Mirrors Multiplied

Part Five

A Romantic Interlude

by Jared Ornstead

=====

A serious Disclaimer
 Ranma 1/2 and its associated characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Sailor Moon and its associated characters created by Naoko Takeuchi.
AMG, Iczelion and all other characters belong to their copyright owners.
No infringement intended.

=====

    Ranma finished reading and replaced the letters back in the box
where he'd found them, in the order he'd found them, without so much as
leaving a discernible mark in the dust on the lid.
    He hated to admit it, but he'd become quite an accomplished thief
through his many lives. Not stealing things like jewelry or watches,
just finding those secret caches where people hid journals and letters,
stuff he needed to know if he was to act like himself.
    He'd just finished reading all the letters Gemna had sent his mother
while on their training mission. It was, as far as he could tell, pretty
close to basic. He'd had to read between the lines alot, Genma was never
an honest soul no matter where he'd met him, but it had all come out
pretty close to what he remembered from his very first life.
    Weird.
    Well, with those facts straight he headed off to the Tendo dojo.
With the intention of maybe sifting through Nabiki's files, which were
guaranteed to be more accurate, and probably as complete.
    He wasn't halfway there before he found Ukyo wandering the streets
looking dazed and alone. He dropped down beside her in concern.
    "Hey, Ucchan. What's up?"
    She looked at him, sniffed, and began to bawl. "Oh, Ran-chan!" She
grabbed his lapels and hung on.
    Tenderness was needed. He encircled her in his arms, quietly praying
that none of his other fiances happened along just then.
    "Hey, Ucchan, don't be so upset. What's wrong?"
    She looked him in the eyes, tears dripping down her cheeks. She
turned her head away from him and whispered. "Ran-chan, maybe... Maybe
you'd better marry someone else."
    He looked at her in shock. "What are you *talking* about? What's up,
Ucchan, you're scaring me. Was it something I've done? Tell me, anything
I've done I'll fix. Just let me know what's the matter."
    She shook her head. "No, Ran-chan..." she was going to continue but
tears choked off her voice. She whispered something.
    Ranma held himself stock still. It had sounded like she had just
told him that she was dying. He asked her, she confirmed this, saying
that she'd just come from the hospital where results from her mammograms
had come in. She was going to die. Breast cancer was already too
advanced for the doctors to deal with.
    Whimsy and carelessness left Ranma like water from a broken jug. He
swept her up in his arms.
    "Okay, Ucchan. Let's go see my mother."

    Nodoka sat stunned, staring at the two youngsters kneeling across
the table from her. She still couldn't believe what they had told her.
    "My son has how many fiances?"
    "We know of about four or five that his father arranged for him."
Ukyo reported. "There are some others that want him without that
arrangement, though I think if they wised up and bribed Genma with some
food he would make the engagements official without even blinking."
    Nodoka couldn't help but wince at the accuracy of that statement.
That was how she remembered getting the old rascal to marry *her*.
    Ranma went on to the meat of the topic. "And so mother, I've been
juggling fiances for months now. And I must be honest with you. I came
here in part to avoid having pops know where I was. He likes to make
things worse."
    "Yeah, I know about a dozen times when Genma's sold secrets about
Ranma's abilities to his enemies. He's just about got Ran-chan killed a
few times doing it."
    Nodoka's gaze firmed and her mind stopped reeling. "So your father
has been deliberately casual of your life?"
    Ranma nodded. "When Happosai showed up the first thing pops pulled
to try and get his fat out of the fire was to offer to sign over his
parental rights to me to the old freak."
    "I can see there are some things I'm going to have to discuss with
him." Nodoka returned, beginning to see just how much Genma had been
getting away with on this training mission.
    "He is staying at the Tendo dojo, but it would be useless for you to
go there. Pops can hide himself in less than a second to avoid facing
you."
    "And why would he want to do that?" Nodoka was genuinely puzzled.
    Ranma sighed. "Believe me mom, when it comes to saving his own hide
pops is psychic."
    Nodoka nodded. "I see. Son, why do you choose to tell me this? You
know how glad I am to have you home, but why should you tell me these
things now?"
    Ucchan nervously slid her hand into Ranma's.
    "Because mom, I haven't *got* much time. Ucchan just got back from
the doctor, and they said that she's dying. She's going to have a few
healthy months, and, well, I want to spend the time with her. I know
*alot* of martial art techniques. I can even heal my own injuries, well,
sorta. But one thing I *can't* do is make Ucchan better."
    His eyes twinkled. "Or can I?" He asked rhetorically. "Mom, you're
going to think this is a strange question, but do you know anything of a
group called the Sailor Scouts?"
    Nodoka blinked. That *was* a strange question. "No, dear. Are they a
rock band or something?"
    Ranma deflated. "No, mom. Forget it."

    Blue Iczelion appeared out of a dimensional warp.
    "Iczel," Ukyo addressed her armor's AI. "This looks just like home."

    "Agreed, Ukyo. Scanning for Ranma in these crowds is going to be
difficult."
    She looked in concern at the distortion in the air behind her. "How
long have we got?"
    "Less than an hour. The distortion of time is working in our favor,
but not by a great margin, Ukyo. Fortunately our search radius is
small."
    "Well, let's start looking for Ranma."

    They left his mother deep in thought, the two teenagers wandered for
a little. It began to rain slightly and found themselves at the steps to
the Tendo dojo.
    "We might as well tell them." Ukyo offered, shrugging. "They ought
to at least know that we might be getting your mother's blessing, and
why."
    Ranko agreed. They went in.
    Kasumi welcomed them inside happily. Nabiki was down watching TV,
and Soun and Genma were playing their inevitable game. Akane was
surrounded by a huge mound of magazines and stuff.
    Ranko caught sight of the pile of manga around Akane. With a
half-terrified look usually reserved for drowning victims she dove
belly-flat on the table and grabbed one of the Sailor-V comics. Quickly
she was shoving it in Nabiki's face.
    "Nabiki, quick! Ya *gotta* tell me! Are the Sailor Scouts real? Do
you read about them in the paper, do they show them on TV?"
    Nabiki parted the comic so she could see Ranko beyond it. "Of
*course* they're real. What planet have you been living on?"
    Ranko dropped the magazine, vitality growing within her. "That
doesn't matter now." She answered seriously.
    Nabiki and Ukyo viewed her with equal concern, the others with mere
puzzlement.
    Ranko reached... somewhere, and was soon glowing with triumph.
"Yes!!!" She screamed, holding an odd looking pen aloft. "It made the
journey with me!"
    By now everyone was afraid, and worried. Kasumi paused in the door,
a tray  forgotten in her hands. Ranko paused to look around herself.
"Um, excuse me." She vanished in a trail of dust, footsteps fading
upstairs.
    Ranko burst into Kasumi's room (the last place she would be
expected, or looked for) and held the pen high, hope bursting within
her. Reaching out with a prayer in her heart she cried. "Earth Power
Make-Up!"
    Instantly she was at the center of a powerful energy storm, strange
lights at work around her. Ranko spun in the air, an empty silhouette of
energy, blue fire burning across her form. Lightning coursed up her
empty chest, forming the white Sailor uniform. Soon she was completely
transformed and landing to pose on the floor.
    "YES!!!" Earth wept, having thrust her fist in the air to punctuate
her joy.
    Downstairs, the others looked at one another in confusion.
    Earth danced out onto the roof, capering with joy. "I am the sailor
suited warrior of love and justice, Sailor Earth! Oh, how *good* it
feels to be back in motion! This thing hasn't beaten me yet!"
    Acting on knowledge she didn't know she had, she called a staff into
existence. A thin silver rod capped with an elaborate end. It was the
way of the Sailor Scouts to spontaneously remember old powers in times
of stress or great emotion. Raising her staff high, Earth cried.
    "Scout Power Assemble! I call upon Sailor Mercury!"
    The new Sailor Scout appeared on the roof, fully in costume and very
confused. "What just happened to me?" Mercury asked. She saw Sailor
Earth and was unable to identify her. "Who are you? Where is Sailor
Moon?"
    Earth reassured her. "I am Sailor Earth, Sailor Moon is still
probably at the video game arcade, and what just happened was that I
used my power to bring you here. Mercury, can you tell me if any Scouts
are able to heal cancer?"
    "Sure." Mercury advised her, tackling the problem casually. "Sailor
Saturn should be able to just fine. Can you bring her here?"
    "Uh, actually I'd better get advice on that. Scout Power Assemble!
Sailor Pluto!"
    Sailor Pluto appeared on the roof.
    "You'd better have a good explanation for this, Earth."
    The Tendo household had emerged from the house and was cowering back
against the building.
    "Actually, Pluto, I do. I represent a huge distortion in the
temporal fabric. I would like to be sent home immediately. Except, of
course, that I have an obligation to a certain girl here. She is dying
of breast cancer and I want her healed. Would there be a problem if I
were to call Sailor Saturn?"
    Mercury was taking readings. "I'm afraid, Sailor Earth, that my
computer detects only a slight distortion around you."
    Earth turned on her with the jerky slowness of a broken machine.
"Err, what was that?"
    "You're a dimensional traveler, right?" Earth conceded this. "Well,
then you can relax. Whatever happened to you, you're home now. According
to my computer, this is the dimension that you started from."
    Confidence and her aura of control fell from Earth like a bad coat
of paint. "But... How long was I gone?"
    "Less than an hour, I would say."
    Earth gathered herself. "No, Mercury. I may have *started* from
here, but this isn't home. Look at these people," she waved to the crowd
below her. "Some of these people knew me once. But they're terrified of
me, and with good reason. I've spend close to three hundred lives
changing from what these people remember as me into something completely
different. I'm older than *any* of them. I've fought dragons and ogres
and spirits, lived on the spirit plane..." Her voice broke. "Even been
married to a vampire. Oh, my wonderful vampire, Rae my Beloved!"
    Her eyes went heavenward and she began to cry.
    "Married to a vampire!" Akane asked incredulously. "How on earth
could you be married to a *vampire!* Who *are* you anyway?"
    Earth spared the girl a grin. "It wasn't so bad. Sure you have to
deal with the occasional unprovoked assault, and remember not to put
garlic on the pizza. But in all it was alot better than marriage to,
say, a certain uncute tomboy." Her expression grew distant and happy.
"Rae was beautiful. She was gorgeous and kind. Then I met her in a life
when she wasn't a vampire."
    She wiped a tear from her eye. "Heaven could not be so sweet. In
fact it wasn't."
    Mercury was considering. "If you really lived that long then your
experience could be very valuable to us. You *are* still a Sailor
Scout."
    Earth shook her head. "Only by adoption. Pluto, a different Pluto,
offered to change my past to include me in the Silver Millennium.
Circumstances were extreme, but she did it. Then I got in a fight with
one of the negaverse generals. I killed Jadeite before any of the other
Sailors could arrive to help. I *know* Queen Beryl. That's enough for
her to raise the stakes considerably. I have to go back to help my
friends. They could all die without me."
    Pluto crossed her arms. "Beryl died long ago in this world. Are you
sure you want to go back to a fight *we* won years ago?"
    Earth stilled her tears. "Perhaps, but that's my decision, isn't it?
Anyway, I have to go. The Pluto there gave Saturn into my keeping,
Uranus and Neptune aren't awake yet."
    Pluto blanched. "You'd *better* go back, alright! Or that world
won't last. Call our Saturn, I'll explain things to her and we can heal
this friend of yours."
    Earth nodded, raising her staff again. A diminutive Saturn appeared
beside them, young and scared. Pluto went to comfort her.
    Earth hopped down onto the lawn, confronting the curious household
with a well concieved charade.
    "Hello! I am the sailor suited warrior of love and justice, Sailor
Earth! Look, I owe a favor to a certain Ranma Saotome. And he asked me
to heal one of you of a fatal disease. Which of you is Ukyo?"
    Ukyo indicated herself with a timid hand.
    "Okay, there's nothing to worry about, darling. There's no danger
and you won't feel a thing. Isn't that right, Pluto?"
    The rest of the Scouts jumped down off the roof. "That's right."
Pluto affirmed. "It's perfectly safe and 100% certain. You have nothing
to be worried about. Go ahead, Saturn. You can heal her."
    A very timid Saturn nodded and began her ministrations.
    While watching closely, Earth leaned in close to Mercury. "Why is
she so shy? Saturn looks scared to death."
    Mercury responded in low tones. "She's been beaten alot by kids at
her school, who think her healing abilities make her a freak. She's had
a rough life."
    Earth nodded, assimilating the information.
    Saturn completed her healing and tumbled, exhausted, into Pluto's
arms. Pluto looked up at Earth. "You can send us home now."
    Sailor Earth raised her staff. "Scout Power Return!"

    Iczelion was getting frustrated. Quartering the city had been
useless. Ran-chan just had too erratic and variable an energy signature
to track effectively. And they were running out of time.
    She spotted a school with some high school students still in the
yard. Iczelion dropped from the sky into the middle of a game.
    "You!" She commanded, pointing to one of the players. "Where is
Ranma Saotome?"
    The student gibbered.
    "Beam Spatula!" A glowing combat spatula of blue radiance formed in
her hand. Ordinarily Ukyo wouldn't threaten, but she was on the verge of
not finding Ranma at all.
    One of the students piped up. "Why don't you look for him at the
Tendo dojo?"
    Her eyes grabbed him. "And where is that?"

    Ranma was resting on the roof of the dojo when he heard Cologne
call. "I don't care about what you *think* may be wrong with him, I want
to see my son-in-law. Son-in-law!." She called.
    "Yes, great grandmother, what is it?" He leapt up on the summit,
allowing him to see down where Genma and Soun had been trying to keep
Cologne out of the house, she was burdened down with takeout boxes or
she probably would have knocked the two cold and saved the time of
talking.
    Her eyes softened. "Ah, son-in-law. I've brought you some ramen to
help you feel better. Are you quite over what happened? Would you like
to talk?"
    He hopped down beside her. "Thank you, great grandmother. I would
love to. But these bozos probably haven't told you that I won't be
staying here much longer."
    Her eyes narrowed. "No, they left that part out. Would you care to
come to the cafe then? We'll always have room for you, and we can chat
on our way there."
    Soun thrust himself between the pair of them. "Son! I don't know
what it is we've done to offend you so. But PLEASE stay here and live
with us. You can have your very own room. We'll even get the Master to
teach you more of his secret techniques. What do you say, son?"
    Genma caught sight of Shampoo entering the gate. "Ranma. I didn't
want to have to do this. But you BREAK YOUR FATHER'S HEART! For the good
of the Saotome school I have to make you realize the error of your ways!
Aaaaahhhhh!!"
    He splashed Shampoo with the ever-present water bucket and began
waving her cat form in Ranma's face. Soun skittered back out of the
danger zone, Cologne backed out of immediate range, even Shampoo in her
cat form flinched.
    Ranma reached out and gathered the white and purple feline into his
arms, an easy motion that spoke of long experience. Idly, he began to
scratch behind her ears. "Yeah, so what is this punishment you were
talking about?"
    The group facefaulted.
    Kasumi appeared in the doorway. "Dinner's ready! Why, Ranma, I
thought you were afraid of cats."
    He smiled, continuing to pet Shampoo. "I kinda got over it, Kasumi."

    Cologne laughed. "That's my son in law. I can't wait to hear how he
did it. Shall we go in?"
    Ranma nodded respectfully to her, but paused to gather Shampoo's
discarded clothing before entering. They sat at the table and both
younger Tendo girls nearly jumped out of their skins in fright at the
sight of Ranma holding a cat.
    "Whoa, Ranma. How are you doing *that*? You ought to be out running
cross-country by now."
    Ranma smiled at Nabiki, taking his seat, still petting Shampoo all
the while. Her purring was getting loud enough to numb his hand. He
explained while Cologne and Kasumi quickly set the table with a double
meal.
    "The whole thing kinda started when I got told by somebody that the
Cat Fist was more a demonic possession than a martial arts maneuver. So
I got the Xi Fang shiatsu technique to dull the memories and a few
hundred exorcisms to clean me out. Wasn't all that hard."
    "A few *hundred* exorcisms?" Nabiki stressed, disbelievingly. "And
who'd you get to do the Xi Fang?" She asked. "Present company isn't
exactly trustworthy."
    "Yes, child, I'm curious too. I don't remember performing it, and
Shampoo would have told me. There really aren't all that many people who
know the pressure points. Whom did you find?"
    "Great grandmother, you don't *remember* doing it, but you did it.
Thank you."
    Cologne's eyes narrowed. "Well, this is a subject I would like to
hear more on later, if you don't mind."
    He nodded his acquiescence.
    Akane was on the verge of tears. Why was Ranma being so nice to
Cologne all of a sudden? And Shampoo? She'd tried so hard to be nice the
other night and he'd not even let her get close to him. And he'd not
even *looked* at her since then.
    Akane felt ashamed to admit it, but she liked the way he'd always
been looking at her, sneaking glances out of the corner of his eye or
when he thought she wasn't looking. But since that night when they'd all
gone out to find him crying he'd not paid any attention to her! It was
as if he didn't even notice she was alive!
    She stared at the cat in him arms with burning jealousy, then caught
her sister doing the same thing. Nabiki? Akane'd felt sure that dance at
school with Ranma had all been a bet, a ploy on her sister's part to get
Ranma to come back to her. So why was Nabiki getting jealous of Shampoo
all of a sudden?
    Kasumi brought in Ukyo from where she'd been resting.
    "Hey, Ran-chan." Ukyo sat next to Ranma, more than a little
teary-eyed. "I want to thank you for what you did for me. Kasumi filled
me in on who those girls were. I gotta tell ya, getting healed by
superheroes wasn't exactly something I expected. Thank you, Ran-chan."
She began to work his shoulders.
    Cologne almost put forth her staff to prevent the okanomiyaki chef,
but Ranma's raised hand prevented her.
    Ukyo noticed the movement, her grin was triumphant. "Yeah. Didn't
you hear? Ran-chan's going to *marry* me!" She leaned into his back and
pressed her cheek up against him.
    The room exploded around them.

    Blue Iczelion had identified the residence.
    "Iczel, is this the place?"
    "Yes, Ukyo." Her armor spoke to her. An overlay appeared on the
building, with one blinking figure on it, surrounded by static forms.
"Here he is."
    But Ucchan also saw another figure approaching the building. One she
didn't need her computer to identify.
    "That's Kuno, the one with the blood feud against Ranma."
    "Confirmed, Ukyo. Though it might be an alternate."
    "Yeah, but either way he doesn't deserve the kid gloves." She
sideslipped to a higher altitude and better angle.
    "Iczelion Gravity!"
    A huge beam of energy shot forward from her chest, carving a trench
forty yards deep and a thousand yards long, debris making a cloud in the
air. Miraculously the kendoist avoided incineration, but ran shrieking
away from the Iczelion.
    "Ukyo, the blast will have alerted those keeping Ranma." The Iczel
warned.
    "Then we don't give them time to react." She pivoted mid-air and
brought her gauntlet blasters to bear.
    Twin blasts carved off the walls and roof of the Tendo living room.

    Whether it was they were stunned from the announcement, or simply
that they were used to super powered beings coming after Ranma, no one
moved in the room as it was incinerated and fell apart around them.
    Though somehow one of the blasts had caused a hot water explosion.
Female Shampoo fell naked into Ranma's lap.
    The armored figure to assault their home dropped through the now
open roof, grabbing Ranma by the collar.
    "Hold it right there, Sugar." Ucchan hefted her spatula against the
foe. "NO ONE is taking my Ran-chan away from me."
    The smoke cleared, revealing two Ukyos. One with spatula and the
other in a high powered battle bikini. Both froze in astonishment.
    Blue Iczelion recovered first. "Sorry honey, but this one is *my*
Ran-chan."
    Spatula Ukyo bit back tears. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM! After ten years he
*finally* tells me he loves me! You *can't* take him away!"
    Blue Iczelion paused, biting her lip. "You and I are alot alike, it
appears. Just this morning he proposed to me. I'd almost given up hope."

    Cologne's eyes were traveling between the Ukyos. "Perhaps if one of
you explained." She offered, wondering how to fit her granddaughter into
this.
    "There's no TIME!" Blue Iczelion screamed. "The portal to our
universe is just open for a few seconds more! I can't wait for this!"
    She began to lift off, still holding Ranma.
    "Son-in-law!" Cologne plead, drawing his attention back to those
present. "Where are you going?"
    Iczelion released her hold, dropping Ranma to the floor. He then
knelt and hugged the Amazon. "Dear, great grandmother," he addressed
her. "I am going home."
    Ukyo and a now-dressed Shampoo struck the same pose, looking more
like sisters than they would ever believe. "Sorry Sugar." Ukyo
corrected. "But you aren't going *anywhere* without me."
    "Where you go, Shampoo go." The Amazon affirmed.
    Ranma kissed them both, his cheeks were wet. "My beloved friends.
You are already there, else I could *never* leave you."
    Ranma leapt into the air and was caught by Blue Iczelion. The two of
them disappeared in a streak of light.
    "Excuse me." A Belldandy stepped out of the unbroken mirror. "I have
been asked by my counterpart in another world to clean up any mess that
may have been caused in retrieving a friend of hers. I'll just be a
moment."
    The goddess crossed her arms and energy blazed from a sign on her
forehead. "Retrace and spin..."
    A ball of energy began to glow before her. Assorted bits of garbage
that had once been home parts lifted from the detritus that was now the
Tendo home. Cracks sealed and walls reassembled themselves, the roof
regrew over their heads. Even the dojo, miraculously unscarred by this
event, had temporary patches made whole and the marks of age and ill
maintenance erased.
    The end result was a compound unblemished and fine, in better
condition than since the height of it's prosperity, before the death of
Mrs. Tendo. The ghastly trench outside was even closed.
    "Well, that's what I was sent for. Thank you very much for helping
out my friend." Belldandy beamed, moving back toward the mirror.
    Cologne turned to the goddess without wasting time. "Honored one, if
I could have a word with you..."

*****

    Blue Iczelion reappeared with Ranma in tow, the Sailor Scouts were
still on scene, though they looked monstrously bored.
    "'Bout time you guys got back."
    Mars attached herself to Ranma and would not let go. Some reporter
snapped a photograph.
    "Hey!" Venus objected, leaping over to the man and snatching his
camera, extracting the film. "Sorry, but we can't allow you to print
this."
    The reporter was devastated. "But?" He could see several million yen
fading out of his grasp.
    "Sorry buddy, too much that's bad could happen."
    "Let's get *out* of here." Ukyo called. The Scouts nodded and all
took off in a rush, Mars and Ukyo carrying Ranma between them as if he
was injured or something.
    In truth, neither were willing to let him go.
    They stopped in a safe location and dropped their costumes.
    "What was all that about, how long were we gone?" Ukyo asked.
    "You disappeared and stayed gone most of the day." Lita replied.
    "We were all very worried," Amy added. "Especially after what you'd
told us about the gate being open for only a few minutes. But I scanned
for the portal and it appeared to be constant, so we hung around." She
looked up from her screen. "It's gone now, though."
    "Things started to get *real* nasty when the police and the
reporters showed up." Serena singsonged. "It was like, majorly cool at
first, all these people taking our pictures like we were movie stars or
models. But then they just kept getting more and more annoying."
    "I'll be surprised if we don't make every news agency in the
country." Mina sorrowed. "We were there for hours guarding the site to
keep it open for you."
    Luna and Artemis appeared around one of the temple buildings,
looking as if they had been waiting for some time. Both looked as if
they had something urgent they wanted to discuss.
    Ranma shook off some of the travel fatigue that had gripped him.
"Serena, your cat would like to speak with you privately, it seems.
Shall Ukyo and I excuse ourselves while you talk?"
    "Hey, how did you know we can talk?" Artemis asked.
    Ranma was about to reply but Mina beat him to it. "It's okay,
Artemis. They know we're Sailor Scouts."
    Both cats jumped up. "Then we'd best waste no time." Luna cautioned.
"Central has informed us that Sailor Earth has dropped off their scopes.
She's been gone for hours. We'll have to go and rescue her!"
    "Old news, Luna." Serena moaned. "We caught *that* info this
afternoon, just after Jadeite was killed."
    "Sailor Earth is safe." Ukyo assured the two cats. "That's what this
whole thing was about. She got flung into another dimension and I had to
spend the day hauling her back out. The Scouts were a great help."
    "Though I am worried about all those reporters." Amy conceded. "They
got *alot* of pictures. Won't they be able to identify us?"
    "No, they won't." Luna stated. "The Sailor Scout transformation
includes several protections against it. Your only danger is to be
caught with someone who can identify you. Because they won't be
protected."
    "So what does this mean about Sailor Earth?" Ranma questioned
seriously. "In that first fight she didn't *have* the Sailor Scout
protections. Could she be identified?"
    Luna frowned. "It's possible. Say, how do you know so much about
us?"
    The girls sweated.
    Ranma shrugged. "I'm Ranko's closest confident. We've been together
for a long time now. She's like a sister. I tell her everything. She
doesn't have a secret from me."
    The girls relaxed.
    Luna frowned. "I'm really not very comfortable with that wagging
tongue of hers. A true Scout is not supposed to tell *anyone*. It shows
far too casual an attitude about the danger we're in."
    Ranma frowned. "You're right. I'll tell her."
    "Still, you don't seem like a *bad* sort." Artemis comforted, trying
to take some of the sting out of Luna's words. "I'm sure you'll be a
great help to us."
    Ranma smiled. "I would like very much to be so."
    Amy looked at her watch. "My goodness! Look at the time. I have to
be going to do my homework! Oh, if I don't hurry I'll not be ready for
that test tomorrow!"
    There was a general consensus, though less fervent.
    "I'll drop Ranma home." Ukyo and Rae chorused.
    Ranma looked back and forth between them. "Then I'll be well
escorted." He supplied.

    Belldandy met them at the mansion. "Could we have a private talk,
Ranma?"
    Ranma nodded, swiftly introducing them. "Ucchan, Rae, this is the
goddess Belldandy."
    The two girls were beyond surprise and greeted the goddess warmly.
They talked for a bit but it became clear that whatever Belldandy had to
say was urgent. So they let her take Ranma aside.
    She sat next to him. "Ranma, I'm very pleased that your friends were
able to help you out, but I'm afraid its urgent that we talk."
    Ranma was not so deranged as to ignore a goddess when she said
something was urgent. His attention was instantly and totally hers.
    "You are going to have to explain things to your mother. She thinks
that you and I are engaged."
    His face whitened. Suddenly he recalled that part about saying he'd
bring the girls he'd wanted to marry to see his mother. With all the
combat and troubles the other day he'd forgot.
    Then he recalled Kasumi.
    "That's right." Belldandy agreed. "Your mother and Kasumi are
already planning on your wedding. I'm afraid this is past my control."
    Ranma digested this. Kasumi? She was nice, but...
    "Kasumi wants this?"
    The goddess indicated that this was most powerfully so. "And that's
why I can't interfere. A person's desires are very important."
    Ranma's mind churned at warp speed. "Wow. Well, hurting Kasumi is
out of the question. I'd say she was an angel but that would be
understating it."
    A fog cleared from his mind.
    "Belldandy, can I ask you something? I love Kasumi like a sister,
but it's not a brother's love she'll want, or need." He hung his head.
"She deserves too much good to have a husband that doesn't care for her.
She gives *so* much, and asks so little in return. I'd gladly go through
with this, but I couldn't fake it. And it would be a crime of epic
proportions to land her in an unhappy marriage."
    He raised pleading eyes to the goddess.
    "So what I'm asking is, if this is to turn out all right, I'm going
to have to love her. Could you help me with that? I could, and would,
try on my own, but it would take some time. Time I may not have. I'd
rather die than disappoint her. If she truly wants this... Could you
help me?"
    Belldandy smiled approvingly. "You're such a good person. You remind
me of your father."
    Information!
    Ranma was on his knees grasping her hands. "You knew my father?
PLEASE Bell, tell me what you remember about him?"
    Belldandy softened with memory. "He was a great man, with a truly
noble heart. I got called to deliver him his wish, and so when he asked
for the perfect girlfriend. I introduced him to your mother. His name
was Keiichi Morasato, but because your grandfather had no male heirs he
adopted Keiichi and allowed him to take over the family name."
    Ranma absorbed this. "Wow. So Genma wasn't my old man. I always
*did* wonder how a guy like him could convince my mom to marry him."
    Belldandy grew stern. "That Genma is an evil man. He tried to trick
your mother into marrying him by feeding her love potions. I put a stop
to that so that Keiichi could get his wish, though I understand that in
the world you hail from he did succeed."
    Ranma was growing concerned. "Are you saying this *isn't* my home
world? What that other Mercury told me is true?"
    Belldandy softened. "Ranma, even though this is not your world of
origin, it has certainly become home to you. As a goddess, I was fully
briefed on your history before coming to grant your wish. You started in
a world not far from this one. There you found a magic mirror that was
intended to travel in time. However the mirror was broken, and you were
catapulted into this world instead. It was here that you got the Destiny
Ring and began rewriting our past.
    "All that you have done, your wishes and your memories, have
occurred in this world. You rewrote our past and became an integral part
of our universe. Our world can no longer continue without you. But all
of that, though you grew much from it, does not serve to change the
world you came from one bit. That world still exists. In fact it *was*
the world Ukyo just brought you home from."
    Ranma felt a growing fear. "But, if I'm not from here... Wouldn't
I... Have to go... um, back?"
    Belldandy took his hand. "Don't let it concern you, Ranma. You are
home now. This dimension has strained and fought itself to teach you.
You now belong to it, and none other. It is here that you will reach
your greatest destiny."
    Her words were like balm, soothing troubled waters. "Thank you,
Bell-chan. You really *do* make things turn out alright." He grew
concerned again. "But, what about pops? And Happosai? They were both
using the mirror with me."
    Belldandy smiled. "The Destiny Ring was for you alone. Those two got
sent back to their world of origin when you began to use it."
    "And myself? What about me? Wasn't there another me in *this* world
before I began to use the bracelet?"
    She patted his hand. "There was. But that you is *within* you now.
You are part of the same person. Two destinies have combined to produce
you, Ranma. You are a very special person, and are being groomed for a
very important role."
    "But doesn't that leave one world without me?"
    She showed sorrow. "There are *many* worlds without you, Ranma. In
some you have never existed at all. But in a great many you have died,
or been destroyed by some hostile source."
    His lips twisted in wry humor. "For some reason that reminds me of
Akane."
    "Oh, yes. Her anger, and her cooking, have killed you many times."
    Ranma grew chill. He'd been half joking.
    But Belldandy wasn't. She patted his hand in comfort. "Ranma, I'll
be happy to explain your past. But I'm also here to teach you. Will you
listen?"
    He nodded unreservedly.
    She smiled. "That's good. There is much you have to learn. You must
know that Genma has never been concerned with the happiness of others.
It is even his fault in this feud with Kuno and your family." The
goddess' eyes showed grief. "That man got Keiichi and other good men
killed!"
    Ranma was used to thinking of his... of Genma as a bad person. But
this? He was having trouble assimilating it.
    "Okay, Bell. You say it. I'll believe it. I just never thought..."
    Belldandy felt sorry for him. "Genma has always been wicked, Ranma.
It's just that without someone to restrain him he became truly evil.
Your mother was very happy with Keiichi, something Genma never made her.
But she may die soon if this feud isn't stopped, and it's all Genma's
fault!"
    Ranma found himself holding Belldandy, comforting her through her
tears. His eyes hardened.
    "Hey Bell, I know what you've said to me, and it's hard. But I
accept it. That makes Genma even more an enemy to my clan than Kuno ever
was."
    She nodded, and Ranma found himself grateful to this beautiful girl.

    "Why thank you." Belldandy stopped crying long enough to smile.
"Your mother was right. You *do* have a beautiful heart, Ranma Saotome."

    He took it with grace. "Hey, I get it from hanging out with people
like you."
    She finished her tears with a bubbling laugh. "You are a kind soul.
Which brings me to the next point of our lesson. Summon a ball of energy
into your hand."
    He did so, so common a task that it didn't even strain him anymore.
    The goddess also summoned a ball of energy into her hand, but in
appearance it was nothing like his own.
    "Can you tell me why these are different, Ranma?"
    He didn't answer at once, taking his time to analyze and answer
properly. "Well, mine is chi energy. But yours is something else."
    "It's called mana, and we goddesses use it, as well as a very few
mortals who are blessed with power. But there is something else. Can you
tell me?"
    Ranma released his chi ball and shook his head.
    Belldandy held the ball in her hand forth and applied it to a
bruised plant. The damage of a careless gardener distracted from his
task was repaired in an instant, the plant shooting forth new leaves and
blossoms.
    "You have great power, Ranma. But you have only ever used that power
for fighting. You must now learn to also apply that energy to other
things. The source of my power doesn't matter at all, neither does
yours. But I can use mine to do many tasks besides fighting. I can
build, and heal. Haven't you ever wished for the ability to make things
right?"
    Had he ever!
    "Well, now is time for you to learn. Extend your senses into the
plant."

    Much later, Ranma got an opportunity to introduce Rae and Ucchan to
his mom. "Mother, here are two girls for whom I care very deeply..."
    The girls' shyness was dazzling in its beauty.
    Nodoka found herself well pleased.

    Ranma had become quite a manipulator of people over his lives, good
at it, but still quite clumsy at times. He'd wanted so badly to be loved
after his loss, to be wanted and accepted that his subconscious had
kicked into overdrive, learning every subtly of gesture and expression
to make people like him, to trust him, to be his friends. Finally he
exuded an aura of likability as powerful as Kasumi's vaunted kindness.
    It made people want to forgive him, believe him, and be nice to him,
and it did alot to offset his not-quite-vanished clumsiness.
    He still had some of the worst luck in the universe, but now he had
more skills to deal with it. And when he turned on the charm full bore
he could accomplish miracles. Things like getting Rae and Ucchan to be
best friends when they'd hardly known each other a day. Getting both of
them to instantly trust Kasumi as a big sister, and to be happy about
the prospect of living under the same roof.
    Getting them to love their mother in law like she was their own
natural one was not something he had to put himself out over. Ranma
didn't get his charm from a cereal box.

    Nabiki got home from a *very* rough day trading. She normally
wouldn't be so frazzled by something as minor as a tumultuous betting
pool, but then again she was rarely one of the subjects of the betting.
    Personal involvement made these things so difficult. She could
hardly clear her mind from what she *wanted* long enough to be objective
about what was likely. And he *was* engaged to her, wasn't he? Couldn't
that mean there was just a *little* affection in his `favor' to her?
    Laying odds on something you wanted badly wasn't fun. She'd felt
this rending inside her when she'd laid down four to one odds against
her marrying him.
    Nabiki picked up her mail. Kasumi had been here today, with a small
army of men helping her pack up and leave. She'd never seen her sister
so happy, and the house still glowed with the fading warmth of her care.
The mail had been neatly stacked in piles, already sorted and ready to
be dealt with. There was a tray on the table with a little note on the
cover, the note said "Nabiki."
    Nabiki opened the cover. Dinner.
    She ate absently, looking around her at the house she'd grown up in.
What would it be like tomorrow? Probably a mess. Soun's paper would not
have been cleaned up. Akane would probably try and take over the
cooking. None of the three of them left had much in the way of domestic
skills. Things could get bad very quickly.
    Nabiki shuddered, faced with the choice of hiring a maid and a cook
or living in hell.
    Trying to distract herself from those morbid thoughts she went
through her mail. Bills, bills, and what was this? She held a small
package wrapped in brown paper. Who would be sending her a video tape?
No return address.
    She could think of two things instantly, one was that someone was
trying to blackmail *her*, an unlikely possibility, but one that had
been tried once or twice. The other was that maybe someone from the
camera club had caught that scene at lunch with Ranma and might be
offering her a chance to buy.
    Nabiki would hate to admit it, but she would take a huge chunk out
of her bank account and maybe even shave her head to have a copy of that
moment on tape.
    She opened it. The tape was labeled "Romantic Moments" and was from
some place called "Goddess Productions." This told Nabiki nothing either
way. She put the tape in the vcr, she'd find out soon enough, either
way.
    A white haired woman in a wildly unconservative business suit
appeared on the TV screen. "Why hello." She said. "I hear of someone
who's unlucky in love."

    Ranma escorted Rae home. She lit up the night.
    "Oh, Ranma! It was so wonderful to meet your mother! She was so
sweet. And I think I could be friends with the others, too." She had a
nice laugh. "They're not at all like Serena."
    He walked her to the gate of her temple, she paused, holding his
hand. "This all just seems so wonderful. I can't help thinking I'm
dreaming."
    He kissed her. "Still feel like you're dreaming?" He asked.
    "Uh, huh." She nodded breathlessly, stars in her eyes.
    He led her up the steps. Soon he was beside her at the door.
    "Well, goodnight. I love you, Rae." Ranma tried to go, but the
moment was too beautiful. He let it drag out a moment longer, not quite
willing to let it end.
    "Ranma, I couldn't believe it when you offered to take me home. I
live so far. It... it means alot to me. Could you? I mean, you could
stay the night. It's so far to your home, and you could sleep in the
spare bedroom."
    A light chuckle. "Which one?"
    She blushed rosy. "This one." Rae pointed to the one not far from
her room.
    He touched her nose. "No sleepwalking." He commanded lightly. They
lingered long minutes after, basking in the warmth of each other's
company, then went separately to their rooms.

    Morning touched the temple with rosy fingers. Ranma was already out
practicing when Rae emerged from her sleep. He bounced off a tree, did a
triple flip in the air, and landed before her.
    "This really is a wonderful yard, but I can't practice all alone."
He commented, muscles taunt from the workout.
    Rae found the ground interesting, her feelings threatening to
overwhelm her. "I really couldn't do that without my Sailor powers.
Maybe you could spar with my grandpa."
    "Maybe." He conceded, taking her hands in his. "But I'm going to
have to train a sparring partner if I'm to stay in form, and I'd rather
train with you. Please? I really need the practice, and I don't see your
grandfather anywhere."
    "He's probably in the shrine." Rae thought about moving away,
instead found herself leaning against him. "And I have to do my chores."
She motioned toward the wood floors she'd have to polish.
    They gleamed back at her.
    Ranma had once lived here too.
    "Oh, alright." Rae surrendered, murmuring happily into his chest.
    "Good. Thank you, Rae. Let's start with leaps. You get alot of your
force out of the same muscles you use to balance. So here, let me show
you the exercises..."
    Her grandfather found them, half an hour later, balancing carefully
on short rods of bamboo, stuck into the ground and sticking maybe a foot
out. Ranma was stepping carefully from pole to pole, encouraging Rae to
go slow until her legs grew used to it.
    "Rae!" He grandfather called. "Who is this young man you're with? Is
he coming to train at the temple?"
    Rae blushed and laughed.
    Ranma jumped from his position and bowed before the old man.
"Honored Grandfather, I have asked Rae's permission to marry her, and
she has consented."
    The old man pulled out a pair of victory fans and began dancing
around. "At last! Oh, Rae! I was so afraid at your not having a
boyfriend." He went on and on.
    Rae joined her betrothed, fitting herself perfectly into his side.
    The pair of them looked on in joy at the elder's antics.

    Nodoka normally didn't have much use for the paper, but this morning
Priory brought her a copy himself. Curious, and a bit apprehensive, she
accepted it and looked to the page it was open to, which happened to be
the front page.
    There was a picture of her son, standing on a rooftop somewhere, in
the act of striking off a man's head. A second picture revealed him
being carried from the site of a large building fire, a defensive ring
of young maidens arrayed around him. She read the article, just a mash
of speculation as to who this young man was and if he was allied to the
Sailor Scouts.
    Nodoka thought back to that night those same girls had appeared
around them on the street, Ranma had called two of them by name. She put
the paper down.
    "Priory, have the editor of this paper called. Inform him that he is
to expect me today. I will speak to him regarding this article. I own
this paper and have specifically directed that my family receive no
publicity."
    The butler bowed. "Yes, ma'am."

    The Kuno family got a different paper. One of the residents picked
it up and saw the photo on the front page. "Mars' Suiter Identified!"
    The article described how, with long range optics trained on the
site, they had caught Sailor Mars embracing a young man they had
apparently rescued.
    The young lady dropped the paper in rage. "SASUKE!"

To be continued...

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Author's Notes:

    First of all, I would like to thank the lot of you for the wonderful
mail I have been receiving. I really don't deserve it (I'm a creep) but
I like it all the same.

    Well, it looks like there's life in the story yet, and so it will
continue.

    I wrote part five here to relax. Not even Ranma can be fighting all
the time and, well, I wanted to see what he did in his off hours.
    Besides, there are so many questions that need answers, and I can't
get much explaining done in the middle of a fight.

    Ah, who am I kidding? I like mushy stuff. So... um, please DON'T sue
me.