The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi
Rumiko or whomever wrote Sailor Moon. No infringement of copyright is
intended. This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting
the current author.
This is a crossover between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon. To make the two
stories fit together the way I wanted, I needed to shuffle the dates at
which a few things occur within the main timeline of Sailor Moon. I bow
my head in shame: please forgive. We also have guest appearances by
Slayers and 3x3 Eyes.
Die hard fans of Ranma may also notice a very subtle change to it's
story timeline...
This story is dedicated to the letters A, and K and the number 8.
Visit my website at
http://www.fl.net.au/~fire
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| Destiny's Child |
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Cleaning Up The Opposition
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When she awoke the next morning, the dreams were nothing more than
fleeting memories of pain and confusion that quickly subsided. On the
way to school, Hotaru thought on her dreaming problems and realised the
solution. When you have a problem you can't deal with, fight! Her
father taught her that too many years ago to remember, but it had
served her well, and she was willing to stand by it as a philosophy
that worked.
Some people say that fighting never solves anything, but Ranma believed
that they had never fought before. Fighting can defeat enemies, and
conquer nations. It can turn enemies into allies, make acquaintances
trusted friends, and make friends lovers. Fighting brought out all the
best in a person, the struggle, the challenge, and the commitment to
the elusive goal of being the best. Fighting was also the best way to
clear the mind and free the thinking.
She ignored most of her classes, other than history, which was always
fun because she could think to herself, 'I was doing this when that
happened'. After another rotten lunch and a boring afternoon, Hotaru
dashed out of school and found a convenient hiding place. When she was
sure no-one was around, she changed clothes, then doused herself with
water from her thermos.
Walking down the streets of Tokyo, the Master of Anything Goes Martial
Arts wondered how good the Martial Artists were around here. It took
little more than twenty seconds in a phone book, and a ten minute jog,
and he was at a Kempo club. Once Kempo had been the basis for Anything
Goes. Since he was the Master, and probably the soul practitioner, he
suspected that Amazonian techniques were more likely the real basis
now, but why not start with Kempo?
Entering the dojo he kicked off his shoes and bowed to the Sensei. Oh,
goody, class was just starting. Asking permission to join in, the young
teacher, probably in his late thirties, waved him onto the mat, and
everyone bowed in.
The class was what you would expect for a public offering. The did a
few light warm ups, some kicks and punches, and a little semi-contact
sparring. After just a couple of hours of light warm-ups, Ranma was
ready and eager to start training. Then the Sensei called them back. It
was the end of training!
Immediately after the class, Ranma stalked up to the Sensei. "What was
that, a beginners class? We didn't even do any sparring! And it was so
short!"
The Sensei puffed out his chest. "Listen pal, two hours is plenty long
enough for training. And what gives you the right to complain about my
classes? I'm a third dan black belt in Kempo, with a second dan in
Akido."
Ranma crossed his arms and puffed his chest out too. "I am Tendo Ranma,
Master of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
The Sensei lost his composure and started laughing. "Anything Goes?
That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard. Not only that, but
you're trying to impress me by being the master in your own style. Feh!
I'd like to see how you fair against a real Martial Artist some time."
Ranma went from scowl to smile in the course of the speech. Such an
insult to the school could not be taken lightly. In any other
circumstance, he would have challenged the man to a fight, but there
was no need, the fool had just offered to take him on.
"Your challenge is accepted. Shall we fight now?"
The Sensei smirked and rotated his torso a few times to loosen it up,
then did some spring kicks. "Sure. What rules do you want?"
"No magic, no Ki attacks, no killing, and no permanent maiming... that
should just about do it."
Snort. "Yeah, right. No magic. Ha, ha. What about padding?"
Ranma looked down at the tatami mats on the floor. "No, leave it there.
No sense in ripping it up just so we can fight on wood, unless you'd
prefer to go outside?"
"Oh, ha, ha, a real comedian." With that they bowed and the fight
began. Ranma decided to start slowly and work his way up. It would be
the easiest way to gauge his opponents strength. He just hoped the guy
was good enough to make it worth the effort. Other than Ryoga, it had
been a while since a challenge had come his way.
Seeing his opponent was using a defensive stance, Ranma obliged and
started the attack. A couple of punches and a kick, then roll away. Not
bad, he managed to block them, a bit sloppy trying for that leg brace,
but he has potential.
Back in again, Ranma did a series of leg sweeps and feinted throws,
seeking to drop the man on his backside. At the speed Ranma was moving,
the Sensei evaded them, and returned to counter attack.
Watching the punch coming in, Ranma was reminded of the times he fought
with Akane; trained that should be, since they really did fight when
they were younger. Before they realised they loved each other. She was
always a strong girl, but compared to him (or her as the he usually
was) she was dreadfully slow. That was not saying a great deal, since
it was not until he met Liniment that she met someone who really was
faster than her.
For a while, Ranma reflected on that first time when he had fought
Liniment. He had believed at the time that being defeated by an old
woman was a disgrace. It was only living the Amazon village for a time
that made him realise how wrong he was. The Matriarch of the Amazons -
which is the position Liniment held - was not just there for her
wisdom, she was also the recognised Mistress for fighting in the whole
village; they were Amazons after all, and had a reputation to maintain.
Whoops, daydreaming too long there. Punch almost got me, better block
it. And he's going for a trip too, ambitious fellow. Taking the arm
which was still in front of his face, Ranma grabbed it both sides of
the elbow. In less time than it took to blink, Ranma lifted the fighter
by his arm, and lobbed him across the room. Just to teach him a lesson
in finishing a strike quickly, Ranma allowed a little pressure on the
elbow joint while he lifted for the throw. Not enough to break it or
even permanently damage it, but it should hurt like hell for a few
days.
The Sensei hit the wall fairly lightly and more or less flowed to the
ground. After a few seconds he was staggering to his feet, reeling in
confusion, and holding his elbow in obvious pain. Ranma stared in
shock. But I only threw him four meters! Surely he can't be injured
that badly. Hell, I was doing that to Akane until she was fifty and she
would thump me with her mallet if I did it that lightly!
Keeping a defensive posture, Ranma watched as the man staggered back to
the centre of the dojo. When the Sensei bowed to him, he realised it
was over. Damn, I still haven't gotten past the warm up yet!
"My apologies to you and your school, Ranma-sensei. I have never seen
someone so fast, or so strong before. I beg forgiveness for my
rudeness."
Still in shock, Ranma bowed, mumbled something polite and left. What
was wrong here? Most of the kids he used to teach the Intermediate
course to back in the Amazon village would have beaten him. I've got to
find a decent dojo!
Around that same time, the Sailor Senshi were gathered in an ice-cream
parlour in their normal garb. Even as they ordered, Rei scratched her
head and wondered why. Why was it always ice-cream they were getting?
Was Usagi actually possessed by a demon with an ice-cream fetish? Was
there some higher order in the universe which dictated the need to
consume large quantities of ice-cream?
Rei watched a young girl in a booth. She was wearing bright red
clothing and had a large hammer strapped to her back. To judge by the
way she was hoeing into her ice-cream, you could almost believe that
the was some declaration from heaven declaring the divinity of ice-
cream. When Rei turned back to her friends, and saw Usagi salivating
while she stared at the desserts arrayed before her, she dismissed that
idea. Nothing could make Usagi look royal or holy.
"Come on, Meatball Head. The rest of us want to order before the shop
shuts."
"Ohhh, but there's so many to choose from. I could get the Chocolate
Ripple, or the Super Fudge, or the Strawberry Surprise, or the..."
She trailed off after a moment, frantically searching through her purse
for enough money to be able to eat it all. The other girls sighed, then
pushed past her and ordered their own. When Usagi saw her friends
sitting down, halfway through their food, she finally took the plunge
and ordered everything she could afford. She might be missing out on
some really yummy stuff, but she knew they wouldn't wait forever.
Eventually everyone was seated around the table eating their desserts
when Minako nudges Makoto. "Any more luck finding that hunk from the
theatre yet?"
Makoto blushed and looked sheepish. "No, not yet."
"So is he really an old boyfriend of yours?"
"No, but I'm hoping to be able to say he's my current boyfriend some
day soon."
Everyone sniggered, letting Ami speak up. "I only got a brief look at
him. Is he really worth all the work that you're putting into it?"
"How can you say such a thing? Of course it's worth it. As I looked
across at him, our eyes met, and I just knew he was the one for me.
Somehow I just knew I was destined to meet him. We'll be the perfect
couple, so beautiful and elegant! He's even cuter than Mamoru. Isn't
he, Usagi?"
"I suppose it depends if you prefer the muscle bound, body like a Greek
god look, or the refined face of a man who looks like a king."
"Feh! Knowing you, you'd want both of them, just so you won't miss out
on anything next time one of them gets brainwashed or kidnapped or
something."
Usagi blushed and hid behind her ice-cream for a moment. Realising the
only way that she could stop them teasing her was to get someone new to
tease, she popped up again and levelled her spoon at Rei (practising
with the Moon Sceptre helped her immensely, even as a blob of ice-cream
flew off the end she maintained her poise). "Come on, Rei. What about
this new boyfriend of yours?"
"Hey! He's not my boyfriend. He's just a new apprentice at the shrine."
"That's not what your grandfather tells us. From what he says your
boyfriend is really cute. He says you two make a great couple."
Minako tossed in her two cents also: "Yeah, he even told me that the
two of you should get married so you can take over the shrine."
"WHAT? How can he say that? That old pervert! No, we are not getting
married."
Sensing victory, they closed in for the kill. "Ah, but she not denying
that he's cute."
"Well, yeah, he is cute. And he's always so polite. And he's pretty
good at working around the shrine. And..."
Everyone went 'Oooh!' as she began to recount the details. When Rei
glared at them, they burst out laughing.
"How far have you gotten?"
"Have you kissed him yet?"
"Have you met his family?"
"When are we going to meet him?"
"Is it true your grandfather asked him to sleep over?"
"When are you getting engaged?"
"Does he have a nice butt?"
"QUIET!!"
"Better, much better. It's not like that. Ranma's a nice boy. He's...
Well, he's not exactly quiet or shy or anything, but... But he's so...
Well, he's quiet and shy and everything.
"That didn't make any sense, did it?"
Everyone shook their heads in perfect unison. "Um, let me see.
Ranma's... complex. He's outgoing and lively and always energetic.
_Always_ energetic, arg, I don't know how he can be so bright in the
mornings. But... At the same time, he's always a bit quiet and distant.
I suppose it's because he's such a perfect gentleman. He's always
polite to me, and never tries anything, even when we're alone."
"Well, you seem to be doing all right with him. You're on a first name
basis already, aren’t you?"
"Hmm, sort of. Even on the first day I was calling him 'Ranma', it's
just so easy. But he's always so polite to me. I don't think he's ever
called me anything else aside from 'Rei-san'."
Seeing her friend starting to get a little misty eyed about a boy she
obviously had one-way feelings for, Ami interjected. "Enough about Rei,
how are you going to track down this mystery man of yours, Mako-chan?"
Rei smiled her thanks for the help. Her friends meant well, but to be
honest, they tended to gossip like a bunch of school girls... there was
a good reason for that though.
In yet another part of Tokyo, someone was making a name for herself.
The tall, good looking dojo destroyer was systematically visiting every
dojo, beating the stuffing out of everyone foolish enough to challenge
her. Leaving a trail weeks long, a string of dojo from the west coast
the heart of Tokyo bore the signs of her passing, broken signs, and
unconscious champions. The only reasoning anyone had was her horrific
war-cry. Hundreds of people now recognised it as a sound to be feared,
and lived in anticipation of the next time they may hear the words:
"Shampoo challenge!"
Shampoo looked around the suburb as she contemplated her next move. She
had been sent to Japan to find a husband, and she would not fail.
Fighting strength was everything in the village that she came from.
Fighting strength was what made the Amazons great, and fighting
strength was what enabled them to live to this day.
Coming from a long and proud line of warriors, she knew deep within her
soul the power of having a strong husband, and the curse you inflicted
on your children by having a weak man. Shampoo's father had been the
strongest male in the village in his day. Some people even spread
rumours that her mother had lost the fight because she loved him, but
her parents had squashed those rumours; literally.
He mother was the strongest maiden in the village, as was her mother
before her. Shampoo was the strongest of this generation, and her great
grandmother was still the Matriarch of the village. It was a job that
Shampoo wanted some day, and for that she needed a strong husband, to
make her a real woman. As with all of the other hard and important work
in the village, it was a woman's job to provide for the strength of the
village's future. For that she needed a strong husband.
All the men in the village fell before her might. When she had won the
Martial Tournament a few months ago, she had systematically defeated
every single man in the village. Not only was it their duty to fight
when challenged, but Shampoo's beauty and expected political future
guaranteed all the suitors gave their all.
All tried, and all failed.
There was only one thing to do when you can beat the best that are on
offer: find some more offers. Everyone knew that they only men worth
the effort in the area were the Musk. Neither the Joketsuzoku or the
Musk had any fancy for the idea of intermarriage, so a quest was
mandated. In the past great warriors had journeyed far and wide in
search of suitable material to strengthen their bloodlines. She would
do no less.
Picking up on rumours, Shampoo had finally come to Japan. A land fabled
for it's great warriors, Ninja and Samurai, a land where people were
dedicated to the art of fighting. Here she would find the warrior who
would defeat her, and she would sweep him off his feet and back to
China.
Japan seemed like another failure. She had been searching high and low.
From one school to another she sought the strongest on offer, and then
defeated them. Was she too good? Was she really the pinnacle of Amazon
breeding, too strong for ordinary men to defeat?
Shampoo sniffed in misery. Some of the men had given her a run for her
money, they had challenged her, and pushed her to her limits, but in
the end they failed too. Amazon strength, combined with speed and her
knowledge of their secret techniques triumphed every time. Perhaps...
just perhaps she would need to give a little in one fight. She would
ask Great-grandmother. She would know. She knew everything.
Before her the door of the next dojo opened. Looking at the class that
was assembled, she saw that news of her progress was spreading. By the
number of black belts, and the healthy figures on the men, these were
the best they had to offer. They would not be enough.
"Shampoo challenge!"
(
geocities.com/tokyo/teahouse) (
geocities.com/tokyo)