Thanks to my pre readers: Eric McGinnis, Octavian, TonyLoco, Thomas Scroggs, Jason Liao, David Johnston
Ranma 1/2 / BSSM : Eyes of a Stranger Chapter Three Created by Long Ngo Written by Lord Talon Started June 15, 1998 Finished August 9, 1998 Revised August 13, 1998 September 17, 1998
Ami had been thinking about Ranma ever since her little one way talk with him during lunch. Looking outside, she noticed that it was getting late. Closing the book and returning it to its proper numerical location on the shelf, Ami left the library. *What could have possibly have happened to Ranma to make him so depressed? * From the gossip she accidentally overheard, Ranma was a legend in some circles. Word had spread from his old school to various schools around for the past year. Ami didn't know which to believe. The most popular ones were: He had four fiancees, fought demons, was an extremely good martial artist who never lost, played with magic, had enslaved a beautiful red-headed girl with sorcery and lastly he moved to Juuban because he had lost his one true love. What she did know was that he wouldn't have much trouble finding a girl that would go out with him. Ranma even had a fan club here since word spread that he was attending Juuban High. Any more thoughts on the matter were lost when Ami heard a beeping sound from her communicator and made a mental note to talk to Ranma later on about his depression. She was no stranger to loneliness and the pain of having no one close. That was before she discovered that she was a princess of a kingdom that was destroyed a few millennia ago. Now she had Usagi, Rei, Minako and Makoto. Seeing no one around, "This is Ami. What's up?" she reported in.
Ami could hear Artemis' voice over the communicator, "There's a monster attacking Chuuou Park. The senshi are having a hard time beating it. We need Sailor Mercury. "
"I'm on my way. Tell the rest to hold on!" Ami responded. Making sure no one was around, she quickly transformed, and made her way to the park.
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Saffron looked at Ranma with contempt edged in his face. "Is that the best you can do? I would have thought that this battle be more of a challenge! Seems like I was wrong. Time to finish this." he said. Saffron gathered a massive ball of chi between his hands.
Ranma looked weakly up from where he was lying. The others were either too hurt to help or unconscious. Seeing the miniature form of his fiancee, Ranma knew that Akane would not last another minute. Reality came crashing down on Ranma. Akane was going to die if he didn't do anything very soon. Gathering into and around him more chi than he had ever attempted in his life, Ranma unleashed a ground zero blast that leveled Saffron and most of the surrounding countryside.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of Saffron but a pile of ashes. Sighing in relief, *I've beaten him!* Ranma thought, *But at what cost?* Quickly sorting through the surrounding debris, he found her. She was no longer the small dehydrated doll. The cure had worked. The water from the spring had lifted the curse. Checking to see if she was alright, Ranma discovered that her chest wasn't moving. Panicking, he checked for a pulse as well. He found neither. Akane was dead.
As he cried out in anguish, he heard a chuckle from behind him. Ranma spun around to see a very healthy looking Saffron laughing at him. Shaking his head in disbelief, as to what he was seeing. "You can't be alive! I killed you!" Ranma cried out in shock.
"I heal fast. Too bad your girlfriend can't do the same! HA HA HA!" Saffron laughed.
Ranma screamed in anguish, "NOOOOOOO-"
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"-OOOOOOOO!!!!"
Ranma bolted upright. Blinking for a few moments as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he remembered that he was now at his mother's residence. It had been a horrible dream but the worse part was that his dream was in fact reality. Taking a few deep breath to calm down, *I'm sorry, Akane.* Ranma apologized. Crying softly, Ranma remembered the good and bad times he spent with her before drying his tears. Getting up, Ranma decided to go out for some fresh air. *The one nice thing about Juuban is its endless supply of rooftops,* Ranma thought as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop. He spent the better part of an hour losing himself in one of his favorite past-time when a noise from an alley below caught his attention.
"Look, give me the money and I MIGHT let you live!" a rough voice said.
"Please, I'll do anything you want. Just don't hurt me!" a second voice pleaded.
Ranma looked down and saw a thug pointing a large knife at young woman threateningly. Something snapped within Ranma as he saw the frightened look on the young woman's face.
Giving his victim an evil smile, the thug raised his left hand and backhanded the woman. As she fell to the ground, the money she was holding scattered in the wind. The man took note as to where the money had settled before returning his attention back to the woman. "I think I'll have some fun first," he said lecherously.
Anger was the last thing Ranma felt when a sudden wave of coldness swept through his body leaving him with one emotion, retribution, as he started to glow. A few moments later the man lying on the ground in agony. His arms and legs were bent at truly unnatural angles while the woman just stared at the thug. She was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest and softly cried.
*Oh no! Did I hurt her?* Ranma quickly panicked, and began looking for a way out of the alley.
"NO!" she cried out to her glowing savior. Slowly getting to her feet, the warmth of us touch made her feel safe.
Ranma looked over his shoulder at the woman. He noticed the desperate look in her eyes, a look that told Ranma she had just been through hell. The woman unsteadily got to her feet. Helping her up, Ranma didn't notice that he still had his battle aura showing. After the sobbing stopped, he helped her gather her few meager possessions, strewn about the alley.
When she finished, she looked at Ranma, and weakly smiled. "Thank you, sir. If you hadn't come along, I would hate to think what that creep would have done to me!" she spoke in a weak tone.
"Uh...Yeah, sure!" Looking around nervously before returning his attention back to her, "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked. A few moments later, sounds of sirens could be heard. *Someone had called the police.*
"Yes, I will." she answered. *Now that I know someone like you exist to protect us.* "The police are..." she continued but was unable to finish as she watched the glowing young man leap up onto the rooftops, three stories high, and vanished into the night. Giving thanks to her unknown guardian angel, she waited for the police to arrive.
Thus Ranma started his nightly patrols of Juuban. That night he vowed that even though he hadn't been able to save Akane , he would make it up to her by using his art to protect the people around him.
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When she arrived, she was surprised at the devastation. Trees were uprooted. Lamp posts were bent in unusual angles. In short, the once beautiful park was now a battleground. She quickly located the senshi and saw the creature that had caused all of this. The monster was obviously female and appeared to use wind as its primary attack because its arms and legs were miniature tornadoes. What caught Mercury's attention was the bright gem that appeared to be embedded in its forehead.
Mercury scanned the area looking to see how her friends were doing. Jupiter and Venus were attacking the thing, but their attacks were not getting through the wind barrier the android had erected around itself everytime they attacked. Mars was leaning against a tree, holding her arm. She appeared to be to be quite wounded. Sailor Moon was torn between helping out Mars or Venus and Jupiter. Having sized up the situation, Mercury unleashed her first attack, "SHABON SPRAY!!" As the entire area was covered in a fine mist, Mercury worked her way over to the injured Mars.
"Are you okay, Mars?" she inquired.
"I don't know. I tried an attack when it wasn't looking but I got caught and it sent me flying. I landed wrong and now my right arm hurts." Mars told her.
Taking out her computer, Mercury used it to scanned her friend's arm. "Your arm is okay but you have a dislocated shoulder. I'll take care of it after the fight. Now, I'm going to see if I can locate that thing's weak spot." Mercury said while activating her visor. By this time, Venus and Jupiter had made a tactical retreat and had regrouped with the other three senshi.
"That thing is tough!" complained Jupiter. "None of my attacks can get through that barrier."
"Same here. Everything we've thrown at it has either been blocked or deflected by that wall of wind." Venus agreed.
Ami was deep in thought, trying to find a way to combat the monster when she suddenly got an inspiration. "That's IT!" cried Mercury as she de-activated her visor. Turning to Mars, "I know what I'm about to ask will be hard but I need you to generate a cloud of fire under the android while its barrier is up." *Have to tell them about the abnormal energy reading I'm getting from the South later right after we finish this monster.*
"But, how can I? My shoulder is messed up and I can only use one arm." Mars complained.
"I know but I need an updraft of heat beneath that monster," Mercury continued. "When I yell, 'Fire,' launch your attack directly below it. Venus and Jupiter will try and keep it distracted while Sailor Moon gets ready to blast it." Mercury explained. As the mist thinned the monster began to attack once again. Venus and Jupiter quickly launched their attacks, trying to give Mercury enough time to set up her plan.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Both of their attacks quickly streaked towards their intended target but was again blocked by the fierce wind that arose around it.
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Tuxedo Kamen had transformed and arrived soon after Sailor Mercury. Seeing the destruction around him, he was about to leap into action with rose in hand when something caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. *I thought I saw someone behind that tree,* he thought before bringing his attention back to the back to the battle in front of him. Seeing as how both of Jupiter and Venus's attacks were futile, Tuxedo Kamen threw a rose at the bot to give them time to escape.
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Seeing the column of air surrounding the android, Mercury knew that the time was appropriate and quickly gave word, "Now, Mars. FIRE!"
Searching deep down, Mars summoned all of her strength and launched her attack. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!" Mars shouted out.
As the ball of fire sped towards its destination, Mercury launched her own as well, "SHINING AQUA ILLUSION!"
Nearing their target, both attacks sped up and elongated. The rest of the senshi looked on in bewilderment, as the two attacks merged instead of canceling each other out and created a counter vortex to the android's wind barrier. The end result sent the monster sprawling, as its barrier was destroyed. "Now, Sailor Moon!" Mercury shouted.
Bringing forth her scepter and rotating it in the direction of monster, she cried out, "MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"
The monster quickly turned into a pile of ashes, saved for the small jewel that fell on top of the pile. Its glow twinkled a few times before fading. As the senshi left the scene, they failed to notice a woman walk from behind the tree line. Casting a hateful glare at the senshi, she quickly gathered the jewel and vanished.
To be continued