point, I can think of who they'd rope into *doing* 
it, and I'm near enough blowing a hentai gasket as it is.~ "This is one 
of many that do the same thing. They increase the drinker's beauty to the 
theoretical human maximum for a short while."
A chorus of nods.
"The difficulty with most of these is that they're temporary, to one 
degree or another." He began to fall into the 'teacher' mode he loved so. 
"The *fun* part is when you combine them, because if you start with the 
application of one that raises you to the theoretical max of human beauty 
*then* apply one like the Dryad Cordial, you are getting into the realms 
of supernatural loveliness where supermodels don't look so good and..."
Jared was interrupted by a giant slurping noise. Looking back over his 
shoulder he saw a frightful mess of empty potion bottles, discarded 
cordial containers and squeezed out tubes of cream around discarded 
rainment and well-oiled bodies.
He blinked several times.
"But you have to be careful combining potions else they could kill 
you... or become permanent." He frowned down on the young crowd. "Somehow 
I don't think they'd mind if that were to become permanent."
He smacked his lips as the oils, herbs and potions took effect on the 
young girls. No, somehow *he* wouldn't mind it either. And checking them 
out with his magical senses it was obvious that they'd all been 
*insanely* lucky in that none of the elixirs that had combined exploded 
or turned poisonous.
Time would tell what the *long* term effects were, though. But he was 
either going to have to start locking himself in a box or taking ice cold 
showers at half hour intervals from now into the foreseeable future.
He blinked again.
What was *Susan* doing in this mess? Had she been there when he started?
Bleeding freely from both nostrils, he turned away. Maybe now was a good 
time to go check on what the other, unactivated, Scouts were doing?

Genma ate solidly in one of the nicest restaurants to remain in Tokyo.
"So you see how it is..." Concluded the man in the dark business suit, 
idly waving a fork over the meal he hadn't touched.
Genma shoved the last of his fourteenth course down his throat, managing 
most of a plate in one swallow. Then he began to cry, letting go 
crocodile tears in waterfalls. "Now I understand! My offspring are 
*destined* for greater roles in this vast stage of Art! Doomed by 
parental majesty and the genes I have lovingly bestowed upon them to a 
world of toil and agony, earning great amounts of money. OH, THE 
HUMANITY!!!!"

Nodoka Saotome put her cup of tea down. "Yes, I see, Miss Kuonji."
Ukyo sat on the verge of anger across the table from her. "Well?"
Nodoka stared at the table. "While a difficult situation, I feel we must 
come to some form of solution. I cannot disagree that ten years of your 
life is no small investment. What do *you* wish would happen at this 
juncture?"
"What do I *want*?" Ukyo slammed her hands down on the table. "I'll TELL 
you what I want! I wish Ranma had to suffer everything that *I've* had to 
go through! I wish..." She abandoned that line of argument when her 
hostess threw her head back and a beam of light spat from her forehead up 
into the heavens.
When the beam of light had subsided and the floating objects in the room 
settled down, Ukyo's eyes were as round as softballs. Only a 
well-developed sense of danger kept her within the room at all.
Peorth threw off her Nodoka mask and rose to her feet, gloating. 
"*Nobody's* going to break *my* perfect record! Ukyo Kuonji, sorry for 
the deception. You were found worthy by the Earth Assistance Hotline to 
receive a wish, and now it's granted. Ranma has been through *everything* 
you had, and more. Poor girl. Well, see ya!"
The goddess vanished.

Ranma crouched in a gutter, waiting for her father to get back. Her 
breasts pained her inside their bindings, and she *hated* having to act 
like a boy in addition to all of the training. Her eyes grew longing and 
wistful.
She didn't have to bite back a tear. Years of 'manliness' training made 
that automatic.
If only she hadn't been parted from the boy she loved so long ago...

Standing in the doorway of the Saotome home, Ukyo shook free of the 
vision and tried not to feel sick. She had her vengeance, now to learn 
that revenge was never what she'd *wanted*!
The vision of that poor, lonely girl curled up in a gutter came back to 
haunt her, and she hugged herself while leaning against the doorjamb. 
"Poor Ranchan, guess that's it for the engagement now."
Nodoka Saotome returned home, burdened by groceries. Peering around the 
bags, she found the door to her home open and a familiar figure she 
recognized silhouetted in the entrance.
"Miss Kuonji??" Nodoka fluttered, recognizing her from the photograph 
provided by her detective. "You *are* the girl my soon-to-be EX-husband 
engaged to my daughter under guise of Ranma being a boy, aren't you?"
Ukyo lifted her mane of hair and drooping head. "You mean one of the 
many, right?"
Nodoka frowned. "Well, yes." She blinked at the girl. "Would you mind 
helping me inside with these groceries? I had a man talk to me today and 
I think you and I have a great deal we need to discuss."

At a racetrack in southern Australia a young girl turned aspiring driver 
twirled a wrench around her fingers and wiped he sweat from her brow as 
she went to the lockers. Being next to the only girl on the track meant 
private bathrooms, at least.
She still couldn't believe how much open space there was in areas 
outside Japan! She could see two horizons at once out here! Still another 
year or so before she could drive legally, but getting the practice in 
the off times she was sure would make *all* the difference when it came 
to the real thing.
Toweling off, she left the showers, got her things in her bag, zipped 
into a new set of skirt and blouse (now that the wind wouldn't blow them 
about she could wear the things), and ran outside to greet her mom and 
receive praise for a job well done.
Her mom was talking to some stranger, shaking her head at what he said. 
"No, I understand completely, but we want Helen out of that dreadful 
place. Here she can grow up and pursue a career less dangerous."
The stranger nodded. "Yes, I can see there's no moving you. Very well, 
Mrs Lord, I shall treat your wishes with respect." He tossed a wave to 
the young one. "Goodbye, squirt. Good luck with your racing."
He turned on his heel to walk off when a scream split the race yard.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!"
"You *idiot!* I TOLD you never to use Japanese parts in a motorcar!"
Two men came running out onto the field, cased by an upright car youma 
walking on two wheels. A dozen spider youma with the chests and upper 
bodies of women and the legs of spiders came scuttling out after, 
followed by a dark figure in a plain uniform, with a white cape secured 
by a pair of twin blue jewels.
"Malachite!" Jared hissed. ~No WAY was Beryl operating three Generals at 
once without support. Drat! That gate of Jedite's had to still be open.~
Helen's mommy stood gaping like a fish. Helen's knees were trembling 
like weak twigs in a hurricane. Neither one were sure which to be more 
scared of, the obvious Dark Kingdom attack or the young man who knew them 
by sight and name.
"ROAD RAGE!!!" The car youma dropped to all fours and began racing to 
run over spectators beyond the safety of the stands.
"Hold It, Negatrash!"
Jared's mouth was open, but he hadn't said anything. He closed it, 
curious. Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon stood silhouetted against the 
daylight at the peak of the stands.
Sailor Moon, looking considerably older (flatter in the chest than 
usual) and decked out in white and silvery blues instead of the usual 
blues and reds, with a half skirt split at the center so it could be as 
lengthy as mid-thigh on both sides and still gathered just as short in 
the middle, grinned down at him over her folded arms.
"Well, Pheonix Mage, looks like you could use our help, doesn't it? Good 
thing I was watching over you, then."
He glanced both ways, then seemed as if to blur and shift. Helen and her 
mommy were all for screaming right then, having only lately escaped 
Japan, but then his features sunk **IN**!
Not many people had flaming hair. It wasn't something that easy to fake.
He made the shift before anyone more could notice the real identity of 
who Sailor Moon was speaking to. "Always appreciate the help, Sailor 
Moon." He shouted back as the most diplomatic reply. ~Sheesh, even her 
hair was silvery. Oh yeah, this was Serenity and her hair was that shade 
anyway, even before the mixup.~
"Vroom!" The car youma made racing noises as it tried to run down two 
pedestrians.
"Levitation!" He cried out, thrusting a hand at the monster.
"Cosmic Moon Power!"
Jared blinked at the rapidly expanding glitter dust that had been nearly 
the equal of a Sailor Hunter youma in life. That was SOME SPELL! Pity to 
waste it on something that he'd already immobilized. A car youma needed 
ground contact to be effective, and he could've left that floating there 
for hours. The half-spider, half-women youma were getting into the crowds 
and terrorizing the stands.
Off-peak hours, which meant families and girlfriends of the race drivers 
primarily, just there to see practice. But still it oughtn't to have 
happened, if Sailor Moon had wanted to dust the car she could've told him 
and he would've taken something else on. Jared leaped, completing the 
transformation into armor and clothes, flinging off a Lightning Bolt 
mid-leap to scatter some of the energy hungry youma.
Sailor Moon gloated from the top of her spire. "So! Malachite, done with 
that Beryl woman and ready to serve me?" Chibi Moon giggled from her side.
Jared blocked a descending claw and bent double under his fan at the 
weight. They had upgraded these things! "Sailor Moon, do you (grunt, 
slash) think you could hold off on the (duck, hop, swish, slash, scream 
of downed enemy) pretty speeches until *after* the innocents are rescued?"
Sailor Moon seemed to consider the screaming humans for the first time. 
"Oh, you're right." She held out both palms in a placating gesture. 
"Don't worry, it's alright now, we'll take care of those bad, evil 
nasties for you."
The Pheonix mage sent a dozen fans to whirling, shredding everything 
hostile near him. "Very nice, but could you actually *act* instead of 
talking about how you're going to do it any second now?"
"Hey!" Sailor... err, *Silver* Sailor Moon, as he guessed he should call 
her, actually no, the age Serena was now *she* fit in as Chibi Moon Two, 
however that worked out. She put both hands on her hips indignantly. 
"These people are *scared!* I'm just trying to calm them down."
"They are *scared* because MONSTERS are trying to suck their essences 
out. It *might* be a trifle more helpful (gurgle, scream of dead monster) 
to deal with the symptom *after* the cause!"
Malachite laughed over crossed arms. "Well, I can tell where the 
*brains* of this outfit are! Too bad, Queen Serenity, you didn't have the 
nerve to destroy us when you had the chance! DIE!!" He trust both arms 
forward and shot a black energy sphere. It was headed straight for Chibi 
Moon, RPG stats raced through the Pheonix Mage's mind and came up with 
the conclusion that Rini would actually *die* if that thing hit her. And 
of course, she was freezing in its path.
Oh, toad mucus.
Jared tossed his strongest counterspell off at the globe, shuddering it 
and causing the energy to fade before it obliterated Sailor Chibi Moon. 
But in the opening casting that spell caused him to leave the spiders 
he'd been slaying quickly overcame his defenses and wrapped him up in 
unbreakable bands of web.
Double toad mucus.
"See, aren't you glad we came here to rescue you!" Silver Moon gloated. 
"Now we can get you out of there!"
Jared would have mumbled something about preferring a walrus for 
company, but as his hands and mouth were tied, he couldn't. Which 
incidentally also stopped him casting spells.
"I've GOT you now!!" Malachite sent a barrage of two of those energy 
blades of his at the tied up Pheonix Mage. The remaining half dozen 
spider youma started unsheathing claws he'd been avoiding before this.
Double toad mucus with fried green fungal growths on top, this was going 
to hurt.