Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

After the Senshi' outburst, I began to do some damage control. "Don't look at me like that. I'm serious. Someone with some serious magic power is going to be making a bid for global domination in…" I looked to Mousse.

"Two weeks," he added helpfully.

"In two weeks. He's gonna be able to kill the world's technology with some kind of ancient spell or something. If we get in on this, once the world is really conquered, with lots of oppression and all the other crap associated with someone getting their ass kicked, we can come in with pokémon and magic blazing, take over for ourselves, and put Usagi in power. But the clincher is that we make it look like Usagi is liberating the world from the bad guys. That way you come into power centuries before you're supposed to, and all of Setsuna's plans get screwed as a side bonus." I think I presented the case rather well.

Katya laughed. "Oh, I just love you," she said fondly, earning a glare from Ami. That comment was just the right catalyst to get things moving in the proper direction.

"Who is going to try to take over the world, Ranma?" Ami asked. "And how is he going to 'kill' the world's technology?" This couldn't have gone better if it had been scripted.

"A phoenix— a kind of really strong fire elemental, really— over in China who has the backing of the most powerful martial artists and naturally powerful people in the world. I wouldn't say he's actually gonna kill technology. From what Mousse says, Saffron has found some really old artifact— probably from the Silver Millennium, now that I think about it— and that it will render all modern technology and weapons useless." Now all I needed was for someone to ask why we shouldn't fight against Saffron and try to stop him from disabling technology.

Rei was kind enough to do that for me, and I didn't even have to ask. Heh. "Simple. Once Saffron is eliminated, Usagi and the rest of us will have our very own army of super-warriors. That can come in handy for all kinds of things. I know with absolute certainty that about eighty-five years from now this planet is going to be invaded by an army of demons; demons that don't like me any more than they do any other human. Well, it may be ninety years. I'm not too sure; the scrolls were badly weathered and my Chinese isn't all that great." I wasn't even lying. An army of bloodthirsty demons really was going to be invading. I didn't actually find out from a scroll, but you can't go around letting people know that the Dark Prince is giving you hints about the future.

"Wouldn't Setsuna have told us about something like that?" Minako asked. Better and better.

Katya answered this one. "My younger sister has been a bit shortsighted in a long-term way. She has worried far too much about manipulating the past in order to achieve a goal much farther into the future than she should have strived for. The strain of that and a few recent events have been too much for her, and I'm sorry to say that I've had to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital. With electroshock treatments, the doctors think she'll make a full recovery in about a decade." Oh, that was smooth, very smooth. Isn't sisterly love wonderful?

"See, if we help take over the world now, we'll be helping to save it and humanity in the long run. So, who's in?" I wasn't going to give them too much time to think too carefully about this. We needed to get to the Amazon village and consolidate our power as quickly as possible. To top the deal off, I said, "It'd be safer for your parents, too. If they stayed here in Japan while the war is going on, they would be in lots of danger— from starving people that can't function without the Internet and microwaves to Jusendo death squads. If they're in Jusendo where no one but the people on our side can go, they'd be as safe as anyone can possibly be." Ah ha, ha, ha, way to go, me.

"You say that they're martial artists?" Makoto asked. She had that look in her eye that sorta says 'I'm determined to get my way and you'd better not try to stop me'.

I nodded. "Oh, yes; every single person is a martial artist of at least world class proficiency. Shampoo, she's sorta like the princess of a tribe of Amazon warriors. They're led by women, and a lot of the advanced martial arts I learned is Amazon in origin." Well, Sailor Jupiter was sold.

"Jusendo is too, too beautiful," Shampoo added. "Always like springtime. And womens very respected in tribe, especially sorceresses. Sorry Shampoo's Japanese so bad," she finished with a grin.

I think that one pulled in Minako and Rei, two very strong-willed, if a bit flighty, young women. "And there's lots of room for our pokémon to roam around, too," I added. And Usagi's eyes lit up like headlights.

Ami could read my face and feel my emotions too well for me to even attempt to manipulate her, not to mention how smart she is. I probably couldn't really have manipulated her no matter what our relationship was. So, I just said to her, "This really is for the best. Your mother being a fully trained doctor would be enough to get her a seat on the Council of Elders. That's the women in charge." Not that I intended to let any of them tell me what to do.

Katya once again chose to be helpful, saying, "Why don't we let the girls talk it over amongst themselves and you and I can discuss some business that we need to take care of?" I nodded and we left the girls in a tight little group to convince each other that they should join up. I gathered up Shampoo and Mousse as we headed to the kitchen.

"Ranma, we weren't really supposed to pick up anyone but you," Mousse said, a little overwhelmed by the last few minutes of conversation and events. I don't think either of the Amazons even noticed that their war was being stolen right out from under them.

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Mousse. The Council definitely won't be displeased with you or Shampoo if you come back with not only me, but a whole squad of sorceresses. Oh, and lots of pokémon." He looked at me funny and I remembered that no one else even knew what the creatures were. I guess I'd just gotten so used to them being around that I forgot that no one else on Earth had any of them. "Pokémon are really powerful animals," I told him. "I have one that's over a hundred meters tall and breathes fire, another that can cause earthquakes at will and is nearly indestructible, and a dragon pokémon that I've trained to control the elements of nature. The girls in there each have their own; none as strong as mine, but they have more of them. Usagi has hundreds. If we really wanted to, the Senshi and I could conquer the world with just the pokémon we have."

Mousse's eyes had glazed over some and a tiny line of drool was leaking from Shampoo's mouth. For effect, I continued, "Usagi's pokémon are almost steadily producing eggs, so think: we could have every Amazon in Jusendo equipped with his or her very own living weapon." Any objections to bringing the Senshi and anyone they wanted to accompany them went right out the window with that last one. I'm getting pretty good at this.

"There are three other Senshi to consider," Katya added. "Uranus and Neptune aren't as powerful as the Inner Senshi are, thanks to your instruction, but they are a force to be reckoned with. Poor Saturn doesn't have long to live, I fear."

Damn, I'd forgotten about those three completely. "About Saturn, Katya, I believe I can stop her health from deteriorating further, but she'll lose most of her power." I'd come up with a way to break the link between Saturn and Silence before the incident at the mountain had thrown us through the multiverse. Just got a little side-tracked is all.

The Senshi of Space looked at me in confusion. "Every incarnation of Saturn always dies of a wasting sickness. How could you stop a cycle that has continued for untold eons?" She didn't sound scornful or unsure, just surprised and hopeful.

"You didn't know that Saturn gains her power from being directly combined with Silence?" She shook her head dumbly. "Silence is a really powerful Infernal entity that used to go around destroying worlds, a really, really long time ago. He disappeared, though, and then Sailor Saturn, the Bringer of Silence appeared shortly thereafter." I had pieced this all together on a rainy day shortly after learning of the existence of the Outer Senshi. "If I broke the link, she wouldn't be any stronger than any of the other Outer Senshi, but she wouldn't die, and as much as I hate to say it, if I had to choose between a year of absolute power or a couple millennia of some power and a normal life, I would get rid of absolute power in a heartbeat."

"Well, then, we'll be making a stop, you and I, by young Hotaru's home after this meeting." Katya's voice brooked no argument.

"That's fine with me. We are probably gonna have a bunch of family members and friends tagging along with us to China, so we should figure out how to get them there. We could probably use the pokémon, though it would badly exhaust them, to make the trip, but you have that nice teleportation spell, and I only need to see it a few more times before I can do it myself. Feel like being a mystic taxi service?" I asked. Katya's teleportation spell wasn't just a way to get around from place to place. If used properly, you could remove someone's heart before they could blink or just as easily cut someone in half with a thought and without any evidence that you caused the death. Very versatile spell.

"I'm free! I'm free!" Ryoga exclaimed in joy. He wasn't wearing anything but a tiny pair of leather briefs and a rubber hood, but he was free. "Now, Ranma and Genma Saotome, for making my life hell and leading me into the life of a sex slave, you shall die!!!"

What Ryoga didn't know was that he was standing on the launch platform for the Wizard of Gates' newest series of orbital laser cannons. This one even included its very own nuclear ballistic missiles. Because of this added weight, the rocket thrusters on cargo vessel were exceptionally large.

'5… 4… 3… 2… 1… and launch is a go!' came the voice over the Microsoft (once known as Apple Headquarters) Space Center's speaker system.

Ryoga looked around, finally ripping the hood from his head to increase his peripheral vision. He seemed to notice just how unusual his surroundings were when he felt an inordinate amount of heat coming from above. He looked up just as the rocket engines ignited.

"I'll get you for this, Raaannnnmm—" the scream of rage was cut off by its source being severely overcooked.

Ami, being the closest to me, was chosen to act as emissary. Yeah, way corny, but their words, not mine. "We all agree that fighting with you and Saffron, with the later intent of supplanting Saffron as ruler, would be the most beneficial for the world in general. "I nodded, grinning at her knowingly. They had all been ready to jump in a boat and paddle to China before their little meeting. "We all want to bring our families and friends with us, though," she added. All in all, not a very long list of demands.

"Sure, no problem. You'd all better start rounding them up. I imagine that the friends will want to bring their families also, and so on and so forth. If you girls want to pull this off, you'd better get busy. Katya and I need to see about the other Senshi." We were probably going to end up with a few hundred, if not more, useless people, but those relatively few people were being backed by serious power. The Council would see that and not bitch or moan too much.

After some grumbling at the work ahead of them, the Senshi, except for Ami, all went to do as I had told them. I hope they didn't botch it and get us all in trouble. My fiancée (sounds nice, doesn't it?) pulled me back into the kitchen and asked, "You and that girl, Shampoo, you two have been together, haven't you?"

That came faster than I'd expected. "Yeah, but it was years ago, and I've already made it clear to her that you and me are inseparable. She understands. You're not jealous, are you?" Of course she was jealous, I could feel it in her, despite her efforts to bottle the emotion up.

She paused for a few moments and eventually nodded. "I can't help it. She's so beautiful, and a powerful warrior like you." She shrugged. "I guess I'm being silly. I know that you wouldn't cheat on me, I can 'feel' it in my bones, but I still worry."

I hugged her reassuringly and whispered, "Don't worry. You're the only one for me. Besides, Shampoo may not know it yet, but she's in love with Mousse." I'm not sure how long I let the embrace last, but I missed the warmth of Ami's body pressed against mine when we separated. "You should probably go and break the news to your mom. Please try to convince her that I'm not evil." I just knew that Ms. Mizuno was going to blame this on me, even if it was my fault.

"I should give her some time to gather any medical supplies she might need."

I wonder how all those adults are going to feel about being railroaded into such a drastic change of life by their children.

I let Katya ring the doorbell at the Ten'ou home. This, apparently, was where the rug-munching (not that I have anything against this particular hobby, as long as the muncher and munchee are both in the mega-attractive category) Senshi, with their ward Hotaru, lived. After a few more buzzes from the bell, the door was opened by a blue-haired young woman, who, from descriptions given by the other Senshi, I recognized as Michiru, a.k.a. Sailor Neptune.

She first saw Katya and stepped back in surprise. When she saw me she reached her arm into another one of those spatial pockets and pulled out a henshin rod. Damn Setsuna and her crazy, paranoid, dog-fucking self.

Katya reached out and grabbed Michiru's arm. "Hold it right there, young lady. I don't know what my sister has told you about Ranma, but he's on our side. Setsuna is just slightly bonkers right now and I'm filling in for her. Won't you invite us in?"

Warily, Michiru stepped back, not turning her back to us. Once we were in the house, I said, "I've come to cure Hotaru. She'll die without my help." I've been playing hero a lot lately. The feeling of accomplishment can grow on you after a while.

Hearing my claim, the Senshi of Neptune blinked and jumped slightly as if startled by something. She still didn't look ready to trust me, though.

"Where is the girl?" Katya asked. I have a feeling that she knew exactly where Hotaru was, but for the life of me I can't figure out why she asked. I sure could feel the virtual bleeding off of power from Silence. There was a very faint undertone of another life force going with that power. Hotaru must be fading extraordinarily fast if I could feel her life leaving her bodily that easily.

Michiru remained silent, but she led us down a wide hallway with some expensive-looking paintings on the walls, and up a spiral flight of stairs. From the top of them we went down a dimly lit hallway to a room located at the end of the corridor. Quietly, Michiru opened the door and we walked into an even more dimly lit bedroom. A small, very frail looking girl with short black hair lay in the bed, sleeping. Her breathing was irregular and I could feel the uneven flows of energy throughout her body. Talk about cutting it close.

"What are you going to do?" Michiru asked, breaking her silence. She glanced worriedly at the small figure that was covered up to her neck in thick blankets. "Please don't let her die."

For all spells with patterns more complicated than the mind can safely coordinate, what do we use? That's right, our trusty athame. In a single motion too fast to be seen by either Senshi, I drew the demon-forged blade. Michiru gasped and Katya raised a questioning eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her. This will help me cast the spell that will separate her from Silence."

Katya walked Michiru over to a small couch set in the corner of the room and firmly planted the worried woman. I began drawing symbols in the air, some gold and some silver. All of them contained as much power as I could concentrate through my crystals without giving any of the Senshi or Hotaru brain damage. As I continued to draw the extremely complicated spell, forming a net of overlapping words of power, I began chanting. The chant held no power in itself, this spell was my own creation and I don't really like binding power into words, for it is too easy to make a costly and dangerous mistake that way, but the chant allowed my mind to focus sharply enough to finish the last few passes of the spell. When I had it completely patterned, there were no distinguishable lines, just a solid mass of gold and silver energy floating before me. This spell would have absolutely exhausted me before acquiring my lens crystal; now, though, I was only slightly winded, and that was mostly mental fatigue.

A slight tendril of energy connecting Hotaru's soul with the spell was all that was required to activate it. As the amassed energy— enough to decimate Tokyo if properly used— hit the girl, she convulsed once and was still. Michiru screamed in the background. I ignored her, keeping my attention on my subject and making sure she didn't have an unforeseen reaction.

A minute passed, then five, ten, twenty, an hour. Then, when I was about to give up and cancel the spell, Hotaru convulsed once more, and from her sweat covered brow, rose a three-inch high little amalgam of insect, mud, and mucus. It floated into the air and was held tightly in place by the containment portion of my spell.

"Release me at once, puny mortal!!!" Silence roared in a squeak barely worthy of a mouse. Heh, life hadn't been too good for it lately, either.

"Hey, I'm Ranma. You should really thank me for releasing you from your prison. I believe you, too, would have died with this latest Saturn." That was true. From the power I'd felt leaking from the girl, I'd thought Silence was still going strong, but that obviously had been the entity's death throws. Thirty thousand years and numerous reincarnations had not been kind to Silence. Now free, he was already starting to regain his power. The process would probably take a few centuries, but I wasn't about to leave a creature like this around that most likely held grudges and would eventually be able to destroy the planet I lived on.

"Ha! Your primitive mind can't even begin to grasp my power! Release me or I shall destroy you!!!" Silence squeaked again. Obnoxious little bastard. I reached out and thumped it on the forehead. It squeak/roared again and lashed out with a finger-sized bolt of energy that fizzled out a foot from my face. That effort left Silence barely substantial enough to exist.

I briefly wondered if I should keep him as a pet. A magically modified pokéball and a few years of study, and I would be able to control the entity. That's a lot of trouble, though, so I just used all the energy from my recently completed spell to form a barrier much like the one I'd used to confine Setsuna when she had attacked me. I compressed it as much as possible and fed enough raw energy into it to keep Silence fed for a few years. When I was done, there was a snow globe size force bubble containing what had once been one of the deadliest beings in existence. I attached a kind of mystic note to the sphere and chunked it through a small tear in reality that led directly to Hell. Nicky would get a kick out of the little guy.

Teary-eyed, Michiru and Katya approached me at Hotaru's bedside. The little girl's complexion had already improved, and I could sense that her body, as tired and worn out as it was, would make a full recovery over time. "I have the skill to fix actual injuries and cure diseases, but Usagi is the only person I know with enough skill in white magic to speed up the recovery process from something like this. We can bring her by tomorrow."

Michiru nodded, looked at the floor, then rushed me. She gave me a crushing hug of gratitude and got my shirt all wet with tears. "Thank you, oh, thank you!" she cried softly. I'm not one for great big emotional scenes, Kami knows that I have enough trouble dealing with Ami, so I just nodded and tried out my new teleportation spell for the first time. The hole in space deposited me in my bathtub instead of my living room. Pretty good for a first try.

To be continued.

Author's Notes: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I managed to get this whole chapter done in a little more than two hours! I'm proud of myself. Like always, send C&C to dark_phoneix@hotmail.com

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: May 21, 2007